Kaxapa Factory

As a traveler, this is the type of place and experience you've been waiting for all your life. The people are the best, the food is life changing and you'll feel like you're at your own Venezuelan home here. This is a can't miss in Playa Del Carmen and maybe all of Mexico. Every time I come to Playa I will come here. The man here is an absolute legend and I'm honored to shake his hand. This place was magic. When someone wrote they came for the food and stayed for the people.. now I understand and if you're ever in the area I highly recommend this place.

Such a welcoming staff with amazing service. Located near the park. Those who aren’t familiar with Venezuelan food must try this gem. Also the prices are very affordable and you’re getting authentic cuisine away from the tourist area. -they also can serve almost all dishes gluten free for those with certain allergies.

I've had plenty of Venezuelan food over the years and this place is right there with the best of them. Every item is made fresh to order and tastes wonderful. We were only in Playa for a week but I just had to stop by this restaurant a second time before we left. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu but the pabellón was my favorite. The owner was really nice too and offered us a dessert on the house on our way out. Will definitely be back next time I am here.

Such an unique experience! I have to be honest though that I am not the best critique as it is my first time trying dishes from Venezuela. However if you enjoy Mexican food, you will appreciate it definitely. The prices are reasonable considering the area and although it is close to the centre, you feel like you are away from the touristic district!

Great place! Good service, and delicious food. The owner explained the menu and gave good suggestions, and in general made us feel welcome. Highly recommended

Absolutely fantastic and tasty. I know this place for years and the family who owns it goes above and beyond in their caring for each guest and for the food they provide. Everything is clean, fresh, tasty, explained. They understand what does vegan or vegetarian means. I love everything I tried there.

This probably one of the top 10 best things I've ever tasted. It's simple and fresh. It tastes delicious. The sauces are excellent and add great flavor. The juice is also delicious; freshly juice passion fruit. Next time I come to Quintana Roo, I will go out of my way to visit Playa del Carmen again just to eat here. The staff is also very friendly each time Ive been. If it's your first visit, they offer a sample of several of their beverages all which are great, but the passion fruit was my favorite. The restaurants is small, most of the tables are for 2 people with a few that will hold 4. I did see one night where two tables were pushed together for a larger group. I'd recommend a reservation for larger groups. I've come here during off and peak hours. Both have been pretty busy but I haven't had to wait for a table. However while I was eating dinner one night several people people had to wait.

Came for the food, stayed longer for the people. The owner was amazing, explained everything to me in English and let me try different things. You can tell he is very passionate about his food and culture. The arepa and cachapa were perfect. Would highly recommend.

Must try: Cachapa Chévere! Why: Delicious breakfast, which I tried the Cachapa for the first time! It came with black beans, plantains, cheese, avocado, and I added an egg. The corn battered pancake-like shell was soft sweetness. The Cachapa was much larger than I thought so it was filling! I was happy and my tummy was full to kick off the morning right. Notes: Cute place a few blocks from main 5th Avenue. They have indoor and outdoor seats. Clean and spacious. The server was awesome! Super welcoming and helpful. I was practicing my Spanish while he was practicing English. It was fun and engaging. The other workers were friendly too checking in if I needed anything. They provided 4 shot sized juices to start and my fav was passion fruit. Had a great time and a great breakfast! Definitely saving this place for a future visit!

Awesome restaurant serving yummy Venezuelan food. Clearly this spot is a labor of love for the owners and people working here. The waitress was great, very fluent in English since she lived in NC for a while. Everything we ate and drank from the delicious fresh juices to the different items on their menu was great. The only nit is that the food took a super long time to come out.

Josè is so friendly and nice. Amazing customer service to go with amazing food. I can see why there are so many 5 star reviews. Y'all need to go here for a meal when in playa de Carmen. A must! You are definitely missing out if you do not give it a try! I ordered as a to go order but if my party was available we would have ate there. Place isn't too big but it fits the cute ambiance that it is. Summary of the food I had below. Empanada 5/5 (shredded beef, cheese, and fried plantain) Patacon 5/5 (veggie and added avocado) Queso bolletas 5/5 (fried cheese balls soft, on the inside) As I was waiting for my order Josè brought me a complementary drink sampler. Soursop hands down the best, pepino was too sweet for me and the others were ok.

