Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen are not the cheapest since it is a tourist town. Playa Del Carmen is booming with tourists, so the prices of rent have been going up and that means prices for food have been going up as well. There are still some cheap restaurants in town though. There really should be more inexpensive Playa Del Carmen restaurants because the average person in Playa Del Carmen makes 250-600 pesos a day, that means eating out three times a day can eat up all your money.
If you are looking for other restaurant information in Playa Del Carmen, see links at the end of this article for many more of our guides.
Cheap Playa Del Carmen Restaurants
We have complied this list of places to eat for those looking for an affordable meal while in town. This should give you a good range of choices.
Our criteria was:
- Under or around 150 pesos.
- The places needed somewhat of a consistent quality.
- In a location that people can easily get to.
- The price would be for food and most likely a drink. Some drinks and smoothies can run 40-80 pesos so it might not be available to eat for under 150 all the time at each place on the list, but close to it.
We will try to update and keep adding here when we find new places. As it goes with cheap places, they tend to open and close faster then other places.
If you eat at one of these places, mention you saw them here. Not that we make any money off this list in any way, but it is nice to hear feedback from restaurants that the list we provide is helping support small restaurants and helping people find good deals and good restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. It is also good for restaurants to know how people find them because so many of then spend precious resources advertising. Some restaurants pay for advertising when they may not actually get much in return. Help small businesses keep prices low and help them find the best ways to reach people.
Happy cheap eating everyone!!!
Cheap Playa Del Carmen Restaurants Map
We made this interactive map for you so you can find these great cheap eats restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. This map can make it easy for you see what is near to where you are staying. If you love one of these make sure you let us know in the comments below.
Cheap Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen
Chez Celine
We were really surprised to find out that this popular restaurant with good French quality has a menu each day that includes drink for under 160 pesos. Chez Celine is located on 5th Avenue and 34th St. Everyone knows this place as a great breakfast spot but now you can have lunch here as well on a budget.
La Jungla de la Rivera
This small place is in Colosio neighborhood and offers some healthy cheap eats. They have juices and sandwich style food. Menu items are about 80-100 pesos each and with a juice that makes it about 140 pesos to eat here. They have a nice outside seating area. This is on 10th Avenue between 68th Street and 70th Street. Open daily from 7:00am-1:00am.
El Arbolito Taqueria
This simple and really homemade taco restaurant in Playa Del Carmen will make you want to eat tacos all the time. We first found them in Puerto Aventuras and now they have brought their tacos to Playa. You can choose from 25 types of filling and you get hand made tortillas. You can really eat here on a budget.
El Arbolito Taqueria is on 8th Street between 10th Avenue and 15th Avenue.
Chimi Churri
This is a taste of Argentina in Playa Del Carmen. The lomito sandwich is a really good and don’t forget to add chimi churri sauce. They also serve up empanadas. Sandwich prices are 50 pesos. This place is located on 6th St between 10th and 15th Avenue. Open from lunchtime until late in the evening. This place is small so keep an eye out for it. It is on the south side of the street in the middle of the block.
Primer Plato
This is an Italian restaurant/café that has handmade pasta for under 150 pesos. You can get a dish for 200 pesos. Considering the clean and friendly place plus the fact they hand make everything, that is a great deal. This is a lunch spot and is located on 15th Avenue on the south end of town between Juarez Avenue and Calle 1 Sur.
Dona Paula’s Restaurant
By popular demand we are adding the Dona Paula Restaurant to the list. There is no sign so just look for the blue building set back from the street on 6th Street between 10th and 15th Avenues. This has been a long-time staple in Playa Del Carmen and gets construction workers and budget seekers for the Mexican cooking. The women working here are very sweet and cook like they are at home. Prices are listed on neon paper signs out front. Most prices are about 80-120 pesos for a meal with drink. It is not the cleanest place but authentic and a neighborhood restaurant. Open all day and late until about 10pm.
Mi Kfe
Looking for Venezuelan food? Mi Kfe is a tiny place on 10th Avenue between 6th and 8th Streets that served up arepas Venezuelan style. This tiny café makes everything to order so it is not fast food, but you will never get a bigger smile from the woman working there. Prices run from about 60-100 pesos plus cost of drink. They also sell bags of coffee from the local roaster Kaawa just in case you want to buy some good coffee.
