Primo

After visiting all three El Fogón locations in Playa del Carmen, I can confidently say they're all…read morefantastic. The service is quick, the prices are incredibly reasonable, and the food is consistently delicious. Before your meal even arrives, you're served a plate of fresh radishes, cucumber, and lime wedges, plus a selection of toppings including tomatoes, onions, and both a green and red salsa. Unfortunately this location didn't give us the cactus like the other locations did. The red salsa was my favourite, it paired perfectly with the tacos and had just the right amount of heat and flavour. The standout for me was the al pastor taco. The meat was incredibly flavourful with crispy edges, a smoky char, and the perfect balance of savoury spice and sweet pineapple. It was easily one of the best al pastor tacos I had in Playa del Carmen. I also tried the sirloin taco and the chicken breast plate, both of which were excellent. The portions were generous, everything tasted fresh, and the quality was impressive, especially for the price. El Fogón absolutely lived up to the hype. If you're looking for authentic, delicious tacos and grilled meats that won't break the bank, this is a must visit. I loved it so much that I ended up eating at all three locations and every visit was just as good as the last.

We had a fantastic meal at El Fogón in Playa del Carmen! The atmosphere was fun, lively, and felt…read morevery authentic. The service was outstanding, and everyone made us feel welcome. My wife and I shared the chicken fajitas, which were excellent. My friend ordered the al pastor fajitas, and his wife had the pork chops--everyone agreed the food was delicious. The guacamole was fresh and amazing, and every dish was flavorful and generously portioned. If you're looking for authentic Mexican food with excellent service and a great atmosphere, I highly recommend El Fogón. We would definitely come back!

1.8 km•Paraíso del Carmen

View from interior towards the corner intersection.

Nopales

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Strawberries smoothie

Los Aguachiles

4.4(302 reviews)

Excelente comida.. gran selección de platos con base de camarón, pulpo en cebiches y otras…read morepresentaciones. No tienen pescado entero pero tienen algunos cortes en filete. Un servicio muy bueno por Daniel!... muy atento y servicial. Un ambiente familiar con música en vivo con corte cubano. Yo regresaría con gusto cada vez que esté en playa. No es un restaurante fancy pero un lugar que amerita su vista. Los felicito y recomiendo.. sigan con el buen trabajo

Nicer restaurant with cool vibe off the main road. Casual enough for kids. We couldn't figure out…read morehow to make a reservation online and no one answered when we called but it wasn't an issue for us as walk in's. Definitely get the guacamole. I know it's Mexico and it's generally done well a lot of places but this guacamole was notable. Seafood was excellent. I have a shrimp allergy so it was good that they indicated that the fish fillet was cooked in the same style and to avoid. Instead I had a fantastic tuna tostado and King Octopus dish. Their aguachiles fish was fresh and tasty as well. All in all, highly recommend. Price point is on the higher side but not as much as fine dining.

Exterior

Hugo's Rice with shrimp, octopus and calamari

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Axiote

4.4(280 reviews)

1.8 km•Gonzalo Guerrero

Axiote Cocina de México was an incredible, beautiful restaurant, and one of the highlights of our…read moretrip--a perfect reminder to get out of the hotel and experience the local fare. The space is warm and completely unpretentious--wood, simple tables, an open kitchen and a palapa-style roof. Nothing about it screams "fine dining," and that's part of the charm. The perfectly prepared food does all the work. We chose the tasting experience, and bite for bite it was outstanding. The fried mushrooms were perfect, the fish ceviche was awesome, and the beef tongue was cooked beautifully. And don't be afraid of the grasshoppers--seriously. Yummy. Even ingredients I normally don't gravitate toward, like black beans, were used so thoughtfully that I enjoyed them. The drink pairings were equally impressive--tequila, beer, wine and espresso--and each one genuinely complemented the course it accompanied. We were basically the only guests that evening, and our waiter turned that into a wonderfully personal experience. He patiently answered every one of our many "American questions" about the ingredients, preparation and pairings, never making us feel rushed or out of place. A sincere thank-you to him, the cooks--who my partner and I gave a standing ovation to--and the entire team for making the evening so memorable. My one tiny suggestion? Cloth napkins. With that many courses, sauces and textures, the paper ones felt a little out of step with the quality of the food. But when the napkin is your biggest criticism, they're doing something right. And then there's the value. For an experience of this quality, the price was remarkable. Our total was about $320 including tip for the full tasting experience and pairings for two. We have spent more than twice that on comparable special-occasion dinners at home, so Axiote felt not just exceptional, but genuinely budget-friendly for what you receive. Axiote is relaxed, confident, welcoming and absolutely worth leaving the resort for. Go hungry, ask questions, trust the kitchen--and yes, eat the grasshoppers.

