El Hongo — Restaurant in Playa del Carmen

The place looks nice. First thing, they only accept cash. So we had to go to an ATM to get some cash out (with obviously Mexican Bank fees...). We had chilaquiles (which were very good) and a ceviche (same). We asked what the ceviche was served with, the waiter told us it would be served with vegetables so we asked for some extra rice just in case. Good that we asked for some rice because the "vegetables" were only a few pieces of tomato and onion inside the ceviche (how strange it was to say that it came with vegetables). The waiter said "I'll be right back with the rice". We never got to see the rice and after 25 minutes waiting, we asked the waiter to cancel our order of rice. What a very bad idea we had to order an "arroz con leche" as a dessert. It's the worst one we've ever had : we didn't tell the waiter but it literally was the rice that we had ordered and that never came, plus heated sweet milk poured on the rice. Even the texture was like the rice had been cooked separately. Disgusting! The service is really slow and unfortunately, instead of telling us, the waiter only brought us a small bowl of noodle soup each while we were waiting (which was nice from the restaurant). But the waiting time still felt...

First of all, the family is truly a breath of fresh air for the soul. Artists, local change makers, lovers of life, and true altruists, they made me smile on the inside as well as on the outside.

This is not just a breakfast/lunch restaurant you will go to for the food, if you introduce yourself to Goyo and Pili, and share a bit about yourself, you will be treated to a heartwarming experience.

Meals are deliciously fresh and comforting. I recommend the mole. Also, the mint lemonade served in a cut-off beer bottle and a natural plant straw are amazingly refreshing in the tropical heat.

We were looking for a restaurant off the beaten tourist path using Google Maps as a guide and it proved to be a great decision.

Loved it! Will stay in touch with the family in the future and hopefully support their local children’s...

A lot of people will talk about the food, and they should… the mole will change your life and the ‘green drink’ will soothe your soul. The recipes have been handed down from the grandmother, and her love of food and travel comes across the generations with each bite.

But I want to add what a wonderful cause El Hongo is in helping neighborhood children have creative and expressive outlets, giving young minds a chance to run free rather than be enslaved to terrible circumstances. Ask your server what it was like during COVID, for example. All throughout the restaurant and the neighborhood are signs of these wonderfully creative young minds, all made possible from the restaurant. Of my entire trip, El Hongo hit my heart the...