Euro Grill
The Euro Grill is about the only place on 5th Avenue you can eat for under 15 0 pesos. This place offers a variety of sausage. This price is 80 pesos now. Located between Constituyentes and 20th. St on the east side of 5th Avenue.
Antojitos Playa Del Carmen
Salbutes are a very Yucatecan food that uses a fried tortilla with toppings. They are really yummy! Antojitos Playa Del Carmen is a local favorite spot for salbutes. It is located on 30th Avenue between 2nd and 4th St. on the east side. The sign is not visible from the outside so you can see more photos of the place in our article about salbutes in Playa Del Carmen. These delicious items for 10-20 pesos each. Most people can eat 2-5 per sitting. They have really good fresh juices here as well. Sitting is inside at picnic tables. You can get them to go if you want to enjoy them in another place.
Tortas Santa Fe
This convenient sandwich shop has huge tortas (sandwiches) for only about 65-100 pesos. They make them fast and fresh! The fresh waters like lime and chia are a liter for only 20 pesos and will help wash down that huge torta.
This sandwich shop is on the corner of 30th Avenue and 16th Street right across from Mega grocery store. Make sure you get here before 6:00pm because they are only open during the day. If you read the comments below, people really like this place! This is one of the most popular cheap eat restaurants in Playa Del Carmen.
Cheap Chinese
People in Playa Del Carmen know that Asian food is a little hard to come by and quality Asian food even harder to find. Here is a cheap Chinese food restaurant in the center of Playa Del Carmen. You know you feel like something fried something salty and something with grease sometimes. Prices are based on the amount of sides you get but you can eat for as little as 60-100 pesos plus cost of drink. The location is right next to the AKI supermarket in the same building located on 30th Avenue and 12th Street.
Asadero El Pollo
This is a long running roast chicken restaurant in Playa Del Carmen. They offer good value and meal packages. Here they offer packages for 100 pesos which include cut up roast chicken, rice, tortillas, salsas and a drink. The also have large packages for 150 pesos that can feed two or three people. That package does not come with a drink though. This is one of our favorite places to get chicken. This place is located on 20th Avenue and 2nd street on the corner.
You can see our video on YouTube here about this restaurant.
La Brocherie
This Playa Del Carmen restaurant is a French roast chicken place actually run by a French chef. They have good value herbed chicken packages. Paninis are served here as well. They are located on 15th Avenue between 4th and 6th St. Closed Sundays. Open Monday-Saturdays from around 10:30am- about 10pm or later depending on business. This location offers an enthusiastic tri lingual chef and a nice café feel all for a small price. Make sure you save room for dessert.
El Pechugon
There is a good chicken place on Juarez Avenue located at the corner of 10th Avenue called El Pechugon. This walk-up restaurant with limited seating offers roast chicken with great mini roast potatoes. Meal packages go for about 70-130 pesos. This place is a good place to pick up something before going to the beach.
Tacos de Barba-Birria
This place is worth a mention because it is very good and something different. This taco restaurant is on 30th Avenue near the corner of 38th Street. It has changes name a little, it is now Birria de la 30.
El Fogon
This taco place is the quintessential taco restaurant in Playa Del Carmen. The main location is on Constituyentes Avenue between 25th and 30th Avenue. Try the local favorite drinks of horchata and Jamaica.
Don Sirloin Restaurant
Don Sirloin has two locations in the center of Playa Del Carmen. One on 10th Avenue between 12th and 14th St. and one on Constituyentes Avenue and 25th Avenue. Both serve up the same things and most people go for the tacos. Tacos go for about 25 pesos each. The location 10th can be entertaining at night because it is close to all the nightclubs. They are open late into the night to serve the party crowd and open in the day to serve those looking for cheap tacos.
Tacos De Canasta
Have you tried tacos de canasta? That translates to tacos in a basket because they pre-make the tacos and stack them in a basket. The nice thing is that the flavors get soaked up in the tortilla. This place serves up different types of tacos. Known as just the taco de canasta place, it is located on 30th Avenue between 20th and 22nd St. Don’t pay attention to the sign with hours, they are open everyday from about 8:30am-3pm. Although don’t go to late because they run out sometimes. Tacos are 8 pesos each.
