Lindsay's Tips : Mamasota Vintage for the love of Mexico
Vintage Merchant & Mexico Lover
Salbute (a fried corn tortilla) topped with relleno negro (turkey and hard-boiled egg cooked in a charred chile sauce), an empanada (turnover made of masa) filled with carne molida (ground pork) served with shredded cabbage salad, habanero salsa, and fried tomato sauce (not shown). This is one of my favorite A.M. spots. They usually run out of food around noon.
Join us for a cantina crawl of the old-school cantinas of Merida! Find some new favorites!
Merida has a treasure trove of classic cantinas featuring local drinking culture & flavors. Residents & visitors find that seeking the shelter of a cantina during the heat of the day makes the heat tolerable. A typical cantina offers plentiful cold beer, basic mixed drinks, and on-alcoholic limeades & soft drinks- each round is accompanied by botanas, snacks & small plates. Botanas are a great way to sample local dishes!
MANY cantinas in Merida still cater exclusively to men. Some of these establishments are known as bares de ficheras, referring to the fiches (tokens) collected by the women in exchange for a dance. Women present are employed by the cantina to encourage men to keep drinking.
Our customizable cantina tour can be combined with markets, street food, or shopping. We recommend visiting 3 or 4 cantinas in 3 or 4 hours to get a sense of the experience. Bring coins for the rockola!
MERIDA OLD-SCHOOL CANTINA CRAWL (4 hours)
We’ll pick you up at high noon & visit 3 cantinas in central Merida for 2 beers & accompanying botanas!