Our first encounter at Popeye’s was of the take-out variety. Armed with healthy appetites, we agreed on a sampling of four different fried dinners and an order of ceviche. Most of the tables being unoccupied, we settled in close to the action in the tiny kitchen with a Cerveza Montejo for LSS and a glass of white wine for me. The restaurant is situated on calle 26 between 5th and 10th. The small, efficient kitchen sits within view beyond the take out counter and its bright yellow menu. Here there are two or three tables, presumably to be used for waiting customers. Further up the street, in a small courtyard, is the main seating area with a selection of half a dozen well spaced, umbrella clad tables for the dine-in crowd. Within ten minutes our order was completed and carefully packaged to go. Offered our choice of tarter sauce, mango salsa, jalapeño relish and malt vinegar, we opted for all four.

Upon returning home, we plunged headlong into our fried feast. My concerns about maintaining the stability of the food during the fifteen minute ride were quickly overcome as soon as each selection was unveiled. The Fried Chicken ($35), consisting of a thigh and a large drumstick, was well coated with a light, mildly spicy batter. Perfectly browned and appropriately greasy, the skin was thin and crispy. The meat beneath was moist and juicy and perfectly cooked. Finger lickin´good, indeed.

The Calamari ($35) followed boasting a generous portion of large, thick rings. As a fan of the tentacles, I was a bit disappointed by their omission; however the large rings soon won me over. Each perfectly coated in the same lightly seasoned, delicate batter, the calamari rings were at once crunchy and tender without a hint of chewiness. I attempted the jalapeño relish but it was too spicy for my delicate tongue. The thick tartar sauce came to the rescue providing the perfect alternative for this tenderfoot. I should mention here that the mango salsa was, unfortunately, left out of our order.

Between bites of fried yumminess we snacked on the Mixed Ceviche ($70). A delightful combination of octopus, fish, squid and shrimp, the mild ceviche was a perfect palette cleanser. The portion of tender fish was generous and very fresh but could be improved by the addition of more lime juice, fresh cilantro and chopped onion. The ceviche is served with a small side of guacamole, some of the best and freshest I have been served here in Playa. Chunky, flavorful and perfectly seasoned, it is obviously freshly prepared with care and not just as an afterthought.

As the Coconut Shrimp at the Hotel Playa Maya is one of my favorite indulgences, I was excited about the possibility of a low cost alternative to satisfy my cravings. While Popeye’s Coconut Shrimp ($45) will not replace my standing favorite, they were fairly tasty. The medium sized shrimp are lightly coated in batter, dredged in coconut and fried. The result is a crispy coating with a very mild, toasty coconut flavor. Our shrimp was overcooked and may have benefited from the accompaniment of the elusive mango salsa. I may or may not order this again. They left me under whelmed.

Finally, the Fish n´Chips ($32), the object of our endeavor. The fish, two large portions of thick white cod fillet encrusted within a layer of crispy golden goodness.  Moist but not oily, the fish lived up to our expectations and was made even more enjoyable by a splash of traditional malt vinegar. The fish is served, as are all of the fried offerings, with a small portion of corn on the cob and a heaping side of chips. (French fries to those of us on this side of the pond) While I’ve had better fries here in Playa del Carmen, to say nothing of London, they are not the worst I’ve sampled. A bit more time in the hot oil and a sprinkle of salt is all that is needed to bring life to these soggy spuds.

Excited to try some of the items offered on the a la carte dinner menu, on our second visit to Popeye’s we decided to dine in the courtyard. We were acknowledged by the same young lady who had serviced our previous take-out order, and was told to sit wherever we liked. She appeared to be quite preoccupied, although there were only two other parties seated. We grabbed our own menus out of the hostess station and settled in, anticipating another fabulous fried feast. Eventually, we were properly greeted and drink orders were given. After what seemed like an inordinately long time, we received our beverages, a basket of crisp tortilla chips and a selection of four dipping sauces; the three sauces offered with the take out orders joined by a creamy condiment, mildly spiced with guajillo chilies. Delicious. We then placed our order for dinner.

Let me take just a moment here to express one of my greatest dining pet peeves. When I order an appetizer and/or salad and a main dish I do not expect nor want them to be served to me all at once. Having endured this exact experience time and time again in Playa, we have learned to be very specific about how and when we want our courses presented.

Twenty minutes later, drinks drained long ago, our food arrived, all of it, all at once. As we had now been sitting for over an hour we conceded defeat and launched into our meals. It was at this point I realized that my soup, Cream of Spinach with Smoked Oyster ($48), had gone missing on route to the table. Despite our inquiries as to its whereabouts, the soup never did make an appearance, until the bill came.

Long Suffering’s appetizer, Shrimp Olivia ($68) was an interesting affair. Medium sized shrimp wrapped in angel hair pasta and deep fried. The result is not altogether bad, just peculiar. I can liken it to eating a fried shrimp mysteriously embedded in a nest of uncooked capellini. The previously elusive mango salsa makes a welcome appearance in this dish and serves to provide what little flavor is to be found.

My entrée, Grilled Fish with Toasted Almonds ($98) fell decidedly flat. The fish itself, unidentifiable by our server, was perfectly seasoned, cooked properly and, on its own, delicious. The toasted sliced almonds were slightly burned and managed to be both chalky and chewy. There was no sauce at all which made the dry almonds difficult to incorporate with the fish. Adding nothing to an otherwise excellent grilled fillet, the almond shards were pushed aside.

The Fish n’ Chips ($32), were as expected, perfectly battered, well seasoned, moist and delicious; a welcome reprieve from an otherwise lackluster meal. This is clearly their strongest offering and well deserving of the praise it has received.

After some debate with our server about the missing soup, and some quick recalculations, our meals, plus two glasses of white wine and two Cervezas Montejo came to a very reasonable $286 pesos. In conclusions my findings are as such:

Pros

• Great location in the popular north end.
• Well executed traditional fried fare
• Great value, very reasonable prices
• Quick efficient take-out service
• Clean restroom facilities
• Comfortable, spacious, clean dining area
• Real Malt Vinegar (not easy to find in Playa)

Cons

• Poor table service, not rude, just inexperienced, unorganized and inefficient
• A la carte dinner selections uninspired, poorly executed
• Minimal ambience
• No toilet paper in the restroom during either visit

Absolutely do go to Popeye’s for the delicious and delightfully inexpensive Fish n’ Chips. Skip the expanded dinner selections until the kinks have been worked out and the service problems have been addressed. We will certainly return again.

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