El Merkadito

If you're in Puerto Morelos, don't miss El Merkadito! This spot offers some of the freshest and most delicious seafood around — everything we tried was flavorful and perfectly prepared. The ceviche was especially outstanding! Pair it with one of their cold artisan beers for the perfect coastal meal. The service was friendly and attentive from start to finish, and the ocean views from the restaurant are simply stunning. Whether you're looking for a relaxing lunch or a sunset dinner, El Merkadito delivers on every level. Highly recommended!

Loved our lunch here! The tempura shrimp tacos were our favorite. We also saw fresh snapper caught and cooked for other guests. The breeze and view from the sea was amazing. This was by far the best lunch we had while visiting Puerto Morelos

I wanted to wait a week or so before writing this review to gauge whether my review would be different, it's not. We were advised to come to this restaurant by the resort we were staying at if we wanted to have a local experience. We came during an off hour and were promptly seated. The server created us and took our order. Drinks were brought out and then we were forgotten. Not sure how long it took to prepare our meal (tacos and appetizers) we sat and waited. The view is very nice on the deck overlooking the pier and boats. We hadn't seen our server in a while so we asked another. She was surprised we hadn't got our order yet (probably 20 plus minutes). She found our server and she brought our food. It was as we suspected as it was not hot. It had been sitting for a while. We finished our order and asked for the check. It was in Pesos but I converted it and left a small tip to reflect our dissatisfaction with our service. I gave it in cash to the waitress who promptly asked for a larger tip. I told her no as our food was not as expected. I believe if it would have been promptly delivered (it was not a busy time) they would have been better. Anyways, the view is great, the beer is cold, and the guacamole was the best tasting I've had. Come for those items and set an average expectation on the food.

This place offers a large variety of salsas (tamarindo, hibiscus, habanero, fine herbs, etc) to go with their very good seafood! Although, my table really liked the burger as well. We had a kilo catch of the day served with rice and veggies, ceviche, calamari, etc. Everything was good, catch of the day could of been cooked a bit longer. Service was courteous, but they didn't come as often as we wished. Bill came to 500US for 6ppl and a long beautiful afternoon looking at the amazing view! Great place.

Amazing place Excellent food.great view So friendly. Ranked number one on ny trip!

I had the grilled dorado. My wife had grilled tuna with risotto. Both were amazing! There was a torrential rainstorm while we dined causing an extraordinary clatter on the tin roof. We had to shout to each other to talk, but it was an exciting time. The staff rolled down some canvas covers to stop patrons from getting soaked. It created a warmer and more intimate dining experience for us. We loved our meal here. Highly recommended!

Absolute gem of a place with delicious food, good service, and the best views. You can dine indoors or out, but the whole place is open-air. We asked what they had for the catch of the day and server Xiomara brought a whole fish right to the table! Talk about fresh. In the end, we had guacamole, crab croquettes, and fish and shrimp tacos. Highly recommend this for a meal when you’re in Puerto Morales.

This is such a fun place with excellent food and an outstanding view. The prices are higher, but that view! We really enjoyed our ceviche mixto and fish tacos. Excellent quality. The service was top notch, much like what we've seen throughout the town. So warm and inviting. This place deserves a much higher rating than what it's been getting.

Nice seafood place right on the beach. It's a little pricey but same as all the beach side restaurants in Puerto Morelos. Crab Tostada was great, the shrimp cocktail also great! Did not the batter in the calamari, too thick and was very greasy we only ate a few pieces. One nest thing about this place is if you want whole fish they bring it to you on a fishing pole to pick out, makes it's a fun unique display table side.

Food was ok. Flavor profiles were simple and lacked seasoning. The fish of the day was expensive and lots of bones and not flavored correctly. I really wanted to be impressed because all the food was fresh seafood.

This is a lovely seaside restaurant for lunch. However we went for dinner and the view is great but would be better during daylight hours . The TarTar tuna was prepared excellently and looked like five star , but was a bit salty and the texture was mixed . It had some gristle . The accompanying sauce was very salty And the chips were SoSo . However the service was top notch.

Easily top 2 BEST Restaurants in Puerto Morelos! The food was fresh, flavorful, and delicious! We ordered Thai shrimp, seafood soup, octopus and several other dishes. Our server was attentive and super nice! You could see the fresh tortillas being made and the freshly caught fish being weighed. Highly recommend this place!

