La Pummarola

A little hard to find, but Italian favorites such as bruschetta, wood fired pizza, calzones and pastas keep patrons coming back again and again.

Ask if steak is on their daily specials. It can be surprisingly good. You'll be back the next morning to purchase their crusty bread "para llevar" (to go).

Bring a flashlight if you'll be walking there at night. This new construction area still has unpaved roads without streetlights.

HoursOpen for dinner

Tags alcohol, carry out, cash only, italian, outdoor seating, pizza, restaurant

User Reviews & Comments

August 15, 2008 - 5:28pm
Hayduke (View Profile) says:
This restaurant is absolutely incredible!! The owner, Donato, is a charming man who makes all of his guests feel right at home. He greeted us with a warm affectionate smile, a hearty laugh, and genuine interest and concern. Over the course of our meal he came by the table, took interest in our querys, and even introduced his family who were dining at a nearby table. (His sons are as handsome as Adonis). Our waiter, Pepe, was hads down the best waiter we have EVER had. This guy was incredible. His superb attentive skills and robust personality made our dining experience one to be remembered forever. Do yourself a favor and try this restaurant early in you visit. You may find yourself back for seconds. PS - Avoid the Lasagna. The Lobster and linguini was incredible.

March 23, 2008 - 6:38pm
Tony&Cheri (View Profile) from Playa del Carmen, Mexico says:
We won't be back to La Pummarola. Tonight we went again (the fourth time in about a month). The service has always been a bit lukewarm, but tonight was horrible. When we got there, the restaurant was practically empty. We ordered a salad, lasagna (the special) & some spaghetti with olive oil/garlic. Got our salad, no problem. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. We watched a table of 6 men who came in 20 minutes after us be served their dinner -- pizzas, pastas, the works. We watched another couple who came in at the same time as the men served their dinner. Finally we asked if our pasta was done and if it wasn't, we'd just pay for the salad and leave. They said, "Fine. Goodbye." Before we left, we asked to see the owner. A guy came out of the kitchen and asked what the problem was. We told him how long we had waited after watching everyone else be served. He said, "Oh whatever." Tony was pretty upset and said, "Is this the way you treat your guests?" The guy replied "f**k you" and walked back into the kitchen. We will NOT be back. Ever.

February 29, 2008 - 11:34am
marissab (View Profile) from says:
I love this restaurant. Like Sherry I love/crave their pizza with Italian sausage. I believe that Donato the owner makes it there. The mozarella is made fresh there (so Donato told me) and the caprice salad is amazing...on the side of the salad is an small arrugala salad that is incredible too. I've never been there when I wasn't give a free something....be it apetizer or wine or limoncello. But even without the freebies I'd still eat there! I love their food!

January 20, 2008 - 8:53am
Tony&Cheri (View Profile) from Playa del Carmen, Mexico says:
We love the pasta and pizza both at La Pummarola. We went there for dinner with friends last night and all shared each other's dishes. My favorite was probably the pasta with four cheeses. We also liked the corkscrew pasta with a red sauce and sausage...also very good. The place was packed (the first time we had ever seen it so full) but the service was still good. We like this place because it's a bit out of the way, and when walking there you feel a bit like you're going to a secret place no one knows about. For some reason, people have a hard time finding this place. Just walk down Fifth Avenue to Calle 38 (with the big margarita-glass looking sculpture in the center of the street) and turn right. Go past La Cueva del Chango towards the ocean. On big street that runs parallel to the ocean (the closest street to the ocean), turn left and walk down a block or block and a half, and Pummarola will be on the left hand corner. It's a dark street, but don't worry. The food will be worth the walk!

April 24, 2007 - 5:33pm
Sherry from Playa del Carmen says:
PART 2: Immediately after writing the review above, I realized it made me hungry so I decided to hop on my bike and go get one of these pizza's! Sadly, I found out they are closed on TUESDAYS. I do not know if this will always be the day they are closed but take this into consideration. Many restaurants close one day a week. They all vary as to which day it could be.

April 24, 2007 - 3:57pm
Sherry Stevens from Playa del Carmen says:
I love their pizza! I recently was able to bring myself to order a pasta dish instead of the pizza I always love. The pasta I had was quite nice as well. This may not be an issue in other places in the world but it is hard to find nice Italian sausage topping here. Their's is the real thing and tasty! I wish they had delivery!