How much cash to budget for meals?

[Dogbowl]

How much cash would you budget for meals on Coz? No breakfast as it's free at my hotel. Moderate lunches, higher end dinners, not drinkers. Is pesos better?

 

[flyboy08]

Hard to say as one can eat from street food to more upscale in town....I think Pesos are best and easier to pay with..for me, I'd say 10-15 lunch and 25-45 for dinner....but this is a best guess.....the most expensive dinner was in town at a place called Pepe's, but the skirt steak was awesome...in town, second floor....

 

[gopbroek]

Pesos are normally much better, often for lunch I will get the 'comida del dia' (" Food of the day " ) which is very common at many restaurants and typically runs $70-90 MXN (3.70 to 4.70 USD) this will typically include soup and a main course plus a non alcoholic drink such as Jamaica (hibiscus tea) or lemonade. Dowtown I like Casa Cuzumil for their comida del dia but it becomes more common to serve the 'comida del dia' at the smaller restaurants away from the waterfront. There are lots of small restaurants near the Mercado on 20th / 25th ave and the comedia del dia used to be very good at Chilangos on 10th Ave between 11th (quintana roo) and 13th (xel ha), haven't been there in a few years but it used to be very good. Ordering Ala Carte at the restaurants for lunch off the square should run around $100 - $250 MXN. For dinner a decent meal typically costs me 150 to 350 MXN but of course if I start eating on the waterfront and develope a taste for steak and lobster the sky is the limit (which I am to cheap to do). I think the most extravagant meal I have had on the island was a very nice meal at Sal de Mar and it was less than $500 MXN ($26 USD)

late addition, for lunch you can also just grab a torta at multiple small places and stands for around $30 MXN. I really like Mario's on calle 5 up near 35th Ave for Cochinta tortas. They only do Cochinta (which they do very well) and close when they sell out which is often by noon.

 

[49north]

A couple of our favourites from our trip last month were:

For moderate priced lunch:
La Cucina Italiana Restaurant - Home

For higher end dinner:
Buccanos restaurant at night

 

[guruboy]

Stop by the mercado municipal food court. Good food for cheap.

Pesos are always better.

Some of the nicer restaurants take credit card. Get them to charge you in Pesos if you don't have foreign transaction fees.

ATM in the Mega if you need it.

 

[ggunn]

I find that eating out on Cozumel is roughly equivalent in price to eating out in Austin. There is a wide range, of course.

 

[RhodeDiver]

I find that eating out on Cozumel is roughly equivalent in price to eating out in Austin. There is a wide range, of course.

This is not very useful for people who have never been to Austin.

 

[flyboy08]

This is not very useful for people who have never been to Austin.

It is I guess if one has eaten out in Cozumel

 

[Christi]

If you are non-drinkers, you can have a really upscale meal for under $25 a person (that's high end) - lunch for $10 or less - so if you budgeted $35pp/day for food, I think you'd find yourself with plenty leftover

I always say if the prices are in pesos, pay in pesos, if the prices are in dollars, pay in dollars.

Using a credit card to pay in pesos in restaurants will get you the best exchange rate for your meal because your bank will be the one converting. Of course some cards charge a foreign transaction fee which would negate any exchange rate benefits - but if you have a card that charges no foreign transaction fees, that's the best way to go.

Current "street" exchange rate here is 18:1 - using my Capital One card I am getting 18.4 - 18.6:1

Hope that helps!

 

[Trailboss123]

If you are non-drinkers, you can have a really upscale meal for under $25 a person (that's high end) - lunch for $10 or less - so if you budgeted $35pp/day for food, I think you'd find yourself with plenty leftover

I always say if the prices are in pesos, pay in pesos, if the prices are in dollars, pay in dollars.

Using a credit card to pay in pesos in restaurants will get you the best exchange rate for your meal because your bank will be the one converting. Of course some cards charge a foreign transaction fee which would negate any exchange rate benefits - but if you have a card that charges no foreign transaction fees, that's the best way to go.

Current "street" exchange rate here is 18:1 - using my Capital One card I am getting 18.4 - 18.6:1

Hope that helps!

Off topic, but what is the current water temp Christi?