This is a nice beachside restaurant that has great service and excellent food. Solid choice along a strip that offers plenty of tourist traps. The seafood is fresh, the salsas are delicious, and the prices are relatively reasonable given the location and quality.

Time and time again El Merkadito provides memorable meals. We visited two days in a row on this last vacation with our group of 13. The staff made sure each of us felt taken care of and had a great dinner. The food is always fresh and delicious. A must try when in Puerto Morelos.

Two words: fresh seafood! Had been following this gem prior to a trip to PM and glad we dined here because it was some of the best food during our trip. We started with the ceviche and margaritas. It was so much ceviche we could've honestly had it as a meal. I also recommend the fish tacos - super crispy, flaky and fresh. My only real complaint was I wish the margaritas were served in a different cup - the mug was super cold and way too big to drink out of without a straw. The service was a little slow but honestly it felt like that everywhere and everyone is making things work with the staff they do have. Towards the end of our dinner there was live music which was also pretty cool. Overall would recommend this cute little beachfront restaurant to any seafood lover!

The view here was picturesque...and the food was even more amazing than the view. I had the taco negro de pescado. They were so good I may not ever be able to order fish tacos anywhere else ever again because I'll just feel let down. First time traveling to Mexico from the US and I'd plan another trip down just so I could eat here again. Margaritas complimented food perfectly. Wish I could give more than 5 stars for those tacos I'll be dreaming about until I return.

Food was good. The drinks were weak. Service was great. We sat where we could see the beach, the breeze was refreshing

Great food great service. The staff is friendly and helpful with the menu. The seafood is excellent. They are right on the beach so the views are great if you can get a seat near the beach I had the sea bass with risotto which was cooked perfectly. My friend had the shrimp and thought they were very good.

Our family loved this lively little spot. Right on the beach with fresh seafood in the heart of Puerto Morelos; you can't go wrong eating here! I saw other reviews about the service but our servers were great. The first one didn't speak much English so she went and got another server that did, it was really thoughtful. Our family really enjoyed the listening to the mariachi band while we were waiting for our meal which added a special touch. The chips are served with 4 sauces: chipotle mayo, garlic mayo, green habanero (hot!), and a milder red salsa - all of them were good. Beware of the green habanero salsa, it's fiery hot, but still very tasty. The fresh guacamole was on point, be sure to try it out. We ordered the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp tempura tacos. Both were absolutely amazing. Add the chipotle mayo sauce to the shrimp tacos, you won't be sorry.

Very good food, fun/funky atmosphere and great service. It right on the beach, with views from almost all tables. The decor anything but ordinary - and really fits the cool oceanside vibe. My Cervice Mixto was wonderful and everyone seemed to love the various fish tacos. The bar selection is very good, and their collection of mezcals was excellent. Don't miss this place!

Amazing spot, open air beach side dining, local music in the sand on Saturday afternoon. Ceviche & Seafood soup to die for & catch of the day melts in your mouth, a couple of Mezcalaritas & We've stopped here every trip down the Riviera Mayan coast !!!

We drove 40 minutes from Cancun to have dinner here and it was a refreshing break from the hotel zone. From start to finish we had an amazing dinner. the service, drinks, food, and atmosphere were all great! We loved the tamarind margarita (huge!), the scallop tostadas, the asia me ceviche, the octopus ceviche, and the shrimp in tamarind sauce. Would skip the Marlin tacos next time. The restaurant overlooks the water and has avery beach shack feel to it. The service was very friendly even if we were the last people there. At the end of the night they asked us if we wanted anything else because the kitchen was closing. We said no forgetting about dessert, and when we asked about dessert later they felt so bad they brought out a round of tequila shots! After that they put on salsa music (at my mom's request) so my mom could dance with the waiter and the chef, and then we all watched the Copa Final together. A truly unforgettable experience and probably the best meal of our trip! You shouldn't go to Cancun without stopping here!

Great location on the beach with great views, service was extremely slow, waiting for appetizers and entree was excessive and it was not busy, shrimp cocktail was average at best and guacamole was below average with very little flavor, my entree was the steak chicharrón and that was flavorful and good with the blue corn tortillas, overall ok but there is better food in puerto Morelos

Bad service. Rude staff. They took a very long time to take our order and even longer to deliver the food. The restaurant wasn't even crowded.

