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Basic Foodie is that cool bakery we all wish we had in our neighborhood, with unsurpassed baked goods and a menu that caters to organic-minded, vegan, and gluten-free customers. A modern design and laid-back atmosphere (plus reliable Wi-Fi) have made it a magnet for digital nomads.
Av. 25, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77710, Mexico
Known For
- Wide variety of handmade bread
- Vegetarian molletes (baguette with beans Mexican style)
- Organic smoothies
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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Céline's fresh-baked breads and pastries honor France, especially exquisite desserts like the classic dark chocolate cake and bold vanilla crème brûlée. Classic bistro fare—including quiche Lorraine and flavorful croques madames—make for a light lunch comme il faut. For a light, sweet breakfast or snack, don't miss the parfait with chia and red fruit coulis. Street-side tables on 5th Avenue are great for people-watching. Chez Céline stays open until 11 pm daily, and there's free Wi-Fi for patrons.
Av. 5 at Calle 34, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77710, Mexico
Known For
- French bistro-style croques
- Pastries and sweets to eat in or take away
- Quiche Lorraine
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This Playa institution, in a funky jungle garden with fountains, palmettos, and a rambling koi pond, is a favorite breakfast spot. The well-prepared, authentic Mexican selections include multiple styles of chilaquiles, a tart mix of meat, sauce, and egg on a bed of tortillas that will have you skipping lunch. It's popular for lunch and dinner as well.
Calle 38, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77710, Mexico
Known For
- Chilaquiles, served spicy or mild
- Good coffee
- Enchiladas with mole
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun
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Enter through the massive gate and wind your way up a garden pathway through the main dining area and into the back garden where intimate four- or five-table palapas are surrounded by jungle and hung with bright white hammocks and twinkling lights. Many ingredients, as well as medicinal plants, are grown on property and the owners would be happy to cut you a piece of fresh aloe for your sunburn or brew you up some anti-food-poisoning tea. Frozen margaritas are a treat and portion sizes are ample, but the food isn't the point here. It's the jungle ambience, the healing garden, and the friendly owners that make this place special. If you're looking for an intimate tour of local ruins or cenotes, the owners also own a tour company and would be happy to book something for you on-site. A kids' play area behind one of the palapas will appeal to families, and the remote jungle location will appeal to nature lovers.
Carretera 307, Km 241, 77780, Mexico
Known For
- Intimate jungle garden seating
- Maya dishes
- Organic chicken and pork
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Enjoy fresh seafood on the shaded patio of this family-owned restaurant in the heart of town. Try fish prepared al ajo (in a garlicky butter sauce), breaded, grilled, or tikin–xic style (marinated with adobo de achiote and sour oranges). Pelicanos also offers a variety of four-hour excursions that include fishing, snorkeling, then cooking the daily catch at the restaurant.
Av. Rafael Melgar at Av. Tulum, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
Known For
- Fried fish by kilo
- Catch and cook (and eat) options
- Massive margaritas
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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The smoky aromas of a South American parillada waft down the street from this Uruguayan barbecue joint. The heaping portions of short ribs, flank steak, and chorizo have developed a cult following up and down the Riviera, and locals swear by the empanadas. Tables are set in a simple stone-walled room and just outside on the street.
Av. Javier Rojo Gomez, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
Known For
- Good steaks
- Creative empanadas
- Friendly staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No breakfast
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Photos and paintings of old Hollywood pinup models share decor space with a large stone Buddha at this Swedish-owned restaurant that serves up a surprising, tasty mix of Asian and European food. It's known for local, interesting fare cooked to order and made with only the freshest ingredients (including sauces handmade every day by the owners). If you're here for Asian cuisine, try the tom kha gai coconut soup, pad Thai with handmade noodles, or one of the popular curries, then wash it all down with a refreshing lemonade, blended with ice and mint. For something European, you can't go wrong with the Swedish meatballs (after all, the owners are Swedish). For an unusual but tasty take on egg rolls, try the goat cheese rolls dipped in passion-fruit sauce. Vegetarians will find about 80% of the menu can be made meat-free. And if you're looking for the biggest—and possibly best—daiquiris in town, you'll find them at the bar here, piled high and always made with real fruit. Low-season travelers take note: this restaurant usually closes in October.
