Mercado 23
Mercado 23
4
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
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Restaurants
989 within 5 kms
Attractions
126 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- experiencedtravelgalChicago, Illinois4 contributionsWonderful experience without pushy vendorsAmazing food at Cafe Doris. Go there, thank me later. The service isn't as pushy here and the food is better. Loved walking around and seeing all the shops. Everything is fresh and the souvenirs are a good price. I totally felt safe here and was able to Uber here fairly easy and cheap from Hotel Zone. Make sure to bring Mexican pesos.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 11 January 2024
- Cozy Point RetreatMunicipality of Clare, Canada9 contributionsNot as heavy a tourist market, Although Spanish language is not needed, it will be a plus here.Great place to go if you want to experience where the locals shop, it is less touristy than Mercado 28, and people are not quite as aggressive towards tourists… If you are into what the local culture is about it is not a bad place to visit… If you know, a little bit of Spanish, when visiting Mercado 23, it will be a plus…. But you somewhat get by in English. If you are looking into travelling via Airbnb rentals, and or condo rentals , this is a must visit market as you will get your produce a lot cheaper than heavier touristy areas…Visited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 15 February 2024
- R1708MZricardoa4 contributionsTime at Mercado 23 - Flea Market vibeAlot of vendors & reasonable prices. Ask vendor near the chicharrones cart for best place to eat (cant remember the name). Take bus if you are staying around Hotel Zone.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 5 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
285 reviews
Excellent
90
Very good
110
Average
67
Poor
8
Terrible
10
teamsteepanddeep
San Francisco, CA781 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
We found this market pleasant and welcoming. They have large food market with authentic and variety of choices . It also has good vegetable market. The shop owners are welcoming and not aggressively shouting at you to come in and look around. We found all our souvenirs for family & friends here . I’d recommend this over Mercado 28 any day .
Written 20 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SarahWang0609
Fairfax, VA26 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
I did a bit research online and decided to go to mecado 23 instead of 28. The hotel staff and taxi driver both recommended mercado 28 as it's bigger and more to see. We did not regret the decision to go to mercado 23. It is truly close to local life and the vendors in the market were friendly and you won't experience aggressive sales. The souvinir prices are very reasonable and most of the items have price tags so you won't have to haggle. The only thing to keep in mind is to bring enough pesos! Most shops here are cash only.
Written 29 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wisenhar
Albany, WI24 contributions
Mar 2021
We went on a Sunday and only saw three other gringos in the 2+ hours we spent wandering around. This is very much a local market. The souvenir vendors are a bit pushy, but not aggressive, especially if you say “just looking”. They understand that in English, but most don’t speak much more than that. A few enjoy practicing their English with you and are patient if your Spanish isn’t great. We ate amazing street tacos at a little stand full of locals right off the market. 4 tacos and a large glass bottle of Fanta for $4US. Amazing food! Also enjoyed shaved ice with fruit juice. Everyone was so friendly and nice! Loved this market!
Written 1 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cozy Point Retreat
Municipality of Clare, Canada9 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
Great place to go if you want to experience where the locals shop, it is less touristy than Mercado 28, and people are not quite as aggressive towards tourists…
If you are into what the local culture is about it is not a bad place to visit…
If you know, a little bit of Spanish, when visiting Mercado 23, it will be a plus…. But you somewhat get by in English.
If you are looking into travelling via Airbnb rentals, and or condo rentals , this is a must visit market as you will get your produce a lot cheaper than heavier touristy areas…
If you are into what the local culture is about it is not a bad place to visit…
If you know, a little bit of Spanish, when visiting Mercado 23, it will be a plus…. But you somewhat get by in English.
If you are looking into travelling via Airbnb rentals, and or condo rentals , this is a must visit market as you will get your produce a lot cheaper than heavier touristy areas…
Written 15 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia19,450 contributions
Jan 2021
While Mercado 28 is more famous and bigger, it is also more tourist oriented (see that review).
Although only 10 min walk away, we found Mercado 23 more authentic with that local touch. You'll see much more locals here coming for their fruits and vegetables, as well meat and fish hanging in the open air. Besides that, you'll also find souvenirs and clothes on sale if you're for that.
