A Quest For The Best Tacos in Merida Mexico
I love tacos! In fact, if pressed to name my favorite food, I would probably say that it’s tacos. So I’m sure you can imagine how much I enjoyed myself in Merida Mexico. Merida is considered the gastronomic capital of the Yucatan. This means that it’s not only a great place to experience the wonders of Yucatan cuisine in general, but that it’s also an amazing place to eat tacos. In fact, after just a few days in Merida, I concluded that I’d been allowed entry into Taco Heaven.
Since I’m always looking for some sort of Food Quest when we travel, it only seemed natural that I go on a quest for the best tacos in Merida. And so I did! Here’s what I discovered on my monthlong Quest in Taco Heaven.
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Contents
Tacos Are Everywhere In Merida
It’s not hard to find tacos in Merida. They are everywhere! You’ll find them in every type of eatery – from fine restaurants to market stalls. So this wasn’t a Quest that required a lot of searching. Instead, it was a Quest that required a lot of sampling. I ate a lot of tacos! Nearly every day – whether it was tacos at lunch or tacos at dinner.
And as I’m sure is certainly obvious, it was impossible for me to visit even a small percentage of all the restaurants and taquerias in Merida. So I did depend on TripAdvisor, Google Maps reviews, other blogs, and local advice to help narrow things down on my Quest for the best tacos in Merida.
It was also impossible to sample every possible type of taco available in Merida. There are a lot! But I did make it a point to try the most popular types of taco at least once.
Common Places To Eat Tacos In Merida
Prior to our arrival in Merida, I expected that tacos would be a common street food. I figured I’d be buying cheap tacos from streetside taco carts. In reality, I never saw a taco cart. Instead, these are the types of places I found my tacos in Merida….
Restaurants
Most restaurants in Merida have tacos on the menu. But since restaurant tacos generally share the menu with other appetizers and entrees, the taco selection is usually limited to just a few types. And tacos in restaurants do tend to be more expensive than elsewhere ($2.50-$5 USD per taco).
I ate some excellent tacos in Merida restaurants. As an added bonus, many restaurants in Merida have beautiful courtyards. So the setting can be pretty amazing. For example, take a look at this courtyard and mural at a Merida restaurant called Catrín.
Taquerias
Taquerias are smaller establishments dedicated to selling mostly just tacos. Some may only have a few tables, though some can be larger. The taco selection is generally more extensive at Taquerias than at restaurants. And the prices will be lower too. I generally paid anywhere from $1.25-$1.50 USD for tacos in taquerias.
One of my favorites was Taqueria de la Union in central Merida. It featured a small dining area with less than 10 tables. Football was always on the TV. And a taco menu was printed on the wall.
Cantinas
Cantinas are the Mexican equivalent of the local pub or bar. And while they are a great place to hang out with friends, drink, and listen to music (often live music), Cantinas also serve food. And every Cantina we visited in Merida had a few taco choices on the menu. In fact, I found one of my favorite tacos on this Quest to find the best tacos in Merida at a Cantina (as you’ll see further below).
In the meantime, here’s a look at Merida’s most popular Cantina called La Negrita. On the evening we visited, it looked fairly quiet on the outside…
But on the inside, the place was hopping. It was completely packed! And we enjoyed great live music during our visit too.
The Markets
Finally, undoubtedly the easiest place to find some of the best tacos in Merida are inside its traditional markets. Merida has several markets of various sizes spread throughout its historic central district.
And within these markets are sections dedicated to eating….food courts essentially. Here, food stalls serve Yucatan favorites to mostly locals. And tacos are always on the menu. Very cheap tacos. I generally paid $1-$1.25 per taco in the markets.
My Choices For Best Tacos In Merida
At the beginning of this Quest, my intent was to declare a clear winner. “_____” sells the Best Tacos in Merida! However, at the end of our month in town, it became obvious to me that naming “The Best” was impossible. Merida simply has too many great tacos.
So instead, let me share with you several possible choices for Best Tacos in Merida….all the personal favorites from my Quest.
Taqueria de la Union
I showed you this place earlier, and I concluded that it was my favorite taqueria in Merida. I visited twice and was extremely happy each time. I even went back on my last day in Merida for one more visit. But it was closed on that particular day of the week (Wednesdays). I was so sad!
First of all, the tortillas at Taqueria de la Union are one of the highlights. They are thicker than average and had great corn flavor. And then, every different taco topping I tried was outstanding. Taqueria de la Union even has vegetarian options on the menu (like the guacamole and roasted corn taco), which I appreciated given that the Yucatan’s cuisine is a bit meat-centric. Sometimes a break from meat is nice if you are on a monthlong taco quest.
Wayan’e
This is a very popular taqueria with a couple of locations throughout greater Merida. The location in Centro Historic has a small courtyard and is a pleasant place to eat.
