Eating My Way Through Isla Mujeres

Nestled just a couple of miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the five mile by ½ mile island strip of Isla Mujeres may as well be a world away from its all inclusive, tepid, well scrubbed and boring resorts of the Hotel Zones of Cancun. Having made two trips there in the past two years, I consider it to be the ultimate “anti-Cacun”.


Sunset on Playa Del Norte

Don’t get me wrong, the Island is not the quaint fishing village that it was 35 years ago as each year, as more tourists discover its charm and simplistic attraction, the Island becomes a greater attraction to more people and becomes more developed than it was in the previous year.

If you enjoy the luxuries of an all inclusive resort in Cancun or on the Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres is probably not the place for you. It is a laid back, relaxed little island where those who find joy in doing something between very little and absolutely nothing find a great deal of tranquility and personal relaxation. Outside of one 7-11 on the island near the ferry dock, there is no semblance of the Americanization that has overtaken Cancun in the form of chain food and drink.

Even the commute to Isla is charming as a high speed ferry whisks you across the beautiful, clear blue Carribean to drop you off on its charming and sandy shores.

For those of us who place culinary adventure at the top of our travel list of requirements, the Island offers a number of incredibly diverse and affordable opportunities to sample authentic Yucatan specialities as well as some other interesting regional fare.

On my most recent visit to the Island, in October 2008, the Mexican Peso was trading at 13.8 units per dollar at only bank on the island. While the locals are happy to trade dollars with you, generally they trade at a locally accepted rate of ten pesos per dollar, maybe 11 if you negotiate. So, if you’re going to be on the Island for a few days or more, it makes sense to pay the exchange rate as you will find much better values on al things that you buy on the Island, including Food and drink.

I was introduced to Isla in 2007 by a member of this forum, MST, who has written about the island, and especially its food, in her Big Sweet Tooth Blog. Her descriptions of the place, its warm people and its wonderful food instantly won me over.

In my two visits there, I am amazed that an island of approximately 13,000 permanent residents can support what is, by my estimation, no less than 60 restaurants of different varieties, ethnicities and price points. There are opportunities for great dining in the restaurants of Hidalgo Avenue, which is the center of tourist activity on the island, to the palapa covered seafood shacks on the north side and west side beaches of the island, to the incredible loncherias and taco shops that sell the real comfort food of the Yucatan to locals and adventurous tourists alike.

Here is an in depth sampling of what one might find to eat on an extended visit to Isla Mujeres:

Breakfast

Breakfast on the Island can mean so many things to different people, whether you seek out early morning tacos from the carts on lower Av. Matamoris or a more refined breakfast such as Chilquiles with fried eggs from Loncheria Alexia and Giovanni in the municipal market, wonderful warm crepes filled with cinnamon dusted roast apples, fresh local yogurt and honey at Café Cito, there are many options for the early riser on an island that doesn’t really wake up manage to moving around until about 10 am.


Chilaquiles with Fried Egg at Alexia and Giovanni Loncheria in the Muncipal Market of El Centro courtesy of HollyEats.com


The Comfortable Dining Room at Café Cito on Av. Matamoras in El Centro Courtesy of HollyEats.com

Local Sunday Specialities

Sunday is a day of feasting and spending time with loved ones for the local inhabitants of Isla Mujeres. On Sundays, some of the local carnacerias in the Colonia neighborhood near the island’s baseball complex, trade in their regular raw pork offerings to serve a slowly cooked conchinita pibil. At 7 am sharp, the vendors open their stands to fairly long lines of locals who line up for plastic bags full of smoky deliciously slowly cooked pork, marinated onions and xni-pec. By 9 am, the conchinita is usually sold out and happy families are seen making a slamming breakfast of it on their front porches.

On my first trip to the carnaceria of Mario Palma (just say his name to the cab driver and they will know where to take you), I didn’t know how much to order, so I asked for uno quarto kilo (about a half pound) which set me back somewhere around $3.15. It was really far more meat than I could eat and I ended up sharing it with some of the folks taking in the morning sun at my hotel.


Mario Palma’s Carnaceria During the Week


Sunday Morning Conchinita

As you head south on Av. Martinez Ross, within a few hundred yards of the carnacerias is a tortilliera turning out wonderfully warm fresh made harina tortillas. It is definitely hard to resist popping a few of them in your mouth on the walk back to your hotel. These tortillas are an absolutely essential companion to your Sunday morning bounty of conchinta pibil. A package of 20-25 of them with cost you around $1.10.