This is by far the best seafood place in Puerto Morelos the service is amazing with reasonable prices

So disappointed in this place. My wife physically can not eat spicy food. Keep in mind that We speak Spanish so there was no issues of translation The fish came spicy as hell & when she told the server, instead of asking if he can get her something else He argued with her about what he said then asked if we wanted our food to go? If i don't want to eat the food in the restaurant WHY would i want to take it to go??? My food was less than par and i just had simple fish tacos Service was horrible and the staff was rude. We come to PM often and will never be back to this dump of a restaurant

Love the view and the guacamole. If you have lots of time, a great place to lounge and watch the waves lap in slowly. The service is spotty and good to ask for service when you are ready.

Got tostada de jaiba, baja tacos, and ceviche mixto. Baja tacos were very tasty but not at all what I was expecting. More of a fish burrito with some sauce. Really loved the ceviche and it was huge. Probably the best part was the homemade hot sauce variety - be careful with the green habanero though. Also, staff was very personable!

Don't go here for the service, go here for the incredible deck towards the sea and the carefree attitude. I can think of worse places to drink a beer, while looking at the turquoise waters of the caribbean. The marlin tacos, as another yelper mentioned, are incrdible. The food might take a while to come out, but you have the cool breeze to help you get into vacation mood. Time will seem to go slow as you stare at the palm trees on the breeze (get a table on the shade, or be sunburned by the time your entree comes out!) This spot seems known for tostadas, an open faced tortilla with some sort of protein, addons, and a dressing. Very good. Tried the tuna, everyone loved it.

We took a large group of customers for dinner and they did a great job. They sat us all together right up against the beach area - what a view. I worked with Bernal who helped us organize the event. He delivered on his promise! Sam one of the waitresses did a great job of keeping everything flowing. 2 suggestions: send them the list of entrees before hand for large groups. We did This and it really helped them. The other is the steaks were a little over done so if you like them medium or less you will need to make sure they are aware. The seafood was great! What a neat spot for sure!

Great service- wasn't slow at all. Appetizer mixed seafood ceviche was excellent. Grilled octopus w/ small grilled potato & steam veggies perfect selection. Margarita's were large and tasty served in a chilled silver cup

Good food, great views of water from shaded deck. Fish is fried for some of the tacos, so pay attention when you order if you don't care for fried food. Tasty Greek salad.

Yeeps. We came here because of the reviews, but man, what a bummer of an experience. While we arrived fairly late, we are always cognizant of what time the kitchen closes, and don't want to be butts. We were assured that the kitchen was open for another hour, and to please take a seat. So we did. And we waited. Finally somebody took our order. He seemed so blase about it that I wasn't sure he even heard any of it/took it in. We waited. The drinks we ordered arrived! Score! We drank them. We finished them. We waited. We got tired. We waited. Our food finally arrived. It was room temp and smelled fishy. Yep, I know. Seafood can smell fishy. But this was the bad fishy. I tried it anyway, and man... It just wasn't right. I didn't finish it, but I ended up with a weird stomach cramping session later that night. Cool, man. This place is expensive, the service is lame, and the food is weird and gross. WAY better seafood to be found other places in PM. No thanks.

Strong and delicious mango margarita; if I had another I'd be THAT drunk lady clinging onto the mariachi band during their set (this actually happened while I was there. Kind of annoying but hey, viva la Mehico). We got the grilled octopus, fried calamari, and shrimp cocktail, all sooooo good and fresh, especially the grilled octopus, as they serve it on a sizzling skillet. Giving four stars because the service was pretty damn slow...not sure if it was because I'm so used to the fast pace east coast life or because they were just gah damn slow. Good thing I was with company though, otherwise I probably would have been annoyed.

My fiance and I stopped in after it was recommended to us by our resort down the street. It did not disappoint! The owner and staff were welcoming and very friendly (I don't understand the reviews on here that suggest they are anything otherwise). You cannot beat the view! You are practically on the beach. We can both attest the meals we at at El Merkadito were the best we had on our trip! Highly recommend the Marlin Tacos, Sea Bass, Jack Daniels Salmon, and either of the fried shrimp plates. To clarify, we did not eat all of these dishes in one trip...we loved this place so much that we ate here twice during our week long vacation (at an all inclusive resort). Cannot recommend this place enough! I also recommend walking around the corner after to the ice cream shop for a sweet treat to complete your downtown Puerto Morelos experience :)

I'm struggling to even figure out what to say about this place... it was so great! We got shrimp cocktail margaritas tacos. everything was delicious. The staff was friendly. The view is beautiful. You must try it. It has an entry off the beach.

