Where to eat in San Cristobal de las Casas
It’s hard not to eat well in this city - so far on our trip, this city has had the widest variety of foods on offer, with a huge offering for vegans and vegetarians, and a strong importance placed on organic and local produce. The food here is bound to make you feel good, but if you want a few pointers of where not to miss, these are our recommendations.
Típica - Mexican
Av. Belisario Dominguez 11a col. centro
We loved the quirky concept here - a neatly written black board from which you choose:
1. The base of your dish, such as tostadas or huaraches.
2. The main meat / veggie topping, such as nopales (cactus) or beef cooked with apples.
3. The Salsa it is topped with, such as spicy avocado or mocha salsa- local peanut, dried smoky chilli and toasted sesame seeds.
The food is fresh and colourful - a modern approach to traditional Mexican with friendly casual service.
Huaraches at Típica - topped with beef cooked in apples
Cocoliche - Fusion
Cristobal Colon #3
Seemingly a band every night, this place is always busy with a great atmosphere, so much that we went three times in a row! The thing that first stood out to me here was the extensive drinks menu - I’m not really a beer or wine drinker, so having such a big selection of drinks to choose from was a real treat. From hot or cold chocolate, to coffee with a variation of sweet or alcoholic additions, interesting cocktails, a huge box of teas to rummage through and an endless list of juices and smoothies, you could have a different drink here every night for 6 weeks! The food menu offers a lot of choice too, and we found our selection of Indian yellow curry, and grilled vegetables with rice did not disappoint in flavour (or size!) The service is so relaxed that you can pull up to the bar with a mug of coffee at 10pm, watch the band and no one will mind.
Yellow curry at Cocoliche (Sorry for the grainy phone pic! But we had to include this....mmmm)
Frontera - Café
Avenida Belisario Dominguez 35
A casual day time kind of place, with a nice courtyard out the back. It’s a Mexican café with an excellent selection of Chiapas coffee and even a choice of how you would like it brewed. All listed with information about where they have come from, I chose a veggie bagel here, it was hearty and filling. Dave had Mexican scrambled eggs with the famous longanitza sausage, strong and chorizo-like in flavour. We also tried some great agua frescas here including fresh pineapple blended with ice.
Organic Quesadillas
Calle Real de Guadalupe
A grab and go meal, large tortillas are pressed and cooked to order by ladies outside over a comal, this adds a unique toasted flavour the tortilla. Pick your fillings which are all displayed on the table, and watch (and smell) it get cooked right in front of you. Hearty and bursting with mushrooms, spinach, cactus and Oaxacan stringy cheese, served with a bag of spicy chilli salsa, this piping hot street snack is impossible to say no to, and also impossible to eat with any decorum! You can also eat at a table if you prefer. A perfect street snack on a cold Cristobal night.
Ladies pressing and cooking quesadillas to order on Real de Guadalupe
Belil - Authentic Chiapas Mexican
María Adelina Flores 20 B Centro
Probably our top pick for authentic Chiapinean food in San Cristobal, this place is a must visit whilst in San Cristobal. We had a well cooked and authentic meal here, with a choice of local dishes we hadn’t seen anywhere else. The owner Ricardo came to speak to us after our meal - he was a really friendly man who was incredibly knowledgeable about passionate about the food of this region, and in fact Mexico on the whole. An ex-community worker with indigenous people in the area, his heart was in the right place - all the food here was sourced straight from Mayan farms, with absolutely no tolerance for the supermarkets. Ricardo was also kind enough to share his recipe for the flavour-packed asado sauce with us, one we just couldn't work out what it contained.
Market and Organic Market (Sat and Wed , 10am-3pm)
22A Calle Diego Dugelay, near the corner of Calle Flavio A. Paniagua.
We saw such excellent produce in the the markets around San Cristobal, in particular the fruit, flowers, salads and vegetables grown by the Maya in Chiapas. Eating out almost twice a day everyday is great, but Dave especially becomes restless if he cant cook the produce we see. We were given a heads up about San Cristobal’s organic market by a German expat we stayed with, who worked in the rainforest checking the certification of organic farms…we took his word! The youngest of freshly picked herbs, crisp salads, bright green tomatillos, crunchy radishes, waxy baby potatoes and odd sized duck and hen eggs. You don't need to be a chef to make produce this fresh and flavoursome taste good. Dave fried up some potatoes with butter and grilled onions and then made a salad with the fresh herbs and leaves, topped with a punchy lime and tomatillo salsa.
Dave's potato salad after grabbing some fresh produce from the market
Peruano - Peruvian
Cuauhtemoc 6, San Cristobal de las Casas
A complete contrast to the rustic, cobbled streets of San Cristobal, a brand spanking new courtyard is home to a few new and very modern places to eat. We popped in to sample a small plate from the Peruvian restaurant, but the table was immediately filled with complementary plantain crisps, toasted cacha corn and a flavoursome fish broth infused with chilli and lime - apparently a Peruvian welcome. We ordered simply one dish, potatoes smothered in a silky ‘aji amarillo’ yellow chilli sauce, but left the place quite full! We were served by a really friendly and professional waitress, who told us that two weeks later, they were opening a sister restaurant in Mérida.
Bangcook - Thai
Cuauhtemoc 6, San Cristobal de las Casas
OK, so Thai food really isn’t getting stuck into the traditional Mexican food, but after a month in Mexico, we thought one night off was allowed! (Plus, I pestered and tugged at Dave’s arm when we walked past just looking at the huge creamy bowls of curry). In my many years of loving and eating Thai food, I can confidently say this was one of the most flavoursome and tasty Thai curries I’ve tried, and to my utter delight, it was absolutely laced with cashew nuts and pineapple. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re having a night off from chilli however - this was probably the hottest dish I’ve eaten in Mexico yet!