GREAT CANTINA FOR A LOCAL VIBE - La Negrota is a really fun local cantina where most of the seating…read moreis in an open courtyard and you get packed in like sardines as it fills up at night. With live music playing often you will have spontanoeous dancing eruot as couples get into the groove and enjoy the fun. With drinks you also get botanas, basically free appetizers, which are fine but nothing to wrote home about. The food is pub food style with a latin twist and while they aren't shooting for fine dining if you are in the mood for a local style pub meal its a great optiion and a lot of fun. Happy eating from John Seeto!

Came through twice…read more The first was at noon on a Sunday. Joke is on us: we learned they're not open until 2pm (only on Sundays. Otherwise, they're open at noon all other days.) We came through a couple of days later because it came highly HIGHLY recommended by Big Bro. So, I was more curious than anything. Another reason I came through is to try their kibi's. (It topped my Yelp search when looking for this particular grub.) We wanted to get drinks as well since it was a hot and humid day! Pina colada for me, brewskis for Hubbers. We put in an order for the kibis because that's main reason I came through. Drinks came through, and then... mini plates of snacks, oh, WHAT! La botana, is what they call them. Whew, didn't plan on eating more than the kibis, but I welcomed it! It was a pretty good variety, too: there were sausages, pork skin, jicama and some sort of salad. Staff told us if we wanted refills on any or all of them, to let them know and they'd be more than happy to comply. Kibis finally came through, and I have to admit that I was disappointed. Not only did they lack taste, but they were also hard. They may have been overcooked which most likely contributed to the lack of flavor. Initial thought in mind were hockey pucks. Chewing through one was a challenge that I didn't bother going for a second. (It was practically inedible.) The guac, pico de gallo and sauce were great, but didn't do much for the pucks. Hubbers really liked it, though, so there's at least that. FOOD: 2. SERVICE: 4. I noticed staff mostly just hanging out together at the bar, but they were excellent at being mindful of guests. VALUE: 3. 5 for las botanas, 1 for the kibis. PARKING: Street only. It will be a challenge, for sure. OVERALL: 3. FUN FACT: They are the second oldest cantina in Merida (opened in 1917.) I learned the place is far livelier at night when they have bands performing. Someday, maybe...? Not a one-and-done, but it'll be a long minute before a second visit, if at all.

Party of about 20 (give or take more, kids and all.) We came through for Hubbers' family reunion…read moredinner of sorts. And talk about convenient, it's located across the street from Hubbers' Auntie/Uncle's house! Reservations were made, being it a big party and all, so we were seated immediately at arrival. Water was good and ready to go for everyone. Someone took liberties to order apps for everyone to share which was much appreciated because it made it easy for everyone else. PINA COLADA: My choice of drink to wash it all down. Creamy but light, good level of sweet, and most importantly, refreshing. I might have had a couple more by the end of the night. CARPACCIO DE SALMON: Different from what I'm used to as their version was slightly cooked and they added veggies as well as grated parmesan cheese. But it tasted great. It's best when all the characters are put together for each bite. These plates were emptied out fast, so it's safe to say everyone liked it. TIRADITO DE CHICHARRON: Crispy skin, juicy meat on topped on tomato sauce. The pork was seasoned lightly but adding the sauce brings it to full circle. It's delish, for sure, but it got a bit too rich for me after the third bite. (That's just me, though!) It really is meant to be shared. TAPAS (3 KINDS): I was lucky enough to try the three different kinds ordered. 1) Chorizo Argentino con Chimichurri: they were generous with this as each piece got a whole sausage. Tons of favor but not overwhelming. The chimichurri added a light zing and the bread tapered off whatever strong flavors there might have been. 2) Guacamole con Camaron al Ajillo: Shrimp was cooked nicely, and although it was a bit on the salty side, guac took care of that, easy. Bread added texture. Also good bites. 3) Champinones con queso parmesano: my favorite, but I might be biased since I'm a mushroom fiend. I'm not going to elaborate how great this is. If you like mushrooms, do NOT skip this! FILETE HOMENAJE: My choice of main. Requested for a medium prep. I was impressed when served as the plate was put together so beautifully. I didn't want to touch it because it felt like destroying a work of art! But eh, that didn't last long since I was hungry. First bite was amazing as the steak came out more on a medium rare plus side, so it was PERFECT. (I wasn't sure if that was an option here, so I just kept it simple.) That sauce was a complex of different flavors but didn't take away from the main essence of the protein. The sides were great palate cleansers. I felt like I picked a really good dish! Hubbers got the arrachera a la plancha (grilled flank steak.) His plate ended up getting emptied out, too, so clearly, he enjoyed his dish as well. FOOD: 5. Presentation flavor, was way above par. There was nothing I did not like. SERVICE: 4. Staff hustled being us a big party and all. Yes, they forgot a couple of people's drink orders, but understood. There were a lot of us. VALUE: 3. PARKING: I didn't notice if they had their own parking lot, but there was plenty of street parking available. OVERALL: 4. Good food, good company, a clean, modern and beautifully decorated eatery... it was a great spot for a family celebration. Absolutely recommending, especially for celebrating special occasions.