The seabass and tuna tartare are out of this world. I would hesitate to come here again and again.

This place is amazing and an incredible setting right on the water. I got the Jack Daniel Salomon. I pride myself in making delicious salmon and their dish was leaps and bounds better, which is humbling but worth it. The specialty cocktails were off the charts. I recommend the Gin Fruit.

A must go for good food in Puertos Morelos. I've been staying at an All Inclusive resort in the riviera and let's just say I needed Togo get some food off resort. I did what any other smart traveler would do....I asked one of the employees for a recommendation. Trying to enjoy at least one meal on my vacation isn't asking too much. After a short can ride from the resort we arrived at El Merkadito. The sky had already fallen dark so we didn't get a chance to enjoy the view but from what we could tell the view should be pretty spectacular. I had the lobster linguine, Marlin tacos, and a mojito...all of which were on point. My wife had the ribeye, a crab tostada, and a strawberry drink of some kind. Again absolutely amazing. My few bits of advice: The ribeye is not served Asa traditional ribeye would be served. It is pre cut for you and served in a hot stone bowl, with guacamole on top. Ask for the guacamole on the side. When you get your chips, ask for hot salsa. The habanero is really really good. Lastly, be sure to specify how you want your drinks. I've noticed that some drinks are served as frozen drinks that may typically not be served that way in America. Great experience. If I ever make it back to this side of the world I will definitely be stopping back in. 2 appetizers, 2 drinks, and 2 entrees for somewhere just short of $50 USD. Wow!!!

Not sure what the hype is with this place. Food was average at best. Service was aloof and slow on a weekend when the place was dead.

Good food, good Margaritas, good service. Went after sun down and our table was dark so food was difficult to see but food was good, especially the sea bass. I would definitely go again.

Ceviche Asia-Me es super recommendable , el servicio es bueno y la vista pues muy pero muy disfrutable!!!

We took a walk into the great town of puerto Morales and stumbled upon this place. Glad that we did. It is a great little seafood place right on the beautiful beach! The service was slightly slow, but, hey, we were on vacation and had no place to be! The drinks were cold and the food was awesome! We had the shrimp and fish ceviche and was not disappointed -so good. The guacamole was among the best I have had. We samples different tacos that were all equally delicious. THe smoked salmon tostada was the best dish of the day! The best part of this place was the view! It doesn't really get any better than sitting on the ocean enjoying cocktails and delicious food!

My credit card was charged for a meal that didn't exist. We had a mediocre dinner here two nights before, but they charged me for a meal for four when we weren't even there. They then refused me a credit even though I showed them proof from bank's website.

On the beach, raised above it by 20 feet, so great view and you get some sea breeze. Food is good (not amazing). Staff leer at women. They have a small area down on the sand as well which is nice for sitting and a drink. 1 block from the main plaza so a good location. Enter from the beach or the street. Nicely lit in the evenings, very romantic.

Disgusting food... Unedible, sent back food and cancelled rest of order after one bite... I don't understand how any human that doesn't eat McDonald's style food would enjoy this place

Don't eat here if you love Mexican food and want an authentic Mexican meal. Eat here if your children are extremely picky and their favorite meal is chicken nuggets at home. That's the only reason I can think of to purposefully go here. Staff was very nice and service was very good, but the food was fried and bland.

Food was average. Cerviche was good but grouper was tough and not easy to eat. Slow service, maybe due to too many tables and too few wait staff?? Appetizer ordered, came after dinner served, which is ironic because the same thing happened to the family seated next to us. Probably won't be back. On a positive--the view of the beach from your table is hard to beat in town.

Food was good but not worth the 1.5 hours waiting for it. Really slow and tracking down a waiter if impossible. There are much better places with equally good if not better food but with more attend and faster service. Would avoid at all costs unless you have three hours to spare. The margaritas come in a nice metal cup which is nice. But you need about ten of them to forget about how long you were waiting for food to arrive. Moreover, they don't bring things out in advance to pace you. It all comes out at once. Several tables nearby were also complaining about food never arriving.

I never write reviews but we thought the food was excellent. The conundrum...you are extremely full but hate to part with your plate. The staff was wonderful as well. It was extremely dark and windy so we were not able to see the beach view. No worries.