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Restaurants here vary from quirky beachside affairs with outdoor tables and palapas to more elaborate and sophisticated establishments. Dress is casual at most places, so leave your tie and jacket at home. Smaller eateries may not accept credit cards, especially in remote beach villages. Bigger ones and those in hotels normally
Restaurants here vary from quirky beachside affairs with outdoor tables and palapas to more elaborate and sophisticated establishments. Dress is casual at most places, so leave your tie and jacket at home. Smaller eateries may not accept credit cards, especially in remo
Restaurants here vary from quirky beachside affairs with outdoor tables and palapas to more elaborate and sophisticated
Restaurants here vary from quirky beachside affairs with outdoor tables and palapas to more elaborate and sophisticated establishments. Dress is casual at most places, so leave your tie and jacket at home. Smaller eateries may not accept credit cards, especially in remote beach villages. Bigger ones and those in hotels normally accept plastic. Many restaurants add propinas (tips) to the bill; look for a charge for "servicio." If tips aren’t included, a 15% gratuity is standard. It's best to order fresh local fish—grouper, dorado, red snapper, and sea bass—rather than shellfish like shrimp, lobster, and oysters, since the latter are often flown in frozen from the Gulf. Playa del Carmen has the largest selection of restaurants.
Basic Foodie is that cool bakery we all wish we had in our neighborhood, as its artisan bakery has no equal in town, and the rest of its menu caters to organic-minded, vegan, and gluten-free customers. A modern design and laidback atmosphere (plus a reliable Wi-Fi connection), mean the place has become a magnet for hipsters, digital nomads, and the like.
Avenida 25, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, 77710, Mexico
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, Tulum, Quintana Roo, 77780, Mexico
This colorful hangout on the corner of the main plaza is the best place in town to watch the world go by (or take advantage of free Wi-Fi) while lingering over coffee and a pastry. Most items are organic, and the fruit smoothies are delicious. Come prepared to practice your Spanish; the staff doesn't speak much English.
Av. Tulum at Av. Rojo Gomez, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, 77580, Mexico
This collection of plastic tables under a tarp may not look like much from the outside, but it's where the locals go for some of the best (and cheapest) tacos in town. Grab a seat and order up some pork or vegetarian tacos, priced at just MX$15 to MX$17 each, and a bottle of agua fresca (water mixed with fruit and sugar). Tables and salsas are shared, so get ready to make some new friends.
If you're looking for the favorite expat and local hangout by the beach, look no further than Taqueria La Eufemia—a simple, come-as-you-are taco bar on a wooden deck under a palapa with beachfront views. Head here for cheap, simple, no-frills tacos, coffee made with coconut water (and served in recycled glass with eco-friendly straws), and tasty garlic shrimp with homemade ketchup (known as Shrimp Cesare).
Tulum-Boca Paila, Km 8, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Health-conscious travelers rejoice: the menu at The Real Coconut features as much organic produce and free-range meat as possible and is entirely dairy-, gluten-, and refined-sugar-free. Stop by for lunch in the bright, modern beachfront dining room and order up some tacos with shrimp al pastor (served on tortillas made with coconut flour), a nacho bowl with organic chile, free-range chicken, or a light soup with a healthy bone-broth base. For dessert, try the giant chocolate chip cookie (it's hard to believe something so decadent is gluten- and dairy-free) or order up a thick, cold choco-nutty smoothie.
Carretera Cobá-Boca Paila, Km 8.2, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
This funky café, where expats and locals congregate, serves up smoothies, baked goods, tacos, homemade ice cream, and everything in between. The breakfast menu spans acai bowls, eggs Benedict, pancakes, and fruit plates. For lunch and dinner, you'll find blackened fish tacos, coconut shrimp, burgers, and vegetable wraps. Set back from the little plaza, the colorful garden is a pleasant place to have a coffee, and its location by the ecological center makes it the closest thing Akumal has to a downtown. If you fall in love with a local stray, the owner will help you get the paperwork to take your new pet home. The restaurant is open until 10 pm and has free Wi-Fi. This is the only place in town where happy-hour specials include food. Stop by between 4 and 6 pm any day of the week for pizza, taco, and drink specials.
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