Great experience last Friday night at this Michinlin Bib restaurant. So glad I stopped by this…read moreplace is bomb and super not pretentious! Wish I got the tasting menu but I opted for 3 of the specialties instead and they were delicious... Tasting menu is best value tho! I got the raw trout sashimi thing and it was by far the best plate of the meal (first dish/appetizer) , then got the shrimp flautas (good not amazing) then I got the trout loin for the entree (good not amazing) Skinny marg was perfect and so was the waitress! Would recommend and go back but like I said I would for sure do with the 6 or 8 course tasting menu!

Inside

Course 5 of tasting menu - beef tongue

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Tomate - mezcal, cucumber, parsley, tomatillo, worm salt

Carboncitos

4.3(253 reviews)

0.5 km•Centro

This little gem sits off 5th Avenue. We almost walked past and glad we came up this little street…read more The Mayan lobster flambé is made table side. This is amazing!!!!!!! The aroma of fresh garlic, onion and peppers filled the air immediately. I was over joyed with the flavors and medley of the dish coming together. Fresh ingredients, bold mix of flavors and amazing staff!! I love this place

Carboncitos was a really enjoyable experience overall. The food was genuinely delicious. I started…read morewith the chicken soup, which had great flavor, but the portion was pretty small. For my entrée, I had the skirt steak, and it was tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The sweet potato with honey and cinnamon was absolutely delicious. My only real complaint is the portion sizes on a couple of items. The salad was very small, and I would have loved a more generous serving. I also ordered an amaretto sour. It was a little weak at first, so I asked for more amaretto, which made it better, but it still wasn't quite as strong as I prefer. The service was phenomenal. The staff was attentive, kind, and genuinely friendly throughout the entire experience. I felt well taken care of and truly enjoyed myself. I would definitely return.

Inside

Surf and Turf

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Strawberry Herradura Margarita

La Coronela Playa Del Carmen

4.5(124 reviews)

0.2 km•Centro

Four vegetarians in Mexico can struggle finding delicious authentic food that we can eat. The chef…read morecame out and helped us order and customized our dishes and did not disappoint. The food looked beautiful and tasted incredible. We had veggie fajitas, a burrito and a plate of nachos that went on for days.

We read good reviews so we decided to have drinks and appetizers. It's a small place off of fifth…read moreAvenue, which made it much quieter. We ordered the guacamole chips and they were below average . We've been having guacamole and chips every day and these seem to be on the lower end of the taste spectrum for all the guacamole we've had so far. The piña colada did not taste like a piña colada . The margarita tasted really good. It's a small restaurant so the menu is a little on the small side. The service was quick and we were able to get our check quickly too .

The front of the restaurant

The best!!

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Mimosas 2x1 every day from 8am to 12pm with your breakfast!

La Perla Pixan & La Carbonería

4.3(184 reviews)

2.0 km•Gonzalo Guerrero

We were wanting a "smaller" lunch and I had read that this place was awesome, so we decided to give…read moreit a try. It helped that it was pouring rain and most of the restaurant was under cover, unlike a lot of spots, so it was perfect. We were seated quickly and helped shortly after. Service was...interesting. Felt like we had the hardest experience with communication here, which is fine, as Americans that is our fault. Things like they have a porn star martini ( my fav) as a mocktail so I asked if it was possible to add a shot of vodka. They initially recommended the espresso martini which I did not want so I was just opting for water and he pushed the original option on me then charged be $20 for it, which was insane. They also pushed sales hard here, it felt a little off...like we just wanted to enjoy a meal and at the end we're hounded to try their mezcals. BUT food came quick and effeciently so no major complaints there, just be aware. As for the food, it was incredible. Again with the communication, we pointed and asked for the beet carpaccio....they brought out beef carpaccio WHICH thankfully we both eat meat because honestly, it was freaking incredible. We didn't even say anything about the mix up because it was a highlight. They brought it out under a glass smoker, it had a cream sauce, and rosemary, lime, cheese, it was just perfect. We also had the corn which was super unique, the tuna appetizer which had SO MUCH FLAVOR, and the fundito which was on par with everywhere else in the area. It ended up being more food than we planned but it was incredible in flavor, whoever the cook is does a great job of marrying flavors because it was an incredible meal. Be ready for the communication gap, but know you won't eat anything bad here.