Tortilliera Maria in Full Production Mode on a Sunday Morning.

Another of the Island specialties that is clearly in the “Not to Be Missed Category” is the fish cooked in the style of tikin xic (pronounced teeken sheek).

Fish cooked tikin xic syle is a recipe originally developed for serving lots of folks at a large outdoor gathering. Tikin Xic is typically made with a larger species of fish. Restuarante Playa Lancheros in the South beach area, next to the huge and disgustingly opulent new Palace Resort regularly serves Tkin Xic to visitors who come over on tour boats during the day from Cancun. Accordingly, you’ll most likely get your Tikin Xic with amberjack as your fish of choice there. In other restaurants on the island, such as the excellent Brisas Grille near the ferry terminal, where single servings are likely to be cooked

To make Tiki Xic, the local cooks give fresh local fish a 5-10 minute marinade in achiote paste, lime juice, salt and pepper. The fish is then topped with pickled onions, sliced tomato and epazote. It is then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly under a slow burning wood fire or grilled over a wood fire. The result is this incredibly moist and smoky fish, served on the bone with an abundant amount of brightly flavored pico de gallo, warm corn tortillas, rice and beans. A little extra [pickled onion is served on the side.


Red Snapper Tikin Xic for one at Brisas Grill near the Ferry Dock

Each Sunday morning on the North End of Av. Matamoris, Tino, the rib man, opens his courtyard to the town to sample his excellent smoky Mexican style ribs and Chicken behind a colorful pink wall with a simple sign advertising his fare. Like the Conchinita, it sells quickly, so you need to be lined up for it by 8 am. Because his “shop” is located in the tourist district of El Centro, you’re likely to hear about this place from shopkeepers and hotel employees.


Tino’s Pork Ribs Courtesy of HollyEats.com

The Loncherias

Local residents of Isla Mujeres eat differently that the tourists do. But, they eat amazingly and extremely well. The local loncherias, dotted throughout the island, offer unique, authentic and delicious food for a fraction of the price of the tourist restaurants in El Centro.

My personal favorite, located on the scenic road that skirts down the beautiful, rocky east side of the island is Loncheria Manolotis, a small spit of a restaurant where one will find the owner and her family in the kitchen every day. The menu at Manolitis is posted each day on a colorful piece of paper on the exterior wall. One sits at the red plastic tables on the sidewalk in front of the Loncheria, sips on an ice cold Coca Cola, and orders from the list of the day. On my two visits, I had an excellent Chili Relleno stuffed with cheese and dee fried in a delicious crispy batter and an excellent plate of cheesey, creamy enchilada suizas.


Chile Relleno at Manolotis


Enchiladas Suizas at Baguis in El Centro

...To Be Continued

Incredible pics and descriptions, can't wait for the next installment!

The Taquerias

On my first trip to the island, I arrived at my hotel, the cozy Casa Ixchel, late in the day without much of an idea of where to get something to eat. The hotel manager, Miguel, encouraged me to wait about an hour and to go to "Tacos del Beisbol" a Taqueria located in the concession stand of the island's baseball stadium.

For the record, the official name of Tacos del Beisbol is "Taqueria Cachirul" though many folks, for some reason unknown to me, refer to it as "Tacos Campos". The stand was open from 8 pm to 5 am. The tacos there, particularly the arrachera tacos con queso are a thing of absolute beauty. The meat, marinated in citrus is toothy yet tender and has the most incredible flavor. The stand serves its tacos with an all you can eat buffet of sides including several salsas, onions, radishes nopales, rice and beans. At around $2.55 for three tacos, and the all you can eat extra bar, it is one of the great values on the Island. I should also note that cachirul serves beautiful cakes, pies and ice cream if you have a late night sweet tooth.


Tacos Pastor at Taqueria Cachirul


The Buffet

Tacos del Beisbol was so good that I ended up eating there on four late nights during my seven day visit.

Upon my return this year, I waited to eat my first day so that I could return to Tacos del Beisbol. Sadly, it was no longer in the stadium. So, I made a dinner of some excellent grilled chicken from a place called Kash Keken Chuc located on the northwest corner of the baseball complex across from the island's Coca Cola Plant. It wasn't a bad substitute for Tacos del Beisbol, which I would learn the following day has relocated to the Colonia Gloria on the Salinas Grande. This is another place that one only has to say to the cab driver "Tacos Cachirul" and he will know where to take you.


