La Parrilla Cancun Mexican Grill, dynamic waiters, and zesty cuisine.

La Parrilla Cancun is a restaurant in the heart of the hotel zone.

La Parrilla Cancun is a popular choice for travelers staying in the Zona Hotelera. Situated by the water, with a killer sunset, the food isn’t why we’re here and with a menu the size of a phone book, we weren’t expecting much. It seems like the type of place that Gordon Ramsay would shut down in a second. But we were surprised by the service and food at La Parrilla Cancun.

First things first: the drinks at La Parrilla Cancun.

There have been plenty of times when we’ve been off our heads on cocktails, but when we order some cocktails our waiter carries the enormous soup bowl size cocktail glasses out to us on his head. It’s obviously party time at La Parrilla Cancun tonight whether we like it or not. Of course, we like it! The restaurant cheers and claps, kind of like those awkward moments on your birthday when strangers chime in to serenade you.

La Parrilla Cancun is renowned for its waiters who carry margaritas on their heads.

The food comes shortly after and it’s delicious. Simple ingredients, simply made but delicious. The meat is gristly and heavy on spice, but surprisingly light. A prawn cocktail has so much sauce, the prawns drown a second time. It’s tangy and a lot heavier than we’re used to back home.

Fish tacos are just OK, a little dry. Still, all said, when you’re staying in the middle of the hotel zone, you’re never going to find a quaint home-style local restaurant, so this does its job – gets us full and refueled, albeit a little over fueled.