Playa del Carmen food tour: A perfect introduction to the Mexican cuisine
Last updated: 08.03.24
Is there a better way to get introduced to a new destination’s food scene than by a local? I don’t think so!
That’s one of the reasons why my husband and I love food tours! So far we have been on a food tour in Milano (Italy), Seville (Spain), New York (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and now Playa del Carmen in Mexico. This Mexican food tour did definitely not disappoint!
If you’re a foodie traveling to Playa del Carmen in Mexico, a food tour is the perfect activity for you!
In this travel blog post you can find everything you should know before booking your own food tour. It’s divided into these topics:
- Why you should go on a food tour
- Everything you should know about a food tour in Playa del Carmen
- Our personal experience at a Playa del Carmen food tour
- Related questions about food tours
On this Playa Del Carmen food tour you will eat like a local while diving deep into delicious Mexican food and cultural experiences.
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Playa del Carmen food tour: A perfect introduction to the Mexican cuisine
Why you should go on a food tour
What is a food tour?
As the name amplifies it’s a tour about food! A tour where you go to different restaurants, cafes and/or street food stands to try different dishes and beverages. It’s like a pub-crawl just with food.
It’s the perfect way for travelers and food lovers to discover a new destination’s food scene. It’s so much fun and a great way to try some delicious food.
Why do a food tour?
Firstly I have to say how much we love food tours! It’s a perfect way to explore a new place through its cuisine. So far we have done 5 in different countries.
Let’s get into why I think a food tour is a great idea:
First of all you try so many new dishes you didn’t know about and the local guide takes you to the best places.
Second you explore the different neighborhoods accompanied by a local guide, who provides you with a better understanding of the place you’re visiting. It might feel overwhelming to navigate a new country, which makes it even nicer to be guided around and get a lot of tips from a local.
We always try to do the food tour at the beginning of a trip, so we know what to eat for the remainder of our visit and to obtain other local tips for the rest of our stay in that country.
Furthermore it is a great way to learn more about a country’s culture, traditions, history and customs.
Everything you should know about food tour in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is located in the Mexican Caribbean and has a long and beautiful sandy shoreline. It’s the perfect place if you want to enjoy the sun. Playa del Carmen was a fishing village only a few decades ago, but now it’s one of the fastest growing cities in Latin America.
Playa del Carmen offers you different vibes. I feel you can find both very touristy places but also authentic local places. I love how this Playa del Carmen food tour supports only locally owned eating places!
On this Mexican food tour you stay away from the touristy street 5th Avenue (La Quinta Avenida) and discover lesser-known Mexican specialties you easily could have missed by your own. It’s a great introduction to the food scene of Playa del Carmen and especially perfect for first-time visitors in the city.
Information about the Playa del Carmen food tour
This is included in the Playa del Carmen Food tour:
- Beverages
- Food tasting
- Local bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
- Street art of Playa del Carmen
- Tips for local restaurant
- History of Playa del Carmen and surroundings
- Vegetarian option available
This is NOT included the Playa del Carmen Food tour:
- Tips for the guide
- Transportation (to meeting point)
Other practical information about the Playa del Carmen Food tour:
Group size of food tour:
The food tour will have a maximum of 10 travelers.
Meeting point and ending point of food tour:
You meet at 5 Av. Nte. LTE 2, Centro, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico.
Duration of food tour:
The food tour takes approximately 3 hours.
Times of food tour:
You can join a food tour two times a day. One starts in the morning at 10:00 AM and one in the evening at 5:00 PM all 7 days a week.
Price of food tour:
The food tour costs MXN 1150 or $68,68 per person.
Our personal experience at our food tour Playa del Carmen
This is our personal experience and opinion that are expressed here.
We did this food tour in Mexico with a group of 10 people and a very nice guide. All the places we visited on our tour are owned by locals. I love to support local restaurant and not mega chains like Starbucks, McDonalds and so on (of course I go places like this sometimes too).
On our food tour our guide told us a lot of interesting facts about the food and city of Playa del Carmen. The walking tour takes you away from the touristy street 5th Avenue (La Quinta Avenida) and you explore a more authentic vibe of Mexico, where you taste authentic Mexican food.
We did the tour at the beginning of our 4 weeks stay in Playa del Carmen. We just love to do a food tour in the beginning of our long stays. This way a local guide can provide us with all the best tips for what to eat, where to eat and fun facts about the area.
The starting point was super easy to find. Our guide was standing with a sign saying “Eating with Carmen” (the sign is shown on a picture further up in the text).
You had different choices at many of the locations, where you could choose between different tastes of your beverage or popsicle and meats in eg. your taco.
As always Nicko and I rate the food and beverage on a scale from 1-10 (10 = the best).
Authentic Mexican food
Welcome:
To welcome us we started the tour with a welcome drink with hibiscus tea.