Chickens and Poc Chuc on the Grill at Kash Keken Chuc

Other taquerias of note are Medina Tacos, also located in Colonia Gloria and Taqueria AA located just on the north side of the baseball complex. Taqueria AA is particularly interesting in that it is much more than just a neighborhood taqueria. On Sunday Mornings AA serves huge steaming bowls of posole that one can eat at the tables outside.

Though not a taqueria, I found some excellent achiote rubbed rotisserie chicken at Roticeria Mexicana which has two locations on the island, one on south End of Av. Hidalgo, in the tourist district of El Centro and the other, on the west side of El Centro on Av. Guerrero across from the Francis Arlene Hotel. 1/2 chicken was around $3.60 and was served with warm tortillas, pureed black beans, rice, salsa, pickled onions, jalapenos and limes.

I might have to reconsider retiring to an island in Mexico when the times comes... $3.60 for a half-chicken meal?

Non-Mexican Food in a Mexican Paradise

One of my favorite places on the island on my most recent visit is relatively new. And, unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me to take pictures while I was there.

Olivia on Av. Matamoras, in the tourist district, bills itself as Mediterrnean and is run by a young Israeli couple that opened it it the winter of 2008. Like many places on the island, Olivia serves its own versions of local seafood as well as traditional Greek and Morrocan specialties .

Rather than having an indoor dining room, one walks through the building housing Olivia and is seated in a beautiful tropical garden courtyard behind the building. However, on the night that I was there, the description of one of the specials, chicken pinwheels braised in tomato, greek spices, and olives really caught my attention. It was served on a huge bed of fluffy couscous. As I was about seven days into my trip, Olivia's provided a nice culinary diversion to my overload of Mexican cuisine of which I had partaken on this trip

http://www.olivia-isla-mujeres.com/inspiration.aspx

One Saturday afternoon on Isla Mujeres, I was craving some American football. Someone at the front desk of my hotel suggested Jax's Bar and Grill located on Playa Norte on Av. Rueda Medina. Jax's is a friendly place run by a Texan turned charter fishing boat captain turned bar and restaurant owner. It's the only place on the island with access to US television and was quite popular during baseball playoff games and weekend football games.

Jax's has an expansive menu that would serve any bar anywhere in the US proudly and well. From its crunchy local fish served either as fish and chips or with a spicy cabbage cole slaw as fish tacos to its burgers and sandwiches, everything there is of top quality. The local snapper served at Jax's in both fish and chips and tacos is a pleasant change from the traditional cod that one expects when ordering fish and chips back home.

Jax's half pound bar burger, picture below is cooked to order and is as good as any burger that you'll have at a bar in the States. At a little over $5.00, both the burger and the fish are good values for a budget traveler


Jax's Half Pound Burger and Fries

Burgers aren't limited only to the gringo bar on the island. At night, as locals come home from work, little hot dog and hamburger carts spring up along the streets of the colonias providing another inexpensive dinner option after a hard day of work. I have to admit that I didn't sample any of these items. However, I developed a great deal of respect for the hotdog acumen of locals upon seeing that the hot dogs are wrapped in bacon before being cooked on a griddle. Maybe, next trip I will try them.


Hot Dogs on the Grill

I was really a bit surprised on my first trip to realize what a sweet tooth some of the locals have. The island is dotted with more than a few cafes that serve beautiful, traditional local cakes and pies. There is also a booming competition among two very good gelaterias in the tourist district. Both are very welcomed on the hot days of late summer.

La Coppa del Mundo claims an Italian trained gelato maker. On a daily basis, it offers 8-10 flavors of gelato and 8-10 flavors of sorbetto. Choose a scoop for around $1.50 (take that Coldstone!) or have them make an absolutely delicious local sundae for you for as much as $7.50 for a huge serving that 3-4 people could enjoy. Whatever you do, don't miss the coconut gelato. It may be one of the finest ice cream treats I have ever tasted.

Around the corner one will find a smaller gelateria called "Cool". Unlike La Coppa del Mundo, Cool makes its gelato offsite and then stores it in a freezer in tupperware containers. Everything there is as equally rich and satisfying as the gelato served at La Coppa.


The Gelato Case at La Coppa Del Mundo