Eat and drink

The owner's picks

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  Los Sánchez

  Taqueria and grill7 min walk$$

  Some of the best tacos in town. A little pricey, but worth it, and the place is buzzing at night.

  A taqueria and grill on Calle 38 with creative tacos, grilled mains and cocktails. Evenings come with music and a lively crowd.

  • Seafood tacos with octopus, shrimp or fish stand out, including a grilled mahi mahi taco that one food writer rated the best they had.
  • Other plates people order often are skirt steak, corn ribs, roasted cauliflower and arroz del mar (seafood rice), with churros for dessert.
  • The large guacamole with chips, plated in the colors of the Mexican flag, is a good first order.
  • Evenings are lively, with music and cocktails, and it can get noisy at peak hours.
  • It stays open until midnight or 1 am, which suits a late dinner.

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  El Gober

  Seafood restaurant with rooftop grill9 min walk$$

  Fresh seafood in a place where locals eat.

  A seafood restaurant, also listed as El Gobernador, with ceviche, aguachiles and tacos. It is open from noon to midnight, so lunch and dinner both work.

  • Chef Esteban Calletano cooks seafood with a Mexican accent over two floors, with a bar downstairs and a rooftop with its own grill and bar.
  • Sharing plates are a feature: the menu lists a seafood tower to share, and the house ceviche tower is big and made for a group.
  • Aguachiles come in several styles, including green, black ink, Sinaloa style and a spicy one called Levanta Muertos, plus a seafood broth called Caldo Quita Penas.
  • Grilled octopus, soft shell crab tacos, shrimp tacos, fried whole red snapper and lobster risotto come up often, and the cocktails and friendly staff stand out.
  • The upstairs and the rooftop can get hot in summer.

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  Lido | Cocina de Playa

  Beachfront restaurant and bar10 min walk$$

  Dinner on the sand in the evening, with live music some nights.

  A palapa restaurant and bar on the sand, inside Hotel Colibri Beach. It serves an international menu with a Mexican twist, from breakfast through dinner.

  • The menu is international with a Mexican twist, served from breakfast through dinner, and vegan options are marked.
  • Dinner dishes include a Lido burger (about MXN 340), bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp (about MXN 420), pulpo al pil pil (about MXN 590) and a pulque-sauced flank steak.
  • Breakfast includes huevos divorciados and a Lido omelette, and the signature cocktail comes in a fresh coconut.
  • Live music is listed for Thursday to Sunday, with acoustic music during dinner. Sources differ on the schedule; confirm before you go.
  • No entrance fee, and you pay as you order. Beach chairs are limited and erosion has shrunk the sand, so the restaurant is the main draw.

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  El Chuletón

  Casual taqueria and grill17 min walk$

  Real local food at local prices, outside the tourist strip.

  A casual taqueria with a grill, serving tacos, grilled meats and molcajetes. Tacos are the headline, and the menu runs well past them.

  • Tacos come as al pastor (reportedly served plain, without pineapple), arrachera, chorizo and bacon chops on toasted tortillas, with cheese on most.
  • The menu goes beyond tacos with family guacamole, queso fundido with chorizo, molcajetes, alambres, flank steak, ceviche and chocolate mousse, plus more than ten soups.
  • Drinks include lemonade, horchata, a passion fruit drink and margaritas.
  • Friendly service and portions are often mentioned, but one late 2024 visit found it slow.

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  Los Chachalacos

  Late-night taqueria3 min walk$

  My favorite tacos, open late (until 1 am), a short walk away.

  A taqueria on 5th Avenue at Calle 26, part of a local chain with several Playa del Carmen branches. It stays open late.

  • Tacos al pastor cut from a vertical spit are the dish people single out; carnitas, fish tacos and nachos also come up.
  • The chain's menu runs past 100 items, including tacos with ribeye, New York strip or shrimp, and a taco with meat wrapped in melted shredded cheese.
  • Menu sections include pastor, carnitas, soups, alambres, volcanes (tortilla crisp with melted cheese and meat) and campechanos (mixed meats). Starters include queso fundido and guacamole.
  • The official site lists this branch as open until 1 am, with the opening time unclear (printed as 12 am, probably noon).
  • The dining room is lively and clean, with TVs, and staff are said to speak English. Speed and portion size are mixed.

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  Harry's Steakhouse & Raw Bar

  Steakhouse and raw bar10 min walk$$$$

  My favorite steakhouse in Playa, on 5th Avenue.

  An upscale steakhouse and raw bar on 5th Avenue. The menu centers on prime and wagyu beef, shellfish, oysters and caviar.

  • Beef includes Japanese and Akaushi Kobe wagyu, Australian Black Onyx and Jack's Creek, and USDA Prime, with cuts from filet to a roughly 2.6 lb tomahawk.
  • The raw bar has Alaskan king crab, Moorish crab claws, oysters including Rockefeller, hamachi sashimi, shrimp cocktail, an ocean platter and caviar by the gram.
  • Starters and other plates include beef carpaccio and tartare, tempura shrimp, wagyu cooked on a hot stone, a burger of about 8 oz and spicy vodka rigatoni.
  • The dining room is polished, with glass fronts and wood decor, on 5th Avenue.

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  Fuego Santo

  Argentine steakhouse and grill8 min walk$$

  Great Argentinian steaks at really good prices, and good drinks.

  An Argentine steakhouse built around a charcoal grill, with big cuts to share and four burgers. It is open daily from lunchtime to late evening.

  • Charcoal-grilled Argentine cuts include vacio (about 2.2 lb to share, or about 14 oz), picana (about 2.6 lb), ribeye and New York of about 14 oz, and arrachera (flank steak).
  • There are four burgers of about 9 oz: Prime, Criolla, Barbecue and La Argentina.
  • Starters and sides include empanadas, chorizo, morcilla, sweetbreads (mollejas), chimichurri, mashed potatoes and homemade flan.
  • La Mendoza is a shareable parrillada for four, with chicken, ribeye, picana, New York, chorizo, sweetbreads and blood sausage.
  • Children and pets are welcome, and cards are accepted, plus cash in pesos or US dollars.

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  Restaurante Malagueta

  Mexican, home cooking

  Home cooking where locals eat, and easy on the wallet.

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