Nice place for a dinner with a live (but not too loud) music and good service. They have very…read morespacious patio so there's no need to book a table. I liked the grilled octopus with baby potatoes and chile relleno was very flavorful. The kids menu was a real hit for my daughter too! We got a chicken with cheese plate which had a side of guacamole and corn on the cob- she ate it all.

HUAUZONTLE WEATHERED

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Dulce de leche

La Cueva del Chango

4.4(492 reviews)

2.0 km•Gonzalo Guerrero

I'm still sitting here eating. This soup oh my God. It's so good. Very flavorful and so fresh. It's…read morethe chicken broth soup with veggies. We also got chicken enchiladas and chilaquiles. Our server fakoundo is wonderful. Everyone here is great and the ambiance is perfect. I love it here. This is my 4th time in Playa and I've never been here but I will always come back!

Okay this place is so adorable. We were staying at an AirBnb around the corner and I had made a…read moreshort list of places to try if we were hungry, this somehow popped up on my Tik Tok one day and was glad I had written it down. We walked up for brunch timeframe and were told it would be 10-15 minutes, they had plenty of seating to wait BUT it was really only 3-4 minutes which was perfect. They have an open air concept, and we sat in back which was like a little magical garden area with a creek running through it. It was so adorable, and so tropical. Their drink menu was tasty, we got a couple of their mezcal drinks which low key were probably the best in all of Playa. Unique, fresh, and delicious. The food was incredible. My husband got a shrimp dish, it came with some very unique and creamy potatoes and a sauce that was so flavorful. I got a classic Chilaquiles dish that had so much flavor, but all the ingredients tasted so fresh and amazing. And almost a whole avocado on top which was insane. Such a great experience. We weren't rushed, taken care of, fantastic food and drink. I can see why it's highly rated.

Fresh flowers

Empanadas con frijoles de la olla y pico de gallo. A escoger con: queso Oaxaca, chaya, champiñones, nopales.

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Restaurant entrance

Porfirio's Playa del Carmen

4.1(222 reviews)

0.9 km•Centro

Saw this had great OpenTable reviews but didn't want to commit to a reservation, so we checked it…read moreout while exploring. We were also considering a steakhouse nearby...but when in Mexico, right? Glad we did--this ended up being the best meal we had all week (even compared to our resort). Food: great. Service: standout. Amii and Santi were the perfect balance--attentive without hovering, quick, and clearly in sync. They made everything easy. Highlights: - Hot stone seared New York strip -- fun, interactive, and really flavorful - Street-style al pastor for two -- fall-off-the-bone and worth it - Marinades + salsas were so good we asked for more - Drinks were a surprise win--especially the curated cocktails We walked in, but I'd recommend a reservation for busy season, we didn't have to wait but they had a lot of patrons in comparison. The vibe was awesome - from the modern cantina style to the liver performers that weren't cheesy and 1000% on point. We stayed all week at a private resort, if it were closer, we'd have gone back again. Would absolutely recommend

We came here for my birthday dinner, and it was such a fun spot to celebrate. Honestly, we were…read moreexpecting it to be a lot more expensive based on the vibe and presentation but it was surprisingly affordable for what you get. We ordered the steak (medium) because that's always our go-to and it was really good. Cooked properly with a nice sear on the outside and still juicy inside. Solid, reliable choice. We also tried the charred octopus, and this one was a bit of a miss for us. It leaned more on the soft side and felt slightly overcooked. We were hoping for more of that tender-with-a-slight-char texture contrast. You can never go wrong with French fries crispy, well-seasoned, and perfect for the table. For dessert, we got the chocolate cake, and wow !! the slice was huge. Definitely shareable. It was rich, moist, and indulgent. We couldn't even finish it, which says a lot because we tried. Overall, it was a great birthday dinner spot lively atmosphere, good food, and better value than we expected. I'd definitely come back, especially for another celebration.

Churros

Chocolate cake

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World Cup

Pik Nik

4.8(106 reviews)

1.5 km•Gonzalo Guerrero

January 26/2026: Lunch w Tony Kelly…read more This was absolutely delicious! We started with the guacamole & chips with their house made hot sauces. The mild sauce had almost zero taste but the hot one was delicious. I mixed it with the house made guacamole & it made the guac even more delicious! My main was the chicken tacos. They were fantastic too! Came with refried beans & rice. Once all components were mixed together the just blended & were delicious. The owner came to our table & mentioned that they have a 5 hour pork which we will go back to try. I don't take pics but I should have. Total cost for all was $1,000.00 Pesos Such a casual ambiance, sitting midday & have an amazing lunch with a delightful server & ice cold beer! This is a 100% do over for sure.

