13 Best Restaurants in The Riviera Maya, Mexico

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.

Considered by some as the best gourmet Mexican cuisine in Tulum, TU is, if nothing else, a fascinating expression of the country's rich gastronomy. Start with octopus tacos served with chipotle mayonnaise, and try the huitlacoche risotto with salmon as main dish. A Mexican flan as dessert will keep you happy and asking for more. The cocktails and the atmosphere are as stylish as the dishes. 

Playa's most dramatically sited restaurant sits atop a small cenote in a vast jungly garden full of strangler vines and Mayan ruins—right in the middle of Avenida 5. Designed in accordance with Maya building practices, it's a feast for the eyes, with living "green walls" covered with plants, a bar built on a stone wall, and a park in back that makes for a romantic setting at night (bring bug spray). The menu, full of dressed-up Playa standards—fresh fish, pork shank, guacamole—isn't as memorable (though the jicama tacos are worth a try), but it's a worthwhile meal nonetheless.

The cheapest restaurant along Tankah's beachfront serves up fresh, simple, satisfying Mexican food from 8 am to 9 pm every day. Grab a table at the waterfront, and order up beef fajitas or fish tacos, topped with a healthy helping of fresh-made salsa and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Margaritas are popular (and strong) here, and on Sunday you can join locals for a popular barbecue on the beachfront and live music from 1 pm to 4 pm. Bring your own meat or order from the restaurant.

This jungle-side hangout is laid-back, casual, and comfortable, with an open kitchen and airy layout in a large, traditional palapa. Standout dishes include organic-chicken-stuffed jalapeños and organic chicken in red sauce (so tender that it practically falls off the bone). Paying tribute to local blends is the wine list, on which 80% of the bottles are from Mexico. An international crowd of expats and in-the-know vacationers makes for a lively scene, especially at night. For large parties or special events, book ahead.

Fernando's friendly, homey restaurant—which serves as a sort of visitors bureau—seems to change locations often but remains a Mahahual institution. The affordable menu features Mexican and Yucatecan specialties with a generous splash of gringo. Should you be in the market for a margarita, don't be shy; as the name suggests, this is the place for expert guidance on all things agave. You can even buy a bottle of Fernando's homemade tequila to go. If the indoor party scene isn't lively enough for you, head to the outside tables, where cruise passengers are known to do shots.

This lagoon shore restaurant serves gourmet Mexican dishes and exotic cocktails to enjoy with the best view in town and live music most days. Go for the al pastor (shepherd-style) seared tuna as the main course, and don't leave without trying the tribute to cacao as dessert.

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.

With driftwood tables overlooking Half Moon Bay, swings at the lively bar, and salsa music keeping things moving, this might be the perfect beach restaurant. The usual Mexican fare—quesadillas, empanadas, burritos, and fish tacos with handmade tortillas—is perfectly fine, but the food isn't the point. It's all about the location. Directly on the beach, this place takes full advantage with two big upstairs terraces that provide sweeping views of the water. Lounge chairs are scattered on the sand for customers' use, and there's a small pool to keep the kids busy while you have another margarita. Climb the ladder to the two-seater tower table, 15 feet above the sand, where your drinks are delivered in a bucket on a rope.

If you want to try authentic Mexican and pre-Hispanic cuisine, La Perla Pixan is the place for you with its wide variety of traditional specialties such as pozole (and its vegetarian option), barbacoa, enchiladas, tlayudas, and more. Look for the weekend brunch buffet, and the extraordinary variety of mezcal cocktails. At night, live music and pre-Hispanic shows make La Perla one of the favorite spots of locals, expats, and visitors alike.

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 pork or vegetarian options 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.

With tables under a palapa on the beach, this restaurant is a perfect place to sink your toes in the sand while dining. Chef Sandra offers understated appetizers like tuna nachos (tuna tartare and avocado with tortilla strips) or shrimp and chipotle sopes (corn flour "disks" with different toppings). Veggie fans will love salads made with cooked potatoes, peach, avocado, and sunflower seeds. The fish is about as fresh as it gets—if you’re an angler, the kitchen will even cook up your catch. By day, the menu focuses on sandwiches and wraps; by night the attention turns to ribs and surf and turf. And the bar, where they've traded in bar stools for swings, is just as nice as the table seating. Service can be slow, but it's worth the wait. There's Mexican wine tasting on Thursday and Caribbean Latin Rhythms on Saturday.