Calle 10 between Avs. 5 and 10
Known For
- Thai curries
- Pad Thai
- Swedish meatballs with lingonberries imported from Sweden
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch in low season
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The laid-back hub of Puerto Aventuras is this terrace café with a varied menu, including coconut shrimp and chicken with a chimichurri sauce made from red wine, garlic, onion, and fine herbs. If you and local fisherman get lucky, the nightly specials might include fresh-caught fish in garlic sauce. There's live music on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday in high season.
Centro Comercial Marina, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
Known For
- All-you-can-eat barbecue ribs
- Fresh-caught fish in garlic sauce
- Live music
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Just by the beach, the Coral Bar and Grill is the on-site restaurant of the Flying Cloud Hotel and part of the XTC Dive Center. The place is open all day, offering Mexican breakfasts, international food for lunch and dinner, and even some vegan dishes. It also works as a beach club and has theme nights every Tuesday and Friday.
Camino Costero, Km 54, Xcalak, Quintana Roo, 77940, Mexico
Known For
- Great ocean views
- Outstanding margaritas
- Theme nights
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Called "Camellito" by locals, this restaurant is famed for having Tulum's freshest seafood—and the jammed parking lot is testament to its enduring popularity. Fish or shrimp tacos are light and fresh, but the full splendor of the place is expressed by its whole grilled or fried fish, served with generous mounds of rice, beans, and plátanos. Come hungry. The lively scene and tropical ambience are a Mexican original.
Avs. Tulum and Luna, Tulum, Quintana Roo, 77780, Mexico
Known For
- Fresh seafood
- Fish or shrimp tacos
- Whole grilled or fried fish
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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Come to this cozy place for the pizza, stay for the cocktails and the live music. If pizza is not your thing, though, a wide variety of salads, pastas, and steaks are also available and well-served.
Álvaro Obregón 165, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, 77000, Mexico
Known For
- Specialty pizzas
- Live music
- Original cocktail menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch.
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Fernando's friendly, homey restaurant—which serves as a sort of visitors bureau—seems to change locations often but remains a Mahahual institution. The affordable menu features Mexican and Yucatecan specialties with a generous splash of gringo. Should you be in the market for a margarita, don't be shy; as the name suggests, this is the place for expert guidance on all things agave. You can even buy a bottle of Fernando's homemade tequila to go. If the indoor party scene isn't lively enough for you, head to the outside tables, where cruise passengers are known to do shots.
Plaza Martillo between Calles Coronado and Martillo, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, 77900, Mexico
Known For
- Homemade tequila
- Yucatecan specialties
- Good margaritas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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It may be far from Ibiza, but this trendy beachfront spot hits the mark with food like garlic fish and vegetables wrapped in foil, pineapple stuffed with seafood, black pepper–crusted tuna, and chicken breast with panela cheese. The lunch menu is less gourmet but equally good (think tacos, fajitas, and whole fried fish). Martini and tapas options add an urban touch, as do sides like ginger-curry mashed potatoes. In true Ibiza style, you'll find leather couches and party music—the difference is the palapa roof and the fact you're in a remote location where time stands still.
Av. Principal, at end of the boardwalk, near Hotel Luna de Plata, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, 77700, Mexico
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You can't get any closer to the ruins than this two-story restaurant in a palapa setting with Mexican blankets draped over wooden tables. Some of the more traditional selections include fish prepared Yucatán style, chicken in banana leaves, and cochinita pibil.
