15 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Mexican Caribbean | Eater

"Chef Xavier Pérez Stone helms Axiote, an open-air, palapa-style restaurant in the heart of Playa del Carmen. Stone has a profound respect for Mexican ingredients and lesser-known dishes, like stewed pork head with poblano pepper and shrimp, duck tacos marinated with chiles, or fideo negro, a stir-fried, dry noodle dish made with beef tail. Recommended by the Michelin Bib Gourmand, the menu features traditional dishes and locally sourced ingredients like sikil pak made with charred tomatoes and habanero and guacamole topped with chapulines, or grasshopper — a traditional ingredient from Oaxaca, where farmers will gather the insects during the rainy season. Many of Axiote’s cocktails are garnished with worm salt, and a coffee cocktail, the Río de Cafè, is made with mezcal infused with an aromatic white cocoa flower — an integral ingredient in the ceremonial Mayan chocolate and corn drink." - Lee Musho