When I was a young pup, living on the streets of Mexico City, eating bits of taco that I managed to beg, I always dreamed of being a food and travel writer. It seemed like a wish that would never come true and yet, here I am humans. Luckily, I found my perfect family, and when they hear about a new place to check out, they fix my tie, and take me for an adventure.
They heard about Cuna from a friend, who is a real life human food and travel writer. She told them that there was this stylish new restaurant in town and that the food was extraordinarily good. Not only that but they were pet friendly. It turns out that they are more than pet friendly. They love dogs. Well, they loved me. That’s for sure. Everyone does though.
Enough about me. Let me tell you about the restaurant. Cuna, if you aren’t a Spanish speaker, means ‘cradle’. I can only guess they called it that because when you are there, you feel so relaxed, and the food is so delicious, you want to rock it to sleep in your stomach. I have no idea, but what I can tell you is that it’s located on the upper floors of one of the chicest new hotels in Yucatan, Wayam Mundo Imperial, on Avenida Colon.
As we walked into the tastefully designed restaurant, I could see how much attention there was to detail. In fact, owners, Chef Maycoll Calderón and partner Marifer Durán, employed the skills of local artisans to create an inviting setting with a dash of rustic elegance in which to partake of their culinary offerings. I very much enjoyed the organic feel of the restaurant with plenty of plants and natural woods. I may be an urban dog, but I’ve got some wolf DNA in there somewhere even if I do have floppy ears. They have seating indoors and an outdoor terrace area that flow into each other seamlessly through a wall of glass doors.
So, humans, I can hear your tummies growling already. You want to know about the food. This is, after all, a restaurant review. The first thing I can tell you is that Chef Maycoll and the Cuna team take food very seriously. They are rightfully proud of their menu, which includes only the finest local and seasonal products.
I sense that some of you may even recognise Chef Maycoll’s name, and that would not be surprising. He already runs two critically acclaimed restaurants in Mexico City, Huset, and Olenna Artz. In fact, I am sure I recognised him. After all, Mexico City is such a small community. We were bound to run into each other at a taco stand jajaja. I must admit that after meeting Chef Maycoll and Marifer, I felt that I was in the presence of my peers. I am, of course, pet friendly Yucatan’s Ambassador and they are, virtually, restaurant royalty. That must be why they gave me so many cuddles.
Cuna offer a breakfast and brunch menu from 7am-1pm. It looked so scrumptious that I made my humans promise to take me there for brekkers. Our visit this time was to try out their dinner menu and while we love doing the hard work for you, we really do recommend that you come to Cuna after you read this and try it yourself. If you don’t, you are missing out what is undoubtably one of the best experiences for foodies in Merida.
My humans ordered a beer and a mocktail (if you don’t know, this is a cocktail without any booze in it). They were rather pleased to see local brews on the menu. It is important for restaurants to support local brewers and a real treat for anyone who loves beer. The other human said she was on a wagon of some sort. I don’t know. Anyway, she loved her mocktail, which was called a Flamingo. I am sure you are not surprised to know that it was pink. She had two and still didn’t get drunk. The kind waiter brought me a fresh bowl of water so that I could indulge as well. It was just how I like it, cool and refreshing.
My humans started by sharing a ceviche. They love ceviche. They particularly loved this one. They made noises that even embarrassed me, a dog, as they ate it. It was prepared with the freshest local snapper, and they even said they may come back and just order drinks and double the ceviche next time they enjoyed it so much.
Both my humans were in the mood for beef, so one decided to order the burger and the other ordered the ribeye steak, which was sized appropriately for sharing with me. Because how can you take your dog to dinner, have a steak, and not share it? That would just be rude. My human declared that this was one of the best ribeyes that she had ever eaten, and it was so big that we brought some home to have with eggs the next morning. It came with a baked potato slathered with delicious cream and chives and some bacon thrown in for good measure.
The burger was stacked like a very majestic, stacked thing where someone had piled up many delicious items of food for the purpose of pleasure. Charcoal grilled, it came with mayonnaise and a fabulous house tomato sauce. There was also pepper jack cheese, and caramelised onions. My human was particularly impressed with the homemade pickled gherkins and even more delighted that they called them gherkins on the menu. All of this was artfully placed on what appeared to be a bun, almost too gorgeous to eat. There were also some yummy homemade chips (fries to you humans who want to call your food by its cooking method).
After all that food, my humans weren’t sure they were going to fit into the lift to get me back downstairs. And then dessert appeared. I know I picked the right family because even when they are full, they always find room if something delicious is presented to them. In this case it was Cuna’s unbelievably divine cheesecake with Yucatan lime and pure honey. And yes, they started making those weird noises again. They must have liked it a lot.
I think you can see that I give all four paws up to Cuna restaurant. The service was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The design and attention to detail was flawless, even down to having perfectly weighted knives that flip themselves up in a magical way when you lie them flat. The pet friendly terrace was cool in the evening breeze and the location on Avenida Colon makes it a conveniently central location. The food, as it should in the best restaurants, truly stole the show.
Thank you so much for being pet friendly, Cuna. I will be brining my humans back very soon! Can’t wait.
Cuna-Cocina Honesta
Address:
Av. Colon 508
García Ginerés,
97070 Mérida, Yuc.
Contact: +52 999 689 2280
WhatsApp: +52 999 362 0737
Sir Rodders’ Top Tips for Visiting Pet Friendly Places where Humans Eat and Drink
- Always make sure that the place is pet friendly and that there is a place for you before you go. Some places have limited tables that are pet friendly, so reservations may be necessary.
- Your humans should only bring you to a pet friendly restaurant, pub, or bar if you are well socialised and trained. If you need some help with this, check out my ‘services’ section and talk to a professional.
- If you are aggressive towards or scared of dogs or people, please stay home. If something happens because you freak out, you might ruin it for the rest of us.
- Make sure your humans keep you on the leash.
- Make sure your humans bring along a bowl for your water.
- Do not beg from other tables. Their food may look delicious, but they probably will not want to share with you.
- Make sure your humans give you breaks.
- If you do not like a lot of noise, make sure your humans do not take you when live music is playing.
- Make sure your humans do not tie you to a chair or table. If something happens that makes you move, you may turn everything over and make a mess.
- Even if you love children, it is a good idea not to sit close to them in a restaurant to keep you and them safe.
- If you are older or are more comfortable with a bed, make sure your humans bring a blanket for you to lie on.
- Of course, any mess you make must be cleaned up immediately.
- Tell your humans to tip well.
Pet Friendly Yucatan 