Need authentic local food in cozumel

[Trailboss123]

OP, also keep in mind that some Cozumel restaurateurs may hail from parts of Mexico far from the Yucatán, such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, etc., and their food may be authentically Mexican but not authentically local. It’s all good, though. My guess is your goal is not specifically to seek out Yucatecan food but rather simply to avoid the more Tex-Mex concoctions that we all know and love in the US. Am I correct? If so, easy to do, though it’s worth adding that plenty of Mexicans love that kind of food, too. There are probably some good burritos to be had, and the style may very well straddle the border. I wouldn’t turn down an otherwise awesome burrito just because it’s not native to that part of Mexico.

I couldn't have said it better! #burritos! And some of the best burritos are to be found in downtown Cozumel!! I don't even know what "local" means anymore? We live in a global society and community where "fusion" reigns supreme. Which I love and embrace. I have lived my entire life in the South Pacific, SE Asia, North America and South America and my wife of 35 years is Mexican and I can't begin to tell anyone what is "local" or "legit" Mexican or South East Asian food. But, I do know what I like! I know I am getting way off topic here, but Singapore, in my very humble opinion is the best food place on the planet and the epitome of great fusion cuisine! Circling back to Cozumel and great burritos, I have my 3 favorites-- Burritos Gorditos -- CRAZY KING Burrito Restaurant - Home and although not technically a "burrito" place, I love the Lobster Burrito at Lobster Shack! - Lobster Shack

 

[Snoweman]

The owner is a woman and, as far as I know, she does not spearfish.

There is no way La Perlita could serve as much lionfish as they do without buying most of it, even if their entire staff were snorkeling with spears all day.

They created a market in part to support a fishery with a goal of reducing local the lionfish population and remain one of the biggest purchasers of lionfish.

It is authentically lionfish, it's (now) local, and it's delicious. La Perlita also has a number of very traditional things such as empanadas de cazón (dogfish) for breakfast.

My mistake. One of the dive masters told me that it was a guy, and he speared it on his own. I have been there when they were not busy, and they didn't have any lionfish. I took the DM at his word for that reason.

 

[mstevens]

I have found that "authentic" varies somewhat between the West coast and the East coast. Generally speaking, if the restaurant is full of gringos then I expect the food to be Americanized. I have, however, been pleasantly surprised when I was wrong. One of our favorite places that is close to town is La Candela on Av 5 y Calle 6 N. The signs outside are all in Spanish but I think the menu is in English/Spanish, if I remember correctly. Don't forget to ask for jamaica with your meal (unless you don't like jamaica ).

La Candela is great, and they have a number of daily specials that, like those at La Choza, are not on the menu but are often much better than their (very good) menu items.

I'm not sure the gabacho ("gringo") ratio is really an accurate determinant of local authenticity. You'll see the same place packed with people right off the cruise ship at certain times of day while at different times it may be full of local families or people conducting business over lunch. What it likely does indicated is that the place may be in the upper price stratum for many locals.

Aguas de sabor, such as agua de jamaica (hibiscus flower) or horchata (rice with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon) are traditional at every meal. If you can find agua de tamarindo, which isn't quite as universally available, I heartily recommend trying it. There are MANY other traditional drinks that are worth trying, but jamaica and horchata are nearly omnipresent and tamarindo is pretty common.

 

[mstevens]

Alex at Casa del Mojito used to make Ropa Vieja. Since he sold the place, I'm not sure if it is still on the menu or not.

I'm not sure, either. I was gutted when Casa del Mojito was sold, then breathed a sigh of relief when I was told it would re-open with my neighbor Alex as cook and manager. Unfortunately, Alex and Johnny aren't there any longer. It's not as if it's bad, or anything. It's more that Casa del Mojito used to be sort of like our "Cheers", where we had our usual seats and they knew our usual order. They have pretty much the same things on the menu, but they're not the same. I'll bet they all seem fine to anyone who doesn't have the previous versions embedded in their memories.

Think mucibpollo. That's the name for the baked chicken tamal served during the day of the dead. It means "buried chicken" because it was traditionally baked underground, like cohinita pibil.

I'm so peeved that I've never actually tried mucbipollo. I finally tracked down and ordered some, but by the time it arrived by scooter everyone was tired so we popped it in the fridge and forgot about it. I've been presuming it's a lot like a chicken zacahuil but possibly more charcoal/smoky.

I'm increasingly thinking I've got to make a pib.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I'm not sure the gabacho ("gringo") ratio is really an accurate determinant of local authenticity. You'll see the same place packed with people right off the cruise ship at certain times of day while at different times it may be full of local families or people conducting business over lunch. What it likely does indicated is that the place may be in the upper price stratum for many locals.

Aguas de sabor, such as agua de jamaica (hibiscus flower) or horchata (rice with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon) are traditional at every meal. If you can find agua de tamarindo, which isn't quite as universally available, I heartily recommend trying it. There are MANY other traditional drinks that are worth trying, but jamaica and horchata are nearly omnipresent and tamarindo is pretty common.