Awesome delicious food! They have a 149 peso deal that includes an appetizer, entree and drink…read more Menu changes daily and each day they have several options at that price. Very attentive staff and very delicious. I highly recommend.

Our meal

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Outside seating

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Leonardo S.

8 years ago

Best place to eat authentic romantic authentic food Small place to eat, Mexican nationals enjoying nostalgic flavors Everything is cooked from scratch, I will come back every time I'm in Playa del Carmen Avoid 5th av swap meet and give this chef and his crew a chance, That is what I understand about a restaurant Passion, recipes, cooking, prehispánica cooking techniques Forget Pizza for a moment and try this guy, is worth the visit to Mexico From a restauranteur to another, my utmost respect read more

elias a.

6 years ago

Food was excellent but there was an issue with my wife plate, the fish was not cooked so they credit me part of that waste without even asking. I did enjoy the food a lot but for those prices and the portion that was a sample I will never go back. I live here and there is many others far better for better prices. read more

Primo - mexican - Updated September 2026

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Let me preface this review with the fact that we arrived for dinner on the night Mexico was playing…read moretheir third game in the World Cup. The place was PACKED! We selected the restaurant because we were in search of shrimp cocktail and this place was recommended on Yelp. However there was no shrimp cocktail on the menu ?? Ultimately we didn't care at all - two of us shared a seafood tower and swore our allegiance to this place forever! It was that good. I also had my first apple martini and it is now my favorite of all the martinis The beer, when ordered in multiples, is served in an ice bucket. And the service here despite the total chaos inside and outside the restaurant, was attentive and prompt. 10/10 will definitely return.

We came for lunch. Nice place; it's like a garden.the day we came was beautiful weather so it was…read moreok to sit outside. They also have an area with shade but it is also open. We order the tostada de camarón, oater shot, tacos de carne asada and tacos jober. Everything was delicious and the prices unbeatable for this area in Playa. They have a specials of $25, $30, & $40 pesos tostadas and you can get a coronita for $10 pesos. Overall a great experience for a quick bite or not

La Vagabunda

4.2

(26 reviews)

January 26/2025: Dinner with the 5th Wheel Traveler's + Jason/Kim…read more K This was just good not great. Could have been great however but our server "Jacobe" was a nice fella but, I kinda detected an attitude when we asked for separate bills. I had the Chicken Fajitas. Good but certainly not great. MASS quantities of green peppers which cause me severe indigestion. The peppers were a large quantity of the entire meal, so the meal itself lost volume. I would just barely recommend this spot.

This place is spacious and a good place to people watch. When here they had a big party of like 12…read morepeople and they seem to have accommodated. My wife and I had the chicken fajitas and the taste was simple but so very good. It came with a small portion of beans and rice that were amazing. So it's a portion you can share if you aren't that hungry. The service was amazing and friendly. The drinks were also to die for, get the capirihna pineapple so fresh! Live music was playing too and they were chilled and created a good ambiance. Overall such a great experience!

Pozoleria Mi Abuelita

5.0

(7 reviews)

A must go to on every visit to Playa! The food is always great, the old guy friendly! Always great…read moreto see him. Best little hole in the wall pozoleria!

Love it! Always a lunch stop when in Playa. Everything we have ordered has been delicious.read more

Porfirio's Playa del Carmen

4.1

(222 reviews)

Restaurant la Candela

4.8

(20 reviews)

The new favorite restaurant in Cozumel…read more After being horrified by how my old favorite from 20+ years ago has turned into a comically overpriced tourist trap, I asked some workmen out on the street where they would suggest for lunch. La Candela -- just a block or so down a side street -- was the answer. It was an absolutely excellent lunch (specialty dishes of seafood and of breaded stuffed chicken). The service was terrific, and the atmosphere, even on a warm day, was very pleasant, with a breeze through the open window and a grotto looking onto the street -- seaside Mexico at its finest. One diner's food arrived incredibly hot, and the waiter very entertainingly pretended to be about to blast it with a fire extinguisher (he did not -- the diner, a solo traveler reading a book, was very amused, and her food looked great). I'm not in Cozumel as often as I used to be, but if/when I am, this is where I'll be going (and I'll have to try the tacos, which I'm told are even better than the grilled chicken and fish entrees.... and also try the breakfast).

We asked a person for an authentic place to eat. Great…read moreservice. The food was fresh and amazing. Definitely our new spot when we visit.

Ah Carbon!

4.5

(168 reviews)