Playa del Carmen eat · Eating in Playa del Carmen
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Eating in Playa del Carmen
Eating in Playa del Carmen
There are nearly 75 restaurants in Playa, with foods of every type and price range. There are also various pizza stands with prices ranging from 10 pesos to 20 pesos, most of them remain open up to 6AM when bars begin to close. As is the case in much of Mexico, the street food is not to be missed. Simply walk south down fifth avenue until you reach the pier and taxi stand. There are generally five or six carts there serving tacos of various types. Every seafood taco is generally outstanding, along with the carnitas, pollo, and chorizo. Also, try the stuffed poblano tacos. Tacos are typically in the 2-3 USD range. For the best and freshest tacos arrive mid-morning before the lunch rush as the carts are setting up.
Ah Cacao Chocolate Café, 5ta Ave. at Constituyentes, . A chocolate-themed coffee shop, selling chocolate in all its forms (including pure cacao beans). Famous for the brownies. Probably serves the best lattes and espresso in Playa.
Babes Noodles and Bar Very popular restaurant bar serving Thai-style noodles, loud music, and lots of beer. Two locations: Calle 10 between 5th and 10th, and 5th Ave. between calle 26 and 28.
El Asador de Manolo Argentine owned restaurant with the best steaks in Playa! Located on 5th Avenue between 30 and 32 Streets, it's not in the middle of all the tourism, but still nearby. A tenderloin-steak costs about 170 pesos, and is well worth the money - especially compared to the many very expensive restaurants located down 5th avenue. The crew is friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed and cosy.
HC Monterrey, Calle 1 Sur between 15th and 20th Avenidas, well off the tourist strip of the Quinta Avenida, and a second restaurant on Constituyentes between 25th and 30th Avenidas, opposite the MEGA hypermarket. The arrachera nacional is so tender it almost melts in your mouth. The meat is served simply with a foil wrapped potato and half of an avocado. If you are looking for something a little different, but truly delicious, try HC. With prices around 85 pesos a person for the meat alone and 135 for the full meal, make sure to get there early, they are open until only 7PM.
Ileana's Il Pescadore located on the North end of Playa, a newly renamed Italian Restaurant that is a must on any visit to Playa. The Owner, a lady originally from Italy, is entertaining, charming and readily introduced us to her mother and niece. (Guess it is a family restaurant.) The Calamari is great! The tiramisu is outrageously delicious and unique. The home made pasta is superb. The portions are a decent size but you do not leave thinking you over ate. Cash only. 5 Sombreros.
La Casa del Agua is on 5th Avenue at 2nd Street, Playa del Carmen. Great ambiance; the Calamari at lunch was excellent as was the fish when we returned on a subsequent day for dinner. A little pricier than other restaurants but well worth a try. Their indoor "waterfall" is a variation of a small pool of water cascading down rocks. The method cools nicely and is emulated in several restaurants. 5 Sombreros.
La Cueva del Chango Contemporary Mexican cuisine in an offbeat 'jungle garden' setting. A refreshing change from the frenetic pace of the 5th Avenue restaurants. Calle 38, between 5th Ave. and the beach. The "Monkey Cave" is open for breakfast, lunch and supper and frequented by "locals" and many Americans who own villas locally. The morning breakfast is "Tops" and the coolness of the day makes the open air setting enjoyable. Try the Grenola/Yogurt/Fruit Crepé or the outrageously delicious Chaya Crepé. (Chaya. a local favorite, is a "tree spinach" native to the Yucatan. Do not eat raw chaya as it contains a cyanogenic glucoside that acts as a poison to humans.) The Changos (monkeys) are temporarily not present because they were disturbed by the current condo construction boom. 5 Sombreros for breakfast.
La Pesca, Avenida 30, near Constituyentes, across from the Mega grocery store. Arguably the best seafood in Playa del Carmen. Reasonable prices, awesome food. Try the cazuela de camaron. Open every day until 9PM (but if you get there before 9, you'll still be served with a smile). Note that if you choose a main course costing less than MXN 140 you will probably be told that it is "not recommended", and will be advised something in a pricier category. If that happens, just persevere - they will happily serve the cheaper dish too.
La Parilla "Mexican Grill" is located upstairs on the corner of Calle 8 and 5a Avenida. The Mariachi band was excellent and would play any single song that they knew for $10 USD. Similarly, one guidebook mentioned the restaurant as having been excellent, but unable to maintain its excellence with the increase in traffic attributed to its past reputation. 2 Sombreros.
