Eats we recommend from our April trip

MWC · 04-23-2005

Still working on the trip report, but figured I'd get this out since it is done --
we found some great places based on recommendations here. We were two adults and two kids (12 & 7), and had no ill effects from eating at any of these places. Even at the most autentico places, where little English was spoken, kids were able to find things they could eat.
Enjoy, and thanks for all the advice!

PAN DEL CARMEN, on Juarez, between 5th & 10th. Bakery. Great pastries, WAY better than Chedraui or Super Panaderia. Very good selection – in our foursome, all the kids and adults found several selections we liked. Pastries weren’t overly sweet or fatty -- would go well with coffee.

COFFEE PRESS on 2nd between 5th and the Ocean. Open 7:30 am (but you’d probably be safer expecting 8). We had a GREAT breakfast here. Excellent coffee – the best we had in PDC (we did the big coffee press). Nice fruit plate. The girls enjoyed their hotcakes – with chocolate chips, very happy! Grownups had huevos en estilo sinaloa – excellent, and really held us all day. Service was a bit diffident, but we were their first customers, so we chalked it up to the morning crankies. Still, we never wanted for anything. Great view of sea and Posada Sian Ka’an’s gardens, and the Calle 2 cat patrol.

LOS 3 CARBONCITOS on Calle 4 between Av 5 y 10. We enjoyed our food here. The tacos al pastor were a non-event, but other tacos we ordered were good. For those looking for a “safe” veggie influx, the tacos Mexicano (cactus, peppers, onions con queso) did it for my digestive system (in a good way!)
They take their cold beer seriously here – each new bottle comes with a new frosted mug. We really appreciated that touch; and those ice cold Sols went down like sodas. Ah!
Good, attentive service and they don’t hector people on the street.

LA CASA DE PIEDRA on Calle 6 between 5th and 10th Avenue. (Next to Los Almendros) We have always enjoyed the meals we have had here, and would love to see this place get more “airtime” on the board. There are good deals to be had on their menu del dia board (which changes daily); their menu del dia offers different cost levels, usually between 40 and 60 pesos. The service here is very friendly, playful and attentive, in marked contrast to their neighbors at Los Almendros. In fact, if Los Almedros is busy, don’t think twice about trying La Casa de Piedra. I don’t think they offer mixed drinks, but their beer is good and cold.
They also serve a very good breakfast, and are actually open when they say they’ll be open. They offer very generous breakfast menus, also for a set price. Their coffee was a light blend, but very lively and nicely balanced.

LOS ALMENDROS, Calle 6 and 10th Avenue. Service can be spotty – but very good food, both off the printed menu and the menu del dia. Excellent frozen margaritas – the best we had while down there – and licuados. Their menu del dia was usually in the 40-45 peso range. Excellent soups. Had no ill effects from eating their raw vegetables. Try to go when it’s not busy, as service is this place’s weak link. If it’s busy and you’re starving, do yourself a favor and go next door to La Casa de Piedra.

JAVA JOE’S – Calle 10, between 5th and 10th Aves. Open 6:30 am, and opens on time! Friendly vibe. Good coffee; food is OK, but pricy for what they offer. Kids loved the peanut butter bagel, though. Good place when the family is up early, and you want to get going.

DR. TACO on 10th avenue just south of Calle 10. We enjoyed our dinner here, and appreciated the option of having our seafood sautéed, not fried. Grownups went for different varieties of seafood tacos. Best described as “toothsome morsels.” Girls liked their quesadillas. The salsa bar is a nice touch – if one wanted to be really cheap, one could load up one’s plate with the side salads, and fill up on veggies. (We suffered no ill effects from eating raw vegetables from there). The hot sauce selection is better at El Oasis.
Very friendly waiter. Ice cold Pacifico beers – Mom had three with dinner! Felt quite pacifica after that.

EL OASIS on 12th Street between 5th and 10th Aves. We had visited El Oasis during Xmas break, and left completely underwhelmed. We tried it again literally from hunger, as it was close to the El Pirata peep get together, and we were out of ideas. We are very glad we gave it another try, as it was much better this time. We’re still not disciples of the Cult of Jaime’s Shrimp Tacos, but I really liked the Fish Taco. I had mine with something that tasted like malt vinegar (Salsa de something-with-a-“z”-in it); the bottle was squat and angular. Greg enjoyed experimenting with the other different hot (and otherwise) sauces.
Beers were cold this time, and updated attentively. Our waiter was an older guy who stayed right on top of things. Based on this experience, we still wouldn’t make a special trip; but would eat at El Oasis if in the neighborhood.

