Pancho's Backyard — Restaurant in San Miguel de Cozumel

It was super fancy and the ambience was nice. We were a little disappointed in the fajitas. The portion size was smaller than the picture. The waiter was very nice. And the hostess was dressed beautifully in a long white Mexican dress. But exceptional food was what we went for and that was a little lacking.

We've had much better Mexican food for half the price in the States .

If you want a gem of a place visit a little roadside restaurant called EL CHIPOS .

Google maps will show you.

It's just east of the free beach on the south side past Chankanaaub Resort.

El CHIPOS has HANDS DOWN the best Fish Tacos in Mexico.

They weren't all coated with tons of breading but perfectly grilled . The chicken tacos were also superb.

It took me 15 minutes just to eat one taco they are so big...and the price is only $3.00 a taco. You won't be disappointed.

Arturo that waited on us was so friendly. We found it the first day and we're so impressed we drove all the way from the north side of the island to go back. Hey ..when it's that good, you don't have to have fancy ambience. Enjoy your stay in Cozumel.

One sad note was one block off of the Boardwalk there were blocks and blocks of places that were stained with old buildings covered here and there with black mold and garbage strewn along the sidewalk and roads .

I don't know if they don't have an adequate trash service, but Cozumel for being such a lovely island was the worst for garbage laying around of any other place.

It's like people that live one block off main street have no pride in their surroundings.

The odd thing was we watched lots of videos on You Tube and Mexico and no one ever showed that side.

It was just such a shock to see the huge difference in appearance from the main Malecon street where all the cruise ships dock and passengers see, to the rest of town.

If they just picked up the garbage laying in alleys and strewn on the street it would be so much of an improvement.

I can understand not having the money to power wash the black mold off your building, but throwing opened sacks of garbage on the sidewalk and it just laying there is something else.

I've never seen anything like this in the States unless it was near a homeless shelter in San Francisco, and even then what we saw here was way worse.

If I lived here I would go to the Mayor and organize a clean up your city campaign. There's got to be a way to easily solve this problem.

Cozumel is gorgeous. The beaches are beautiful. The people are super friendly.

We just weren't expecting to see garbage and black mold everywhere beyond the main drag. So be prepared mentally..it is what it is.

The good, the bad, and the black mold...

I’m so glad we found this spot! I’ve been to Cozumel a few times on cruises and I’m not a big fan of walking through the town and having every shop owner yell in my direction trying to get us to buy their merchandise. So when we had Cozumel on our itinerary this cruise, we didn’t even plan on leaving the ship. But we got hungry and decided it would be nicer to find a local restaurant than to go to the buffet again. After reading reviews of a few different restaurants, we decided on Pancho’s Backyard. It was gorgeous inside (which technically was an outdoor seating area, but covered and cool from having so many ceiling fans), the staff were kind and lively, and the food was amazing. I definitely recommend you try the smoothies if you’re not a drinker. I did read one review that said this restaurant is a ten minute walk from the port - but that may only be true for some cruises, as it was about a ten minute taxi ride for us from Royal Caribbean. So keep that in mind before heading out, but it’s absolutely worth it. It also wasn’t very expensive - for a salsa appetizer, two meals and two smoothies, we spent $35 (USD) before tip. Our server even gave us a 20% discount for no reason at all. Next time we are in Cozumel, we will be back and will bring the rest of our...

They purify their own water, and their kitchen is run to USA standards so enjoy with no fear of getting sick. Outstanding food and service. Margaritas are strong and the guacamole is awesome. The cilantro soup is prepared one bowl at a time and will blow your mind. IMO, they have the best lobster on earth. Just try it and you will see I'm serious. Chicken fajitas, taquitos, etc. During a one week stay in Cozumel, my wife and I had eaten here so many times that we decided to order the remaining things we had not tried JUST so we could say we had tried everything on the menu! But as amazing as the food is, it is the staff that puts Pancho's Backyard over the top. The food, drinks and service are world class. Take your time. Do not be in a hurry. Enjoy yourself and if you are a foodie, ask your server questions about your food. They are well trained. Many times they have brought the chef out to meet us to talk about how they prepared our meal. Their customers are incredibly loyal, and that says a lot. If you come for lunch you can explore the gorgeous historic building which houses Pancho's and also the famous Los Cinco Soles store where you can buy all your souvenirs knowing you are getting...