Mercado 23 Tour: An In-Depth Foodie Exploration Through the Unknown Parts of Cancún

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Beyond Cancún’s pristine beaches lies a food culture all its own.

What the locals eat, contrary to what most travelers usually encounter, is an exciting mix of influences from all over Mexico, brought by Mexicans who’ve flocked to Cancún over the past 50 years to work in the thriving tourism industry. Cancún was established in 1970 and it doesn’t have the deep history of other colonial Mexican cities. But a definitive, energetic culinary identity exists here, as seen in the fresh, homemade Mexican food sold in the fondas, streets, and markets.

On our tours—each carefully designed to highlight delicious local food, Mexican food history and traditions, and Cancún’s skilled local cooks—we’ll show you where to find the city’s best food and how to order it, and you’ll learn the stories of the people who make it.

You’ll finish our tours with an entirely new perspective on Cancún.

This tour is good for:

• Anyone interested in learning about Cancún’s real food culture
  Families with children are welcome (strollers can be used on this tour)
  Tour can be adapted for vegetarians

The Mercado 23, opened in downtown Cancún in 1978, is a magnet for locals doing their daily shopping and snacking. On this tour we’ll navigate through the market and its nearby food stalls, getting a sense for what makes the market tick, who shops there, and the top-notch food available. 

We will learn about and nibble on local fruit, and try corn tortillas hot off the press, before finishing the tour at a casual bar nearby. There, we’ll toast to everything we’ve tried and learned.

This tour features as much food as you can eat, so bring your appetite and your sun hat! We'll start early to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Menu

You’ll try some of the best that the market has to offer: 

• freshly fried fish tacos
• panuchos, a fried corn tortilla stuffed with beans and layered with mouth-watering toppings
• pozol, a pre-hispanic beverage of corn and chocolate
• the decadent, fried pork belly called castacán

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