EL ITAKATE on Calle 2 between 10th and 15th Aves. We kept passing this place on our way to/from the Playa-Tulum collectivos, and finally took the plunge when I saw “pollo en pipian” on their menu del dia. Excellent! We also had good fried chicken and meatballs in broth. Every day they had a new selection of about 10 dishes, each 30 pesos for a dinner including soup, rice, beans, the entrée, and a huge glass of agua fresca. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A lot of locals. Very, very good and homey food. Take a relaxing walk and give it a try!

MAKECH, 1st street south (parallel to Juarez, one block south) near 10th. WARNING: We walked by there one morning to check it out, and the concrete storefront was demolished. I hope they moved, but there was no indication.

EL SERAPE... it's on the north side of Juarez Avenue, around 20th or 25th street. This place has always enjoyed a good reputation, but we were really turned off this time. The food is good, and you know they’ll always have certain dishes … but the service was rude and obnoxious. The waiter tried to goad us into ordering more than we wanted, and ignored us as a result – probably missing out on an extra order of drinks. The frozen margaritas are good – on the sweet side, but in a good way. Prices seemed a lot higher than when we visited at Xmas time – but that might be because this time we were at dinner, not lunch???
We won’t go back. We felt the service was too much of a La Quinta experience, which we don’t expect to get on Juarez. Can get good food for a lot cheaper elsewhere; margs too!

IN TULUM:
Charlie’s
Location: toward the southern end of the “main drag” part of 307, across from the bus station and collective terminus. Accepts credit cards (though their machine would NOT accept ours) Open 11 am - 11 pm , Tuesday - Sunday, closed Mondays.
Really great place! Even though it obviously caters to tourists, it does so without being patronizing in either cuisine or attitude. The welcome was warm, and the service friendly and attentive. The Mexican specialties we tried were all excellent; portions were generous, and fairly priced. Our youngest tried enchiladas in verde sauce, which she gobbled up; I tried the chicken in mole sauce, which was great; Greg and our eldest each had a chile relleno that was stuffed with the lightest cheese filling I’ve ever tasted. The margaritas were very good. Enjoy the outdoor patio or inside seating.
NOTE: this is NOT Charly’s the blue disco that you’ll see at the northern end of 307 in Tulum. Keep driving south.

IN AKUMAL:
Loncheria outside of Super Chomak
Very good homestyle cucina, cheap for Akumal (but PDC taquierias & loncherias are cheaper)
Open for breakfast and lunch. I enjoyed enchiladas verde one day, and pork a la tampquiena another. Had good ham & cheese burritas for breakfast one day. Good chile relleno. Youngest liked their hamburguesa con queso y papas. Also had more Americanized choices for less adventurous diners. Good agua frutas. Super Chomak is next door, if you want beer with your meal.

Lucy’s across from Super Chomak, back with the open air market. Little place, with weepingly great ice cream and fruit smoothies. The waffle cones taste like the best butter cookie! We never tried their lunch menu (11 to 3), but locals recommend their shrimp tacos.

Dave y Stacey · 04-25-2005

Good stuff - looks like a few more places to add to my list.

(I'm gonna get fat this trip)

04-26-2005

Quote:

Lucy’s across from Super Chomak, back with the open air market. Little place, with weepingly great ice cream and fruit smoothies. The waffle cones taste like the best butter cookie! We never tried their lunch menu (11 to 3), but locals recommend their shrimp tacos.

I'll vouch for Lucy's shrimp taco's. My wife and I had them when we were there in early March. They are the batter type, were piping hot and excellent. The waffle cone and mango ice cream was great too!

tesa001 · 05-05-2005

thanks for sharing that info...........i'm cutting and pasting as we speak..........

05-08-2005

Thanks!!!!!!!

coastskard · 04-15-2006

Wow! Great info! So this seems to be the place to ask the burning question I yearn to have answered: if you had one place to go for a really good authentic Mexican meal, where would you go in PDC? My wife and I are staying at an AI (I know, I know, call off the dogs.... :p ) but would like to journey into town for at least one really authentic Mexican meal for lunch. Suggestions? Any and all would be appriciated. Thanks!

