Porfirio’s, Cancun

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Porfirio's Blvd Kukulkan Km 14.2 Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico 77500 +52 998 840 6040 Porfirio's Website

An amazing find in Cancun! Porfirio’s is a Mexican restaurant in Cancun, right at tourist area Zona Hotelera, just north of the Hard Rock Hotel. We wanted to get some Mexican food and luckily this place was a short 7 minute walk from our hotel. (What is the point of eating sushi in Mexico?) Reviews were good. Porfirio is more than a restaurant, with on going dj’d music videos, live mariachi’s, it was the whole package.

Rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor

The cocktails and food was better than expected especially with its innovative plating. Hot tip: Stick to a variety of the cheaper items and you will be all set. Do not give into pressure to order expensive entrees. You HAVE to save room for dessert.
A must visit in Cancun. Reserve ahead of time.

Menu:
The menu is very extensive. You have lots of small dishes plus a good list of expensive large plates. We wanted variety and stuck to the cheaper options, even though our waiter steered us towards $$$$ items. iPad based wine list. English menu.

Service:
Porfirio’s service was decent, but not exceptional. The waiter did know his stuff and helped us order. They run very slow here. The help came by every once in a while to refill and clear the table. No worries about english here.

Food Picks:

Cucumber Martini (Mex $160) Vodka, Country cucumber, lemon pineapple juice, chili powder, sweet chili powder, natural syrup was poured table side and proved to be balanced and strong.

Mango Margarita ($170) Tequila, lemon juice, mango, Controy was deceptively strong and had real mango in it. Nice thick salted rim.

Complimentary Tostada salsa appetizers. 4 flat hard tortillas with bean pastes, cactus salad and 3 different sauces. One sauce had grasshoppers.

Guacamole ($120) Freshly made with tomato, onion, lemon, coriander, canasta cheese accompanied by tortilla chips was really good. Much better than what we have in the US. Smooth but not too creamy. Great fresh chips.

Cinco Chiles Crispy Calamari ($155) Crispy rings with a five chile crust – guajillo, ancho, de arbor, chipotle and papilla – accompanied by red salsa and lemon. Egg battered and crisp, this was a huge appetizer with fresh calamari.

Tuna Carnitas ($290) Tuna marinated in sugar and salt. Served with avocado, lemon, beet micro greens, onion and handmade tortillas was good but very small. A single piece. We would pass the next time.

Tortilla Soup ($150) Traditional recipe. Tomato base, accompanied with pork cracklings, friend papilla chile, panels cheese, avocado, and cream. Very different than USA versions, this one was poured table side and was like tomato soup. Cool mix ins.

Mixed Ceviche in a Jicima Bowl ($240) Grouper slices, shrimp, cooked octopus, lemon, red onion, tomato, olive oil, cucumber, serrano chili and habanero. With crackers and baked corn tostadas. Cool edible bowl with some very fresh seafood inside.

Taco Cochinita Pibil ($170 for 4pc) Pork marinated with achiote. Accompanied with red onion, coriander micro greens, avocado, habanero chili, refried beans and lemon

Tortitas Ahogadas ($130) were decent for the price. A bit on the filing side, great if you are on a budget.

Fresas Con Crema Y Merengue ($130) Strawberries with cream and meringue. Wow, it comes with a shooting gallery! The cream was light and not too sweet. Really well balanced. A must get!

Degustación de helados ($305) assorted strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and dulce de leech from Hagen Das. OMG! We’ve never seen a dessert like this. You get a cart with the ice cream, cones, and 4 toppings. A MUST get.

Next time we will order the equally impressive Churro Cart.

Complimentary Birthday Mexican corn cake slice – Wow, this was really cool, especially the flaming candle. Make sure you are celebrating a birthday 🙂

Complimentary Dessert Wafers – Cool looking but not great tasting.

Just OK:
None

Food Do Not Order:
None

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