Trattoria Del Centro
This favorite little Italian eatery has re-opened and reflects the Italian influences in Playa Del Carmen today. This restaurant was a favorite for locals and tourists and if you liked it before you need to check it out again because it is even better now!
What is new here
Trattoria Del Centro has been re-painted and renovated but still has the original charm of the palapa building and open air restaurant.
They have added an amazing secret garden with seating in the back. So, if you don’t see people eating in the front, they might just be enjoying the more secluded and romantic garden area.
They now focus on Neapolitan Italian cooking. They have brought this true and authentic flavor to Playa which we did not have before.
Making fresh Neapolitan style pizza and pasta daily, this restaurant will satisfy your cravings for good Italian cooking. The chef is from Naples, Italy and makes sure that the food stays true to the taste and culinary traditions of his region. If you love fresh made pastas, pizzas, this places has you covered with different dishes. The menu starts you out with antipasti, soups, salads and has about 13 main course items and 10 different pizzas to choose from. The menu has a nice selection and variety and yet not too big where it is hard for the kitchen to focus on quality.
Trattoria Del Centro’s Pastas
You really have to get a pasta here! They use freshly made pastas and have eight to choose from. True to Neapolitan cuisine there is a seafood element to some dishes. Prices for pastas range from 100 pesos to 190 pesos. They have great fresh taste and good portions.
Below is the Calamarata pasta dish. It is a house specialty. Light homemade tomato sauce with seafood. Don’t order this plate if you are sharing because you will get in a fight for the last bite, it is that good!
What is the Neapolitan pizza like?
At Trattoria Del Centro they make the pizzas the traditional way in a wood fired brick oven. Neapolitan pizza is traditionally smaller and about he size of a large dinner plate. The pizzas can be a meal for one or shared if you order other menu items. Pizza prices are from 90 pesos to 130 pesos.
The crust is thin in the center and a little puffy on the crust. Everything is fresh fresh fresh here. Fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and other fresh toppings. It is not a heavy style pizza.
Dessert, coffee and cocktails at Trattoria Del Centro
If you want to start your night off a little early they have a good happy hour here from 5:30pm-7:30pm. All of their cocktails are only 65 pesos. This is a great deal for Playa!
They have a small wine list of mainly Italian wines. Glasses are a reasonable 60-85 pesos. They have a lot of unique cocktails made by their special mixologist and prices are reasonable as well.
To finish off your meal try an Italian coffee and don’t skip dessert. Since the food here is not heavy you just might have some room left. They have three desserts on the menu. The classic tiramisu is a must. Don’t worry, it is light tasting but also a large portion and good for sharing. Desserts are 60 and 70 pesos.
Dinning is informal and open Monday – Saturday. Forget 5th Avenue “Italian Restaurants” because you will get more then double the quality and a more enjoyable experience here, and it is only half a block off 5th Avenue. The staff is very welcoming and English/bilingual speaking.
Become one of the growing amount of followers of this restaurant, you can expect good things from this little place. We definitely recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner! Look for their lunch specials which will be under 100 pesos. You get good value for your money here, great classic and true Italian food and a nice setting as well.
*For more restaurant reviews and information see our full Playa Del Carmen Restaurant Guide here.
Hours
Monday- Saturday 11:00am-11:30pm. Closed Sundays.
Location
Trattoria Del Centro is on 26th St between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue in what is the trendier part of town.
Have you been to Trattoria Del Centro? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.
About The Author
This restaurant is fantastic! One word of caution, the antipasto portions were surprisingly large. We chose two, the scallops in pink sauce(seemed to be at least 10 scallops) and the calamari, these dishes coupled with the gratis pizza with roasted cherry tomatoes and arugula caused us to take our entrees to go. We will return.
If you love Italian food made by a real Italian cook or a pizza better than in Napels at surprisingly good prices (same quality food cost much more in Italy)at a cozy place with friendly people serving you than you need to go to the trattoria del centro at playa del Carmen.
We are glad you found this place. We have been watching them since they opened and more and more people are going there and discovering them. I was in Italy a few months ago and I to had fond memories of the Italian food in Playa and thought how lucky we are to have so many good places to choice from here.
We found this restaurant near our hotel and tried it. It was very good and better then the food that we ate in Rome. We like the variety of restaurants here in Playa del Carmen. The prices are also very good for the value. Thank you
This restaurant is really good. We stopped in for a quick bite and found the prices to be very reasonable, food authentic and the place had a nice atmosphere. We recommend This place and since it is off 5th Avenue it gives you much better value.
We loved the pizza at this restaurant. We were in Italy this past year and it was better here. Nice and authentic Italian food at this restaurant.
Last April we discovered this restaurant upon recommendation from the concierge at the Grand Hyatt. The food was fantastic and couldn’t get enough of it. We will be back in January and can’t wait to have dinner here our first night.