In Mexico they refer to hibiscus tea as “Aqua de Jamaica”.
Hibiscus tea is a drink we love and had every morning when we visited Zanzibar last year.
Points for hibiscus tea:
Nicko: 9
Nanna: 8
Appetizer:
We got an appetizer – A snack called Pollo Tamales.
Points for Pollo Tamales:
Nicko: 7
Nanna: 6
1. Location:
At our first location we shared 2 different quesadillas: Pollo Entomatado and Chicharrón Prensado.
Points for Pollo Entomatado:
Nicko: 8
Nanna: 7
Points for Chicharrón Prensado:
Nicko: 9
Nanna: 6
2. Location:
At this stop we tried Enchilada Mole – A dish with a traditional sauce with 20 ingredients where one of them is chocolate.
Points for Enchilada Mole:
Nicko: 7
Nanna: 7
3. Location:
At the third stop we tried some local beverages. We choose two different kinds: Piña Colada and one with cinnamon and rice milk.
Points for Piña Colada:
Nicko: 9
Nanna: 10
Cinnamon rice milk drink:
Nicko 8
Nanna 8
4. Location:
This stop was a local fruit and veggie market with exotic fruits. We tried a local fruit we didn’t like. I don’t remember the name of the fruit and hadn’t tried it before. We also tried raw cocoa bean.
Points for unknown fruit:
Nicko: 1
Nanna: 1
Points for cocoa bean:
Nicko: 7
Nanna: 6
5. Location:
The 5. stop was a street food stand with tacos. We tried: Taco suadero, taco con pollo and taco con chorizo.
Points for total taco score:
Nicko: 9
Nanna: 9
6. Location:
We tried one more taco from another stand close by. This one was with pork slow cooked beneath the ground.
Points for taco:
Nicko: 8
Nanna: 8
7. Location:
At the last place we tried popsicles. We tried one with cream and strawberries and one with vanilla and chocolate.
Points for total score:
Nicko: 7
Nanna: 7
The food tour was the perfect introduction to Playa del Carmen’s food scene with authentic Mexican food!
We really enjoyed trying all the local specialties at authentic Mexican places and getting introduced to different delicious flavors.
If you’re interested you can find more information and book your food tour here: Playa del Carmen Walking Food Tour.
Related questions about food tours
Can I do a food tour if I have any food allergies or special preferences?
Yes you can still participate in a tour. Often in the beginning of our tours we get asked if we have any allergies – A few times we answered that question during the booking process. The guides are used to people with allergies and know how to get around it. On our Playa del Carmen food tour one in the group was allergic to peanuts for example.
If you’re in doubt about the company you want to do the food tour with, write them a message before booking.
This specific food tour also has a vegetarian option available – Just advise at time of booking.
Are there different types of food tours?
Yes a food tour is not just a food tour. Besides local food you can find tours with a special focus if you like. We have done a dessert food tour in New York and a street food tour in Kuala Lumpur. So if you have a sweet tooth it’s possible to find tours specific for that.
What do you bring to a food tour?
You don’t have to bring anything. Only a good appetite and your great mood.
What language do they speak on a food tour?
Even though it’s a local showing you around, our guides have always been great at speaking English. You can experience the Playa del Carmen food tour in English or Spanish.
Always check before buying a tour what language the guide speaks.
How big are the groups on a food tour?
It depends on the specific tour (you can read about their max group sizes before booking).
We have done tours with up to 10 people but also tours with only Nicko and I + the guide.
What if it rains?
This specific food tour is still held if it rains and in all temperatures. It’s a good idea to check the weather forecast before booking. Of course if the weather is dangerous the tour will be cancelled.
It’s a walking tour so wear proper clothing.
Will I be full at the end of the food tour?
We have never done a food tour without feeling very full in the end.
If I don’t like it, do I have to eat it?
No you don’t have to eat everything you get served. Some people don’t eat the whole portion to be less full at the next stops. You do you! Do what you feel best about. But I recommend you to try everything before deciding if you like it or not, sometimes you might be surprised.
When should I go on a food tour?
We recommend you to do a food tour in the beginning of your stay. This way you get a great introduction to the area and what kind of food you would like to eat more of. E.g. in Kuala Lumpur I discovered how much I love Roti Canai – A dish I had never heard about before our food tour, but a dish I enjoyed multiple times the rest of our one month stay in Malaysia.
You will find this street food tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by clicking the bottom below:
Is there a better way to explore a new country than trying their cuisine? I love tasting new foods and it has become a big part of how I explore a new place.
I definitely recommend you to go on a food tour! It’s a great way to learn more about a city, the culture and their food.
On Viator you can find so many different food tours around the world.
If food tours have your interest you can read more in these related articles:
And find more food tours in my story highlights from ”Spain” and ”Italy” on my instagram @dailytravelmoment showing more food tours.
Enjoy your next food adventure!
