Description: Upon arrival in Cancun, we checked into our hotel and headed outdoors to locate a place to eat lunch. As it was mid-afternoon, we were starving and had received multiple recommendations to try a restaurant located near our hotel called Mocambo. Mocambo is part of the La Parilla Group, which owns a number of local authentic Mexican restaurants in the Cancun area. Mocambo serves lunch and dinner, but we only dined during lunchtime as we intended to dine at La Parilla, Mocambo’s sister restaurant, later that week for dinner.
Location: Mocambo was a VERY short walk from the Fiesta Americana Grand Beach hotel. Travelers not staying on the point of the ‘seven’ can also easily reach this restaurant via Cancun’s local bus system. As we exited the hotel, we took a right and a sign directed us to a non-descript concrete building with a sign that contained the Mocambo logo. After we walked to the back of the building (which is actually the front of the restaurant), we realized we had found an amazing dining spot. Mocambo is one of the only restaurants located on the ocean side of the Cancun Hotel Zone (versus the lagoon side).
Atmosphere: The restaurant is an open aired space covered by a thatched roof which offers shade but does not obstruct a cool salty ocean breeze. When entering the restaurant, all we could do was exhale in happy satisfaction at the view. Located directly on the ocean, every table offered a stunning setting of Cancun’s turquoise ocean splendor. The restaurant’s atmosphere is beach casual and if you have a t-shirt/cover-up and shoes, you are welcomed to dine here. It is a great place for beachgoers looking to escape the sand and sun but still enjoy the ocean. We quickly decided that even if the food was terrible, the atmosphere could quite possible make up for it. However …
Food: The food was as delicious as the view. We all ordered Mocambo's fish tacos, which were battered fried fish on top of corn tortillas simply topped with cabbage and a tangy mayo based sauce. They were delectable and burst in your mouth with flavor. The white fish was mild, flaky, and sweet. The batter was not overly heavy or overfried. The mayo based sauce was a nice compliment that did not overpower the mild fish, and the corn tortillas were steamy fresh. We devoured these tacos, deciding that we could possibly eat this tasty meal for lunch every day during our vacation. And we almost did. We returned to Mocambo multiple occasions for lunch during our trip and never had a bad meal. Our traveling companions branched out beyond the fish tacos on occasion and stated that everything they had was just as delectable. But I could not escape the fish tacos … they continued to beckon me each time we returned. Served with the tacos was a small cup of broth-based tortilla soup which was spicy and contained tangy Mexican green chiles. Also served with the meal was the standard chips and salsa. The chips were hot and appropriately salted, and the salsa was spicy and flavorful. The meal was light, but filling, and a perfect bite to eat before returning to the beach.
Service: As we dined at Mocambo on multiple occasions during lunch, we had different service experiences each time. We figured out during our stay that the hostess would happily seat us wherever we requested. We had the same server a couple of times during our stay and he actually began to recognize us after our second visit. He was friendly and remembered my love for the delicious fish tacos. Service at Mocambo was slow paced. This is not a place where one rushes in or rushes out. Diners are encouraged to sit and relax and enjoy the view. Our servers never pushed us to make a decision when reviewing the menu nor were we hovered over during our meal. Each time we visited, we were greeted warmly at the front of the restaurant and treated respectfully during our meal. The servers struggled a little bit with their English (more so than other more ‘Americanized’ Hotel Zone dining establishments), but it was not difficult to communicate with anyone. Our drink glasses were always kept full and our food was delivered hot and in a timely manner.
Overall, the food was tasty, the atmosphere was dreamy, and the service was friendly. Mocambo’s website boasts "the best of the sea with Mexican style", and we agree wholeheartedly! We loved Mocambo and would very highly recommend every IGOUGO traveler visiting Cancun to try this restaurant.
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