Quinney H.
Yelp
La Habichuela is easily the most memorable restaurant I've been to in Mexico, which includes Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, Merida, Cozumel, and Cancun. I went with several friends last night and really appreciated the collection of Mayan art, dining in the open air courtyard, and the well-paced food and service.
We ordered a variety of menu items, allowing us to assess the overall quality and consistency of the food. Two dishes were prepared table side: Caesar salad and Cafe Maya. The salad was prepared as an entree, and we were most impressed by the freshly made Caesar dressing. Then, during the dessert course, we were captivated by a fire show when the server dramatically and sequentially poured a stream of flaming hot liquor into two dressing boats for the Cafe Maya. Other standout dishes were the cocobichuela (their signature dish), fried calamari, and ribeye steak. The tuna steak also looked divine, but my friend said it was too fishy for his taste. I'd highly recommend dining family style here.
The restaurant is located in Downtown Cancun, and it was a nice change of scenery from the Hotel Zone. We went on a Sunday night, and the park near the restaurant was full of locals and buzzing with activity that was reminiscent of an open air market. Our taxi driver compared it to Central Park in New York City. Unfortunately, I can't co-sign on that statement since the park is small enough to miss in the blink of an eye, but the restaurant is a great jumping off point to explore local culture in Cancun!