Carnitas Don Enrique

Carnitas Don Enrique is a long-established carnitas stand in downtown Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico, located at Avenida Tikal and Aries 41. It serves Michoacan-style carnitas, the slow-cooked, fried-in-its-own-fat pork that originates in the Mexican state of Michoacan, and is listed as operating since 1974, making it one of the older food businesses in a city that was only founded as a planned resort in the early 1970s. The menu is short and built around the pork. Carnitas tacos are the core item, served on small tortillas with onion, cilantro and salsa. Carnitas tortas, the same meat in a crusty roll, are the heavier option, and the surtida is a combination plate that mixes different cuts from the animal, a traditional way for regulars to order. Nothing on the menu is intended as fine dining; the appeal is a single dish prepared the same way for decades. The setting is that of a taqueria: informal, quick service, little formality, and the noise of a busy counter. Visitors eat in a few minutes and move on. Prices are rated $, so a filling meal costs only a small number of pesos per taco. No reservations are taken, and the stand is walk-in only. Carnitas is traditionally a morning and midday food, since the meat is cooked in batches and is best when fresh, so visitors who arrive late in the day may find popular cuts sold out. The location on Avenida Tikal places it in the residential and commercial grid of El Centro, away from the Hotel Zone. It suits travellers who want to see where locals eat and are comfortable ordering in simple Spanish, pointing at the cut they want.