This was a small spot, abt 10mins from the main Cabo strip and totally worth the walk. Immediately greeted and the woman who took our order was very helpful with recommendations. Once you're seated, you'll receive a small flight of their fresh juices: soursop, mango juice, passion fruit juice and something else that reminded me of horchata but a little thicker. I enjoyed them all but got jamaica. The food was fresh, the arepas OMG so good i didn't take a pic. The shredded chicken was so flavorful and topped w the cilantro salsa was the perfect combo. We also ordered a ground beef/cheese, bolito de queso(fried cheese balls) and a la verde(green salad).

This was some of the best food we had while in Playa! I can't wait to come back just to have more food here (and I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the US!). No wait and quiet for lunch on a weekday. I got to chatting with the owner and she was so sweet and made us feel like family. We tried an arepa, cachapa, and empanada. All were delicious but the cachapa was my favorite and the empanada my fiancé's. Truly fantastic!!

5 stars! I've been in Mayan Riviera for months now and sometimes you want something different other than Mexican food. Well this IS the place for you. Delicious Venezuelan food that is super fresh, healthy and of course tasty. The fresh juices are also worth a try. Give soursop a whirl for sure (custard apple if you're not familiar). Totally refreshing. For the food I have tried most of the menu (or at least one variation of each item). For me the Kaxapas are my go to. The arepas are a close second. Service is always excellent and the owner Jose-Ramon is always very friendly and talkative. The prices are very reasonable and the quality is amazing. Great value IMO. Tucked away just minutes from 5th Ave. Go there, you will not be disappointed.

Good as it is meant to be. The fans all over the place were a definite life saver it being early August. Make the walk to get here and you will be thankful you did off one of those boats.

During my extended vacation in PDC I would frequent this place. What made it a must as well was its convenience to where I stayed which was downstairs from La Pasion.  The family was wonderful and always provided excellent customer service and a beautiful experience. If you want to experience or love Venezuelan food, this is it. We enjoyed a variety of foods here from the plantations and empanadas to the Pabellón Criollo (PC). The empanadas and the Pabellón Criollo both consisted of rice, your choice of meat (we had shredded beef), black beans, and plantain. The PC had cheese along with an arepa. And let's not forget the green and red sauces which added a kick to the dishes.  To top it off we had some delicious beverages: bebidas combining guanabana (soursop) and parchita (passionfruit) or parchita with papelon de limon. All of these beverages were refreshing. Reasonably priced, flavorful food, in a beautiful open space and off the tourist tract.  Closes at 6pm. Enjoy!

This spot has Venezuelan cuisine and it was amazing!! First, the service is the best we had. The waitress was super nice and very comforting. You can tell she really cared about her job and the customers. They gave us a free sample of some of their popular drinks. They were all delicious!!!! We didn't get any since we had a lot of food but would recommend the drinks! esp the chica de arroz. All the meals were delicious. I LOVED the empanada but all of them the same. The avocado and egg costed extra but only like $1 combined. I can't even describe the food lol it was just so good. The meat was juicy and plentiful. Everything was super fresh. A MUST GO

The food is just so good. Try anything and you will love it. The owner is exuberant and welcoming. Highly recommend.

Warning! Do NOT go here when you only have a few days left of your stay in Playa Del Carmen. If you come here to attend an all day wedding on a Sunday. Kaxapa is closed on Mondays and you fly out on a Tuesday morning, it will have you consider skipping the wedding just so you can eat here again. I had them surprise me and they knocked it out of the park. Seriously. EVERYTHING was so damn good. My daughter said, how much money do you think we would have to pay them to come and open a restaurant in Portland? Haha

Amazing food, super good Service was awesome as well, waitress was very nice and happy to answer any questions I had. Very chill place, I'll definitely be returning!!

The overall best meal I had during my 5 days in Playa del Carmen, because Jose Ramon was extremely friendly and a terrific host who radiates joy. He gave me a flight of 4 drinks to try, and he sold me on the soursop -- it was my first time having it and I so enjoyed it that I had a soursop popcicle later that night. I had an arepa and a kaxapa, the latter I'd not had before. I preferred the arepa because I found the kaxapa a little too sweet (it was definitely closer to a pancake in taste as well as texture) albeit still quite good. I can't have gluten, and Jose Ramon took care in guiding my choices.

Great food and awesome service. Jose Ramon is a great host ! Highly recommend ! Authentic Valenzuelan food at its finest

First time in Mexico and first time here! We saw all the positive reviews and had to try it! The owner's daughter seated us. She explained the menu and what different foods were like. She then provided samples of their delicious juices! Every single one of them was amazing. I got a Cajeta coffee (coffee with caramelized goat milk). We shared tequenos (a dough stuffed with cheese). I had the Reina mexicana Arepa (ate it too quickly to get a picture) and it was wonderful! We would absolutely come back in a heart beat! They even offered their best suggestions of things to do in the area. What a great gem!

