Queso relleno is a hollowed wheel of Edam cheese stuffed with picadillo (spiced ground pork), wrapped in muslin and steamed until the cheese softens, served with k'ool (white sauce) and tomato sauce.
The dish is the Yucatán's tribute to Caribbean and Dutch trade routes that brought Edam (queso de bola) to the peninsula in the colonial era, married with Spanish-influenced picadillo. It became a celebration dish for Yucatecan weddings and Sunday lunches.
4 editor picks for Queso relleno in Mérida, ranked by editorial score. All Mérida signature dishes · Queso relleno across every city.
Manjar Blanco ★ 4.4
Paseo de Montejo · Calle 47 496, Zona Paseo Montejo, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yucatán
Manjar Blanco on Mérida's Calle 47 corridor near Paseo de Montejo runs cochinita pibil and queso relleno (Netflix Taco Chronicles featured) lunch-only.
La Chaya Maya ★ 4.4
Santa Lucía · Calle 55 459 esq. Calle 60, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yucatán
La Chaya Maya on Santa Lucía in Mérida pours tortillas on a clay comal in the dining room and runs sopa de lima, poc chuc and panuchos seven days.
La Tradición ★ 4.3
Paseo de Montejo · Calle 60 293 x 25 y 27, García Ginerés, 97070 Mérida, Yucatán
La Tradición on Calle 60 in Mérida runs chef David Cetina's Yucatecan recados, poc chuc and queso relleno from a family kitchen of two decades.
Los Almendros ★ 4.0
La Mejorada · Calle 50-A número 493, Centro, 97000 Mérida, Yucatán
Los Almendros on Parque de la Mejorada in Mérida runs the Yucatecan canon since 1972, claiming credit for putting poc chuc on the city's restaurant maps.