We have a condo right off 5th and spend a lot of time there. We really enjoy some of the restaurants on the north end of 5th Ave., around 38th St.

In particular there is a place called Xocolatier on 5th Ave and 38th. It is phenomenally good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Very fresh food, creatively prepared, visually stunning, and the flavors are never overpowering over the ingredients. This is our favorite place for brunch on weekends, and lunches. Try their eggs florentine for bfast, omg, this is the best breakfast dish I have ever had anywhere. And the shrimp thai salad for lunch is just amazing. They also make fresh smoothies and juices and have wonderful coffee and wines and drinks. See the food pics here. And the prices are incrediby reasonable considering what you get. This is a do not miss place IMO.

http://www.xocolatier.com.mx/

Also do not miss Carboincitas just off 5th Ave at Calle 4 (going btwn 5th ave and 10the ave). Great happy hour 3 to 6 pm. Excellent tacos al carbon, wonderful homemade sauces, and GREAT margaritas. Also good for breakfast. Another do not miss.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150812-d1047121-Reviews-Carboncitos-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I will post more later.

ALso for breakfast or lunch definitely go to the outdoor restaurant just outside the DAC produce market, which is on Ave. 30 btwn. Constituyentes and Calle 20. La Cieba is the name, but you wont see a big sign, just walk up to the produce market and it is right to the left of the entrance. Very fresh food, nicely put together, again nothing overpowering the othe ingredients. Gret smoothies and lunch specials. Great breads. Everything here is good.

Another DO NOT MISS is Aguas Chiles. THE BEST fresh seafood tacos anywhere, served w/the most wonderful sauces (all sauces left at your table in squueze bottles w/fried corn tortillas so you can sample the sauces ebfore your tacos come. They have shrimp tacos, smoked tuna sushi grade tacos, fish tacos, and mixtures of diff; seafod tacos. And ceviches, but I never can get past the tacos. They make a killer homemade veggie blend that they put on the tacos (it is like red cabbage and onions and a bt of crispy stuff) and they are just AWESOME. Tacos are about 30 pesos each and I generally get 3. Get the michelada to drink, or the horchata or other fresh waters lke jamaica.
Two locations:
1) Just off 5th Ave: on Constituyentes, beweek 5h Ave and 1st Ave
2) a little further off 5th is the original Aguaschiles, at Ave. 20 and Calle 34.


Getting off of 5th Ave is generally a good thing regarding restaurants. Even a half blokc off 5th.

If you like Sushi, I recommend Sushi Club, on 10th Ave at Calle 26. Great specials like 2 for one rolls on Tues. Vy creative sushi, although service can be on slow side.

Caveat: I haven't been there for 2-3 years, but TA still confirms my favorite:

Manne's Biergarten on 4th b/t 10-15th, I think. Not much to look at, but good german food and beer!

Rolandi's pizza at the south end shopping center is decent if you are in the mood for za.

Personally I would stay away from Senior Frogs (though I have been there) BUT it does have a convenient location on the ocean. There are beach clubs parallel to 5th where you can get a decent lunch etc. You just need to figure out how to get to them (besides walking the beach).

Looking at TA I'm stunned by how many restaurants there are. You might find a few that appeal to you and see if anyone here has an opinion.

(Regarding Sr. Frogs: We had a decent lunch there. Just seems like there are better, slightly less touristy choices.)

IMO the Senor Frogs in Playa is just awful food.

Some more to try:

Como Como (good creative fresh mediteranian, must have reservations, on north end of 5th Ave btwn 38th and 40th)

Cocotte Cita (French, very good and reasonable, on 38th just off 5th Ave), La PEnita de Jaltemba (very good and inexpensive seafood, Calle 30 btwn 1st Ave and 5th Ave.

Oh LaLa (very small, very nicely prepared food, must have reservations, Dutch chef and his partner run it and are very involved greeting you, preparing food, visiting at your table- a few specials each night to choose from, on 10th Ave with only outdoor seating, and it can be a bit noisy on that stretch of 10th, on the pricey side but has a good buzz).

Disclaimer: The 4 hotels in my last post above are on my list for my upcoming trip in April. They were recommended to me by my condo manager who lives in Playa. But I have not yet dined at those. The others in my previous posts above are ones I have been to many times.

From our 3 experiences in Playa, we found the food on 5th Avenue to be very iffy. I agree, there are probably better food options if you get off 5th. We have done 2 AI's there and one non-AI and the food at the AI's were so much better than what we found on 5th.

I did a detailed trip report on our non-AI dining experience. It can be found here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-central-america/trip-report-playa-del-carmenplaya-palms-hotel-dec-2010.cfm

For your next trip, if you want really great food, go to Cabo San Lucas. The best AI and non AI food we have ever experienced on vacation.

Unfortunately, KNR's experience was only on 5th ave, and we have no specifics on where and what restaurants in particular on 5th.

As I said abovel it is generally always best to get off the pedestrian part of 5th ave for restaurants. The area past 5th ave and Calle 32 (where the pedestrian-only barricade stops) is a great place to find good restaurants.

It is well-known that the north end of Playa's 5th Ave corridor is the best areas for new and up and coming resaurants, without the corwds of the pedestrian-only area of 5th, and in a much more relaxed and quiet area.

At Calle 38 and 5th Ave. you will find approx. 22 restaurants, within a one block area in all directions, on 38t and on 5th, up and down each way, and on block over on 40th, just off of 5th Ave.

Piola, Cocotte Cita, Gluay Maai Thai, Baremar, Xocolatier, Kool Fish, Luna Maya, Sala Rosa, Season, Origenes, Camino Ka'Kaw, Cueva del Change, Cockteleria Manigua, on and on...all within one block either on or around 5th Ave and Calle 38.

emd3, I listed the link to my trip report that has detailed info as to what restuarants we ate at on 5th Avenue.

oh I am sorry, I missed that.

I looked at your report and it doesn't sound like you enjoyed the food you had at most places on 5th Ave, except the Italian place (but no name for that one)and the Texas Burger Co (I like TX Burger Co too, their ribs are great!) and Media Luna for breakfast and the steak and lobster place.

There really is very good food in Playa, but you need to generally get off of the pedestrian part of 5th Ave to find it, or go up past where the pedestrian barriers end (past 32nd Calle) to the 38th st. corrider on and around 5th Ave.

We stay at El Taj - bought a condo there. And our favorite fancy place is Imprevist - on First Ave near 14th. Our favorite "touristy" place is La Parrilla, on Fifth (near 8th I believe). At La Parrilla, go in the evening and make sure to order flaming coffee at the end of your dinner. It's a spectacular show! Oh, and the food is very good as well!

On 5th, we have enjoyed Karen's, particularly if seated outside to watch the world and the weird go by.

Karen's is ok food, not bad, not good. But the nice thing about Karen's is that they do have a Peruvian Andes wind and percussion group from around 3 pm til 6 pm. I think this is also their happy hr time. That is a nice time to go to Karen's. But the food is just ok.

If you want a nice place in the evening right on the beach, go to Fusions or Zenzi. Both have live music, right on the beach. But again, the food is not great at either. It is ok, maybe even more than ok at Zenzi where it can be very good, and drinks are very good.

rickhowe, thank you for the Imprevist recommendation. Even though I have walked by that place many times, I never realized it was as goood as it apparently is. I am planning a breakfast and a a dinner there during our upcoming 2 wks at our condo in Playa.

Always so much, so many new things, to learn about the area...

Thanks again...any issue with credit cards at most restaurants?

Not generally, except I think Aguas Chiles only accepts cash, but it is inexpensive. And perhaps the restaruant outside the DAC.