Is food in mexico expensive?

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Mark The Latin Travel Dude

I'm giving Mikey and others here a thumbs-up rating because they're spot on.

General rule of travel: all-inclusive ALWAYS sucks. It might save you a few dollars, but it...
* is usually institutional quality cooking where quantity matters more than quality
* is often "dumbed down" to pander to mass market American tastes of the "Wal-Mart American"
* always includes drinks made of the cheapest rotgut liquors available
* limits your choice of beer brands to about 1
* ties you to the resort, discouraging you from experiencing the BEST that a destination offers
* encourages gluttony
* can be guaranteed *NOT* healthy (cooked in lard, oversalted, etc.)

Now, is food expensive? Generally NO. In many parts of Mexico you can eat like a king on what you pay for a meal at Dennys back in the states. Street food is awesome, but I know many average Americans fear it. Too bad for them....probably the best taco I ever experienced in my life (and one of the cheapest too) came from a street vendor on Rosales, about a block from the Hidalgo Metro station in downtown Mexico City. It will be harder to find cheap food in the hotel districts of resort destinations like Cancun, but even there, if you head downtown instead of the hotel district, cheap eats become easier to find and the authenticity of the cooking shoots skyward...

Have fun!

Mikey

Good question and thinking. All inclusive means you will be strapped to the hotel for food since you already paid for it. What if it sux's ?
Mexican street food is VERY inexpensive. The best part about Mexico.
Mikey has dinner in his neighborhood every night at about 2 us dollars and 1 dollar for a beer and I'm full.
How else will you learn and Enjoy the great food Mexico has to offer ?
Now when I go home I will not even eat at Mexican restaurants - the food is not authentic.
Mikey eats at the Tanquerias in the gas stations and Mexican grocery stores when I'm in the states - only gringo in the place.The Mexican customers know I've found out the real deal about Mexican cuisine. It's authentic and you will see when you return home that what you thought was Mexican at your local restaurant's is crap.
Heck no ! save money and skip that all inclusive crap and learn what real Mexican food is - you'll see.
Don't eat in the tourist districts !!!!!!!!!!! Jump in a cab and ask him to take you to his favorite spot. Ask the hotel staff where they eat. Trust me it's up in the neighborhoods and not on the main tourist drag. You'll be the only gringo sitting at the place ( usually outside ) and you'll be rewared handsomly................
This is travelling 101..............Congrats, b/c you've learned that ahead of time.

viajerita_primavera

I agree saying food it's not that expensive, but it depends on where you eat.

If the difference between the package that includes food and the one that doesn't includes it it's not that big, you can pay with the meals, for those days you don't feel in a mode to go an explore for food, and besides, those packages that includes food usually includes the beverages, which I believe are pretty the same as in Canada, I can not say about States, but I lived in Canada and know that for sure.

And definitely eat outside the hotel, Mexican food is delicious specially street food, you can find really good seafood in small "palapas" when you go to a beach destination here in Mexico.

Get prepare to try spicy food, and fun mixes of sour and sweet. I'm sure you will enjoy Mexican Food a lot if you like to try new things.

Hearty

I agree with Mikey! Even travelling within Canada, I never eat at the hotel I am staying at. There are better restaurants/cafes than the ones in the hotel - even bacon & eggs are better elsewhere.

If it were me I would take the cheaper flight and hotel only and explore the city. We have been to Mazatlan every year for 26 years and have scouted out some good restaurants/cafes where the locals eat, but always find some new ones with the recommendations of people we meet there. A lot would depend on your friends - are they fine with eating out or do they want to stick with hotel food.

If you decide on Mazatlan, send in another Question and I would be happy to give you some suggestions. Off the top of my head there is Juanitas, an inconspicuous cafe where the beach vendors eat (although they eat at the back away from the tourists). For $5 you can get a fresh large fish filet, which would set you back $12-15 at Costa Marinera, a block away, and a tourist trap! Not on the beach but good wholesome food for less than 1/2 the price.

My friends tell me that December was really slow in Mazatlan as American tourists are staying away and I expect the same when we travel there in Frebruary.

viajero_intergalactico

it just depends where you eat.

i personally have had good experiences with the all inclusive hotels. and i feel that i have saved....however there were times that we just left the hotel to eat a a really nice restaurant. yeah it was a loss at the hotel, but it was not that much of a loss...and we did not feel tied down to eating at only one place.

but food in any tourist area is expensive.

Alethia MD

No, food is not expensive, compared to other countries; but the all-inclusive is great! if you don't get it, you might spend a lot in beverages mostly, and hotel food is more expensive, so, a all inclusive is really useful!!! and cheap, plus.
Anyway, try not to eat always at the hotel, food is ok, but you'll miss the entire mexican food experience. There are many places near the beach in any of those cities, also you can ask at the hotel to name you some good places.
In a restaurant, you might spend 200 pesos or less per person.

Enjoy!!!

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