Travel: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
If you haven't noticed from my Instagram (@lovehonoreat), I had some downright amazing food adventures down in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Playa is a city on the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea. It is known for its amazing beaches and has become a very popular tourist destination. There is so much to do including snorkeling, exploring Mayan ruins, parasailing, shopping, or relaxing on the beach. That being said, the top priority for my family on a vacation is finding the best food. A typical day for us is planned around where we are going to eat, and this trip definitely did not disappoint.
Breakfast
An important part of every vacation for my family is breakfast. My dad is an early riser, so he always scouts out different places in the city for great breakfast and coffee. Here's some of the places we found:
Cafe Antoinette
This was a small coffee shop/bakery very close to the Cozumel Ferry docks. It was one of the few places that served iced coffee, but it felt a little cramped. We split a baguette with butter and jam which absolutely hit the spot.
L'Atelier
This was another small French bakery we found close to our condo. It had beautiful pastries and breads, but no iced coffee. Their coffee menu was very limited, which I'm honestly not used to coming from a country full of Starbucks and 1,000 calorie drinks. I ordered a cappuccino and it was just perfect. We also split another baguette with butter and jam and you could tell that the bread was homemade and very fresh.
Cafe Tikal
This place is definitely a hidden gem in Playa del Carmen. It has everything you could need- juices, burritos, tacos, smoothies, breakfast, hamburgers, hot dogs, coffee, and sandwiches. One of my all time favorite dishes in Mexico is molletes- toasted bread topped with refried beans, cheese, and fresh tomato salsa. Here at Cafe Tikal, we had an order of molletes and an order of eggs with cheese. It was one of my favorite meals of the trip, and Marvin, the owner, makes sure that you have a good experience.
Mexican
Carboncitos
Since this is our 3rd time in Playa, we decided we'd try to stray from the touristy, expensive places on 5th Avenue. Except for Carboncitos. The last time we were in Playa was 9 years ago when I was 11, so I don't have many memories of it. But one major flashbulb memory I have is stopping into Carboncitos to escape from a rainstorm, and having a bite to eat. It was hands down the best yellow rice I have ever had, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. This time, we ordered the chicken fajitas with a side of rice, and the rice tasted exactly the same as it did 9 years ago.
El Oasis
My dad has been dying to taste these shrimp tacos for 9 years. They are so perfectly simple, yet delicious. They are served with beautiful pieces of fried shrimp and a little bit of pico de gallo. There's lots of different toppings to choose from including a delicious garlic mayo. The most interesting part of this meal was the caldo de camaron that they brought out as an appetizer. It was brought out in small glasses and was definitely not my favorite. It was literally just shrimp soup, but my dad and brother in law could not get enough of it!
Pollo Bronco
After a long morning exploring some Mayan ruins in the hot sun, we were totally starving. We found a great place in the town of Tulum that specializes in chicken. We ordered 1 whole chicken which comes with rice, tortillas, cabbage and salsa. Then we added a grilled onion and some cheesy potatoes on the side. It was the most simple, yet most delicious meal we had on the trip. The chicken was seasoned and prepared so perfectly- it was tender and went perfectly with the different toppings. We had no trouble finishing it between the five of us!
Antojitos Sandra
One day we were wandering around Playa del Carmen with no real direction, other than to find an authentic restaurant to have lunch. My dad and I were on a mission to find a torta which is a Mexican sandwich served on a bolillo. We found Antojitos Sandra, which had a menu entirely in Spanish, and waiters who spoke very limited English. It was perfect! The food was so flavorful, simple, and inexpensive.
La Cueva del Chango
La Cueva del Chango has amazing brunch and a really cool atmosphere. It feels like you're eating in the jungle, but it's not hot because the dining area is shaded by beautiful trees. I ordered the molletes, which is one of my favorite Mexican meals. My mom had the French toast, and my dad had the potato and cheese empanadas. We all adored our meals. Everything was so incredibly fresh and the service was wonderful. We were one of the very few American tables, so we knew that we were at a good spot.
Italian
El Tenedor
El Tenedor (the fork, in English) is the #7/1000 rated restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It definitely deserves that rating from the meal we had on our first night. We ordered the chicken milanesa, margherita pizza, and spinach and cheese ricotta. Our meal came with a complimentary starter- bruschetta. It was all absolutely incredible, and if we hadn't been there for such a short week, I'm sure we would have been back.
Casa Sofia
We went to Casa Sofia for our last night in Playa. It was much more upscale than some restaurants, and had great service. The food was amazing, and the best part was that the prices were incredible. A huge plate of delicious pasta was only about 4 American dollars. I ordered the troffie with portofino sauce. It was a type of pasta I had never heard of- it was small and twisted. The sauce was 50% tomato, 50% pesto, so I knew that I would love it.
Misc.
Manne's Biergarten
Manne's Biergarten is a small little hole in the wall German restaurant. Sunday nights are prime rib night, so it was the perfect night to go. Each meal comes with a delicious prime rib swimming in gravy with your choice of potato and a salad. The meat was amazingly tender and the best part comes after... a complimentary shot of tequila!
Curry Omm
Indian food is one of my absolute favorite cuisines, so it was exciting to have an Indian restaurant in walking distance of our condo. We ordered chicken tikka masala and aloo matar. The rice was not included, but we ordered a bunch. The chicken tikka masala was different from what is normally served- the chicken was in big chunks and the sauce wasn't as creamy as I am used to. But nonetheless it was amazing!
Have you ever been to Playa del Carmen? What are your favorite restaurants?