Media Luna 5a Avenida between Calles 12th and 14th. The locals think highly of the restaurant, as do others. However, we (four) left without trying the cuisine. Located on the second floor and open to the air on the 5a Avenida side, we found the restaurant too noisy to have enjoyed the food had we ordered. We observed one table where diners were trying to talk over one another which caused us to initially change tables before we left. The restaurant offers vegetarian dishes, fresh fish, wonderful pastas and salads. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sombreros not allocated
Oasis Mexican seafood. Battered shrimp tacos, seafood soup, fried fish. Attracts mostly Mexicans and Playa locals. Prices are reasonable and the quality is consistent.
PlayaMaya Hotel at the beach. Octopus Tacos, wonderful.
Yaxché Cocina Maya a Mayan Cuisine restaurant located on 5th Avenue, between 22th and 24th Streets, a half block from 5th Avenue. The Hotel gave us a card good for one after dinner drink, a "Mayan Kiss". The soup (a Mayan Name) with Grouper was excellent. The shrimp plate was also tops. We returned on another occasion and had the Grouper dinner...Excellent! Also tried the creamed Chaya soup, wow. The menu for lunch and supper were the same as were the prices. One of our friends didn't care for the spicy shrimp dinner. 4 Sombreros.
Cockteleria Veracruz 10 Avenida Sur between Benito Juarez and Calle 1 Sur, diagonally opposite the main ADO bus station. An unassuming exterior hides a cheap, tasty and very friendly seafood restaurant specializing in seafood cocktails. Mama runs the restaurant and personally makes sure all guests are happy. Note that the oysters in some cocktails are raw - but deliciously fresh. Portions are large, so even though the cocktails and ceviches are considered entrées, anything other than a small portion is a meal on its own.
Club Nautico Tarraya On the beach between Benito Juarez and Calle 2 Nte. Specializing in seafood, it's almost certainly the cheapest place on the beach, with cevice for around MXN 40 and fried fish for less than MXN 100, and beer to wash it down with costing a mere MXN 20. The atmosphere is slightly spoilt by cheap white plastic tables and very clinical white light after sunset, but at these prices that's par for the course, and the quality and quantity of the food itself is excellent.
Perros Calientes (hot dogs) If you want to eat a great (great is big) hot dog, you have to walk two streets from the Fifth avenue and you will enjoy so good hot dogs.
Yogo Chango Yogurt Bar , Calle 6 between 5th Ave and 10th Ave. Frozen yogurt made fresh with seasonal fresh fruit toppings, as well as creative and dry toppings. You can also enjoy smoothies, milkshakes, yogurt smoothies, expresso’s, frappuccino’s. Internet is free (laptops are available for free).
La Fragata, Calle 26 between 1st & 5th Avenue. Small hole-in-the-wall restaurant with scrumptious food. We asked the hostess (a gracious, friendly lady) to surprise us and serve us what she thought was good that day. She did not disappoint. Tasty fish tacos and seafood pasta that popped with flavor. �
Benito Juarez and 5th Avenue Street Cart. At the corner of Benito Juarez and 5th avenue there are carts every morning where all the hotel and shop workers stop for breakfast. Gathering starts at around 6AM, they stay there until around 11AM. It is right outside of the main ADO bus station and at the start of the walk to the ferry to Cozamel so it is easy to find. The price in September 2011 was $18 pesos each,(around $1.50 usd, give or take the exchange rate). One is enough to fill most people. These can be put together in different combinations and if you want something specific (like eggs alone), they will cook it on the spot. �
King of the Grill, Aviacion Ave (aka airport rd) (Located on Av. Aeropuerto between Federal Highway 307 and 15th Avenue - this is the road that runs on the south side of the airport near Playacar Phase 2. In a building on the south side of the road 500 or so metres going towards the highway coming from 10th Avenue), ☎ 52 (984) 879 4219. Tu-Su. 1400 hrs to 2100 hrs or later if busy. Great Mexican Grill. Actually a Weber bbq shop (for rent or sale) that has a small number of tables and serves great food cooked on the Webers. Slightly off the tourist strip and menus only in Spanish - friendly owner speaks English and was very helpful in explaining the menu. Hamburgers, steak and ribs are all highly recommended. Prices are very reasonable - 150 pesos for full rack of ribs, 180 pesos for a large rib eye steak, 100 pesos for a wagyu beef burger. �
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Playa del Carmen Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.