One thing I really didn't expect in a relatively un-touristy city like Mérida was that many people would actually be familiar with the concept of veganism, let alone that the city has several fully vegan eateries and many more vegan-friendly places. Since there's such an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in Mexico, the quality of the produce is also relatively high making the experience of eating vegan in Mérida all that more enjoyable!
Mérida Vegan Restaurants
This is the key to rough opening times and prices for the guide, which will appear below the name of each place mentioned.
Which meals are catered for
- breakfast: typically 08:00-11:00
- lunch: typically 12:00-15:00
- dinner: typically 18:00-22:00
A rough price range (based on prices of mains)
- cheap: up to M$50 (€2.15)
- moderate: M$50-M$100 (€2.15-€4.30)
- expensive:M$100+ (€4.30+)
Here is our vegan Mérida guide with the highlights from our recent trip.
Maiz, Canela y Cilantro
serves meat / breakfast & lunch / cheap
In a quiet corner of the historical centre, this pleasant restaurant with an artist's studio attached is a great lunch spot. The vegetarian set lunch menu of a soup, main and drink is almost always vegan, but do check to make sure. The staff are friendly and attentive and the dishes are simple but fresh and tasty.
The complimentary chips, salsa and beans that come before the meal are a nice touch. And there might be a resident cat wandering around who may want petting.
Details
- Address: Calle 70 #464, 97000 Mérida
- Foursquare; Facebook
Pola Gelato
A total hipster hangout, this cool gelato place has two entirely separate displays of milk ice creams and vegan sorbets. There are at least 10 different sorbet flavours, with an interesting variety of flavours, including avocado, pineapple and chaya, strawberry and lemon and even a dark chocolate sorbet.
Their homemade cones are unfortunately not vegan, but you can get your sorbet served in a cup. There's free drinking water.
Details
- Address: Calle 55 #510, 97000 Mérida
- Foursquare; Facebook; Instagram
Nümen
vegan / breakfast, lunch & dinner / expensive
A nice option for something a bit special but not over the top, this place may be a little hard to locate, but it's worth it. The interior is modern and cleanly designed and service is friendly and straightforward.
The menu is reasonably extensive, including burgers, pizzas, risottos and other interesting dishes such as the creamy stuffed portobello mushroom with red pepper on a tomato sauce.
The desserts are good too, with the red wine marinated pear with chocolate sauce and miniature cinnamon rolls with banana ice cream stealing the show.
Details
- Address: Calle 1H #138, 97128 Mérida
- Foursquare; Facebook; Instagram; website
Café Orgánico
vegetarian / lunch / cheap
Mostly an all organic health shop, this place also doubles as a small café with a few seats and serves a mean vegan burger (just make sure to ask for no cheese). It's moist and full of greens and great for a light lunch.
Details
- Address: Calle 33D #498, 97000 Mérida
- Foursquare
Lo Que Hay
vegan / dinner / expensive
Situated in the courtyard of a somewhat more upmarket hotel, this restaurant serves a set menu to a different theme every day. The location is quite lovely, with the tables set around the hotel's small pool, surrounded by plants.
Menu themes include Yucatecan, Indian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern and the food is simple but of good quality. Not having much choice of what is served to you, but knowing that everything that is brought out will be vegan, is quite a relaxing experience. Definitely a nice place for a romantic evening.
Details
- Address: Calle 55 #533, 97000 Mérida
- Foursquare; Facebook; Instagram; website
Rincón Vegano
vegan / dinner / moderate
A take-away only place hidden on a residential street in the north of town, this cute little eatery has a wide range of fast food style meals with generous portions. With several burgers, wraps, sandwiches and hot dogs as well as excellent milkshakes on the menu, you'll be spoiled for choice.
The waiting area is nicely decorated with some cool art around, and there may be a cheeky local cat fishing for cuddles. It's a little hard to find and is far from the centre, but you can also call ahead to get your order and pick it up when you arrive.
Details
- Address: Calle 19 #278, 97148 Mérida
- Foursquare; Facebook; Instagram
Recommended Hotels in Mérida
We can highly recommend the boutique hotel Luz en Yucatán, just a few blocks from the central square of the historical centre, but in a quiet side street, this is the perfect retreat from the heat and bustle of Mérida. Set inside an old colonial posada, the rooms are spacious and comfortable with giant beds, both air-conditioning and fans and clean well designed bathrooms. The communal spaces are also really nice places to hang out and relax, including a green and sunny terrace, a covered lounge area and the pleasantly cool pool. There's no restaurant so breakfast is not included, but it's so well located, it's easy get to any of these vegan restaurants in Mérida!
Apartments
There are many sites for apartment rentals including Airbnb and Vrbo. Prices are generally comparable to budget hotels, especially if you’re willing to get a room in a shared apartment.
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4 Comments on “Vegan Mérida | Best Restaurants, Food Tours, Hotels & More”
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Was happy that I found your guide just before I headed to Merida 🙂 Pola was a great find!!
I am missing Avocado on your list – did you not go there or did you not like it? It’s a vegetarian restaurant but about half of the menu is vegan, including several vegan taco options and three different kinds of vegan nachos. And awesome vegan desserts, like a vegan pie with avocado, cacao and banana.
Glad you found and used it, Dani! We didn’t go to Avocado; it was closed every time we went past, and one friend had told us that the vegan food wasn’t all that good. Sounds like I should give it a try though, so maybe next time!
Love your post! Did you need to rent a car to visit all these restaurants in the area or did you walk, bus it, etc?
Did you find the food on par with what is offered in Playa Del Carmen?
*liz
Most of these places were within walking distance of the centre of town, but for the few that were a bit further out we took public transport or a taxi, which is still very cheap in Mexico. Unfortunately, we didn’t go to Playa to compare, but what we ate in Merida was definitely good quality! Thanks for your comment, Liz!