Street Eats, Shopping, and El Mercado Principal:

If you exit the walled portion of Campeche through the land gate, at the end of Calle 59, make a left and you aren’t far from the City’s main market. Less than half a block up the street there will be a cross walk for the four lanes of traffic you’ll need to cross. Once you’ve crossed safely, you’ll be in front of local bus stop, and continuing to your left is the Market. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and more are all here. And if you walk to the corner of Tabasco street, and make a right, the market continues, and the sights and sounds and people and produce all multiply.

If you find your way inside the market, there are numerous places for cheap eats, serving tamales, tortas, gringas… most also have prices listed, and for under P$40 you can easily find a meal.

For shopping, there are two supermarkets near the market. In the center of town, shopping options are limited, but so are kitchen facilities. Thus for basics that aren’t produce, you can stop by one of several OXXO’s, which are small convenience stores. There is one to the Left of the cathedral that keeps later hours.

However, on the other side of town we’ve found our new favorite spot for street meat. Walking away from Plaza Principal, turn Left on Calle 53, and you’ll be approaching the very large, very blue, Plaza Del Mar. Before crossing the street to the Plaza, turn Right, and just before the next corner you’ll very likely see a crowd of people surrounding a small street cart. Tortas, empanadas, gringas, and a handful of other appetizer-like foods that we can’t remember the names of… are all sold loaded with toppings and perfectly priced. Refrescos and Horchata are served to drink. You can take the food to go and head back to the park or toward the water, but grabbing a seat means you can order seconds.

P$20-P$30 is a nice sized snack or small meal, and you can fill up on P$50. And if you don’t do well with spicy foods, go easy on the picante here.

After dark, heading down Calle 53 just past the fountains, the main fare is an order of papas fritas (french fries) topped with some sort of spicy hot-dog resembling meat…

And if you have a kitchen and are on your own for breakfast, once again, we’ve found real yogurt, and are pleased with the results. On Calle 12, close to the corner with Calle 55, is a health food store called Natura 2000. Yogurt sells for P$24/liter. A variety of teas, and other products are also available.

Restaurants:

Cheap eats aren’t terribly  hard to find in Campeche, from the market to small shops where you can always find tacos, gringas, and empanadas for under P$50. However tourist towns always have higher prices, and it’s no exception in Campeche. Our most difficult task was actually finding a beer under P$30. There is a bar on Calle 59, with 2×1 happy hour, and that’s not a bad bet. But we’ve also discovered that, on at least every other block, you should stumble across a local-bar. If there are old saloon-type swinging doors, or a wooden barricade blocking your view inside, that’s where the beer is.  And the drinking starts here in the daytime, so don’t be shy.

Finally, though not inexpensive, we found a great bar at the very end of Calle 59. Salon Rincon Colonial has the feel of a local bar, but tourists are welcomed and expected here as well. Beers are around P$30-P$35, and until 6pm beers are served with free appetizers. A pretty fair deal, we think. But come early, the bar closes at 9pm.

Calle 59 is where you’ll find most of the tourist-tailored restaurants. Closed to car traffic, tables are set up outside in the street, and prices are around P$80 and up for a meal.

Chocol-Ha, also on Calle 59, is more of a cafe than restaurant, but the food options they do have (crepes and tamales and desserts) are P$55 and under. And here, a regular cup of coffee was cheaper than at many of the larger restaurants on the street. Hot or cold coffee and chocolate drinks are P$18-P$39.

On the other side of the park, on Calle 55, you have a couple of more budget-friendly eating options:

Cafe La Parroquia

Located just one block from the main park, La Parroquia has many tables, often occupied by a mix of locals and foriegners around the dinner hour. And actually any hour, La Parroquia is a good bet for food, as they are open 24/7. If in need of nourishment after a late night or early morning bus ride into town, this is the spot to visit. Located on Calle 55, between 10 and 12. Here, the menu options are varied… and you can pay over P$100 for a meal, but a couple of great soup options are available for under P$50, and the Comida Regional Menu ranges from P$48-P$88 ($3.75-$6.75 uSD)

Chef Color

Located on the corner of Calle 55 and Calle 12, across the street from La Parroquia, Chef Color does not keep such flexible hours. In fact,we never made it in while they were open. But, we eventually learned the hours are 12:30pm to around 5pm, or whenever the food runs out, I suppose. It’s cafeteria-style… and the options vary daily. But, we’ve heard it’s a budget option not to pass up, as meals are filling and around P$50 or less.

Atrapa Sueno

Finally, for those looking for more substantial vegetarian friendly fare, Atrapa Sueno isn’t a budget option, but it does have tasty sandwiches and burritos. A small cafe, a number of juices and teas are also offered. (Check out the photos to see more of the menu.)  If, like myself, you’ve been living on street food and feel the urge to eat something green, it’s an easily justified  and satisfying expense. You can find them on Calle 10, between 59 and 61.

And here also, you can find yoga classes and massages, plus a small gift shop…

GETTING // GOING          •          SLEEPING          •          EATING          •          DOING

Take me back to MEXICO // Take me HOME