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Cancún's sophisticated citizenry demands good food, and the city delivers with a banquet of international cuisine, from Thai to Tuscan to traditional Mexican. And inspired home cooks can hone their skills at the Ritz-Carlton Cancún's Culinary Center*, where gregarious chef Rory Dunaway leads two-hour, twice-weekly classes in the resort's beachfront kitchen. But there's no need to do it yourself; with more than 400 restaurants – including these standouts – visitors are spoiled for choice.

Harry's Prime Steakhouse and Raw Bar
Blvd. Kukulcán Km. 14.2, Cancún
011-52-998-840-6551; harrys.com.mx
Average dinner entrée: $50

It's hard to believe that the company responsible for Spring Break staple Señor Frog's is the same one behind Harry's, an elegant steakhouse along Cancún's main drag, Boulevard Kukulcán. But the atmosphere here is decidedly upmarket, and reservations are essential to score a table at this chic dining room, which has become a favorite of the discerning, well-heeled Cancúnense.

Savvy diners stick to the specialty: hearty cuts of dry-aged USDA prime steak displayed in a glass-fronted aging room and cooked to order at 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Dishes are generously portioned (the tangy beef carpaccio appetizer can feed three), and the Kobe beef sliders are bite-sized luxuries you'd have to be vegetarian to resist. At the end of your meal, a complimentary cloud of algodon de azucar (cotton candy) is an unexpected delight that helps soothe the sting of what is likely to be a gasp-worthy tab. 

John Gray's Downtown
Avenida Xpuhil SM 19, Centro
011-52-998-883-9800
Average dinner entrée: $25

Since his 1993 arrival, American chef John Gray has established a trio of Riviera Maya restaurants, popular as much for the affable personality of their owner as for their cuisine. His newest venture is in an unlikely location in the Centro district, where tourists are few and far between (the others are in Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen). But vistors will no doubt follow Cancún's beautiful people to the urban eatery, where exposed ductwork, naked light bulbs suspended from the ceiling and leather, wood and suede elements combine to create an industrial-chic vibe.

The eclectic, ever-evolving Mexican-French menu features crisp, thin-crust pizza with dollops of goat cheese and a rich chicken-and-duck-liver paté served with French bread, delivered to the table steaming hot in a brown paper bag. Save room for Gray's signature dish: roasted-then-grilled duck breast drizzled with a honey-tequila-and-chipotle-pepper sauce and served on a bed of creamy mashed yams.

 La Canoa
Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita, Puerto Morelos
888-496-3879; zoetryresorts.com
Average dinner entrée: $26

In nearby Puerto Morelos, AAA-four-diamond-rated Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita resort's La Canoa is famous for its cuisine de los soles (cuisine of the sun), a spicy-sweet fusion of ingredients from warm-weather countries characterized by unusual flavor pairings that sound wrong yet taste oh-so-right.

In the poolside restaurant, tables are festooned with scarlet blossoms and set with onyx salt-and-pepper cruets and crystal glassware. Murals depict fruit and flowers, and the fare is equally bold: chilled green-apple soup spiked with cardamom, and shrimp skewered on vanilla pods served with Yucatán pumpkin, sautéed artichokes and tamarind sauce. It's pointless even trying to resist chef Luis Miguel Cortzar's desserts, such as the chocolate fondant with Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream, cocoa nougatine and chocolate sauce infused with habañeros and rosemary. Fancy something even more "out there?" Cortzar has been known to combine chocolate and bacon to make unforgettable petits fours.

Laguna Grill
Blvd. Kukulcán Km. 15.6, Cancún
011-52-998-885-0257; lagunagrill.com.mx
Average dinner entrée: $22

This dinner-only classic endures thanks to its lagoon-front setting and a diverse menu that combines Italian, Japanese and Mexican influences. A man-made stream runs through the thatched-roof dining room, where a mosaic tile floor leads to a windswept deck populated by a largely tourist crowd. Risotto with chicken, beef and shrimp in a coconut milk-and-curry sauce is flavorful, and the daily catch, bathed in citrus sauce with crisply fried cilantro stems, is a longtime favorite. The best tables overlook the lagoon, where crocodiles glide silently by with alarming frequency, almost close enough to touch.

* Ritz-Carlton Cancún
Retorno del Rey 36
Classes are $115 per person
011-52-998-881-0808; ritzcarlton.com

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