Is Bacalar a foodie destination now?

Bacalar, Quintana Roo, is 1 of my favourite places successful Mexico. It’s gorgeous. So, I usually popular down each twelvemonth oregon 2 and get an flat connected the celebrated Lake Bacalar to conscionable enactment my feet up and chill, enjoying immense acold mangoes with a mimosa aft a sunrise swim.

Visiting again a mates of months ago, each repast I had successful Bacalar’s restaurants were outstanding. I’ve ever enjoyed the restaurants here, but this clip I was earnestly impressed, from delicious gourmet tlacoyos for meal to the champion empanadas of my beingness for dinner. I’m inactive dreaming astir the mint spot crystal cream, the creamiest and astir delicious I’ve had anywhere.

Even meal is simply a gourmet lawsuit successful Bacalar’s edifice restaurants. (Casa Hormiga)

The nutrient was bully before, but it wasn’t similar this. What’s changed?

An upgraded culinary scene

There’s nary denying Bacalar has grown rather a batch implicit the past fewer years. Prices person gone up accordingly, and caller restaurants person opened, truthful there’s much competition. Both section and planetary talented chefs — immoderate classically trained, others trained successful Michelin-star kitchens — are present calling Bacalar home.

So, is it immoderate wonderment we noticed the culinary country has upgraded substantially? But the champion happening is that the prices are inactive affordable. Colleen, the person who accompanied me, was  visiting from Vermont, successful the United States, and remarked that our meals were was fractional the terms of what she’d expect to wage astatine home. 

Bacalar is inactive affordable. Unlike immoderate of the bigger and much touristy areas successful the Riviera Maya wherever they’re getting adjacent to U.S. prices, Bacalar is delivering fantabulous nutrient for a bully price. 

What’s connected the menu?  

In Bacalar La Playita, a edifice successful Bacalar, Mexico. (La Playita

In Bacalar, you’ll find the champion flavors Mexico has to offer. From accepted pre-Columbian ingredients to caller seafood, it seems everything is connected offer. 

There’s a Japanese sushi bar. Vegan restaurants that adjacent carnivores love. Plus a mates of hotels,  Boca de Agua and Casa Hormiga person been recognized with a Michelin Key from the Michelin Guide. So present you tin spot wherefore we were impressed connected our visit. Things person leveled up since my past visit. 

But don’t worry; there’s inactive the caller seafood shacks connected the lake. And the section taco stands and places wherever locals conscionable for a beer. That’s the large thing. There’s thing for everyone astatine Bacalar, and each budget. You don’t person to walk a luck for a large meal. 

Finding the close location

I’m a sucker for a view, truthful we headed on the waterfront for a large repast connected our past night. We wanted a bully spot to relax, bask a repast and person a solid of vino oregon 2 facing the magical bluish waters of Lake Bacalar.

The water is besides called the Lagoon of Seven Colors, oregon the Maldives of Mexico, for a reason. There are 7 shades of blue, from the entity blues and shining turquoise of the shallower h2o to the vibrant cobalt and azure of somewhat deeper h2o done to the affluent heavy sapphire showing the depths of the Blue Cenote adjacent shore. It’s a feast for your eyes. 

The views from the restaurants are conscionable arsenic nutrient too. (Bel Woodhouse)

Waterfront eating was a must. Dawdling along, we came to La Playita, 1 of Bacalar’s  astir fashionable restaurants, for bully reason. I conscionable emotion a spot with hammocks that you tin unbend successful aft meal portion listening to music. 

Dinner connected Lake Bacalar: A repast with a view

The lone happening Colleen wanted erstwhile she got disconnected the level was ceviche. It was 1 of the archetypal things she said to me: “I don’t attraction wherever we devour but I privation bully ceviche connected this trip.” 

My person got her ceviche, and I’m beauteous definite she’s inactive smiling. Freshly caught fish, octopus and shrimp made up the dish, and she was 1 blessed lady. That was followed by the drawback of the day, mahi mahi. It was a sensational seafood meal with astonishing view. 

I’ve been a vegetarian for implicit a decade, and I was delighted with La Playita’s veggie options. 

For starters, food and spinach empanadas.  I’ve enjoyed empanadas present successful Mexico, successful Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras. So you tin judge maine erstwhile I accidental they’re the champion I’ve ever had.

Fish and seafood is, of course, king connected menus successful Bacalar, wherever astir offerings are fresh-caught. (Boca de Agua)

As a main, it was hard to spell past the buffalo cauliflower bites. These delicious, melt-in-your-mouth morsels were crumbed, fried and served with 2 dipping sauces. They were truthful bully that my person stopped her seafood smorgasbord to dive successful arsenic well. We some agreed that they were amazing. 

The takeaway connected Bacalar restaurants

No substance your budget, nutrient philosophy, eating penchant oregon restrictions, determination is astonishing nutrient waiting for you successful Bacalar. On galore a menu, determination were gluten-free, dairy-free vegetarian and vegan restaurants. And, arsenic I said earlier, the champion mint spot crystal pick I’ve ever had was astatine Heladería Annie Delicias connected the cardinal square. 

Bel Woodhouse, Mexico Correspondent for International Living, is an experienced writer, author, lensman and videographer with much than 500 articles published some successful people and crossed integer platforms. Having lived successful the Mexican Caribbean for implicit 7 years now, she’s successful emotion with Mexico and has nary plans to spell anyplace anytime soon.