Need authentic local food in cozumel

[mstevens]

there has often been a table full of nuns when we've been there.

For the minimization of ambiguity, these nuns were having lunch and had as far as I know never been curled up in a cazuela covered in spices as lunch in a manner similar to the picture posted by El Graduado (whose books you should certainly buy and read).

 

[mstevens]

I'm barely able to restrain myself from interjecting an off-topic diving post into this specific food thread. Since the time-honored ScubaBoard tradition is that eventually every Cozumel diving thread turns to discussion of food, it would seem only fair.

 

[JamesBon92007]

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..

At Lobster Shack I got the impression that "authentic" means everything contains cheese. Unfortunately, once the cheese was removed I didn't think it was all that great. When I asked if they had jamaica the guy ran over to Quatro Tacos to get it

I've been reading a little about jamaica and it turns out that it's no accident that it's so popular is such places as Cozumel. It supposedly lowers your body temperature and contains lots of electrolytes and vitamin c so it's a good choice in a hot, humid environment. There are many claims that it lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, cures a sore throat, and possibly could prevent cancer. Some say it also helps with weight loss but that must be the hot, sugar-free version. I drank a cup before going to visit my doctor last week and my blood pressure was 100/60, but I would not call that conclusive

 

[El Graduado]

MStevens, most of the mucbipollos I have eaten have been much like the one John Lloyd Stephens described in his book, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan. He relates that while staying at a house loaned to them in Merida during Todos Santos, the neighbors kept sending them food, including “…a huge piece of mukbipollo. It was hard as an oak plank and as thick as six of them; and having already tasked ourselves to reduce the pile on the table, when this came, in a fit of desperation we took it out to the courtyard and buried it. There it would have remained till this day but for a malicious dog which accompanied them on their next visit; he passed into the courtyard, rooted it up, and while we were pointing to the empty platters as our acknowledgement of their kindness, this villainous dog sneaked through the sala and out the front door with the pie in his mouth…”

 

[Lorenzoid]

I can't "like" all these replies enough. What began as a very simple question turned into one of the better Coz food threads in recent memory. You locals and part-time locals have awesome knowledge of the culinary landscape there.

 

[MMM]

Is this the one on the corner of about Calle 5? If so, I like the loncheria across the street (don't know the name). The guy cooks and his wife waits tables (and manages the corner store facing 20th) from their home. Basically everything prepared from scratch....huraches, salbutes, panuchos, etc. and served to about 3 or 4 tables in front. Cheap and delicious. Lunch for a couple of bucks. No liquor. I think they close mid-afternoon.

Grab some tuchitos at El Chino Marentes on 20 Avenida. This is not the same as El Chino Marinero II on the same street past the Mercado Municipal.

 

[mediumone]

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

For which we are grateful.

 

[bamafan]

Asadero El Billy

ASADERO EL BILLY 65 Avenida Sur, Independencia, 77664 San Miguel de Cozumel, Q.R., Mexico +52 987 688 5156 https://maps.app.goo.gl/y6MPqQiRt4LmFxcC8

 

[DandyDon]

Best food thread in months, and we get so many.

Forgive my ignorance of Mexican food (especially given the number of Mexican restaurants near me),

Are there any locally owned Mexican restaurants in Atlanta? I would expect to only find national chains.

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.

True. Even local Yucatan food is not the same as TexMex. We have great locally own TexMex places, but amazingly the national chains do well in Texas. They just don't get my business.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Don, the Mexican community is thriving in Atlanta, as in most other large US cities these days. We have loads of holes in the walls and a few upscales to boot.