Las Quekas
This is practically an institution in Playa Del Carmen. They are a real Mexican quesadilla place that makes handmade and ready to order quesadillas for you with a range of fillings. They do have a few other things on the menu as well. The taste is fresh and salsas are good. There are multiple locations in Playa but here we list the two most accessible ones. One is located on the corner 30th Avenue and 14 Bis St. and another one is on the corner of 10 Bis St and 15th Avenue. Prices are very cheap for the quesadillas and they are a decent size and filling. They have inexpensive drinks as well. This is a good late night places since they are open till late.
Tamales
Don’t forget this very Mexican of foods. There is a street corner stand that sells tamales every day. Tamales are 20-25 pesos depending on the kind you get. They are open from afternoon until about 1 am. They are located on the corner of 12 Bis St. and 30th Avenue (next to the fabric store). There is no seating really so plan on getting them to go. They are a good size and very filling. Try the sweet ones as well. Their red salsa is homemade and unique. For more on these tamales in Playa Del Carmen check out our story.
Our other guides for Playa Del Carmen Restaurants
If you liked this guide to cheap restaurants in Playa Del Carmen, also be sure to check out our other guides like out our huge, Where to Eat in Playa Del Carmen in one week guide, Breakfast Guide to Playa, Bakery Guide and Coffee Shop Guide to Playa Del Carmen. Our lunch specials guide is great to because you can often eat a three-course meal for under 100 pesos at some good restaurants in Playa Del Carmen.
Did you enjoy this list of cheap Playa Del Carmen restaurants? What is your favorite cheap eat place? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.
About The Author
Great list! Any idea which have seafood/vegetarian options?
Tacontededor is a good seafood option. They serve seafood tacos and burritos. None of the restaurants listed are exclusively vegetarian.Las Quekas makes quesadillas and Mi kfe has arepas that are vegetarian. I will continue to look for options and we will be writing a guide to vegetarian restaurants as well in the future. Thanks for reading.
El Doctorcito, Calle 12 & Av 25. A few years back we paid 200p for 4 tocos and 2 beers. Here in St Paul that’s about $25 to $30.
Cheap Eats … I love this place: http://el-hongo.com
Thanks for this. I will have to go by there to check it out.
Gotta love some tacos from Don Sirloin, especially that white cheese they use !!
Great list!!
I agree that all the best places are mostly off 5th avenue. What about dona mary?
Mr kiwi used to be my go to place when i first arrived here 3 years ago-i dont do too many drunken nights anymore but I passes by for a smoothie and dissapointed to find out they put up the prices. I paid 35pesos for what was more of a “medium”. The bigger cups like normal are now a higher price. So it makes them the same price as the more famous place 🙁
great list with a vast variety of choices.
will try a few by the end of the year when visiting that beautiful area of Mexico.
We will keep adding and try to keep this list up to day for you as well. Happy cheap eating in Playa!
Thanks for the suggestions! On our recent trip to Playa we ate at Chez Celine every morning, the eggs were perfection! We ate at El Jardin and really enjoyed the homemade tortillas. We also ate at La Brocherie the desserts were amazing! Thanks again!
So glad you got to eat at some of our favorites! We will keep updating everything so when you return there will be fresh list for you to try! Also look for our upcoming videos of all the restaurants so you can see them more before trying them. Come back soon!
Thanks so much for this restaurant list. I love finding this small restaurants that offer good deals. Your guides are super helpful and we used your website for planning a lot of our vacation. I think we ate at 5 or 6 of these restaurants when we were in Playa Del Carmen. Keep up the good work and thanks again.
Thank you Nate for your comments and we are glad you found our website helpful. We are always working hard here on the ground to bring you new things and we always update all the articles so you can find things. We are glad we could help you save some money with this list of restaurants. We hope you come back soon to Playa and if so, we will be ready for you with more information.
Thanks for the list of cheap places to eat in Playa del Carmen. We love coming to check out your guides and stuff. We ate at several of these restaurants and really liked the taco cart on 14th st by Mega.
Hello! I’m at checking out your website for the first time! We are doing a backpack trip from Cancun to Panama so we are on a budget. This article is a good resource for us to print our and save.
