Made ByRestaurant

Salento

Name: Salento
Address: Av. CTM 20, Zazil-ha, 77720 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Telephone: +529841472362
Price range: $$

01CuisineAuthentic Italian Pizza
02CityPlaya del Carmen, Mexico

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Mirko FebbrileRecommends

What the Address Tells You Before You Arrive

Playa del Carmen's dining geography divides fairly cleanly. Fifth Avenue and its immediate surrounds run on tourist volume, turning tables fast and pricing menus accordingly. Move inland and north toward Zazil-ha, where Salento sits on Av. CTM 20, and the character shifts. The neighbourhood draws a steadier local and long-stay visitor mix, and the restaurants that survive here tend to do so on repeat clientele rather than passing foot traffic. That dynamic, more than any single dish, shapes what kind of experience to expect from an address in this part of town.

The broader Riviera Maya corridor has undergone a meaningful shift over the past decade. Where the stretch from Cancún to Tulum was once dominated by all-inclusive resort dining and a handful of Italian-leaning tourist staples, a generation of operators has built around Mexican regional cooking and Yucatecan produce. That movement has its high-profile expressions further south, Le Chique in Puerto Morelos operates at a technical level that competes with destination restaurants in any major city, but it also filters into mid-tier neighbourhood addresses like Salento's. The Zazil-ha location places it in a price tier below the resort-area tasting menu circuit but above the street-level taquería format represented by places like Asadero El Pollo.

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Where Salento Sits in Playa's Dining Map

Playa del Carmen's restaurant range is wider than the resort-strip image suggests. At the upper end, HA' operates a $$$$-tier Mexican format that positions itself against regional destination dining. Axiote Cocina de Mexico occupies the $$-tier with a more accessible, produce-led Mexican kitchen. Alux Restaurante draws on its cave-dining setting to anchor a different kind of experience. Salento's Zazil-ha address puts it in a neighbourhood cohort that skews local without sacrificing the finish that visitors expect from a considered dinner reservation.

For context on what the wider Mexican fine-dining conversation looks like, it is worth noting how far the country's regional kitchens have travelled internationally. KOLI Cocina de Origen in Monterrey, Levadura de Olla in Oaxaca, and Alcalde in Guadalajara represent a generation of Mexican kitchens earning international recognition on the strength of regional specificity. Huniik in Merida makes that case for Yucatecan cooking specifically. Even in Playa del Carmen's more relaxed, resort-adjacent context, that broader shift in how Mexican cuisine is understood and valued sets the reference point for what the better neighbourhood addresses are working toward.

At a glance

Cuisine: Authentic Italian Pizza
Price: $$
Neighborhood: 2300800011455

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Hours

Mon	13:00–22:30
Tue	13:00–22:30
Wed	13:00–22:30
Thu	13:00–22:30
Fri	13:00–22:30
Sat	13:00–22:30
Sun	13:00–22:30

Hours can change. Check with the venue before you go.

Address

Av. CTM 20, Zazil-ha, 77720 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico

2300800011455

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Website

opentable.com

Phone

+529841472362

Questions

Frequently asked

How expensive is Salento?

Salento is listed at a price level of $$.

Where is Salento and what does it serve?

Salento is in 2300800011455, Playa del Carmen, serving Authentic Italian Pizza.

The field

How it compares

Place	Cuisine	Notes	Awards
Salento	Authentic Italian Pizza	2300800011455, $$	·
Axiote Cocina de Mexico	Modern Mexican Cocina	Playa del Carmen	·
Cocina de Autor Riviera Maya	Avant-Garde Molecular Fusion Tasting	Playa del Carmen	Michelin 1 Star
Kumiko	Japanese Dining Bar	Chicago	50 Best
Le Chique	Avant-Garde Mexican Tasting Menu	Playa del Carmen	Michelin 1 Star, 50 Best
Tantris	Modern French Fine Dining	Munich	Michelin 2 Stars, 50 Best
Trèsind Studio	Modern Indian Fine Dining	Dubai	Michelin 3 Stars, 50 Best

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The Sunday email

Read about the people behind restaurants like Salento in the Sunday email.

Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.