Looking for the best Mexican restaurants in Playa Del Carmen? Many people are and we wanted you to discover these great restaurants in our guide.
Mexican Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen
Mexican food is one of the top most requested restaurants we get asked about. While Playa Del Carmen is a very international city we still have some good options to have Mexican food. Here is our list of some great options for you to try. This includes everything from tacos to seafood.
Note: Like all of our guides, we update them often. We remove restaurants that close or add new ones that open. We also change the list if the quality changes at a place.
What is Mexican Food?
To many first-time visitors you may just think about tacos and burritos, but there is an enormous food scene in Mexico. There is a wide variety of regional cuisine, and we are influenced by our local regional cuisine here, it is a mix between Spanish European influences and Maya. There is also the modern fusion of ancient recipes with modern ways of presenting food. So here is best of Mexican restaurants in Playa Del Carmen so you can explore the taste of Mexico while here.
Our list of Best Mexican Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen
This is in alphabetical order. We do not like to say what is the best because what is best for you is different than for other people. We just supply a good list of places for you to choose from and you can see what a good fit for you is.
Axiote Restaurant $$-$$$
Axiote Restaurant is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Playa Del Carmen to get an authentic taste. Chef Xavier Stone has created a menu and a culture in this restaurant to fuse together the past traditional food with a modern twist. The atmosphere is casual but the menu for fine dining.
Axiote Restaurant is on 34th Street between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue in the downtown. They are open from 1:30pm-11:00pm daily. See the link to the article for menu prices.
El Doctorcito$
This is a small streetside seafood restaurant that is most known for ceviche. They make dishes based on the style of Sinaloa, Mexico. This place is in the center of Playa Del Carmen but a few blocks off 5th Avenue. It is just open during the day and is a very casual place to eat. The prices are very reasonable for ceviche (about 130-180 depending on size). We think this is one of the best ceviches in Playa that is not a specialty ceviche like coconut/Thai or something like that. This place has great Mexican ceviche and is a little hidden place in Playa Del Carmen. Come here during the day if you want a casual seafood place.
El Fogon$
This is where many concierges and taxi drivers will send people to get authentic Mexican tacos and the “real” experience. El Fogón restaurant has several locations in Playa Del Carmen, and they are used to getting tourist coming in. We suggest the location on Constituyentes Avenue between 25th Avenue and 30th Avenue.
This may not be the best taco place in Playa Del Carmen, but it does offer a good overall advantage over some of the smaller places. Here is why it is good:
- Firstly, there is a large menu with a lot of options.
- You can get alcoholic drinks here.
- It is fairly clean for a taco restaurant.
- It is easy to get to.
- and you leave feeling like you had an authentic time in Mexico.
If you are staying at a resort, there is nothing like this there and you will feel like you really visited Mexico when coming here. Both locations are not on the touristy 5th Avenue and locals also go here to eat. You can pretty much eat here any time of the day because they open early and stay open until the wee hours of the night.
La Perla Pixan Cuisine and Mezcal Store$$
This is one of the best authentic restaurants to try regional Mexican food in Playa Del Carmen. They work hard to bring you authentic food from different areas of Mexico. Their bar also showcases a lot of fine Mexican spirits and wines.
La Perla Pixan Cuisine Restaurant is on 38th Street just off 5th Avenue going toward the beach on the left. Explore the menu taste of Mexico. This is not an overly commercialized restaurant and sometimes has live music in the evenings.
If you come here for dinner, it is mid to higher end prices. If you want a budget option, try here for their menu of the day lunch option. It is a nice introductory way of getting to know the restaurant, although dinner time has a nice atmosphere with low light and music.
Pik Nik Mexican Restaurant$
This is a small and affordable place next to the City Hall. The restaurant is on 10th Street between 20th Avenue and 25th Avenue. It is bright a colorful with a mainly Mexican menu. Here you can find soups, tacos, fish dishes and regional food. Prices here are about 150-280 per person. Many Mexicans that are here on vacation like to stop in here because of its good Mexican food and good prices.
The owner speaks English and the young guys that work here are nice and helpful and speak a little English, enough to take your order.
We recommend this for lunch or dinner for an affordable option and some Mexican food that is not too over commercialized.
Tacos De Barba-Birria$
We put this very small basic restaurant on the list because it is so simple, it is good. The name is Birria de la 30. They are the only ones in Playa Del Carmen that we know of that do this style to tacos. They have imported the style from western Mexico from the state of Jalisco. These simple tacos are made from beef cooked in sauce until very tender. Then they dip the tortillas in the sauce and heat them, adding an orange color to them and a good full taste.
The prices here are rock bottom and you can eat here very cheaply. Top off your meal with a jamaica juice or horchata water, two very Mexican drinks that go great with tacos.
Do you have a favorite Mexican restaurant in Playa Del Carmen? What is it? We would love to hear your comments below.
About The Author
Karens Restaurente on the 5th avenue
We see people here at Karen’s Restaurant and it has been open for so long. We have to omit that we have not been here mainly because the menu looks so touristy, but perhaps we will have to examine it more. What do you like about it that makes it so good?
We went to La Perla Mexican restaurant to try it. It was very good and might just be the best Mexican food I have had.
Hello. I wanted to comment and thank you for including all the local Mexican restaurants in Playa Del Carmen that are not the typical crap stuff most tourist websites mention. You guys really know Playa Del Carmen and know how to promote the best places. Thanks for all the work you do.
After your recommendation we checked out Axiote. Very good food and well presented! We really enjoyed it and since it is not on 5th we would of missed it.
I will be staying on 10th Ave/6th calle and I want to do a self guided walking food tour. I am looking for recommendations for authentic Chili rellenos, Tamales, Esquite, and enchilada with mole. I would prefer four different stops. Can you offer suggestions, please?
So you claim in another article to avoid super famous restaurants that pretends to be Mexican food, well let me tell you something: el fogon serves fake americanized tacos, their tortillas are the worse, their salsas are made for gringos to not cey and their meet have very poor quality. Real tacos are find at Ñero or Gonzalez, keep it real people…
We agree with you that El Fogón is not the best tacos. In fact most of Playa does not have really authentic tacos or salsas. Many people do like the atmosphere and what they feel is an authentic experience. They do use a lot of oil in everything but are fairly consistent. We do have the tacos borra place on the guide but many don’t go there because it is out of the center and small
All 5 th Ave area tourist traps!
Cantina Don PP has the most authentic Mexican in Playa!