There are some great restaurants on the Mayan Riviera. Puerto Morales, the tiny fishing village just north of Playa Paraiso, has several small restaurants that offer great meals, many of them using the fresh fish brought in that day on the fishing boats. Some favorite restaurants in Puerto Morales include Niko’s BBQ Chicken, which is run by Niko, who uses a secret Mayan sauce. Pelicanos offers fresh and delicious seafood in an open air dining room with views of the beach and sea. There is also a delicious pizza place in town if you’re in the mood for a familiar taste.

Playa del Carmen, there are many more options, but you might have to search a little bit to find the real gems. On Fifth Avenue in Playa Del Carmen, the main tourist drag, most of the restaurants are Italian, with some American places thrown in. The few Mexican restaurants on this strip specialize in “American Mexican” and are generally considered inauthentic. All of the restaurants on Fifth have menus in English, waiters that speak English, and have prices at the American tourist level. Wander off Fifth and away from the beach and you’ll start to find wonderful little holes in the wall serving great (and cheap!) Mexican fare. Wander all the way to 30th and you’ll be into the residential and commercial area of the city, where the natives live and eat. This makes the food in this area super authentic, and super wonderful. Here are a few choice Mexican restaurants in Playa:

El Faisan y El Venado
Traditional Mexican food and also some traditional Mayan dishes.
Highway 307 near Juarez

La Malquerida
Traditional Mexican fare.
34th St Between 25th and 30th Ave

Tacos Arabe
The best tacos around.
15th Ave and 10th St