Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Dining options on Cozumel reflect the island’s laid-back attitude: breezy and relaxed, with casual dress and no reservations the rule at most places. Generally, restaurants emphasize fresh ingredients, simple presentation, and amiable service. As befits an island, there’s lots of just-caught seafood on the menu. Yucatecan cuisine is harder to come by; you’re more likely to find standard Mexican fare like tacos, enchiladas, and huevos rancheros. For budget meals, head into the untouristed part of downtown, because they’re few and far between elsewhere. Although some restaurants are turning out creative cuisine to suit the most demanding of palates, most visitors say their best dining experiences are in little family-owned spots that seem to have been here forever. While many restaurants accept credit cards, café-type places generally don’t. Cab drivers are often paid to shill for restaurants, so take their dining suggestions with a grain (or two) of salt.
Sunset views and an incredible meal await you at this oceanfront restaurant, which offers fresh seafood and meats as well as seasonal salads—all presented beautifully. If you have plans for a special-occasion meal, this is the place, but be sure to make reservations in advance, as the indoor and outdoor tables fill up fast and walk-ins are sometimes left waiting.
This casually sophisticated dining room and garden is a local favorite. Although the menu changes frequently, you can expect to find salads with fruits, pasta dishes, steaks, and seafood entrées like seared sashimi-grade tuna or the sweet-mango-topped mahimahi. Consider sharing several small plates from the tapas menu (the blue-cheese phyllo rolls with black-cherry sauce, salmon meatballs, and octopus with garlic are top picks). Also on offer are reasonably priced wines by the glass from Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. As everything is made fresh, popular menu items tend to run out, but everyone seems to leave happy.
The opportunity to dine graciously amid crystal and candlelight (and blessedly cool air-conditioning) is just one reason to book a special dinner at Alfredo's. The pastas are made fresh daily, and cheeses are flown in from Italy so that the chef can prepare the house special—authentic fettuccine Alfredo—at your table. The carpaccio, spaghetti with lobster, and salmon steaks are all superb, and the wine cellar is the largest on the island. Book a table for early evening and enjoy the sunset view through wall-length windows. Note that diners not staying at the hotel must have advance reservations.
