by Monica Hartlief
DAC is hands down, without a doubt my all time favorite store in Playa del Carmen. And best of all it is a healthy and reasonably priced store. No they don’t sell shoes, clothes or perfumes. DAC is a fruit and vegetable market with a small but nice selection of organic items, a meat and dairy counter, international canned foods (mostly Italian and Asian), and several types of rice, couscous, quinoa, nuts, spices, dried chiles and dried fruit and beans, etc.
DAC is one of the most colorful places in Playa, many fruits and vegetables are displayed in crates on counters in the aisles and you can pick and choose what you want to buy. If you don’t see what you need, don’t be afraid to ask. Yes in Spanish! Delicate items like fresh herbs need a cool environment and the big storage cooling area is in the back of the store not accessible to the customers.
Here’s a few things to ask for in Spanish:
Basil – albahaca
Mint – menta local or hierbabuena (there is a difference but I don’t know what it is)
Coriander – cilantro (this is usually sitting in a wicker basket in the store)
Parsley – perejil (can be found next to the cilantro)
Dill – eneldo
Chives – cebollin
Sage – salvia
Outside, adjacent to DAC you will find their restaurant La Ceiba. Here you go for Mexican food and healthy salad choices at a reasonable price, anything from breakfast chilaquiles and huevos rancheros to lunch enchiladas rojas, burritos, great salads, grilled chicken, etc. The best thing you can get at La Ceiba in my opinion are the smoothies and fresh fruit juices. You can order them in or to go and they’re truly awesome. I love the Xama-ha, some mix of orange juice, strawberry, honey and ginger.
Once you start to get to know some people in Playa you’ll find you will run into almost anyone at DAC or La Ceiba. Some will be hung over from the night before and others will be fresh and awake just returning from a yoga class or on the way to the beach. No matter what the activity , a fresh fruit juice gets or keeps them going. Well, it does for me.
DAC and La Ceiba are located on 30th avenue, between Avenida Constituyentes and Calle 20
Open Mon – Sat 7am – 8pm, Sun 7am – 2pm