To conclude, it's a better option than 28, but the best is to rent a car and visit such markets in small towns across Yucatan, such as Merida, Valladolid and Izamal.
Although only 10 min walk away, we found Mercado 23 more authentic with that local touch. You'll see much more locals here coming for their fruits and vegetables, as well meat and fish hanging in the open air. Besides that, you'll also find souvenirs and clothes on sale if you're for that.
To conclude, it's a better option than 28, but the best is to rent a car and visit such markets in small towns across Yucatan, such as Merida, Valladolid and Izamal.
Written 7 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenn A
Airdrie, Canada23 contributions
Nov 2021
We went to Mercado 23 and it was quiet and no pressure from any of the vendors. This market caters to the locals and has a very different atmosphere. There are few places to eat authentic Mexican food. A lot of great souvenirs available and great vendors who are so eager to help you. Know your conversion rate from pesos to USD so you know what you are paying. But, definitely would go here over Mercado 28.
Written 10 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
experiencedtravelgal
Chicago, IL4 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Amazing food at Cafe Doris. Go there, thank me later. The service isn't as pushy here and the food is better. Loved walking around and seeing all the shops. Everything is fresh and the souvenirs are a good price. I totally felt safe here and was able to Uber here fairly easy and cheap from Hotel Zone. Make sure to bring Mexican pesos.
Written 12 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R1708MZricardoa
4 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Alot of vendors & reasonable prices. Ask vendor near the chicharrones cart for best place to eat (cant remember the name).
Take bus if you are staying around Hotel Zone.
Take bus if you are staying around Hotel Zone.
Written 5 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rchrisc88
Mevagissey, UK77 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
I have to disagree with the other reviews. We did not enjoy this market anywhere near as much as Market 28. Also found it difficult to find. It felt a bit ropey in comparison and nowhere near as much choice. Definitely less touristy but for once in my life, I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing.
Written 14 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A W
Salt Lake City, UT18 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
We rode the bus from the hotel zone to Mercado 23, spent an hour there and then walked to Mercado 28, where we spent another hour, then we walked to the downtown Walmart, where we passed Plaza 28 (not to be confused with Mercado 28), so I feel qualified to write about the differences between these locations.
As soon as we got the Mercado 23, we saw street cart food and fruit vendors selling products from rolling stands. A few of the item offered included, orange juice, cotton candy, ice cream, tortillas, and lychee fruit, which was my personal favorite. We hadn't seen lychee before and I stopped to look at them. The man selling didn't speak English, but cut open a fruit, gave it to my son and showed him how to eat it. We each had a bite and it was delicious. I tried to buy just 2 or 3 more to eat while we walked and gave him a 20 peso bill (just over $1 US), and he gave me a bag with about 10 lychee in them. I motioned for him that I wanted them cut and he put a slice in each so that we could peel the top off and bit the fruit out as we walked. Delicious! (We didn't see any of these types of vendors at Mercado 28, but we didn't see the last row/alley of Mercado 28, so maybe we just missed them.)
In terms of souvenirs, we saw many of the same items at both Mercado 23 and Mercado 28. Mercado 23 is definitely set up more for locals than tourists. There were several "grocery store" type stands in Mercado 23 as well as a food court area that was filled with locals. In the grocery store type stands you will see big bags of rice, beans, nuts, seeds, even dog food, being sold by weight (or scoop) out of huge opened bags on the floor. I did not see any of these types of stores at Mercado 28 either.
We were at Mercado 23 around lunch and there were tons of locals eating in the food court area. My kids did not want to eat there after seeing raw meat hanging from the rafters, but I would have been game to try it. (We ended up eating at Isla Contoy, which is just across the street from the market, and was very good.)
Bathrooms were available at Mercado 23, but not very clean, and cost 5 pesos per person to use. A few pieces of toilet paper are given to you at the time you pay. No soap to wash with. (We should have waited until we went to Isla Contoy, which had great bathrooms in comparison and soap that smelled wonderful.)
