Roadfood Adventures on Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Roadfood-junkie travels to the island of women, once, a quaint fishing village now a tourist destination and with good reason.

Roadfood-junkie has a love affair with Mujeres; good food, good people; good prices, and great weather
Isla Mujeres is a small island off the mainland from Cancun, a 20 minute ferry ride away. The island has excellent shopping, great restaurants and beautiful beaches. At night, while sitting on a balcony eating great road food, or enjoying the sound of the surf as it rolls on to the beach of Isla Mujeres, you can see the lights of Cancun. Very scenic, and similar to what heaven must be like.


North Beach is quite noticeable from the aerial view.

Ferry Service

Isla Ferry Service

The preferred way to get to the island is by a very efficient ferry service. Two ferry companies’ shuttle passengers back and forth, the cost is about $3.50 US and they run every 20 mins.
Isla Mujeres is only 5 miles long, running north to south and ½ mile wide, east to west. Most tourist, stay towards the north end of the island in the vicinity of north beach, and its pristine white sand beach. Downtown area is a short walk of a couple of blocks. A taxi, bus, golf cart rental or motorbike are the ways to travel to south end of the island. Buses 35cents and taxi up to $5 are reasonable with golf cart the most expensive at $55 per day. Always negotiate price before getting in a taxi, that $5 ride might only be $2. We usually stay mid island, or to the south, so we rent a golf cart for the time spent there. Thus! We call it roadfood because we motor to all the great eating restaurants that are located all over the island. Basically we eat all meals out, two meals a day is sufficient for a roadfood-junkie.

North Beach rentals

Isla North Beach

North Beach is the preferred beach for swimming and lounging in the sand. The south and east sides are a more rugged coastline of coral not really safe for swimming but very scenic and a camera buffs dream. The waters around Isla Mujeres have some of the most colorful waters of azure blues and greens around Mexico. They have some really good snorkeling at Garrafon park.
It has only been that last 3 years that any hi-rise condos started to appear. Prior to 2006 three story accommodations was all that was allowed. The change has not been for the better; prices have started to inflate and the quaintness of the island will be destroyed if allowed to continue.

Isla Garrafon a great day of snorkeling. Click to enlarge the picture & notice Cancun in the distance.

Snorkeling Garrafon

Snorkeling at Garrafon is day well spent. Builds up an appetite for some great dining out

There are so many good restaurants and roadfood stops found on this small island that a month is needed to truly visit them all. There are also two grocery stores if you prefer to do your own cooking. The biggest, the Super Express store has all you could possibly need including beer and liquor. Mirita’s Grocery is quaint, smaller and more personal.




Down town shops and restaurants are plentiful.

Down town

There is not much you can't find in the way of Mexican souvenirs.

We enjoy trying all the restaurants. There is much more than Mexican food.

French Bistro, Lobster House

One of our favorite restaurants is the French Bistro.
This is the place for excellent service and steaks.
We prefer to sit in the opening and watch the street, alive with people.

Seafood Plate at Miramar Restaurant

Another favorite meal is at the Miramar.
Here is a mixed seafood platter. Octopus, shrimp, fish fillet, rice and potato. Excellent!

The restaurant was totally destroyed in the 2006 hurricane but rebuilt better than ever.

It is located close to the Ferry docks. Interesting to watch the ferrys and people come and go.

Picus Restaurant

Picus A favorite place to kick back with your feet in the sand and watch the fisherman boats come and go while swilling back a cold Cervesa(beer) and slurping your way through a big bowl of seafood soup. Some of the best, I have had.

Filleting Barracuda

People rave about Cerviche which is nothing more than raw fish
cooked by the acid of fresh squeezed lime juice.

I will say the fish is fresh. I watched this fisherman filleting fish
right on the beach a stons throw from Picus Restaurant.

Tics & Chix on a open fire pit.

Catch of the day being barbecued over an open fire at Playa Lanchero's a great place to spend a sunny day with your feet in the sand or under the shade of a palm tree.
While awaiting your seafood surprise.
They call it Tics & chix.
They serve one of these and it is an eye-popper when you receive it hanging over the plate. Enough for a table of four.

My complaint would be, that more often than not it is over cooked and dry.

Sergio's Bar as seen from their pier. Located on
North Beach; this is the meeting place of all the regulars who claim they founded Isla MujeresIsla Mujeres Chatter Board to share their knowledge.








Do yourself a favor and order a Can do Map it is the best investment you will make, and it is your personal guide of where everything is located on the island. They are a traveling companion that you will love to travel with. Cost is $10 and comes with a money back guarantee if not satisfied, but that won’t be a problem. I love my Can-do maps.


For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Does the size of the burger count?

Does the size of the burger have to be big to be rated as good, or the best? When is a burger too big?
A burger spilling out its toppings is no better, than one that I can get my mouth around. Here are burgers all good, but the smaller ones I find as good as the towers or squirt burgers as I like to call them.

My Texas travels yielded this beauty a Whataburger.

I am partial to a Whataburger. They are very good and very reasonable. A double is about as big as I want to shove into my face. 2 patties of 100% pure American beef with mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions, add cheese to kick it up a notch. They will dress it however you like even add jalapeno's.

When visiting Florida, I can hardly wait till I get my first Checker burger.

Checkers Big Buford is a real deal for a very good hamburger. You can get 2 for $5, which is, the price of one sold at most other hamburger joints. This signature burger is two juicy, all-beef patties and two slices of American cheese on a toasted bun. It’s loaded with mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, onions, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and mustard, all very fresh. They also have excellent French Fries.

In-N-Out Hamburger primarily a California family business.

California’s finest family owned business, one that has grown primarily via word-of-mouth, with very little advertising. Two 100% beef patties, lettuce, tomato, spread similar to thousand island, and two slices of cheese. You can get with raw or grilled onions.

HoDad Burger is a mammoth. Hodad's has been recognized as one of the top 5 burger joints in the country by CNN.

You need to unhinge your jaw, to get your mouth around this squirt burger. Wear a bib.
Although I have never had one, it is doubtful that I will lose sleep over a burger that is twice as big as the mouth it needs to fit in. All burgers come with; Lettuce tomato, pickle, onion, mayo, mustard, and ketchup unless you say otherwise.
A double cheese burger will cost $7.50. Big burg, big price.

The Big Mac® from the Golden Arches is a tasty burger.

It is freely available everywhere, so that makes it not so much a treat. This is the burger on the fly, when time is of the essence and of course, you just received; a two for the price of one….coupon. I like a Big Mac on occasion but don’t find them very filling. An hour later, I am hungry again. I refer to it as Chinese food, the twenty minute filler.

You can usually find an excellent hamburger in your own town.
Here is our home town Hero from Yen's Chinese in Waterford, Ontario.

Perhaps a burger tastes better when they are not freely available, sort of like what a cow would say....if it could talk, "that grass looks greener on the otherside of the fence".

I have never found a burger I disliked. Only ones I like better, than the last one. I just don’t fathom; that dripping condiments down my arm makes for a better hamburger.