Jacko · 04-15-2006

Just saw this old post, MWC..and since we are heading back shortly....

Thanks for the great info...we like Los Almendros too, but really like your suggestion for La Casa de Piedra...never tried it before...we will fix that this time! Thanks!

cmsitaly · 04-15-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacko

Just saw this old post, MWC..and since we are heading back shortly....

Thanks for the great info...we like Los Almendros too, but really like your suggestion for La Casa de Piedra...never tried it before...we will fix that this time! Thanks!

That location of La Casa del Piedra is closed (calle 6) We ate there last year for commida corrida and it was good. But there is another one. I don't know where it is (maybe areound 25 and 30th???), Anna posted about it a while ago...

Jacko · 04-15-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmsitaly

That location of La Casa del Piedra is closed (calle 6) We ate there last year for commida corrida and it was good. But there is another one. I don't know where it is (maybe areound 25 and 30th???), Anna posted about it a while ago...

Thanks!

Skiptown · 04-16-2006

We were in Playa the 7th thru the 9th. Had nothing but great food. We ate everything from street food to nice reasaraunts and it was all good. The morning we left on the bus I ran over to a street stand and got a torta that was unbelievably good. I am now in love with tacos pastor and have not found them around where we live. I know that someone around our mexican community has one of those upright spit machines and I will sniff them out. We tried our first time making Poc Chuc last night. Turned out pretty good.

JAH · 04-17-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmsitaly

That location of La Casa del Piedra is closed (calle 6) We ate there last year for commida corrida and it was good. But there is another one. I don't know where it is (maybe areound 25 and 30th???), Anna posted about it a while ago...

From Anna's post: "Their original location on Avenida 35 btw Calle 30 and 32 is still there". I don't know the date of that post, but perhaps someone(Anna?) knows if this information is still valid.

cmsitaly · 04-17-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skiptown

We were in Playa the 7th thru the 9th. Had nothing but great food. We ate everything from street food to nice reasaraunts and it was all good. The morning we left on the bus I ran over to a street stand and got a torta that was unbelievably good. I am now in love with tacos pastor and have not found them around where we live. I know that someone around our mexican community has one of those upright spit machines and I will sniff them out. We tried our first time making Poc Chuc last night. Turned out pretty good.

Ya got a recipe for that Poc Chuc???

sunrlb · 04-17-2006

We didn't have one bad meal while in Playa not even from the street vendors. I have to tell ya......my fav place for beef tacos is Playa Maya. Coconut shrimp was fabulous but a bit pricey. YUM

pablita · 04-17-2006

Wow!!! you know a lot of place to eat, thanks I add at my list!!
I have some more days here and I want to go there!!! But you forgot PASTA LUEGO. I found it here in playa info and I went there. Really very nice!!! I go there tonight too!!

