I’m not picky when it comes to food. However, my mother is from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, which means I love the region’s food. So, it should come as no surprise that I love Merida Grill.

Merida Grill is a newish restaurant in the Emiliano Zapata or Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta. The actual address is Venustiano Carranza 210, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico, just in case you want to find it.

Anyway, we just happened to stumble upon the restaurant during our trip. The fun thing is we also brought my mom on this trip. We thought it would be great to treat her to some good ol fashion food from her hometown.

Restaurants & Covid in Puerto Vallarta

At the moment, restaurants are currently operating at 50% capacity as per covid measures. They’re also distancing people as much as possible. Some restaurants also have outdoor seating, although the tropical climate might make it impossible to sit outside at times.

In any case, we arrived at Merida Grill and sat inside the comfortable air-conditioned interior. To our surprise, there were only two tables occupied, including us.

The Menu at Merida Grill

The menu consists of all the greatest and tastiest (and most popular) dishes from Merida. 

Our eyes bugged out when we saw the incredible food choices. Of course, we wanted to try it all.

My mother got the sopa de lima. It’s her favorite dish from her hometown. Me and my partner shared a dish of salbutes and panuchos. 

My stepdad and my partner ordered the Poc Chuc, and I got the Cochinita Pibil.

Upon ordering, the waiter mentions that their dishes all have a Mexican twist to them. He said, since food from Yucatan is so unique, they wanted to blend it with familiar Mexican flavors so it has a broader appeal.

I saw my mother frown when he said that. Oh-uh. She is going to be one tough critic. 

When the food arrives, my partner tells me he’s never tried Cochinita Pibil, even though I bring it home from my moms house on many occasions. So we swap dishes.

We all taste the Salbutes and Panuchos and eat our dishes.

The waiter comes around and makes us fresh chili paste from habanero chilies. They’re way too hot for me, but I know my stepdad loves them.

The dishes are all fantastic. The presentations are beautiful. The flavors are epic.

The most interesting thing about the restaurant is the ambiance. They played music traditionally heard in Merida. The artwork and style of the place looked as if you were in a Merida restaurant. 

If you didn’t know you were in Puerto Vallarta, you would actually think you were eating in Merida.

Let me break it down for you:

Update: Unfortunately, Merida Grill recently closed. But it was a fantastic restaurant full of flavor.

We all loved the food and recommended it to everyone. But, what did the native Merida-born customer think (aka my mother)? She said it was good but did not taste authentic enough. She said the blending of other Mexican flavors took away from its original authenticity.

Check out Merida Grills website for more information.