Just wanted to say I love reading your blog. I find the details good and
and look forward to read more for our trip to Playa Del Carmen! Keep up the outstanding work!
We love helping people find all the good things here in Playa Del Carmen like cheap restaurants. Everyone needs something different so we try to provide a good service for all our readers. The good thing is, we update all the articles so when you come you will know that all the listed restaurants are here and open. We hope you have a great time down here. You also might want to check out our top 5 Hostels article if you are looing at hostels in Playa.
We went to Tortas Santa Fe in front of Mega that was on your list of cheap eats restaurants. We LOVED it. The people were so fast and the sandwiches are such a good deal. We actually saw your video first and the chipotle sauce sold us. We hope you make more videos about good finds in Playa. We are always looking for new restaurants to check out when we come down. You seem to have the biggest selection of restaurants on your website and we like your recommendations. Thanks again.
We are so glad you found this restaurant. We love Tortas Santa Fe also. We usually get the chicken breast sandwich and we ask for pineapple. That is just a little extra fee. We will work on finding more low cost restaurants as well as adding more restaurants to the hundreds already on the site. Thank you for reading the site.
My friends that go down to Playa told me about your site. I found the cheap eats guide really good since I like to eat in a budget. I always say if you travel for half the money you can go twice as much! Your website has helped me eat good and affordable. Thank you.
Another cheers to Tortas Santa Fe! We found them on your guide here to cheap restaurants. We went and had several of their sandwiches. We liked the combinations and the juices were great along with the prices. We wish we could go back and have some more there for the beach. Thanks for all the work you put into the site. It is very detailed especially the restaurant guide.
Greetings! Very useful suggestions on where to eat for cheap in this article! We got to try a few of the places on this list. We also went to some of your restaurants on the Restaurant Guide to Playa Del Carmen. We have to say that we love Papa Charlys was so yummy for breakfast!
Thanks a lot for sharing!
We are glad you found the list and some other good restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. Papa Charly is on our best lunch specials list and just thinking about the French toast right now is making me hungry! Good thing we live here so we can go often! Thanks for reading the site.
We went to try Brochetas Restaurant off this list. It was perfect for eating at before going to the beach. The food was fresh and tasty. We did get the pie so it took us over the 100 pesos and we did not mind! Great place and really recommend it to other travelers.
Thanks so much for list and guides like this. We follow your site all the time to plan our vacations to Playa Del Carmen. Your website always seems to find the best little things around and you put them in complete guides that make it easy for us to plan on where we want to go to eat and where we want to go. Thanks again!
I know Dona’s Restaurant on 6th Street is bad looking form the outside and it is a greasy spoon but I love the empanadas there. I always sit with a lot of locals and construction workers looking for a cheap meal.
Thanks for all your cool guides on the site. I like yours the best of all the Playa Del Carmen websites. This food guide was helpful because I am here on a budget for two weeks while I learn Spanish. I am traveling though central American after this and am trying to make the best use of my time.
What ever happened to that taco cart by Mega? They had great tacos and they were a good price too. I have not seen there in a while.
That taco cart was called El Rey and they were a good cheap eat in Playa Del Carmen. They are not there any longer or have any location in Playa Del Carmen. We are sad to see them go. There is a new taco cart by Mega in their place but it is not the same. We will keep on the lookout for new places for you.
I really liked the tortas at Tortas Santa Fe! Such a good find in Playa Del Carmen. So cheap too. I think everything on the menu was under 50 pesos and the drinks are only 15 pesos. I took your suggestion to get pineapple on the chicken sandwich and it was delish! Thanks for the suggestions.
Yes, Tortas Santa Fe is a good find. It is such a simple restaurant but they are fast, nice and good priced. Plus the size of the sandwich is good. We even like how they pick out the extra bread out of the rolls so you do not have too much bready sandwich. The owner speaks English too if you need something. He is the older guy with long greyish hair.
La Brocherie on 15th Ave is such an amazing deal for gourmet chicken! I saw it on your site and went there. It was surprising how good it is and Fabian is so passionate about food that he makes the experience even better. They keep adding to the restaurant as well. It is nice there are some foodies in Playa del Carmen.