Cobá, Quintana Roo, 77740, Mexico
Known For
- Yucatán-style fish
- Cochinita pibil
- Fresh salads
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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Dig your toes in the sand floor and enjoy the catch of the day at La Cueva del Pescador. A crowd of easygoing expats hunkers down for the afternoon to feast on octopus, shrimp, or conch ceviche prepared with lime juice and flavored with cilantro—usually with a generous helping of beer on the side. Great grilled garlic shrimp and simple quesadillas are also served. Portions are sizeable, and prices are moderate. There’s a pool table here plus a TV that's typically tuned to sports.
Main rd., Akumal, Quintana Roo, 77760, Mexico
Known For
- Ceviche with octopus, shrimp, or conch
- Good beer
- Grilled garlic shrimp
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Two blocks north of the town square, the "dining room" room of this family-run eatery consists of plastic tables and chairs beneath mini palapas and tarps. What it lacks in charm it more than makes up for with food and prices—this is where locals go for seafood soup, fried fish, shrimp tacos, ceviche, and fresh guacamole. Plan to either practice your Spanish or use sign language, and plan to eat early, too, as it closes at 8. La Playita is the perfect place to sink your toes in the sand and enjoy a refreshing rice-milk horchata.
Av. Rafael Melgar, Sm 2, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
Known For
- Rice-milk horchata
- Toes-in-the-sand dining
- Closing early in the evening
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This upscale seafood taquería is an anchor of Playa's alternative culinary scene, an in-the-know spot for lunch or dinner that reimagines tacos sautéed in olive oil and topped with cucumber or strawberry-habanero salsa. Local favorites include shrimp tacos with "black gold" (beans), fish ceviche with green salsa, and fish tacos wrapped in your choice of corn tortilla, flour tortilla, or a giant leaf of Bibb lettuce. If you're not into spicy food, be careful with the house specialty aguachile. You'll find a second location on Avenida Constituyentes; there's also one in Tulum and another in Cancún.
Calle 34 at Av. 25, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77710, Mexico
Known For
- A new, modern take on tacos
- Unusual salsas
- Shrimp tacos with black gold (beans)
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Authentic chilaquiles, excellent, colorful fruit and veggie smoothies, and eggs Benedict (with the only real hollandaise you'll find in town) are just a few of the staples you'll find on the menu at Paloma's—a hacienda-style garden restaurant that specializes in brunch. The clean, simple restaurant interior opens onto a spacious, relaxed terrace dotted with white metal tables and chairs overlooking a large pool and sprawling garden. Brunch is the specialty here, but light lunch and dinner fare—including ceviche and quesadillas—are also on the ever-evolving menu. And if you need a place to stay in town, the connected hotel is a colorful, charming, budget-friendly spot.
Av. Tulum Mz. 39 Lt. 1, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Known For
- Authentic chilaquiles
- Eggs Benedict
- Colorful smoothies
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Abutting the plaza at the beach, Pangea has it all—breakfast, lunch, and dinner served on an umbrella-shaded terrace overlooking the sea, plus live music and entertainment until late. Daily menus—all prepared with organic ingredients and without preservatives—may include grilled fresh tuna, vegetarian lasagna, or shrimp kebabs, and there's fresh ginger-lemongrass tea and pancakes for breakfast. Evening menus are themed according to the show: expect Middle Eastern food for belly-dancing night and Spanish tapas for flamenco. The owners came from Mexico City in the early 1990s and are a great source for tourist tips and local gossip.
Av. Morelos at the water, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
Known For
- Fresh fish
- Themed menus
- Ginger-lemongrass tea
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This oceanfront, thatched-roof, palapa restaurant serves simple but tasty food. The Tex-Mex shrimp tacos accompanied with a cool beer are perfect for lunch, while dealing with the midday heat, and, for dinner, try the Poc Chuc pork or the traditional chicken with mole.
Carretera Mahahual-Xcalak, Km 52, Xcalak, Quintana Roo, 77000, Mexico
Known For
- Seasonal lobster tacos
- Spicy chilaquiles for breakfast
- Specialty pizzas
