Habitas for lunch – take a swim while you wait. Hummus platter and black shrimp ceviche are winners. Sam loved the chicken too. Such a vibe. Quiet. Just go to the entrance of the hotel and tell them you want to eat and they’ll let you through. I ate there three times and once they did try to say there was a minimum of $35 per person because they were having an event – we didn’t eat that much and it was fine – but something to be aware of. Fairly fast service. Lightning fast compared to most of the places we ate at 🙂

La Bonita – vegan option and low key burger spot. Super yummy sparkling lemonade. Opens at 2. 

Pasha – beautiful decor and amazing food. Grilled skewers are great. Feels like you’re in the Middle East. Not super fast though. They also do to go via Tomato.mx

Burrito Amor – vegan options. Chill burrito spot that also has gluten-free tortillas. Sometimes the burritos can be on the heavy side where you might not want to move for a while. They give a bunch of sauces on the side. I really liked the green one.

Del Cielo – cute hidden breakfast/early lunch spot. Breakfast bowls and lots of normal egg options. On the healthier and fresher side so I liked it.

Co.conamor – plant based and veg restaurant. Great fresh juices but food menu was good but not like super duper wow. A good option though.

Real coconut – everyone recommended this spot to me super highly but I would give it like a 5/10. The food was good but quite overpriced for what you got especially when compared to other spots. Service wasn’t great but I only ate there once so maybe I just got unlucky! Quite busy/a bit of a beach party. Didn’t like the nachos at all but enjoyed the burger. 

Nao – sushi. the boys ate there and brought me back some miso soup which was yummy. They raved about it.

Curry by Po Thai – one of the only Thai spots we found especially if you’re staying in La Veleta area. Spring rolls and curry are great. Very pricey though I think it was almost $100 just for two of us for very normal Thai food.

Gypsea Market – our go to for specialty food like vegan burgers and other health food things. They have an adjacent cafe as well with a whole range of things from wood fired pizzas to salads and sandwiches. Things were mostly good here but I didn’t like the vegan tacos at all. For a treat get their raspberry croissant or super yummy all fruit popsicles (the mint one was excellent).  Their avocado smoothie is great or make your own!

Tierra (Holistiska) – Ate there for breakfast a few times (I believe it’s open all day though). Cute spot and their whole hotel has a yoga vibe about it. Food felt fresh and light to me. 

Tu – little hole in the wall spot Josiah found that had only 8 or so tables. Mexican fusion. Risotto, tacos, octopus etc. I got the vegan risotto it was pretty good but I think their non vegan options might be better according to how much the guys liked their food. I hear they make great drinks too. 

Clan – Destino – Little burger place in the middle of the hotel zone. Most eateries in this area are more fancy and pricey but this one is more laid back. It has a cenote in the middle of it that you can swim in too. At night be prepared to get mauled by mosquitos.

**Best tacos were at a mystery place we found on the very first day in the hotel zone pretty far down on the right and it has a big grill and open air seats. Black menu. Not super helpful I know but proves that there are tons of spots just waiting to be found! UPDATE: I think it is called Restaurant Mur Mur! (Found it on my credit card statement haha)

Other spots I didn’t get to try but were fancier and recommended by multiple people:

Raw love 

Farm to table 

Bak 

Mezze 

Nu

Hartwood 

Arco