Breakfast
An important part of every vacation for my family is breakfast. My dad is an early riser, so he always scouts out different places in the city for great breakfast and coffee. Here's some of the places we found:
Cafe Antoinette
This was a small coffee shop/bakery very close to the Cozumel Ferry docks. It was one of the few places that served iced coffee, but it felt a little cramped. We split a baguette with butter and jam which absolutely hit the spot.
 |
| Cafe Antoinette |
L'Atelier
This was another small French bakery we found close to our condo. It had beautiful pastries and breads, but no iced coffee. Their coffee menu was very limited, which I'm honestly not used to coming from a country full of Starbucks and 1,000 calorie drinks. I ordered a cappuccino and it was just perfect. We also split another baguette with butter and jam and you could tell that the bread was homemade and very fresh.
 |
| Le'Atelier |
Cafe Tikal
This place is definitely a hidden gem in Playa del Carmen. It has everything you could need- juices, burritos, tacos, smoothies, breakfast, hamburgers, hot dogs, coffee, and sandwiches. One of my all time favorite dishes in Mexico is molletes- toasted bread topped with refried beans, cheese, and fresh tomato salsa. Here at Cafe Tikal, we had an order of molletes and an order of eggs with cheese. It was one of my favorite meals of the trip, and Marvin, the owner, makes sure that you have a good experience.
 |
| Cafe Tikal |
Mexican
Carboncitos
Since this is our 3rd time in Playa, we decided we'd try to stray from the touristy, expensive places on 5th Avenue. Except for Carboncitos. The last time we were in Playa was 9 years ago when I was 11, so I don't have many memories of it. But one major flashbulb memory I have is stopping into Carboncitos to escape from a rainstorm, and having a bite to eat. It was hands down the best yellow rice I have ever had, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. This time, we ordered the chicken fajitas with a side of rice, and the rice tasted exactly the same as it did 9 years ago.
 |
| Chicken Fajitas from Carboncitos |
El Oasis
My dad has been dying to taste these shrimp tacos for 9 years. They are so perfectly simple, yet delicious. They are served with beautiful pieces of fried shrimp and a little bit of pico de gallo. There's lots of different toppings to choose from including a delicious garlic mayo. The most interesting part of this meal was the caldo de camaron that they brought out as an appetizer. It was brought out in small glasses and was definitely not my favorite. It was literally just shrimp soup, but my dad and brother in law could not get enough of it!
 |
| El Oasis |
Pollo Bronco
After a long morning exploring some Mayan ruins in the hot sun, we were totally starving. We found a great place in the town of Tulum that specializes in chicken. We ordered 1 whole chicken which comes with rice, tortillas, cabbage and salsa. Then we added a grilled onion and some cheesy potatoes on the side. It was the most simple, yet most delicious meal we had on the trip. The chicken was seasoned and prepared so perfectly- it was tender and went perfectly with the different toppings. We had no trouble finishing it between the five of us!
 |
| Pollo Bronco |
Antojitos Sandra
One day we were wandering around Playa del Carmen with no real direction, other than to find an authentic restaurant to have lunch. My dad and I were on a mission to find a torta which is a Mexican sandwich served on a bolillo. We found Antojitos Sandra, which had a menu entirely in Spanish, and waiters who spoke very limited English. It was perfect! The food was so flavorful, simple, and inexpensive.
 |
| Carne Asada Torta |
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| Steak Tacos & Chicken Tacos |
La Cueva del Chango has amazing brunch and a really cool atmosphere. It feels like you're eating in the jungle, but it's not hot because the dining area is shaded by beautiful trees. I ordered the molletes, which is one of my favorite Mexican meals. My mom had the French toast, and my dad had the potato and cheese empanadas. We all adored our meals. Everything was so incredibly fresh and the service was wonderful. We were one of the very few American tables, so we knew that we were at a good spot.
 |
| Molletes and French Toast |
 |
| Potato and Cheese Empanada |
Italian
El Tenedor
El Tenedor (the fork, in English) is the #7/1000 rated restaurant in Playa del Carmen. It definitely deserves that rating from the meal we had on our first night. We ordered the chicken milanesa, margherita pizza, and spinach and cheese ricotta. Our meal came with a complimentary starter- bruschetta. It was all absolutely incredible, and if we hadn't been there for such a short week, I'm sure we would have been back.
 |
| Chicken Milanesa |
 |
| Margherita Pizza, Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli |
We went to Casa Sofia for our last night in Playa. It was much more upscale than some restaurants, and had great service. The food was amazing, and the best part was that the prices were incredible. A huge plate of delicious pasta was only about 4 American dollars. I ordered the troffie with portofino sauce. It was a type of pasta I had never heard of- it was small and twisted. The sauce was 50% tomato, 50% pesto, so I knew that I would love it.
 |
| Troffie with Portofino Sauce |
Misc.
Manne's Biergarten
Manne's Biergarten is a small little hole in the wall German restaurant. Sunday nights are prime rib night, so it was the perfect night to go. Each meal comes with a delicious prime rib swimming in gravy with your choice of potato and a salad. The meat was amazingly tender and the best part comes after... a complimentary shot of tequila!
 |
| Prime Rib with a Baked Potato |
Curry Omm
Indian food is one of my absolute favorite cuisines, so it was exciting to have an Indian restaurant in walking distance of our condo. We ordered chicken tikka masala and aloo matar. The rice was not included, but we ordered a bunch. The chicken tikka masala was different from what is normally served- the chicken was in big chunks and the sauce wasn't as creamy as I am used to. But nonetheless it was amazing!
 |
| Chicken Tikka Masala, Garlic Naan, and Yellow Rice |
 |
| Curry Omm |
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