When we were in Loreto, BCS, we walked past one restaurant that was full of gringos so we kept walking. It was Sunday and we were new in town and nothing else seemed to be open. We finally went in and it was excellent! It turns out that the "gringos" we actually mostly ex-pats who live in Loreto--not quite the same thing as, say, cruise ship passengers. On another day we kept walking past Mi Loreto because all the "gringos" were wearing brightly-colored panchos. Well, once again, we ended up eating there and the food was quite good and the panchos were a welcome touch because it did get rather chilly in the evening in December.

I just want to point out that La Candela is only open for breakfast and dinner (closes around 4:00) and not open on Sunday. Many places are not open on Sunday.

I've been told that horchata sometimes contains milk so I don't usually drink it. In the past I drank it because I thought the white color came from the rice. I never got sick from it so I'm wondering if the milk ingredient is true or not, or perhaps it's a variation in the recipe. In any case, the lunch special at Casa Mission comes with all the horchata you can drink and I would call it very authentic and a great deal. At least it's more along the lines of what I consider to be basic, Mexican food having grown up not-too-far from the West coast of Mexico--beans, rice, meat, corn tortillas, salsa, cilantro, and limon verde.

 

[mstevens]

I love the Lobster Burrito at Lobster Shack!

Great example!

There's seemingly nothing "authentic" about Lobster Shack on the surface. As the sign and decor suggest, lobster rolls are a New England thing! It almost looks like a transplant from the coast of Connecticut. Lobster rolls are not a traditional Mexican dish.

The lobster rolls themselves are really hardly anything like New England lobster rolls, either - they use tail meat exclusively instead of the claw and knuckle typical in New England, even the tail meat tastes pretty different from that of clawed lobsters, the meat is cooked on a griddle with butter, and you can (and should!) get them with cheese and bacon. They make 3 different salsas available. While salsa is immensely popular in New England these days, never with lobster.

Dig deeper, though. The owner is local, and has the very authentic Cuatro Tacos nearby. The lobster is local. This version of lobster rolls is, as far as I know, absolutely unique to Cozumel (and even more specifically to Lobster Shack). Their salsas are unique to them, and their coconut-cilantro salsa is a particularly good match for a lobster roll.

What's authentic about a lobster roll at Lobster Shack? It's that it is a local creation in almost every respect. It honors the idea of a New England lobster roll but ends up being its own unique thing. It's sufficiently different from its inspiration that the two can't be compared in a way that makes either seem to fall short. It stands gloriously on its own as a highly authentic, very local Cozumel lobster roll. It's an honored tradition going back to when Lobster Shack opened not long ago.

This is a superb example of how authentic, local Cozumel food may not match the expectations of visitors.

If it's not clear, I really love the lobster rolls at Lobster Shack about the same as I love the ones at Harraseeket Lunch in Freeport.

 

[mstevens]

the lunch special at Casa Mission comes with all the horchata you can drink and I would call it very authentic and a great deal.

It is a great deal and is very authentic in the sense that lots of locals duck in there (through the back door for lunch) for their afternoon meal. For some reason, there has often been a table full of nuns when we've been there.

These places with lunch deals typically have regular menu items that are on offer every day and a changing special of the day. In many cases the daily special is set and predictable, while in other cases it's semi-predictable (e.g., La Choza has chiles rellenos on Fridays and frijol con puerco on Mondays, but you might have to wait weeks or months to see another favorite come up again). Menus for daily specials are usually on Facebook, typically appearing around 1 PM so as to give people hours of advance notice before lunch

 

[El Graduado]

Although there very few recipes that are truly local to Cozumel, there are a few. The 17th century writer Joannes Jonstonus reported the Indians of Cozumel ate Techichi like the Europeans ate rabbit. He also stated that those raised for this end were castrated, so they would fatten up better. Bishop Landa reported they were fed corn, often in the form of tortillas, and the Maya considered the meat quite tasty. The archaeological excavations at San Gervasio turned up many fire-baked dog bones, indicating that this was, indeed, the end result of many of these domesticated canids, who were usually eaten when they were around one year old.

Above: A depiction of a Pek, or Techichi from the early 1600s.

Bishop Landa tells that dogs were often sacrificed on Cozumel, and describes one such sacrifice. The heart of the animal was removed and burned, and the blood used to anoint the idol. The animal was then cooked and eaten.

The usual recipe for sacrificial-dog-stew was to slow cook the meat in an olla of water, chili peppers, and corn. The long-bones were removed from the stew and cracked open to remove the marrow as dessert. Serves 12.

 

[mstevens]

I have an always-out-of-date list of restaurant recommendations and a map of their locations online.

 

[El Graduado]

If Pek Stew is not to your liking, try a plate of traditional Frijol con Puerco (black beans and pork) that is always served on Mondays. Casa Mission has a good rendition. Also try Queso Relleno (stuffed Edam cheese) or Relleno Negro. All three of those dishes are Yucatecan, but got here as soon as they could.