Best meal we had our entire trip. Anything but Mexican food and it's good In playa. This place was so good we came here twice. Everything is fresh, the juices are natural and real and the food is made for foodies Do eat here if your a foodie !

My fiancé and I have been here many times throughout the years. This family owned business is clean, comfortable on hot days they do have fans going. This has a indoor outdoor feel. Tons of shade. When parking nearby it is paid parking, you will not be able to use a credit card or American dollars, must use pesos (coins) to pay at the parking meter. If you have a couple dollars, the staff here was very polite and helpful and gave us some change. Although this is not guaranteed it was very nice that they could do that for us. So please come prepared. If you don't pay the meter, the meter patrol will put a boot on your car, so don't risk it around here. The food; tastes amazing you can tell they put a lot of thought and care into it. Quality ingredients and fresh juices. Service: being a family owned business this business knows about great customer service, they are polite, kind and even remembered us from a few months back. Which honestly felt kind of special. Last but not least. They do have English menus on hand and the staff speaks English as well

Take the suggestions from the owner and enjoy the free flights of drinks. Personally I love the Jamaica tea but my Moroccan friend loves the Horchata because it reminded him of a rice drink from home. All the food is delicious as the next on the menu. We got a lot of different snacks and had a great meal

Kaxapa Factory is awesome! I loved it so much that I came twice during my time in Playa del Carmen. Located a few minutes' walk from the beach and away from the busy Quinta Avenida, this cute restaurant has delicious food, is more affordable than other nearby options, and has such great service. I ordered the Arepa Pabellon with the passion fruit juice and they were both so good! The beef was tender and seasoned so well and the passion fruit juice had just the right amount of sweetness. It was a lot of food, but so good that I finished until the end. I highly recommend!

I got a fried plantain salad which was deliciously crispy and filling. My wife got something that was like a pancake and an omelet had a child... it was delicious AF! I ate her leftovers when she wasn't looking The owner and his family were so friendly. I'd 100% go back

Excellent food, excellent service, great portions. Definitely going back. Ordered arepas and patacon- all so delicious. Our server was very sweet, brought us out little juices and a little sweet desert along with what we ordered. Place doesn't serve alcohol- not a big deal at all just FYI.

I love good food but sometimes being a vegetarian makes it hard when traveling. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE HERE I am so so so happy we found this place, thanks to Yelp! Parking is easy, if not on the street in front, there are enough streets around the restaurant. There was a great little market as well when we were there on a Sunday night. The owners are so amazing. The husband made sure we knew everything about the menu and the wife is an incredible chef. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I'm going back once more before we leave to the other things on the menu!! The food was incredible from the appetizers and the sauces. The spicy sauce on the table was SO HOT and I loved it!! I am drooling now thinking about the menu! This was one of the best decisions I made on vacation!

Owned by Venezuelan ex-pats seeking a taste of home, Kaxapa Factory has quickly become one of the most well-regarded Restaurants in Playa Del Carmen, an amicable owner plus scratch-made plates ranging 50-100 pesos undoubtedly part of the space's appeal. Located at 10th Street between 15th and 20th, adjacent Palacio Municiapal, it is beneath understated signage that guests will find open-air environs, hours from 10:00am to 10:00pm Tuesday through Sunday frequently seeing all nine tables full. Named after the "Cachapa," a Sweet Corn Pancake with Cheese and Brown Sugar, dining at Kaxapa Factory begins with warm greeting and complimentary Juices, all made on-site from local Ingredients, as much of Venezuela's cuisine shares roots with that of Mexico. Easy to navigate in English or Spanish, with comprehensive descriptions across a laminated menu, Lunch began with fried balls of soft Cheese, a dip in traditional Guasacaca Sauce adding depth while an Empanada to follow was generously portioned and nearly bursting with Beef and Beans. Turning more traditional with an Arepa, arguably Venezuela's most-famous culinary creation, it should go without saying that no meal at Kaxapa Factory is complete without their eponymous dish, the Pancake's fold around seasoned Chicken and Cheese compelling bite-after-bite before finishing up with texturally refined Flan imbued by Coconut.

This is one of the best Venezuelan food I have ever had in Mexico. This place has amazing Arepas, Cachapas, and special dishes. I have been here multiple times and ordered different food here. If you like sweet drinks their rice based drink "chicha de arroz" is so good and filling. The empanadas are not the best but are nice. The waiter is so nice to make changes to plates. We got the mix empanadas and also we replaced beef with chicken in Pabellon Criollo. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Playa Del Carmen.

