We have now stopped to eat at Gran Jirafas in Merida two different times and enjoyed dinners both times. This restaurant is located just off the Paseo de Montejo in Merida north of the new underpass on the right side of the road. Very friendly and accommodating staff and if you need them to, several of the waiters speak very good English.

We stopped here after watching the bull fight at Plaza de Toros in Merida. Hmmm I had a salad and a baked potato. Lyn had a salad… There was not a lot of meat ordered that night. The menu is good and has lots of very affordable items on it. I had the baked potato loaded and it was quite tasty, especially after you add some of the fantastic “onion salsa” that was quite spicy to it. This mixture had a great flavor and was really good on anything, it was a little spicy but certainly worth trying.

Evan had the Sopa de Lima for 45 pesos and really enjoyed it. Noah had Quesadilla which was a lot of food for a five year old. Lyn had the Jirafas Especial Salad for $75 pesos and it was a very large salad but could have used some more dressing on it. The MEGAPAPAS are something kind of unique, loaded potatoes – I had the Megapapas De Arrachera, yes it had some meat on it! The bull fight did not extinguish my appetite but I did not order a steak. Several of the kids shared a large pizza, this took a little bit of time to cook and these kids were the last ones to eat much to their disappointment.

It was Bruno’s birthday so we sang him happy birthday and the restaurant provided him with a complimentary piece of chocolate cake. The kids had a great time as there is a large play ground attached to the restaurant. It also seems that due to the time of day we eat at, which is sometimes considered very early at 5-7pm, we are often the only patrons in most restaurants. This allows the children some freedom and they certainly take advantage of it. The playground attached kept them amused for an hour or so as they all played tag and new and inventive games.

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