La Ceiba
30th Avenue | $
A Ceiba is a sacred Mayan tree that represents the connection between the underworld, the earth, and heaven. The Mayan often left these trees standing when they cleared pastures and farmland, so when you travel through Mayan regions, you'll often see these ancient trees where everything else has been cleared.
There's an enormous Ceiba that still stands on Avenida 30 in Playa, where the rest of the neighborhood has been built up and paved over. For many years there was a small juice bar that served fresh vegetable and fruit juices and smoothies, and recently they expanded and opened a full restaurant. The owners called La Ceiba, in honor of the tree.
The magic of La Ceiba probably comes from a combination of the tree's sacred influences and the fact that the restaurant is located directly adjacent to Dac, a local produce and grocery store that sells some of the freshest fruits and vegetables I've ever tasted. When you order a La Ceiba you'll often see the waitstaff run into Dac get fresh cheese, tomatoes, or avocados for your dish.
La Ceiba still serves fresh juices and smoothies. They've also added tasty egg dishes for breakfast, and they serve fresh enchiladas, chilaquiles, sandwiches, pastas, and delicious quesadillas. My vegetarian friend loves the Chayaquiles, which are prepared with the most incredible smokey chaya and cheese. The flavors are are the home-cooked kind that make you sit back and smile because they used the right spices with the right vegetables and it just tastes perfect.
Le Ceiba also added a nice coffee bar and serves up nice espresso drinks with coffees from Chiapas and Oaxaca. You can order food, sip coffee drinks and watch life go by on Avenida 30. This corner, the tree, Dac, and La Ceiba are all some of the wonderful local details that lots of visitors in Playa often miss.