Yes La Brocherie is a good find in Playa. He soaks the chicken in pineapple juice and then adds the herbs of provence before roasting it. the meat is so tender. Also be sure to check out the desserts here. They have a great selection of mini desserts!
Hello. I really like your guides on the site. I used them on my last trip down. I took your suggestion to the Tortas Santa Fe for a quick bite. So cheap and good. We will be down in 5 months and looking forward to more of your finds in Playa del Carmen.
Your map makes it easy to find all the cheap restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. We heard about EL Jardin Restaurant from some frineds that saw it on your site. We are surprised they have a lunch special so cheap. We have to go check that place out. It looks great.
I read about the restaurant Brochetas on the site and wanted to try it before going to the beach. My girlfriend and I got take out and sat on the beach eating our skewers. So yummy! Great place and good food. Spot on recommendations.
Great list of places. I enjoy your out of the norm places to eat. We went to Antijitos Playa and got salbutes! So good. The place looks like a whole in the wall and we would of never gone in there but there were a lot of locals. The fruit juice was amazing and the salbutes were the best we have had. We will be going back there for sure!
Thanks so much for this list of cheap restaurants in Playa and all your other guides. We were just in Playa del Carmen and had a great time. We stopped by Brochetas on our way to the beach and we used your bar guide to and found Dirty Martinis bar. Your website was a godsend and we had a blast due to the great finds! Thanks guys!
We are so glad you had a good time here in Playa Del Carmen and found some of the good stuff on our list. We will work even hard to make it easy for you to find restaurant and more local finds. We hope you come back soon!
I just found your website because we re planning a trip to Playa del Carmen in August. It has been so helpful finding restaurants and stuff to do. We like how you review things and give an independent take on what things are actually good. Thanks and we look forward to trying some of these cheap eats! Saludos
We went to El Jardin restaurant on this list this past week. It was so good and the location was super good. I loved the fresh squeezed OJ. I will go back here and recommend it to other people.
so many places to choose from! Thanks for this restaurant list. We tried La Perla for lunch on their lunch specials and Brochetas. That was fun and right off the beach near Mamitas. We also went to a greasy spoon restaurant on 30th Avenue that locals told us to go to. It was pretty good and we were eating with the locals. It was cheap too, we only spend about 140 pesos for two of us. I forgot the name but it was blue and near 28th? Street.
What’s up! We just got to Playa Del Carmen and our hotel shared your guides with us. They are a great resource. We look forward to checking out some of these restaurants. Good work!
Hello. I have a group of 12 that want to go out to dinner and maybe eat Italian. Where do you think is a fairly cheap restaurant to feed a group this size?
Hello Maxine. Thanks for your questions. We have to ask is it for dinner or lunch you are looking for a restaurant? Many Italian restaurants in Playa Del Carmen are closed during the day and you will have more options in the evening. Piola and Zero Zero restaurants are good because they do pizzas and are open for the lunch or dinner. If you did pizzas it would be a cheaper option. You can see our articles with reviews and videos so you can see if these are good options for your group. we hope have a great time!
We just got back to Nevada and are thinking about all the good restaurants we ate at in Playa Del Carmen. Thanks to you we found a lot of them. Keep up the good work with your guides!
We checked out some of the cheap eats this week and had fun going through the list. We wanted to go to the chicken place that is French but it was closed today, so maybe this week. Good list.
We stopped by Tortas Santa Fe today to get a cheap bite to eat. The tortas were one mean sandwich! They made them so fast and the chicken with pineapple, your suggestions, was a great combo with the spicy chipotle sauce. We really enjoyed it!
Yes! tortas Santa Fe is a good place to get sandwiches before the beach even though it is on 30th ave. So cheap and yummy. We are going back again tomorrow because the people were nice and food good and inexpensive.
fun guide to cheap eats, thanks.
Really appreciate your guides on the site. My family likes to save money on vacation when eating out but also like to have good options. Some of these restaurants are very good.
Wonderful options for places to eat! Thanks for all the options. I think I will go to Tortas Santa Fe since so many people talk about it.
This list is fun and I like all your guides of restaurants.
Very good information. Lucky me I ran across your website. I like how your articles are indepth and show the real side of Playa Del Carmen.
Greetings, Thanks for this guide. We used it for eating in Playa del Carmen and tried a lot of these restaurants. wonderful site!
