Beers, Botanos, and the Beach

Don’t go to the bar full in the Yucatan. Inevitably, as soon as you place an order for your first round of light Mexican beer, a overflowing tray of small plates of food will be delivered to your table. If you order more beer, more plates will appear – all included in the cost of the drink. In general, the higher the cost of the beer, the higher the quality of the botanos (snacks). At the old-west-style cantinas (complete with swinging doors), you need to do some reconnaissance to find out if women can enter. They have the lowest quality food and the cheapest beer which isn’t to say we don’t frequent them. Our favorite is El Estado Seco (The Dry State) which is located a few blocks from our house. This bar is frequented by a young crowd, and 40 pesos (~$3.50) gets you 1.2 liters of Leon and plates of tortilla chips, chicharron, sliced hot dogs, and bean dip – a decent lunch in a pinch. At the other end of the spectrum on the beach, beers jump in price (up to 40 pesos for a 12 oz beer) but the ocean views and seafood botanos make up for it and result in a great lunch any day.

It took weeks of research to supply the following list of botanos served at Merida-area bars: potato salad, ratatouille, caramelized onions, sliced cucumbers, spaghetti in sauce, sauced organs (??), scrambled eggs, guacamole, fish ceviche, chicharron, hot dog salad, cabbage salad, chipotle dip, garlic dip, bean dip, tortilla chips, spicy green mango slices, roasted peanuts, fish ceviche, octopus ceviche,  crab salad, fried kibis (lebanese meatballs), taquitos, turkey mole tacos, conch ceviche. Buen Provecho! (Happy Eating!)