Forget the tourist zone’s stratospheric prices. If you’re up for a night on the town and want to mingle with the local Quintana Roo residents, then do what they do – head for the Avenida Yaxchilan. (it’s pronounced yak–she–lan) There’s drinking (the good stuff), dancing and truckloads of great food – especially “parrilladas” or grilled meat and barbeque places. Many locations along a four block long stretch feature top-notch live music (Mexican and Spanish vocalists) although they’ll include a few tunes in English in their repertoire. One of my preferred eateries is:

La Parrilla Mexican Grill
Yaxchilan No. 51
887 – 6141, 884 – 5398

“La Parrilla” is typical of the dozen or so places along this avenida. They’re well-established, having been in business since 1975, with three locations in Cancun and others in nearby Playa Del Carmen and Merida. There are breakfast combos from 12 pesos to 25 pesos consisting of coffee, eggs, beans, cheese, juice and chilaquiles con pollo (tortillas with chicken). Lunch and dinner combos featuring marvelously grilled beef, pork, chicken or seafood entrees are priced from 25 pesos to 66 pesos or more for “the works”. Their “parrillada mixta” is a sampling of everything and is their top “belly-bustin” favorite. Don’t order it though, unless you’re either starving to death or are built like a pelican, since the quantity of food you’ll get is absolutely staggering. Burritos, tacos and other specials are also available, including an assortment of Mexican and imported beers to fill in those empty spaces. If you’re a real carnivore, then this is the place for you, Tyrannosaurus Rex:

El Rincon Yucateco
Avenida Uxmal No. 24 (a few steps down the street from the Hotel Alux)
No Phone

If you want to leap right into trying the local fare, you can start off right here – and cheaply too. “Huevos Motileños” is a good breakfast sampler consisting of an egg cooked with a mixed bed of vegetables, chiles and peas, served with rice and tomato or “mole” sauce. A variety of soups, tortilla-based meals, marinated chicken and pork dishes round out an interesting series of menu offerings. You can even sip on a “Jamaica” tea or a spicy tamarind drink. They’re open fairly late – up to around 10pm or so and the staff delights in giving you the latest lowdown on what’s happening around town. It you have a few postcards or photos to show around, it’ll get you even better service and maybe a freebie or two. (Honest!) The entire front of the restaurant is open, so pick a table right at the sidewalk to catch whatever breeze there may be while you munch.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an ELT Teacher Trainer, English language learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. He has published more than 350 articles and academic papers and presented at numerous EFL teacher training and TEFL conferences throughout North America, South America and Europe.