Lonchería El Pocito
Where? Lonchería El Pocito (Cancun, Mexico) Map
When? Monday December 1, 2025
Who? Ethan
Food Style? Mexican
Cancun food has been pretty average - which is expected given how Americanised and touristic it is. It’s largely the same kinds of food everywhere - tacos, quesadillas, taquitos, tortas, etc., especially in the Hotel Zone. Today it’s our last day and we’ve kinda just wandered around downtown past the big tourist market Mercado 33 into an industrial area. I found this recommendation on Reddit and it seems like the kind of place that the locals go to for lunch. There’s no English menu, just some Spanish words written on a chalkboard. Que bueno. Let's see if my Duolingo subscription has paid off.
First Dish
Queso relleno
Literally “stuffed cheese”, though the way it's been served here, it’s just a slab of cheese on top of minced pork with some kind of sauce. In reality, it is supposed to be hollowed out and filled with meat, and then the 'lid' put back on top to make it look like it's been stuffed. Research tells me that the cheese is queso de bola, a Dutch edam cheese, which is very solid and rubbery, like halloumi but firmer. Despite its texture, it’s really good and I kinda enjoy the satisfying bite. The sauce is tasty and the meat is very well seasoned. It’s got a homemade and rustic feel to it.
Second Dish
Tamale
It’s very corny and quite dense. When I was describing this to my parents, I said it was like a Malaysian otak otak, except it's made with corn instead of fish. The banana leaf imparts a subtle tropical fragrance to the dish. It feels less flavoursome after eating the queso but a bit of hot sauce and lime jazzes it up. When the waiter gave me three flavour options while I was ordering, I had no idea so I just shrugged and gestured for him to give me anything. Menu roulette worked out well!
Third Dish
Cochinita
Cochinita Pibil is the regional specialty on the Yukatan peninsula. It’s suckling pig or pork shoulder marinated in citric juice to tenderise it, then wrapped in banana leaf to slow roast in an earth oven. The rich orange flavour comes from annatto, which is made from the seeds of the achiote tree. The dish here is served with many condiments on the side - salsa, lime, black beans, rice - and the fresh corn tortillas in a clay pot. I loooove the fried plantains and pickled onions. The generous amount of carbs means we're definitely not hungry after this.
Definitely the best food we've had on this trip, and it worked out to be around $30 to $35 CAD for the both of us, which was phenomenal given the quality and portion. We didn't have any drinks though, despite the refreshing-looking agua frescas they had stocked in the fridge.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:20pm on Friday December 5, 2025 :: 0 comments :: 