My wife and I had a great breakfast here. I had the eggs benedict and my wife had huevos rancheros…read more- both were delicious. Very nice ambiance - either sit inside with nice a/c or outside on the patio. Service was great and our waitress was very patient with our mangled Spanish. We will definitely come back again

BEST OF MERIDA 2025 - Botanas Botanas are a special treat,…read morebasically free food you get with drinks. Lucero doesnt call it in here, they serve a great variety of excellent options (mmm the gizzard is absurd). It varies throughout the day the service levels and botana availability; but show up around 7-8pm for a safe bet on a good experience with solid service, availabilty, and a good place to hang. See prior reviews for more details and happy eating from John Seeto!

What a great surprise this was! I had no idea what we walked into, I thought we were just going to…read moregrab drinks at this ultra chic looking bar. We ordered beers, we received those, and literally 2 min later a waitress came out with all these mini tapas and I was in shock. I had mentioned that we didn't order them and she said they came with the beer, and oh my, it's genius! we literally didn't feel the need to leave the bar and ordered more than we should've. Some of the tapas were great, some were decent, nothing terrible but what a deal and concept.

This place was amazing!…read more We walked in on a weekday and were sat far apart from everyone else but the seating was very spread out and we felt safe dining here. The staff were amazingly nice as well. Unfortunately, I can't remember out server name, but he was so genuinely nice, that I hope we can come back here on our next trip to Mérida and see him again. We ordered just appetizers but they bring out a wide variety of Yucateco foods and in small portions so you can try as much as possible. We also ordered amazing drinks (non-alcoholic but still yummy) and we left here super full. The parking lot is a bit small, so try to come early or at a time that people wouldn't originally eat meals.

Eladio's is a great place to come with friends, have some drinks and enjoy some live music. We sat…read morein the air-conditioned room and the waiters were quick with our drinks and generous with the endless plates of free botanas

This place was right near when I stayed; a wonderful local cantina with a bar area, and also a…read moreseparate large dining area. We got a mix of Yucatán finger food platter, local beer, and hibiscus drink. Hibiscus drink a bit too sweet for my taste, but the local beer was delicious. The platter was all fried, was good, but I ended up longing for something more fresh. The service was good, the servers all seemed a bit frazzled (even though there weren't many customers). We got treated to a live band playing at the cantina so that was nice.

We went to this cantina on a Tuesday night for their 2 for 1 wing special. Once seated you can get…read morea large Carte Clara beer for 49 pesos. Just guessing it was at least 32 ounces of beer. Nice set up of a covered area and an outdoor area. We sat outside with fans keeping us cool. We started with guacamole and chips. Pretty good. We then ordered bbq and buffalo style wings. They were fried nicely but had to much sauce. A plate of fries came by that looked good so ordered some along with just buffalo wings. My wife in Spanish told our waiter no sauce just fried and sauce on the side. Wings arrived with even more sauce and very spicy. Each order had 16 wings. The jazz band was great and the atmosphere good. Try to make it back again.

A little overpriced and they don't have coffee just espresso. The food was just so-so. Wasn't my…read morefavorite breakfast place I've ever eaten at anywhere in Mexico. The juices are very much watered down.

Really lovely place, with large shade trees and great service. The coffee is delicious and there…read moreare lots of options for vegetarians. Great spot to watch the world go by.