Carboncitos — Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

We stopped in for a quick dinner this evening. We ordered a queso fundido as an appetizer and a Caesar salad for 2 with shrimp. The queso fundido was okay.. disappointing that it wasn’t a typical Mexican cheese. We usually see it made with Oaxaca cheese. It was served with flour tortillas .. I am assuming because we look like gringos.. so we asked for corn.

We specifically came here for the tableside ceasar. It’s been somewhat of a tradition for us to get traditional ceasar salad when we visit Mexico but this was the most disappointing one we have ever had. I love how the simplicity and quality of the ingredients should shine through but this was just not the case this time. The dressing was bland. I could not taste anchovies, garlic, or lime in the dressing. I know he used them but the dressing was so flat and underseasoned. Not sure if you ran out of Dijon but yellow French’s mustard in a tableside ceasar preparation? You can do better! Need a better pepper grinder. I watched him do a few cranks and there was barely any pepper on the dish. He left the grinder for us when we asked for more and it’s definitely time for a new one. I had to grind for about 30 seconds for enough cracked black pepper to come out for a typical Caesar salad. The shrimp came on the platter with all the ingredients so it was cold by the time the salads were made. The server had to leave the preparation several times to tend to other tables so it took about ten minutes. The Parmesan cheese is not real parmigiano-reggiano and was rubbery and not real. Did not have the sharp parm flavour that real parmigiano has.

All in all, food was disappointing but we still had a good time. We tend to stay off 5th avenue but we were really craving a tableside Caesar salad. Too...

This place was amazing!

Me and my partner were looking for some authentic food on the popular "5th Avenue" and we found Carboncitos! One of the things that really helped us choose this place was that we weren't "dragged in" before we even saw the menu as alot of places on the main strip try to do.

We were greeted politely and welcomed in by very hospitable staff. I wish I grabbed the man's name but if you get drinks brought to you on top of his head, that's the man! As well as the rest of the staff being amazing!

Our main goal was tacos! And this place did not disappoint! I had the pork tacos and my partner had the fish tacos. I could smell the tacos coming from the back of the restaurant! We were also given some chips and an assortment of sauces/salsas, which was very nice aswell! We also luckily came during happy hour so we got 2 for 1 margaritas which were delicious!

We were staying at an 5 star all inclusive and honestly the food doesn't compare. If you have the opportunity to visit playa del carmen and you're hungry I cannot recommend a place more than this.

We also got to the meet the owners Steve and Alejandra ( i hope that's the correct spelling) and they were so nice and you can really tell they love their restaurant and their staff!

The food is amazing! The staff is amazing and the restaurant is beautiful inside and and out! Definitely will be coming back when we get to...

Carboncitos has probably been my husband and I least favorite restaurant so far. It's very commercialized and the food wasn't authentic at all. The service was also a tad bit slow for it not to be crowded. This is a cash only place, so they don't accept credit cards. Seating is first come, first serve. Our server was entertaining and talented. He often was seen sprinting with margaritas on the top of his head. We started off with bottled water and two Herradura margaritas. They were decent but not great. For appetizers, we ordered ceviche and it was probably the worst ceviche we've ever had. The shrimp tasted rubbery and the overall taste was bland. For entrees, we ordered the surf and turf fajitas and they were lukewarm and not a very big portion. We asked for a side of rice and it came out cold. None of this food was memorable and I definitely don't recommend dining at this restaurant. There are much better options to select from. This area is very touristy, so people are constantly coming up to you sell you items while you're eating, which makes the dining experience disruptive. If you're looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant, this is not the...