04-23-2005	#1 (permalink)
MWC añejo Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 6,496	Eats we recommend from our April trip Still working on the trip report, but figured I'd get this out since it is done -- we found some great places based on recommendations here. We were two adults and two kids (12 & 7), and had no ill effects from eating at any of these places. Even at the most autentico places, where little English was spoken, kids were able to find things they could eat. Enjoy, and thanks for all the advice! PAN DEL CARMEN, on Juarez, between 5th & 10th. Bakery. Great pastries, WAY better than Chedraui or Super Panaderia. Very good selection – in our foursome, all the kids and adults found several selections we liked. Pastries weren’t overly sweet or fatty -- would go well with coffee. COFFEE PRESS on 2nd between 5th and the Ocean. Open 7:30 am (but you’d probably be safer expecting 8). We had a GREAT breakfast here. Excellent coffee – the best we had in PDC (we did the big coffee press). Nice fruit plate. The girls enjoyed their hotcakes – with chocolate chips, very happy! Grownups had huevos en estilo sinaloa – excellent, and really held us all day. Service was a bit diffident, but we were their first customers, so we chalked it up to the morning crankies. Still, we never wanted for anything. Great view of sea and Posada Sian Ka’an’s gardens, and the Calle 2 cat patrol. LOS 3 CARBONCITOS on Calle 4 between Av 5 y 10. We enjoyed our food here. The tacos al pastor were a non-event, but other tacos we ordered were good. For those looking for a “safe” veggie influx, the tacos Mexicano (cactus, peppers, onions con queso) did it for my digestive system (in a good way!) They take their cold beer seriously here – each new bottle comes with a new frosted mug. We really appreciated that touch; and those ice cold Sols went down like sodas. Ah! Good, attentive service and they don’t hector people on the street. LA CASA DE PIEDRA on Calle 6 between 5th and 10th Avenue. (Next to Los Almendros) We have always enjoyed the meals we have had here, and would love to see this place get more “airtime” on the board. There are good deals to be had on their menu del dia board (which changes daily); their menu del dia offers different cost levels, usually between 40 and 60 pesos. The service here is very friendly, playful and attentive, in marked contrast to their neighbors at Los Almendros. In fact, if Los Almedros is busy, don’t think twice about trying La Casa de Piedra. I don’t think they offer mixed drinks, but their beer is good and cold. They also serve a very good breakfast, and are actually open when they say they’ll be open. They offer very generous breakfast menus, also for a set price. Their coffee was a light blend, but very lively and nicely balanced. LOS ALMENDROS, Calle 6 and 10th Avenue. Service can be spotty – but very good food, both off the printed menu and the menu del dia. Excellent frozen margaritas – the best we had while down there – and licuados. Their menu del dia was usually in the 40-45 peso range. Excellent soups. Had no ill effects from eating their raw vegetables. Try to go when it’s not busy, as service is this place’s weak link. If it’s busy and you’re starving, do yourself a favor and go next door to La Casa de Piedra. JAVA JOE’S – Calle 10, between 5th and 10th Aves. Open 6:30 am, and opens on time! Friendly vibe. Good coffee; food is OK, but pricy for what they offer. Kids loved the peanut butter bagel, though. Good place when the family is up early, and you want to get going. DR. TACO on 10th avenue just south of Calle 10. We enjoyed our dinner here, and appreciated the option of having our seafood sautéed, not fried. Grownups went for different varieties of seafood tacos. Best described as “toothsome morsels.” Girls liked their quesadillas. The salsa bar is a nice touch – if one wanted to be really cheap, one could load up one’s plate with the side salads, and fill up on veggies. (We suffered no ill effects from eating raw vegetables from there). The hot sauce selection is better at El Oasis. Very friendly waiter. Ice cold Pacifico beers – Mom had three with dinner! Felt quite pacifica after that. EL OASIS on 12th Street between 5th and 10th Aves. We had visited El Oasis during Xmas break, and left completely underwhelmed. We tried it again literally from hunger, as it was close to the El Pirata peep get together, and we were out of ideas. We are very glad we gave it another try, as it was much better this time. We’re still not disciples of the Cult of Jaime’s Shrimp Tacos, but I really liked the Fish Taco. I had mine with something that tasted like malt vinegar (Salsa de something-with-a-“z”-in it); the bottle was squat and angular. Greg enjoyed experimenting with the other different hot (and otherwise) sauces. Beers were cold this time, and updated attentively. Our waiter was an older guy who stayed right on top of things. Based on this experience, we still wouldn’t make a special trip; but would eat at El Oasis if in the neighborhood. EL ITAKATE on Calle 2 between 10th and 15th Aves. We kept passing this place on our way to/from the Playa-Tulum collectivos, and finally took the plunge when I saw “pollo en pipian” on their menu del dia. Excellent! We also had good fried chicken and meatballs in broth. Every day they had a new selection of about 10 dishes, each 30 pesos for a dinner including soup, rice, beans, the entrée, and a huge glass of agua fresca. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A lot of locals. Very, very good and homey food. Take a relaxing walk and give it a try! MAKECH, 1st street south (parallel to Juarez, one block south) near 10th. WARNING: We walked by there one morning to check it out, and the concrete storefront was demolished. I hope they moved, but there was no indication. EL SERAPE... it's on the north side of Juarez Avenue, around 20th or 25th street. This place has always enjoyed a good reputation, but we were really turned off this time. The food is good, and you know they’ll always have certain dishes … but the service was rude and obnoxious. The waiter tried to goad us into ordering more than we wanted, and ignored us as a result – probably missing out on an extra order of drinks. The frozen margaritas are good – on the sweet side, but in a good way. Prices seemed a lot higher than when we visited at Xmas time – but that might be because this time we were at dinner, not lunch??? We won’t go back. We felt the service was too much of a La Quinta experience, which we don’t expect to get on Juarez. Can get good food for a lot cheaper elsewhere; margs too! IN TULUM: Charlie’s Location: toward the southern end of the “main drag” part of 307, across from the bus station and collective terminus. Accepts credit cards (though their machine would NOT accept ours) Open 11 am - 11 pm , Tuesday - Sunday, closed Mondays. Really great place! Even though it obviously caters to tourists, it does so without being patronizing in either cuisine or attitude. The welcome was warm, and the service friendly and attentive. The Mexican specialties we tried were all excellent; portions were generous, and fairly priced. Our youngest tried enchiladas in verde sauce, which she gobbled up; I tried the chicken in mole sauce, which was great; Greg and our eldest each had a chile relleno that was stuffed with the lightest cheese filling I’ve ever tasted. The margaritas were very good. Enjoy the outdoor patio or inside seating. NOTE: this is NOT Charly’s the blue disco that you’ll see at the northern end of 307 in Tulum. Keep driving south. IN AKUMAL: Loncheria outside of Super Chomak Very good homestyle cucina, cheap for Akumal (but PDC taquierias & loncherias are cheaper) Open for breakfast and lunch. I enjoyed enchiladas verde one day, and pork a la tampquiena another. Had good ham & cheese burritas for breakfast one day. Good chile relleno. Youngest liked their hamburguesa con queso y papas. Also had more Americanized choices for less adventurous diners. Good agua frutas. Super Chomak is next door, if you want beer with your meal. Lucy’s across from Super Chomak, back with the open air market. Little place, with weepingly great ice cream and fruit smoothies. The waffle cones taste like the best butter cookie! We never tried their lunch menu (11 to 3), but locals recommend their shrimp tacos. __________________ FREE POSTER BOY Last edited by MWC; 04-24-2005 at 02:33 PM.. Reason: grammar; changed order of items

