La Perla Pixan Cuisine & Mezcal Store - 77720 Playa del Carmen

Trust me when I say that this is probably the only place off the strip that has authentic Mexican food and mezcal with a great atmosphere. It's also the only place not blasting club music, but has daily performances of Mexican music. The service overall is top notch. We were lucky enough to have Uzziel as our server for both dinner and lunch. He's super fun, very knowledgeable of everything they serve, and has great vibes. If you happen to be there on a sunday you have to try the Barbacoa tacos only served early on sundays. Otherwise all of their food is great, reasonably price, and they have an amazing list of mezcales that are presented very extravagantly.

Authentic Mayan food, excellent service Anna's friendly people who go out their way to help. We ordered a bunch of different drinks and food, everything was delicious.

La Perla is located in a lovely part of Playa, filled with trees/greenery - a welcome change from the OTT/touristy part of town. The restaurant itself is lovely - great atmosphere - and the staff were all friendly, attentive and helpful. The cocktails were fantastic, such interesting combinations to try amongst more traditional ones. We wanted to try the pulque (traditional Aztec mead) and our waiter kindly offered us a small sample each to make sure we actually liked it before ordering a full drink of it. We ended up getting a small jug of it with added passion fruit, really great choice. We had the guacamole and the grasshoppers as appetizers, which were excellent. Unfortunately, we were disappointed by the mains. We ordered the pork knuckle as recommended, and it was sadly very dry and really tasteless - we had to send it back. Our waiter offered to make it into tacos, which worked a bit better (I think they stripped the knuckle, added spices to it in a frying pan and added them to tacos). We also found the tuna steak 'al pastor' style to be a bit over seasoned and a bit dull - aside from some pieces of pineapple being there, it didn't really link to the 'al pastor' in our opinion. The quality of the mains really let it down, but the overall experience was still a positive one. If we return to La Perla in future, we will stick with drinks and snacks.

Great place for a relaxing dinner near Playa del Carmen, Quinta Avenida. We loved the tacos (fish, shrimp and chicken) and classic margaritas. Live music was definitely above expectation (in terms of quality). All in all a great family dinner experience for us.

I had already ate, but was recommended this spot for Tequila tasting. Not necessarily a spot for Tequila tasting but I did have a good Tequila shot and a delicious drink, not sure of the name of the shot or drink. I went Tequila tasting after here, lol. However, the waiter provided excellent service and this place was a good start. Lol The drink in the bag was so good ?first you rip the bag then smell the drink. I think it smelled like incense or something familiar to me. The drink has different flavors. You bite the pineapple to enhance and to taste the flavors. I enjoyed it very much. Philly Black Vegan was here

Awesome service, yummy food, great cocktails, and a fun atmosphere! We really enjoyed sitting at the bar. There were folkloric dancers and a live band. Our sampler was delicious. Our favorites included the chorizo, panela cheese, and nopales. The handmade tortillas were soft and tasty. We'd happily go back.

Very good food and vibe away from the main drag! The street that La Perla is on has the old Playa del Carmen feel of decades ago and is filled with beautiful, lush greenery. The chicken mole, duck mole, and beef carpaccio were very good. Definitely try the mezcalita and the Mexican hot chocolate too! There was live music both nights I ate there and one traditional Mexican dance. Please be aware, check your bills at all Mexican restaurants for tax as the tax must be by law included in menu prices (some restaurants insist extra tax on top of menu prices..this did not happen at this restaurant, but be aware it does happen in Mexico at other restaurants). Also check the tip calculation!

I visited Playa del Carmen on my birthday week and my husband and I chose this restaurant to enjoy on the day. I can't express how excellent the food was, everything was fresh and flavourful. The seafood was caught that day and the guacamole was something else. They have a great bar with very talented mixologists. There was a guest bar tender on the day we visited and her drinks were magical. Service was excellent and the server recommend superb menu items and drinks. There was also a singer who was performing live. The octopus was grilled to perfection and we could see into the kitchen from our table, they aren't hiding anything here- every plate is made with local ingredients and cooked fresh to order. The decor is relaxed and tropical, a great nod to the region. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the area. It's worth it for the whole experience.