9 Things that have Recently Changed in Playa Del Carmen

Every few months we like to update you on things that have changed in Playa Del Carmen. Here are things we have recently noticed as changes the street scenes and tourist sector for September 2025.

1. Godzilla Takes over Playa Del Carmen

Well, not the real Godzilla and not all of Playa Del Carmen. This is about the new restaurant called Sr. Godzilla. This is billed as an asian street food. The place looks fun, and the open-air design should help people discover this place. This is on the corner of 5th Avenue and 30th Street where Sonora Grill used to be. If you miss Sonora Grill, they still have their upscale version, Sonora Prime on 5th Avenue near 12th Street.

2. Starbucks and Other Starbucks News

The Starbucks on the southeast corner of 10th street and 5th Avenue has moved. It moved just across 10th Street to the northeast corner. This is the same corner that has had several restaurants, that eventually met their demise. The longest running was the Sur Steak House and was followed by some other short running restaurants. Will the curse of this corner be broken by this Starbucks? We think so.

Not only was the old location busy, but this new location is also more open and welcoming and has more space for people to sit and observe the pedestrian traffic on 5th Avenue.

Starbucks Playa Del Carmen — The new location of the Starbucks on 5th Avenue and 10th Street.

The latest Starbucks to open in Playa Del Carmen is on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. This is further evidence that Playa continues to move northward and there is demand on the far north end of 5th Avenue. This area continues to get new condos buildings and businesses are creeping into this area.

The new Starbucks in Playa Del Carmen — This is a new Starbucks on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street in Playa Del Carmen.

3. Old Starbucks Becomes Anita Gelato

The Starbucks that used to be on 5th Avenue and 10th Street on the southeast corner is now a gelato place. It is a cute green store front with a classic interior. Gelato an Ice Cream are popular options on 5th Avenue, so this might work here.

4. Club Scene Changing a Little

Next to Bovinos Steakhouse and across from Coco Bongo on 12th Street is a new club. It is Mezontle. This club targets Mexicans ages 20-35 looking for a fun night out. This is a chain of clubs in Mexico and they are in other cities. This location was once a popular club that changed into a salsa dancing club and then abandoned for a while. It is nice to see this space used again and a fresh face of the nightlife scene.

Mezontle Club Playa Del Carmen — A new club is opening in Playa Del Carmen

5. Changing Taco Locations

Back in June of 2024 we visited the Los Chachalacos location on Constituyentes Avenue. This was when they were expanding and soon added two other locations. When we were on the Constituyentes location we mentioned to them that it was a tough location for a restaurant. Often from 15th Avenue to 25th Avenue on Constituyentes Avenue the business face difficulty mainly because there is little foot traffic and not as much parking. It could look good on paper since the famous El Fogon (see our article about El Fogon and why they have made it a success) is just up the street and does a ton of business. But the Los Chachalacos location has closed on Constituyentes. They have however opened another location on 5th Avenue and 26th Street as seen in the photo below. The locations on 5th Avenue seem to be doing well because they offer a pretty decent representation of Mexican tacos.

Los Chachalacos Playa Del Carmen — Los Chachalacos Tacos Restaurant has closed on Constituyentes and opened another location on 5th Avenue and 26th Street.

6. Corner Restaurant Closes After Recent Opening

For 13 years this corner on 5th Avenue and 10th Street was home to La Santanera Nightclub. It was on the upper floors of this building. In 2017 it closed because of insecurity. The building has sat empty for years and only a few attempts have been made on the street level to make something of it. The last attempt was a mid to upper end restaurant. It has closed for now and this corner remains empty.

7. Mexican Cancy Store had a Short and Sweet Life

Back in March of 2025 we mentioned that there were several of these stores popping up around Playa Del Carmen. They sell all kinds of candy that is made in Mexico and traditional candies with Mexican flare. These stores appealed to Mexicans that remember many of the old brands that they grew up on. The stores were not cheap and often some of the same candies could be found in supermarkets. The photo below shows one of these stores closed on 5th Avenue near 10th Street.

Mexican Candy Store — This is one of the Mexican candy stores that has closed on 5th Avenue by 10th Street.

8. It is a Slow Season

Most people have seen articles talking about this year and how this low season is lower than normal. Most point to sargassum, taxis over charging people, higher costs vs value of the Riviera Maya, economic insecurity from the US, post covid exploration to other places, and crime as factors for less tourism.

Back in May we wrote about airlines dropping flights to the new Tulum Airport. We had calculated that between the three airports that serve the Riviera Maya, there were about 500,000 less arrivals for the first quarter of the year. these were some hard factors to see what is happening. In talking to business owners and people working in tourism, the trend for a much lower season than normal continues. Many businesses are seeing at least a 20% drop in business. This slowdown also has affected the real estate market. There are far less people buying and it has become a buyers’ market.

One thing we cannot blame for a slower season is the weather. This has been a remarkable quiet year for hurricanes. There has not been one storm even close to the Riviera Maya this year. In general, there have only been three small hurricanes to pass through the Riviera Maya in the past 15 years.

Because it has been a very slow season, there is a time of reflection from government officials and local businesses as to what can be done. How can Playa be more attractive, how it can compete with other destinations and how it can become more sustainable and not so reliant on tourism. We will be watching to see how the fall season starts off and how tourism is doing this winter/busy season.

9.Another Bar, But Not What You Think

Not a bar to drink alcohol but rather a fun tapioca drink. This is on 5th Avenue between 26th and 28th Streets. Although this was a popular trend years ago, we are not sure there will be enough people willing to stop by to support it. Usually, only ice cream stores survive the business climate in the sweets category. This is also the same block as Gong Cha Bubble Tea which we told you about in our June 2024 update.