Beyond the sandy waters edge, the sea gradually changes from tan to cream, light blue, turquoise, dark blue and then indigo on the horizon. The soft, warm breeze embraces the beach goer. The fishing boats parked on the shore selling their fresh catch captures the beach walker’s attention. More than 2 million Canadians visit Mexico annually and many frequent Playa del Carmen for their holiday. A holiday in Playa del Carmen, escaping the Canadian winter, provides the perfect opportunity to engage in the celebration of the local dishes and fine restaurant cuisine.
A short distance from the beach, Avenida Quinta (5th Avenue) beckons to shoppers to stroll the 42-block walking street. La Quinta is where vendors sell their wares including cigars and Mayan handicrafts. Between the stalls, restaurants beckon to the walking visitor. Most travellers think this is “Playa del Carmen” but there is a richer, hidden Playa where chefs prepare indigenous foods unlike the Mexican tacos and quesadillas familiar to many Canadian family tables.
A walking food crawl beyond Avenida Quinta, with a local guide, proved to be an exciting and delicious way to explore the city of Playa del Carmen while tasting a spectacular range of food choices that have been influenced by Mayan, Aztec and Spanish cultures. This walking tour provides adventurous travelers the opportunity to take their taste buds on tour and move beyond the beautiful beach and hotel facilities to experience the city’s distinctive array of foods.
On a late afternoon, evening tour, eating one dish in each restaurant, we went to places that not many tourists frequent and heard local history of the locations and the dishes presented. Each restaurant provided a variety of local tastes, regional specialities and delicious offerings available to choose and share.
Starting in the open-air market, food stalls and restaurants featured varied flavours, vibrant colours and varieties of spices along with pre-Hispanic super foods, with spice tastes ranging from mild to fiercely hot, including Chaya, achiote and cacao. We tasted regional dishes such as salbutes, panuchos, sopes, conchinita pibil and others. We also tasted, and recommend, familiar dishes including a variety of tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and ceviche.
Some of our favourite restaurants with prices that are more than reasonable include:
El Fogon
Authentic Mexican food with excellent tacos el pastor. Pork and chorizo, chicken fajitas, stuffed peppers and the best beans in Playa. The grilled vegetables are also amazing. The Arrachera is a favourite of ours.
Buzo’s
Is out of the tourist center and a no-frills Mexican seafood restaurant. They usually have live oysters and clams when in season. They also serve seafood soups, ceviches, octopus, shrimp and other dishes. They offer beer and a full bar. The fish dishes are excellent, salsa and dips are unique and flavorful with the chips and other dishes.
La Brocherie
Rotisserie Chicken – Another no-frills “Little Paris” restaurant and one of our favourites. The staff are friendly and accommodate requests. The food, chicken, is amazing, melt-in-your-mouth and nothing like anywhere else you have eaten. Wednesday is beef bourguignon night and it is incredibly delicious.
El Tapas
Spanish food with a mixed paella that included giant shrimp, mussels and pieces of pork. We also love the selection of tapas and choose items to share so we can enjoy the range of flavours and spices. Remarkably satisfying evening with a nice bottle of wine, seating on a patio, and guitar music.
Les Amis
Perfect sandwiches for brunch/lunch with fresh juices of your choosing. Warm, welcoming staff make you feel at home and treat you like guests.
Don Sirloin
Fantastic tacos, great range of salsas, tacos al pastor melts in your mouth. They cook the meat on a “trompo,” and the flavours will make you crave one of your own.
Playa del Carmen is a great place to visit with the ocean and sunshine such a pleasure. But, breakfast, lunch and dinner can be an exciting adventure away from La Quinta and a short walk into town provides a much greater variety of foods and experiences than the tourist area.