Yucatan Living

Yum Ixpu

Type: Seafood restaurant with an Italian flair
Neighborhood: Progreso
Telephone: 969 935-1613
Address: Calle 31 #207 entre 94 y 96, Progreso
How to Get There from the Centro: Highway 261 north towards Progreso. Continue north towards the coast to Calle 31. This is a two-way street. Take a left onto Calle 31 and look for the cross street of Calle 94. The restaurant will be just off this corner on your right. If you get to Parque Benito Juarez, you have gone too far.
Parking: Street
Air Conditioned: No, ceiling fans and open-air patios
Outdoors: Patio seating
Drinks: Full bar.
Payment: Visa, MC, Cash
WiFi: ?
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed Monday.
Notes:Away from the busy Progreso malecon , Yum Ixpu is a bustling, casual, family-style restaurant that serves pescados y mariscos with an Italian flare.

Yum Ixpu’s breezy upstairs open-air patios serve up lunch and early dinner selections that include the typical beach seafood fare of ceviche, coctelesand pescado frito. But there the similarity ends. Yum Ixpu's twist is an Italian influence to their seafood menu.

Arriving before the afternoon lunch rush, we started with an appetizer of Rissoto Con Cameron (risotto mixed with shrimp, corn, chiles and mushrooms, shaped into a ball, and then lightly rolled in a corn batter and fried). Three to an order, they were wonderfully light and flavorful and the cilantro cream sauce that was served with it was a nice light dipping sauce. (40$ pesos). For the main meal we ordered a half-order of the Pasta Mixto (60$ pesos and it was a very healthy half-order), a regular Ceviche Pescado (60$) and the Jaiba Rellena (Stuffed Crab Shells) to share. The Pasta Mixto (spaghetti noodles in a white cream sauce tossed with mixed seafood) was rich and flavorful . The Ceviche Pescado had a nice sharp lime bite. The Jaiba Rellena also came three to an order ($60), and this selection was prepared by filling a small crabshell with what can best be described as a mincemeat crab mixture: shredded crabmeat and raisin mixture with a chile bite. It was then breaded and topped with a tomato sauce. It created a unique mixture to say the least, both sweet and savory.

By far, the consensus at the table favored the Risotto Balls and the Creamy Seafood Pasta. The service was friendly and attentive. Needless to say, we had leftovers. Our lunch choices were generous in portion and offered a nice alternative to the usual seafood preparations often found at the beach. While we waited for our bill ($290 for 4 menu items, lemonades and beer), a line was queuing up at the door. Yum Ixpu also offers non-seafood items on their menu.