Where to eat in Playa Del Carmen??

[tlmainer]

We are heading to Playa Dec. 2-7. Looking for advise on diver's favorite

eating spots. We are looking for a place that locals would eat, NOT a tourist or chain restaurant.
Thanks

 

[PlayaCountryBoy]

Howdy! I'm a local and I eat at these places weekly:

Carboncito's- for arrecherra steak tacos, located on 4th Street in between 5th Avenue and 10th Ave.

Dr. Taco- for beer-battered shrimp tacos, located on 10 th Avenue between 8th and 10th Streets.

Babe's Noodle Bar- Thai cuisine, Fresh Dorado (Mahi-Mahi), And the best ambience, located on 10th Street between 5th Avenue and 10th Ave.

El Fogon- off the beaten path but very worth it. Mexican tacos and food, mostly Mexicans go there, located on the corner of 30th Avenue and 6th Street.

Here's a map for help with the streets and avenues. Keep in mind when viewing the map that "street" in Spanish is "Calle".

http://www.fantaseadive.com/playa-del-carmen-map.php

Have fun sampling the food here. It's a culinary heaven.....or hell, depending on which "hot sauce" you pour on it!:11:

 

[driftwood]

You might want to try Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info for more opinions on eats than you can read before your trip.

El Fogon ROCKS!, worth the effort to find and is exactly what you are looking for. There is a second location about 4 or 5 blocks north of Constiyuentes (sp?) on 30 Ave as well. Another place comes to mind, HC del Monterrey (?) is closer to the ferry dock and south of Juarez. Need some help here on the address.

I know that you said that you wanted nontouristy restaurants but La Parrilla has some great food with reasonable prices at 5th and Calle 8. Be warned though, it is probably the most tourist place in PDC. A second floor table over looking 5th is a great place to people watch. La Parilla has a star in Frommer's that is well deserved. If you decide to eat there this will help, Cancun Restaurants - La Parrilla Coupon.

 

[tlmainer]

We have eaten at La Parrilla in Cancun and really liked it. For 5 years in a row we ate there until we started staying in Coz or Playa the past 3 years. It is well off the beaten path and whenever we ate there, we were usually the only non-residents.

 

[Matt S.]

I really like the al pastor at Aca Los Tacos. It's on the main drag, the end opposite the ferry terminal.

 

[Maverick69]

I really like the al pastor at Aca Los Tacos. It's on the main drag, the end opposite the ferry terminal.

Your right about a good place to eat but wrong on location . Its about 10 blocks north of the ferry terminal on Constituentes and 5th Ave.

 

[PlayaCountryBoy]

Guys...I too have eaten at the La Parilla in Cancun. It IS out of the way because yo uhave to get some sort of transport deep in to Cancun city. It's located on a narrow dowtown street and IS mostly locals going there. The La parilla in Playa del Carmen, I think, is a totally different story. I have eaten at the one here only once in almost 5 years, because it IS touristy. You will not see a local, foriegner or Mexican, eating in there. A: too expensive; B: lacks in ambience (meaning over-run with tourists). It's located off the 5th Ave between 8th and 10th Streets. But seriously....just walk by it then go check out somewhere else, and you'll be glad you did.

BTW the HC Monterrey Steak house is on 1st Street South between 20th and 25th Avenues. Thats another AWESOME to go! Enjoy!

 

[driftwood]

BTW the HC Monterrey Steak house is on 1st Street South between 20th and 25th Avenues. Thats another AWESOME to go! Enjoy!

Thanks for an address on HC Monterry, for the life of me I could not remember it. Also, I cannot think of a more tourist place to eat than La Pariilla, but the steaks are pretty good and not expensive by 5th Ave. standards.

Three other places have also come to mind, Paco's Tacos, Pizza Pazza (?) and El Oasis. Paco's is (was) a cart near the Pemex stationat the entrance of Puerto Adventuras, Pizza Pazza has two locations on 10 Ave and 5th, and El Oasis has a location on 307 north of Juarez and another one between 5th Ave and 10th Ave right around Calle 12. Something in the back of my mind says that El Oasis changed ownership and my not be the same cheap eats anymore. Pizza Pazza has some GREAT pizza (equal to some I had in Rome) for around $3 a slice.

 

[tlmainer]

Well, I started the thread so I'll finish up with a report. We went to El Fogon and Jason was right. Great food, not 1 tourist there. It is located about 30th Ave & Calle 30. When we got dropped off by the taxi, we thought for sure we were in the wrong spot. It's a LOCAL'S place, small, open front, very plain decor. We ate on tables on the sidewalk. There were 7 adults, we ate and all drank 3-4 beers apiece and the bill was only $82.00. We had lots of food left, big portions. We loved it.