This spot is a gem. We went here several times when in Playa Del Carmen. Their juices, food and dessert were all good. Also, the owner was very friendly!

Food is amazing. Service is amazing. The owner is always there and so accommodating. The vibe is very relaxed. I highly recommend checking it out! Also the owner loves to talk baseball (Mr Cabrera) lol

Loved this cute find in Playa del Carmen! Wanting a small break from Mexican fare, my boyfriend and I decided to check out Kaxapa factory- our other exposure to Venezuelan food being tequeños in some random bar in Lima. The owner greeted us and explained to us (in Spanish, since we wanted to practice our Spanish) some of the highlights of their menu- they have menus in both Spanish and English! He also brought out their drinks in tasting glasses- maracuya, soursop, a sweet rice drink, and a lemon drink. We ordered their green salad (which was hefty and could've easily fed 4 people as a starter), and got an order of kaxapa and a tostone mixto sandwich. The salad was just ok- nothing too fancy, heavy on the lettuce and came with oil and balsamic. Their kaxapa and tostone though.... DELISH! The kaxapa was a corn dough with cheese and shredded chicken on the inside- they brought out sauces for us to put atop- heavenly! The tostone as well- toasted plantain sandwich with mixed meats and cheese inside with sauces on top- uniquely Latin American and so filling! Customer service was top notch and the food was delicious- definitely give it a try if you're in Playa del Carmen.

Another day in downtown Playa, I found this hole in the wall restaurant. It's Venezuelan food and amazing! Definitely try the Cachapa Mechada with beef and avocado. My spouse had the arepa with beef and arepa pabellón.

I rarely leave reviews but I had to for this place, truly amazing breakfast! I had no idea what to have and asked the server/owner for help, he explained the menu to me. The food is incredibly delicious that I am thinking of already going back tomorrow!! I forget the server or owners name but quite possibly the friendliest shop Owner I have encountered here in Playa A true gem of a find! Lost definitely recommend to anyone Frank

Amazing Venezuelan cuisine! Spanish and English menus are both available to peruse. The menu is set up to highlight the 4 main plate types: arepas, kaxapas, patacon, or rice/special plate. They also have a number of juice options. On the house, we got samples of soursop, passion fruit, sugar cane lemonade, and chicha de arroz. I really enjoyed the soursop sin azucar (without sugar, since with sugar was a bit too sweet) and chicha de arroz - almost like a thicker/yogurty horchata. We had to order a large soursop juice since it was so good - oh and since this place is without A/C, the refreshing juice helped. For food, we had the patecon pabellon and pabellon criollo plate. The patecon pabellon is a fried plantain "sandwich" with shredded beef, black beans, and cheese. The pabellon criollo plate included rice, an arepa, shredded beef, plantains, black beans, and cheese - I also ordered an avocado on it. Both dishes were delicious! The mild sauce and the really spicy sauce were great to drizzle over the shredded beef in both dishes. That fried plantain "bread" as part of the sandwich of the patacon was a nice crispy and gooey texture. It was sweet and savory at the same time - what a treat!

Came here a year ago and are planning our next trip. We are getting a place in walking distance so I can come here every day for breakfast. The best food, the best people, the best juices....seriously, the happiest way to start your day!

Great place to spend the afternoon. We had great food and would come again. Alejandro was great with us

Can't see menu without subscribing therefore I'll eat somewhere else. I'd like to know what is available

Cute little place off the tourist Calle 5. We went for lunch. Venezuelan food, which we've never had. Our waitress was Venezuelan too. She explained the menu (in English) and gave us a taste of 4 national juices. All were tasty, but some were too sweet to have with food. I ordered the Pabellon Criola, their national dish and their lightest juice. Both were really good. My husband had the Kaxapa Catira which he liked as well. We will definitely be trying Venezuelan food again. This place was a great find. The only small issue we had is that it's about 95 degrees, and their air conditioning was either not working/or not on. They did have 2 fans which we were able to aim directly at us as there weren't many other patrons at the time we were there.

My favorite restaurant in Playa del Carmen. The owner is chévere and loves to sing in el restaurante. No canta bien pero eso vale v@rga. He is muy cómico, guapo and tall. His daughter "yikes!" Is awesome. You don't need to go to Venezuela. Come here, look at the artwork, eat the wonderful, abundant food, close your eyes and you're there. ¡No seas Cara de chimba vos! Vení ya. Try the maracuyá

Amazing service and food! Loved everything about our visit. All of the dishes we tried were lovely and the owner is such a delight!