After eating at Isla Contoy, we followed the MapChick map of downtown Cancun which suggested a walking route from Mercado 23 to Mercado 28. It was enjoyable to see the non-touristy streets, but I don't know if I would do it again in the heat of the day.
At Mercado 28, we were immediately hounded by salespeople trying to get us into their stores. (Which did not happen very often at Mercado 23.) Mercado 28 was definitely cleaner than Mercado 23, but I felt perfectly safe at both locations. Mercado 28 gives the feel of being set up for tourists, but sells basically the same things, at just about the same prices as Mercado 23. I found that the pricing really just depends upon the salesperson you are working with. I found stores at both markets that were expensive and cheap on the same items. (We realized if you just keep moving from store to store, you will eventually find what you want at the price you want. We found the same hammock, and negotiated to the same exact price, in Mercado 23, Mercado 28, Isla Mujeres, and Plaza Flamingo in the Hotel Zone... just keep moving and talking and eventually you'll find someone willing to negotiate.) Mercado 28 also charged 5 pesos for the bathroom and handed out toilet paper when we paid. They at least had soap. (We were traveling with 4 kids, we used a lot of bathrooms. LOL.) Mercado 28 also seemed to have more true restaurant options, although we didn't eat at any.
After leaving Mercado 28 we walked to the downtown Walmart to catch the bus back to the Hotel Zone. (We did a LOT of walking!) When we were very close to the Walmart I saw "Plaza 28", which I understand a lot of people mistake for Mercado 28. It looked very clean and nice (probably nicer than Mercado 28), but we didn't stop. With the heat of the day, we marched right into Walmart to buy drinks and ice cream. Interestingly enough, we found a McDonald's and a pizza by the slice place inside of Walmart. After eating Big Macs and French Fries that tasted exactly the same as our hometown McDonald's, we used the bathrooms (of course). (Which, incidentally, were much nicer and cleaner than Mercado 23 and/or Mercado 28's. We were also given access to an entire roll of toilet paper, which felt like a precious gift by that time.)
In summary: Mercado 23 is for locals, but they love to see tourists there as well. We were treated nicely. Less of the salespeople spoke English, but we were always able to understand the pricing in pesos. Most of them knew how to say the numbers in English, like "eight pesos" instead of "ocho pesos", which was helpful to me. The food area was too much for my kids and husband (who is usually adventurous) to handle, so don't plan on eating in the food court unless you are really adventurous, although restaurants just outside of the market area are available.
To get to Mercado 23 from the hotel zone, take the R1 bus that says "Crucero" and tell the drive "Mercado 23", or get off after you see the large bus terminal on the left. You'll need to cross the street (Av. Tulum) and then walk a block or two before you are in the market. The driver stopped at the exact spot necessary for us. If you get off at the bus terminal, you will need to walk north on Tulum before turning left and walking west. If you get off at the "Crucero" which is the next intersection up (Tulum and Lopez Portillo), you need to backtrack on Tulum before going West.
As soon as we got the Mercado 23, we saw street cart food and fruit vendors selling products from rolling stands. A few of the item offered included, orange juice, cotton candy, ice cream, tortillas, and lychee fruit, which was my personal favorite. We hadn't seen lychee before and I stopped to look at them. The man selling didn't speak English, but cut open a fruit, gave it to my son and showed him how to eat it. We each had a bite and it was delicious. I tried to buy just 2 or 3 more to eat while we walked and gave him a 20 peso bill (just over $1 US), and he gave me a bag with about 10 lychee in them. I motioned for him that I wanted them cut and he put a slice in each so that we could peel the top off and bit the fruit out as we walked. Delicious! (We didn't see any of these types of vendors at Mercado 28, but we didn't see the last row/alley of Mercado 28, so maybe we just missed them.)
In terms of souvenirs, we saw many of the same items at both Mercado 23 and Mercado 28. Mercado 23 is definitely set up more for locals than tourists. There were several "grocery store" type stands in Mercado 23 as well as a food court area that was filled with locals. In the grocery store type stands you will see big bags of rice, beans, nuts, seeds, even dog food, being sold by weight (or scoop) out of huge opened bags on the floor. I did not see any of these types of stores at Mercado 28 either.
