Navíos

Navíos is one of the best places in Cancún to eat with your feet almost over the water. The restaurant is built on a dock over the lagoon at kilometre 19.5 of Boulevard Kukulcán, towards the southern end of the Hotel Zone, and its tables have views of the Caribbean sunset. It describes its cooking as Mexican fusion seafood, a menu designed to show off the variety of fish and shellfish caught in Mexican waters.

The kitchen leans on Mexican ingredients with Asian touches. The dish most often singled out is a xcatic chile stuffed with shrimp and served over a passion fruit sauce. The tuna tartare is a well-balanced alternative, and the menu also runs to tostadas with tomato sauce and avocado, shrimp ceviche and sliced raw tuna. There is a Navíos Signature selection for those who want to leave the choice to the kitchen. To drink, look for the Nixta spritz and Mexican wines by the glass. A recent review by The Infatuation found the plating a little old-fashioned, with dots and swirls of sauce, but praised the balance of flavours.

Seating is split between tables under palapa thatch and open tables on the dock. The open seats over the water get hot in the sun, so ask for a thatched table if you are booking for lunch or early evening. For a special occasion, the restaurant offers private dinners for couples on the dock, and it also hosts groups and events through a separate enquiries page.

Navíos suits date nights, visiting friends and family, and anyone who wants a meal with a view without the formality of a resort dining room.

The restaurant is open every day from 12:00 to 22:00. Reservations can be made through the booking button on its website or by email, and The Infatuation's reviewer suggests reserving a private palapa on the dock and timing the booking for sunset. Because it sits in the southern stretch of the Hotel Zone, it pairs well with an afternoon at Playa Delfines or the El Rey ruins, both a short distance north along the same boulevard, before dinner.