What’s up, I was looking for something for other restaurants as well. Do you have a guide for regular restaurants in Playa Del Carmen?
Hello Jermain. We do have lots of other guides to restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. There is a link at the bottom of this article. Here is one of the most popular since it tells you where we would eat in one week in Playa Del Carmen. https://everythingplayadelcarmen.com/where-to-eat-in-playa-del-carmen/ We hope you have a great time in Playa Del Carmen and get to eat at some of these great restaurants.
Pretty! This was an incredibly find. I like discovering unique restaurants and will be in Playa Del Carmen next week. Saving money and eating cheap is good on vacation. Many thanks for supplying this info.
Thanks for mentioning all these cheap restaurants. It was just what I was looking and I found some of these and the restaurants were just how you described them.
I am a local in Playa del Carmen and hate to admit it but I don’t know where to go to eat in Playa. I read your website for ideas and love to try new places. I have already been to some of these cheap eats restaurants and will continue to get to know the restaurant scene through you.
We stayed in a hostel on the south end of Playa Del Carmen and checked out some of the cheap eats like Mama Mia pizza. The lunch specials guide was great too since there are good deals around town. It sure saved us money.
We went to Tortas Santa Fe, We love the cheap eats in Playa. This cheap sandwich was perfect.
I went to Tortas Santa fe yesterday and the sandwiches are really good for only 48 pesos, the drinks have going up to 20 pesos now but still a great deal. The break as actually bigger then before. I don’t know if Mega is making them bigger now for them or I was a fluke.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on restaurants in Playa
Del Carmen. Regards
Thanks for adding a few more restaurants in Playa del Carmen for this list. The taco place and burrito place sound good. I will have to go check them out. Thanks for all the hunting you do for places.
What’s happening. I am new to Playa Del Carmen and came across your article on restaurants. Great picks for cheap eats here. I look forward to seeing your other guides.
Appreciate this post. I want to try some of these restaurants out.
Hello friends, I just ate at Tortas Santa Fe and cannot believe how good the sandwiches are there. It was only like $2.40 USD. It was huge and super good. I got the one in your video. It was the chicken sandwich. I think it could of fed two people. The is a great cheap eats restaurant in Playa. Thanks for the tips.
We were staying at the hostel on 30th Avenue and saw that the Tortas Santa Fe was close. We ate there all the time. Such good value and a great restaurant in Playa Del Carmen for a cheap bit to eat.
Didn’t see a single American at the Parque Leona Vicario…that’s where the local eat for 10, 15 pesos….and it’s good.
Yes this park on the corner of 15th Avenue and Juarez does have some food carts. This can be a good place to get a cheap bite to eat. We have not found one cart that offers exceptional food but we will keep going so we can recommend one that really offers some good finds. Thanks for mentioning it to our readers. We hope you had some good food here.
Greetіngs! Very useful advice on places to eat in Playa Del Carmen. I will check some of these out.
Great eats guide. I was in Playa del Carmen and saw a lot of this places just like you said. It is good this is up-to-date!
Great tips on restaurants not only the cheap ones but all the guides on your site. Super helpful. Thanks.
I was just looking at your Cheap and Good Playa Del Carmen Restaurants. Cool information. I know with the inflation it must be hard for these restaurants to keep up with prices. I also notice you update things very often, that gives me a lot of trust in the fact you know what you are doing and care about tourist coming to the area.
Falafel Nessya is a great vegetarian spot for lunch. Food and drink for less than 100 pesos. If you go there tell Josue, Jake from Canada recommended it!
Just wanted to say that I stopped by the taco cart on 14 bis. Lovely people and great tacos. Will be going back.
Thank you for detailing great local hot spots . The sandwiches are great from Torta Santa Fe. We also found the best fresh fruit shakes at Nativo and great fresh fruit and really cheap. They also have jumbo shrimp wrapped in bacon and fantastic salmon. Guacamole is really good especially their Guacamole. Chez Celine has a nice baguette and great pastries. Another great little Chicken place off the main area is Hermandos 46th and 10th on the right side few doors down. Lots of great places off of the tourist area.
Hello Wendy
We are glad you found some great cheap eats here in Playa. We are working on some more additions, although it is harder to find food under 100 pesos.
