When people suggest going to nice, fancy Mexican restaurants, I always balk because, to me, Mexican food should always be cheap, greasy, and come from a hole in the wall type of establishment. Of all the fancy Mexican places I’ve been to, I find they are too commercialized and don’t hold that authentic flavor you find from the cheaper places. Porfirio’s, a gourmet Mexican restaurant in Cancun, was recommended to me by the hotel concierge at the Westin Lagunamar. Since this recommendation was coming from a local, I went against my judgment and decided to give it a try. Boy, did it not disappoint!

The decor of this establishment was perfect for a romantic date. The indoor seating is lighted with candles and dim lighting to set the mood. Outdoors, they have seating on the patio next to the water fountains and dock.To start the night, I tried the Josefina de guayaba (guava) and mango. These drinks were made with mezcal, which is distilled from an agave plant. The liquor definitely showed through the mango but not the guava one.The menu is very expansive with appetizers, soups, salads, fresh seafood, tacos, etc. It was very hard to decide even with recommendations by the waiter. Since it was too hard, I ordered a bunch of appetizers because those were speaking to me the most. Plus I like to try a little of everything.

Tostadas with a Mexican salad (jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, and cheese), refried bean paste, limes, and three different spice levels of salsas were provided compliments of the restaurants. Tostadas are eaten by topping it with beans, salsa, etc. Everything on top of this crispy flat taco was amazing especially the refried beans.The taquitos dorados de jaiba (golden crab taquitos) were deliciously filled with real crab chunks and cheese.The star of the night was the cazuela de tuetanos (roasted bone marrow). The bone marrow was slowly roasted and topped with red pepper, jalapeno, and onions. The fatty beef flavor shown through, even when eaten the Mexican way, wrapped in a tortilla and topped with cilantro and lime.The rib eye tacos con chicharron (fried pork skin) had the quality of my beloved street tacos, especially when topped with guacamole. The chicharron didn’t add much to the taco but the flavor of the shredded rib eye was mouthwatering.The carpaccio de carne (beef carpaccio) was fresh and went well with their green cream sauce and cilantro.At this point, I was full and had the langosta de veniaza (lobster of veniaza) on hold but at the manager’s urging, I continued with the order. It was stew of lobster, sea bass and shrimp topped with white rice. It was not what I expected based on the description but it was delicious and homey.Even though I was full, I ordered the churros for dessert because two words….CHURRO CART! How can you not order it?! Look at how cute the cart is. The churros were perfectly fried and it came with a chocolate, strawberry, caramel, vanilla, and Mexican chocolate dipping sauce.Overall, this meal was an amazing experience. Profirio’s sure knows how to bring food the next level of fun.

Location: Boulevard Kukulcan 14. 2 No. 1, Zona Hotelera, Cancún 77500, México