12 May 2026
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There’s no shame in getting intimately acquainted with the buffet at your Riviera Maya resort — that’s the kind of dining that this playground on the Mexican Caribbean is best known for. But for the kind of traveler who likes to explore and eat like a local, follow the famous MICHELIN Guide red plaque to these spots across the Quintana Roo coast.
Cancún
Kiosco Verde
Kiosco Verde has been an in-the-know haunt on the outskirts of Cancún since 1974, when Octavio Santiago’s father set up shop in what was then still a burgeoning beach town. Today, turquoise furniture and roving musicians set a breezy ambience for the chef’s casual lunch served under a broad palapa.
Seafood is the star here, with dishes like pulpo zarandeado, an octopus that's grilled in chili oil, and pescadillas, a golden-fried taco that comes filled with shrimp or fish.
La Casa De Las Mayoras
If you’ve overdone it at the omelette station at your all-inclusive, La Casa De Las Mayoras is the organic super food solution. This is the rare vegetarian-forward option in Cancún, with a breakfast and lunch menu filled with Mexican staples.
Pick from the suite of açai bowl options if you’re craving something light, or one of the five kinds of chilaquiles for a more substantive start. Come afternoon, meat makes its debut in tortas and tacos made with hand-pressed tortillas.
Playa del Carmen
Axiote Cocina de México
Set under a thatched palm roof in the heart of Playa del Carmen, Axiote Cocina de Mexico has been a favorite city-side destination for more than a decade. Before that, Chef Xavier Pérez Stone was honing his fine dining skills at the head of Cocina de Autor Riviera Maya, one of the area’s only One-Star restaurants.
That technique shines through today in an approachable menu of local Yucatán Peninsula dishes, like ha’sikil p’ak, an earthy Mayan dip made from pumpkin seeds, and cochinita pibil, a traditional slow-roasted pork colored bright orange from citrus. Pérez Stone is a promoter of healthy fishing practices, so keep your eye on his seafood offerings, like a set of red clams topped with fresh seaweed.
El Fogón
These are the best tacos in Playa del Carmen, with the line out front to prove it. Brightly lit and open late, El Fogón is the kind of place that’s a must-stop after a night out at the cantinas. You’re here for the classics: pastor tacos sliced from the glistening trompos or simple grilled steak ones with the works, or “con todo” — diced white onion and cilantro.
Charred spring onions are a popular opening snack and everything goes down easy with a beer or oversized margarita.
Puerto Morelos
Punta Corcho
Punta Corcho is a delight in the mini coastal town of Puerto Morelos, with impressive seafood dishes and cocktails in a decidedly beach bum environ: shiplap lines the walls of the second-floor terrace space and wood-fire smoke wafts through the air.
The grilled entries on the menu are a good place to start, like a plate of queen clams topped with bonito, pistachio, coconut and citrus, and a loaded bone marrow nearly bubbling from a pass on the flames. Entrées include refined turns for the freshest local seafood, like a catch of the day wrapped in a peppery hoja santa (a local herb with notes of anise) over a pool of yellow mole.
Tulum
Hartwood
Hartwood is one of the most coveted reservations in always in-demand Tulum, with simple, heartful cooking drawn from daily trips out to sea. Far from sceney, though, the dinner spot reflects this jungle paradise’s ideal: live fire, open air and fully off the grid.
Chef Eric Werner, a New York transplant, changes the menu daily, but expect flavorful tostadas and ceviche to start and grilled fish balanced with bright sauces. Wood-fired Mayan prawns fresh from the Gulf city of Campeche and a whole Caribbean lobster have been memorable menu mainstays over the restaurant’s long tenure.
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Hero image: Punta Corcho terrace overlooking the water. © Alerta 32/Punta Corcho