Great list of restaurants. I love street food and finding local restaurants.
I love your guides and all the restaurant information you have on your site. It is very helpful.
Good article. I will check some of this places out. I need budget places to eat.
I love that you include these cheap eats. I often find these places have authentic foods of the area.
It’s difficult to find cheap restaurants talked about, but you
sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
We went to Las Quekas near Mega and Walmart on the way to Tulum one day during our recent stay in PDC. Thanks for the great local recommendation. Quesadillas were excellent and made fresh while we waited. It’s not fancy, but it was cheap and delicious. Thanks again for the great recommendation!
We visited a couple of these restaurants in Playa. Sure kept us on budget. Thanks
I appreciate when people tell you about the things that are budget and you are not making money off an article. People need more if this information.
Excellent list! I have eaten at about half of them but my all-time favorites are El Fogon (absolutely HUGE menu), Las Quekas (best fresh hand-made tortillas I’ve eaten in my life) and 2 chicken places: El Pechugon & Asadero El Pollo! Those are my go-to’s but I always try new places when in Playa and have picked a few off this list for my next trip… really excited about Tacontenedor, although I don’t remember seeing them in the location described, so will have to research that.
One place I would like to mention that definitely belongs on this list is the Crujipollo in Colosio. This is actually 2 buildings across the street from each other (40th, just north of Calle 72/Collosio). The main building offers chicken (breaded or roasted), pork, arachera, and a few other meat options, with a good choice of sides. The other building offers seafood, mainly shrimp and fish, both grilled and breaded. The shrimp is usually 12 pieces and the only menu item not had for under 100 pesos (I think it was 129 when I was there, but it’s easily enough for 2 people). Everything else can be ordered in individual plates or by the pound, so you can easily get away for under 100 pesos per person here. Excellent quality and consistency and a friendly and honest staff. I once accidentally gave the cashier and extra 200 peso bill that was folded up inside another one. She let me know i gave her too much which was a refreshing act of honesty! needless to say, she got a big tip 😉
We are glad you have found many of these restaurants. We love the one in Colosio but just mentioned the ones in the center for ease of most travels to find them. There are a lot of cheap eats out of the center and of course these areas are more for locals so prices are more normal. If you get to travel around to places like Valladolid, you will find some real good bargains. Even some yummy tamales!
We love to eat as local as possible. Panuchos, tacos and salbutes are all good! thanks for all the places you mentioned.
I don’t see McDonald’s or Burger King on the list…can’t go wrong if your a picky eater.
Thank you very much for the hard work that you do to maintain this up to date website. Everything that you say is accurate.
I’ve been to Tortas Santa fe many times. Clean, tasty, big sandwich for a cheap price.
I’ve also chosen my Spanish teacher Susanna because of your recommendation. She is great.
Keep up the good work.
We are happy you are having fun in Playa and finding all the good things here! Thanks for reading the site.
Hi. Thnaks for this list. I have been to some of these cheepies before but need to check out some of the street food options in Playa Del Carmen.
I love trying local foods when traveling to places and street food. I find it to be the best sometimes. I look forward to trying this restaurants and stands in Playa.
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed for my 4 day stay in Playa.
That is a quick trip! We hope you get to visit some of these restaurants.
Wonderful list! I tried some of the restaurants today but many of them do not serve beer. Why? Do tey need some kind of lisence? Anyway, I would highly appreciate if you could add information about alcohol, too from no on because I’ll be here for a year. Thank you!
Hello Megumi
Restaurants need permits to serve beer and alcohol. This can be expensive and most of these basic restaurants cannot afford to do so. We do have a list of places where you can buy alcohol yourself and also a list of bars on our website. https://everythingplayadelcarmen.com/where-to-buy-wine-and-alcohol-in-playa/ https://everythingplayadelcarmen.com/the-everything-guide-to-the-best-bars-in-playa-del-carmen/
Great list! Thanks for the time and effort u guys put into this! Love it!
Is Ricon Yucateco still around? Same with Guacamoles? I couldn’t find them on the map when I did a search.
Thanks
-Mark
We are going to have to check. We think Guacamoles is gone but there is a small Mexican restaurant next to where it used to be that is good. So many things have changed in the past year.