My wife was excited to show me this place as she had been before. The restaurant serves Venezuelan food which is not the same as Peruvian (I asked) although there certainly is some overlap. The restaurant is clean and modern. The service is professional and helpful. My favorites were the chicken empanada and the beef empanada. The dough is from sweet corn so it is sweet. Both had very flavorful and tasty meat. The empanada are fried and slightly greasy but not overly so. The second best was the cachapa which is like a stuffed pancake but lighter. We had chicken and cheese but I think just chicken would be better as the manchango is strong. My least favorite was the chicken and cheese arepa. The cheese was too strong and drowned out the chicken. I would come here again for the empanadas and to try something else from the menu.

Super cute and quaint little restaurant a hit off the beaten path. I think it may have been the owner who greeted and seated me. She was lovely!! Very informative with the menu (since it was my first time) and gave me a sampling of fresh juices. The food was fantastic and HUGE portions. We ordered 2 empanadas (not knowing how big they were) and one arepa. The empanada de pabellon venezolano and arepa catira with avocado were our favorites. 2 empanadas, 1 arepa and an iced coffee was ~$14 - and enough food to save for a mid morning snack!

Delicious Venezuelan cuisine for super cheap! 10/10 recommend. They offer a sample of juices as you arrive and the service is wonderful.

This place was amazing and well priced. They start you off with some samples of their fresh juices. Our food was the best meal we have had our whole trip. The service was fabulous as well.

Good food and great service by the owner. She was sweet and introduced us to the ingredients and the food. The passionfruit drink was good too.

I decided to try this Venezuelan restaurant while in Playa del Carmen based on the excellent reviews. We got a nice table outside and the lady waiting on us was friendly and very nice. I was torn between a few drinks and she brought me a sample to try. I decided on the Chicha de Arroz. Very creamy and good. We shared a Cachapa con carne mechada, an arepa and an empanada. Everything was delicious and cooked very well. The food came quickly and piping hot. They take credit cards. Nice place about 5 blocks from the beach.

You HAVE to try this place if you're ever in PDC. I found this place on yelp and visited the restaurant for dinner. I saw that it had over 300 reviews and a full 5 stars, so I knew I had to come here before I left PDC. Our sever was extremely friendly, explaining the menu to us because we said it was our first time dining here! We ordered a lot: -cachapitas starter (8 kaxapitas with several meats and cheese) (5/5): you could get full off of this starter! It's almost like a DIY since the toppings come on the side. This was so good as a starter! Comes with cheese, shredded beef and chicken. -cheese balls (3/5): the cheese balls were alright, didn't really taste like anything. It's better if you eat it with the sauces given on the side! -arepa (4/5): the arepa is so good! I just wish the portion was a bit bigger, but nonetheless it was amazing. Since we ordered starters, it was enough for my boyfriend. -mixed patacon (5/5): this. was. so. good. I loved the patacon! It's fried plantain toast with lettuce, cheese, and mixed meats inside, almost like a sandwich. You need to try this! We also got their passion fruit and the horchata. They give you samples of the juices so you get to try them before you order which was super nice! Overall, this place truly takes pride in serving Venezuelan food and I recommend everyone to come here.

We loved our food and drinks. The atmosphere was lively but relaxing. Our server was so friendly and attentive. We ordered two arepas. Delicious! I loved that we got drink samples at the beginning. It was hard to choose. Lovely place and people.

Amazing experience. The owner literally sings songs as he proudly serves his home cooked master pieces. Don't walk....RUN to this lovely PDC gem.

Las empanadas están deliciosas. Excelente servicio y me encanto el café de Chiapas( recomendable ) Food was amazing and the juice samples he provides are very tasty.

Food was amazing! Patacón with mix meats chicken and beef is the best! Service was great, sweet staff and restaurant was nice and spacious .

We were recently in Playa del Carmen and used Yelp to find this gem! It is a couple blocks away from the really touristy areas and is not to be missed! The owner is delightful and so funny and sweet. You can tell that they are a local favorite as the many of the locals came in for take out orders and were known by name. The food is excellent and traditional Venezuelan fare. It was hands down some of the best food for the best prices!

This place is delicious. Safe to eat everything and drink the juices. I highly recommend the juices. Try them all and pick your favorite. I enjoy the passion fruit. The sauces...are delicious. Warning - the red one is hot, but gooooood. I put it on everything.