16 Best Restaurants in The Riviera Maya, Mexico

Basic Foodie is that cool bakery we all wish we had in our neighborhood, with unsurpassed baked goods and a menu that caters to organic-minded, vegan, and gluten-free customers. A modern design and laid-back atmosphere (plus reliable Wi-Fi) have made it a magnet for digital nomads.

Céline's fresh-baked breads and pastries honor France, especially exquisite desserts like the classic dark chocolate cake and bold vanilla crème brûlée. Classic bistro fare—including quiche Lorraine and flavorful croques madames—make for a light lunch comme il faut. For a light, sweet breakfast or snack, don't miss the parfait with chia and red fruit coulis. Street-side tables on 5th Avenue are great for people-watching. Chez Céline stays open until 11 pm daily, and there's free Wi-Fi for patrons.

This Playa institution, in a funky jungle garden with fountains, palmettos, and a rambling koi pond, is a favorite breakfast spot. The well-prepared, authentic Mexican selections include multiple styles of chilaquiles, a tart mix of meat, sauce, and egg on a bed of tortillas that will have you skipping lunch. It's popular for lunch and dinner as well.

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.

Enjoy fresh seafood on the shaded patio of this family-owned restaurant in the heart of town. Try fish prepared al ajo (in a garlicky butter sauce), breaded, grilled, or tikin–xic style (marinated with adobo de achiote and sour oranges). Pelicanos also offers a variety of four-hour excursions that include fishing, snorkeling, then cooking the daily catch at the restaurant.

The smoky aromas of a South American parillada waft down the street from this Uruguayan barbecue joint. The heaping portions of short ribs, flank steak, and chorizo have developed a cult following up and down the Riviera, and locals swear by the empanadas. Tables are set in a simple stone-walled room and just outside on the street.

The laid-back hub of Puerto Aventuras is this terrace café with a varied menu, including coconut shrimp and chicken with a chimichurri sauce made from red wine, garlic, onion, and fine herbs. If you and local fisherman get lucky, the nightly specials might include fresh-caught fish in garlic sauce. There's live music on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday in high season.

Just by the beach, the Coral Bar and Grill is the on-site restaurant of the Flying Cloud Hotel and part of the XTC Dive Center. The place is open all day, offering Mexican breakfasts, international food for lunch and dinner, and even some vegan dishes. It also works as a beach club and has theme nights every Tuesday and Friday. 

Called "Camellito" by locals, this restaurant is famed for having Tulum's freshest seafood—and the jammed parking lot is testament to its enduring popularity. Fish or shrimp tacos are light and fresh, but the full splendor of the place is expressed by its whole grilled or fried fish, served with generous mounds of rice, beans, and plátanos. Come hungry. The lively scene and tropical ambience are a Mexican original.

Come to this cozy place for the pizza, stay for the cocktails and the live music. If pizza is not your thing, though, a wide variety of salads, pastas, and steaks are also available and well-served.

You can't get any closer to the ruins than this two-story restaurant in a palapa setting with Mexican blankets draped over wooden tables. Some of the more traditional selections include fish prepared Yucatán style, chicken in banana leaves, and cochinita pibil.

Dig your toes in the sand floor and enjoy the catch of the day at La Cueva del Pescador. A crowd of easygoing expats hunkers down for the afternoon to feast on octopus, shrimp, or conch ceviche prepared with lime juice and flavored with cilantro—usually with a generous helping of beer on the side. Great grilled garlic shrimp and simple quesadillas are also served. Portions are sizeable, and prices are moderate. There’s a pool table here plus a TV that's typically tuned to sports.

Two blocks north of the town square, the "dining room" room of this family-run eatery consists of plastic tables and chairs beneath mini palapas and tarps. What it lacks in charm it more than makes up for with food and prices—this is where locals go for seafood soup, fried fish, shrimp tacos, ceviche, and fresh guacamole. Plan to either practice your Spanish or use sign language, and plan to eat early, too, as it closes at 8. La Playita is the perfect place to sink your toes in the sand and enjoy a refreshing rice-milk horchata.

This upscale seafood taquería is an anchor of Playa's alternative culinary scene, an in-the-know spot for lunch or dinner that reimagines tacos sautéed in olive oil and topped with cucumber or strawberry-habanero salsa. Local favorites include shrimp tacos with "black gold" (beans), fish ceviche with green salsa, and fish tacos wrapped in your choice of corn tortilla, flour tortilla, or a giant leaf of Bibb lettuce. If you're not into spicy food, be careful with the house specialty aguachile. You'll find a second location on Avenida Constituyentes; there's also one in Tulum and another in Cancún.

This oceanfront, thatched-roof, palapa restaurant serves simple but tasty food. The Tex-Mex shrimp tacos accompanied with a cool beer are perfect for lunch, while dealing with the midday heat, and, for dinner, try the Poc Chuc pork or the traditional chicken with mole.

Perched on the rim of the 300-foot-deep cenote, this palapa restaurant charges a MX$50 entrance fee to access the site. Busloads of tourists come to dine on chicken, pork, and fish dishes, as well as house specialties like the seafood platter and shrimp kebab. Although the setting surpasses food, it's still worth lingering over a meal to gaze out over the deep blue waters. After your food digests, enjoy a swim off the dock. There's also a souvenir shop.