We were at Mercado 23 around lunch and there were tons of locals eating in the food court area. My kids did not want to eat there after seeing raw meat hanging from the rafters, but I would have been game to try it. (We ended up eating at Isla Contoy, which is just across the street from the market, and was very good.)
Bathrooms were available at Mercado 23, but not very clean, and cost 5 pesos per person to use. A few pieces of toilet paper are given to you at the time you pay. No soap to wash with. (We should have waited until we went to Isla Contoy, which had great bathrooms in comparison and soap that smelled wonderful.)
After eating at Isla Contoy, we followed the MapChick map of downtown Cancun which suggested a walking route from Mercado 23 to Mercado 28. It was enjoyable to see the non-touristy streets, but I don't know if I would do it again in the heat of the day.
At Mercado 28, we were immediately hounded by salespeople trying to get us into their stores. (Which did not happen very often at Mercado 23.) Mercado 28 was definitely cleaner than Mercado 23, but I felt perfectly safe at both locations. Mercado 28 gives the feel of being set up for tourists, but sells basically the same things, at just about the same prices as Mercado 23. I found that the pricing really just depends upon the salesperson you are working with. I found stores at both markets that were expensive and cheap on the same items. (We realized if you just keep moving from store to store, you will eventually find what you want at the price you want. We found the same hammock, and negotiated to the same exact price, in Mercado 23, Mercado 28, Isla Mujeres, and Plaza Flamingo in the Hotel Zone... just keep moving and talking and eventually you'll find someone willing to negotiate.) Mercado 28 also charged 5 pesos for the bathroom and handed out toilet paper when we paid. They at least had soap. (We were traveling with 4 kids, we used a lot of bathrooms. LOL.) Mercado 28 also seemed to have more true restaurant options, although we didn't eat at any.
After leaving Mercado 28 we walked to the downtown Walmart to catch the bus back to the Hotel Zone. (We did a LOT of walking!) When we were very close to the Walmart I saw "Plaza 28", which I understand a lot of people mistake for Mercado 28. It looked very clean and nice (probably nicer than Mercado 28), but we didn't stop. With the heat of the day, we marched right into Walmart to buy drinks and ice cream. Interestingly enough, we found a McDonald's and a pizza by the slice place inside of Walmart. After eating Big Macs and French Fries that tasted exactly the same as our hometown McDonald's, we used the bathrooms (of course). (Which, incidentally, were much nicer and cleaner than Mercado 23 and/or Mercado 28's. We were also given access to an entire roll of toilet paper, which felt like a precious gift by that time.)
In summary: Mercado 23 is for locals, but they love to see tourists there as well. We were treated nicely. Less of the salespeople spoke English, but we were always able to understand the pricing in pesos. Most of them knew how to say the numbers in English, like "eight pesos" instead of "ocho pesos", which was helpful to me. The food area was too much for my kids and husband (who is usually adventurous) to handle, so don't plan on eating in the food court unless you are really adventurous, although restaurants just outside of the market area are available.
To get to Mercado 23 from the hotel zone, take the R1 bus that says "Crucero" and tell the drive "Mercado 23", or get off after you see the large bus terminal on the left. You'll need to cross the street (Av. Tulum) and then walk a block or two before you are in the market. The driver stopped at the exact spot necessary for us. If you get off at the bus terminal, you will need to walk north on Tulum before turning left and walking west. If you get off at the "Crucero" which is the next intersection up (Tulum and Lopez Portillo), you need to backtrack on Tulum before going West.
Written 15 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Venden vasos de cristal sin escritas?
Written 8 October 2018
ezemacca
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hola Viajeros!, Quiero saber cuál es el horario en el que hay MENOS cantidad de personas, y a que hora abre en la mañana, tanto aquí como en el mercado 28, ¡Muchas Gracias!
Written 14 July 2017
What are the trading times? Many thanks
Written 6 May 2017
How late does the market stay open? Will it be open on Christmas Eve normal hours?
Written 19 December 2016
How secure is the parking near Mercado 23? We will be forced to have our luggage in the rental vehicle when we visit.
Written 30 November 2016
How do I get there using public transportation?
Written 12 February 2016
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