Ku’uk, with its brown-and-white checkerboard tile and mansion setting, serves up suckling pig Yucateco-style. Finish your nights at the ultra-cool Salón Gallos, a restaurant that also includes a small arthouse cinema, pop-up shops by local designers, a gallery space, a wine bar, and a disco ball-crowned nightclub in the rear. For more stationary drinking, see Acervo Mezcalero’s fine selection of local mezcals. Different cuisines that Mérida has made its own include French at Avec Amour, a dimly-lit bistro on the Parque de Santa Lucia, where you’d be well-advised to enjoy your foie gras and green aguachile on the cloistered patio, and Italian at Carboni Mérida for the best primavera in town and the Oliva restaurants, both Oliva Enoteca, on Calle 47, and Pizzeria Oliva, just to the south of 47.
There are a number of restaurants serving authentic Mexican fare in more casual settings. Temporada de Tacos has only a few tables and is cash-only, but diners still line up for their gourmet tacos including broccoli and hibiscus flower (jamaica) ones, alongside more typical options like dried beef. It’s just a short walk from La Plancha Park, one of Mérida’s newest additions, ideal for a postprandial stroll. On Calle 47, Sandunga serves Oaxacan dishes including a variety of flavorful moles. The menu at Apapacho also highlights Oaxacan favorites, served in a large garden. Finally, Ramiro Cocina, open only for lunch, tends to be a little more adventurous and gourmet-focused than the others here.
Hotel Sevilla is the newest venture from Grupo Habita, known for its hotels that always have lively bar and restaurant scenes. It’s worth a stop for a meal or a drink, and also to spend the night if you want to be in the center of the party, though there are more tranquil overnight options below. Vana, located on Mejorada Square, is popular in the evenings with its lively bar and bar-food fare: pizzas, salads, and starters designed to be shared.
Another nightlife highlight, Dzalbay is one of Mérida’s most long-running places to see live jazz performances. There are also free performances in Santiago Park (music and dancing on most Tuesday evenings) and Santa Lucia Park (most Thursday evenings).
Where to stay
With a bounty of boutique hotels and haciendas popping up in Mérida’s very walkable downtown, choosing just one home base will be your biggest challenge. Hotel Cigno, on a relatively unassuming street in the Ermita neighborhood, blends in perfectly with its neighbors, yet its heavy stained-wood door feels like a portal to another world. Once you’ve crossed over the threshold, a seemingly endless compound unfolds—a 19th century mansion with original rooms restored beautifully, from the library to the front room that now hosts the check-in desk. There are also two pools: one on the ground floor, and one on the roof. The best of the blue-tiled, canopy-bed-equipped guest rooms (numbers seven and eight) open directly onto the latter.