While I didn’t think their tacos were quite as good as the tacos at Taqueria de la Union, they were still very tasty. The taco selection here is extensive (about 30 different options), and I liked that they offered versions with egg and with chicken – neither of which are universally available on taco menus in Merida. Wayan’e is also famous for its Castacán taco which is fried crispy pork belly (the taco on the far left of my plate below).
Manjar Blanco
I ate my best restaurant taco at a place called Manjar Blanco. This famous Merida restaurant is featured prominently in my post entitled Typical Food In Merida You Won’t Want To Miss. It’s one of the top restaurants in Merida for traditional Yucatan food, and was highlighted in a Netflix series called The Taco Chronicles for its version of Conchinita Pibil.
Conchinita Pibil is the most renowned food item in Yucatán cuisine. It’s a preparation of pork that goes back to Mayan times. The pork is marinated in Sour Orange juice and a unique type of seasoning made from Achiote seeds (you can read more about those two important Yucatan ingredients in that Blog Post I just mentioned). The marinated pork is then wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in an underground pit.
Sometimes when restaurants are famous on TV for something, it doesn’t always pan out upon actually visiting. Not the case with Manjar Blanco. The Conchinita Pibil tacos here were outstanding.
El Lagarto de Oro
The best taco I ate in a Merida cantina was at El Lagarto de Oro. This was our favorite cantina in Merida for food quality. And I’m glad I didn’t skip these tacos while trying all the other great things on their menu over the course of a couple visits.
These particular tacos are made from a popular (but only mildly spicy) Yucatan pepper called Xcatik. For these tacos, the Xcatik peppers are stuffed with pork tenderloin and then deep-fried in a spiced tempura. Then wrapped with a fresh tortilla. Definitely one of the best tacos in Merida!
Taqueria La Lupita
When it came to questing for tacos in markets, I definitely found some of the best tacos in Merida at Taqueria La Lupita. This is another famous Merida institution and is very very popular. Like Manjar Blanco, it has also been featured on Netflix – in the series Salt Fat Acid Heat (the Acid episode…for its salsas).
Taqueria La Lupita is a small kitchen and counter located inside the Santiago Market, with tables spread out in the market’s passageways. It was packed with locals when I visited. In fact, I had to wait for a table.
The wait was worth it though. I ordered two different types of slow roasted pork – Lechón al Horno & Conchinita Pibil. This was the tenderest and juiciest meat that I ate during my entire Quest. And each taco only cost $1 USD.
Juniors/El Rey del Trompo
I found another favorite market taco in the “food court” just outside Merida’s huge main market – Mercado Municipal Lucas de Gálvez. This is considered one of the best places in Merida to eat Tacos Al Pastor. And in fact, in one particular section, you’ll walk past one Al Pastor joint after another after another. And as you walk along, employees from each place will try to convince you to stop at theirs.
A few online reviews led me to one in particular called El Rey del Trompo. However, when I arrived, I noticed that it seemed to have signage with a second name too – Juniors. Maybe it merged and the owners couldn’t agree? So they stuck with both? Who knows…
But regardless of this name confusion, as I approached for the first time, I did think that their Al Pastor looked the very best in the market.
Al Pastor tacos originated in Mexico City, but are popular throughout Mexico, including Merida. They are made from slices of Anchiote-marinated pork cooked on a giant spit (called a trompo). And if you look close at the photo above, you’ll see a pineapple roasting on top of the trompo. Grilled pineapple is an important part of this particular taco, too. It adds a sweet tang to these delicious tacos.
Conchitas Oyster Bar
And finally, I’m going to include a Fish Taco on this list of best tacos in Merida. While fish tacos aren’t traditionally part of Yucatan cuisine, originating instead on Mexico’s Pacific coast, you will still see them on the menu at certain Merida restaurants.
And this Fish taco from a tiny restaurant called Conchitas Oyster Bar is the best Fish taco I’ve ever eaten. I ordered one. Then I ordered another. And then I went back on a different night and ordered it again.
I typically prefer grilled fish tacos. And in fact will usually avoid the deep-fried variety. But this one had a light batter that was perfectly crispy. The fresh slaw was dressed with a roasted garlic and habanero mayo that absolutely popped with flavor. Outstanding!
Final Thoughts
I’m sure you can appreciate now why I had such a difficult time determining which of these were the best tacos in Merida. They were all so good! Consequently, this Thorough Tripper Food Quest ended with a draw I suppose. But… I’ve never been more satisfied with the journey!
And I am 100% confident that if you love tacos, you will also find your own version of Taco Heaven in Merida!
If you would like to read about other food Quests from our travels, then check out these posts:
A Quest To Find the Best Churros in Madrid
An Evening Quest For the Best Chicken in Lisbon
And if you would like to read more about our time in Merida, then check out these posts:
Is Merida Worth Visiting? 10 Practical Points to Consider
A Frustrating Day Trip to Chichen Itza from Merida