What Can Kids Eat in Mexico?

The food in Mexico is amazing and kids can find loads of different things to eat. We’ve been here for almost a month and we’ve had heaps many great meals. Here’s my guide as a nine year old for what kids can eat in Mexico.

Markets

Markets can be found in any part of Mexico. Lots of big stalls with colourful food and bright decorations are crammed together. They are loud and noisy with lots of people shouting over each other, advertising what they have for sale. All the smells are mixed in together, like sweet tropical fruit with stinky fish.

Markets are great for buying fruit and you can also get fresh juices and shakes. We’ve bought mango, pineapple, bananas, melon, pears and raspberries from the market. And if you’re brave, you can buy fried crickets! People in Mexico eat them as a snack.

Food stalls

Food stalls must be one of the most popular things in Mexico. You basically see food stands everywhere you go. You can get tacos, corn, churros and my favourite crepes. The food from food stalls is 10X better than in New Zealand. When you’re in the queue it’s good because everything smells delicious.

The best thing I tried from a food stall was called a marquesita. It’s a crunchy crepe and tastes like a waffle cone. You can add whatever fillings you like. I chose Nutella, banana and strawberries. It was so good we went back three nights in a row. It was really popular, so we waited in the queue for ages and we saw that everybody else was ordering Nutella and cheese. After three nights of watching people order this, we gave it a go. Yuck! no thanks, I’ll stick to my flavour combination.

Restaurants

There are so many delicious restaurants in Mexico. Don’t expect to just get Mexican food. They have food from Italy, France and America as well as Mexico. Pizza in Mexico is extremely good. In Isla Holbox, you can even get lobster pizza. We got ham, cheese, pineapple and pepperoni and it was delicious. I always thought that pineapple didn’t belong on pizza, but fresh pineapple is exquisite. Isla Holbox changed my mind. If you’re ever planning to go to Isla Holbox, you must eat pizza at Roots.

If you want to try really authentic Mexican food, you should go to La Chaya Maya in Merida. They have lots of different dishes all with traditional Mayan ingrediants. I ordered a green, creamy cheesy soup using a secret family recipe. It was so tasty that all my family were more focused on trying my soup than eating their own food. My Dad took my soup when I wasn’t looking and slurped at least half of it.

We also had pork slow cooked in orange juice with tortillas. A lady made the tortillas in the restaurant so we could see how she did it. They were fantastic. Take my advice and don’t eat the chillis they put on the plates. I had a nibble and woah! My mouth was on fire!!

As a kid, you will always find something you like on the menu, trust me, but I encourage you to be adventurous and try:

Mexican soup – they are divine and taste like the king of soups.

Seafood – try all the different types – octopus, shrimp, crab and fish

Esquites – yummy sweet fried corn

Tostados – crunchy fried tortilla with lots of delicious toppings

Churros – try the ones that are stuffed with chocolate and caramel

Mexican hot chocolate – Amazing with churros. They make it with cinnamon and chilli

Mole sauce – A creamy sauce that’s made with chocolate. I didn’t really like It but I think you have to try it.

Crickets – You have to try them. You probably won’t like them, but where else can you get served insects for dinner!