04-15-2006	#6 (permalink)
coastskard sandflea Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Atlantic City, N.J. Posts: 5	Great info! Wow! Great info! So this seems to be the place to ask the burning question I yearn to have answered: if you had one place to go for a really good authentic Mexican meal, where would you go in PDC? My wife and I are staying at an AI (I know, I know, call off the dogs.... :p ) but would like to journey into town for at least one really authentic Mexican meal for lunch. Suggestions? Any and all would be appriciated. Thanks!

04-17-2006	#13 (permalink)
sunrlb beachaholic Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: S.W. Michigan Posts: 465	We didn't have one bad meal while in Playa not even from the street vendors. I have to tell ya......my fav place for beef tacos is Playa Maya. Coconut shrimp was fabulous but a bit pricey. YUM Last edited by sunrlb; 04-17-2006 at 12:37 PM..

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04-25-2005	#2 (permalink)
Dave y Stacey way into it Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 242	Good stuff - looks like a few more places to add to my list. (I'm gonna get fat this trip)

05-05-2005	#4 (permalink)
tesa001 beachaholic Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: houston, texas Posts: 268	thanks for sharing that info...........i'm cutting and pasting as we speak..........

05-08-2005	#5 (permalink)
Tex84 Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks!!!!!!!

04-15-2006	#7 (permalink)
Jacko añejo Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,712	Just saw this old post, MWC..and since we are heading back shortly.... Thanks for the great info...we like Los Almendros too, but really like your suggestion for La Casa de Piedra...never tried it before...we will fix that this time! Thanks!

04-16-2006	#10 (permalink)
Skiptown añejo Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Where the Columbia and Snake Meet Posts: 2,378	We were in Playa the 7th thru the 9th. Had nothing but great food. We ate everything from street food to nice reasaraunts and it was all good. The morning we left on the bus I ran over to a street stand and got a torta that was unbelievably good. I am now in love with tacos pastor and have not found them around where we live. I know that someone around our mexican community has one of those upright spit machines and I will sniff them out. We tried our first time making Poc Chuc last night. Turned out pretty good.

04-17-2006	#14 (permalink)
pablita sandflea Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1	Wow!!! you know a lot of place to eat, thanks I add at my list!! I have some more days here and I want to go there!!! But you forgot PASTA LUEGO. I found it here in playa info and I went there. Really very nice!!! I go there tonight too!!