When can I buy alcohol in Playa del Carmen?
Most of us who have been living in Playa del Carmen have been in that situation where you’re planning a last-minute late night get together with friends… and all of the Oxxos have stopped selling beers! Alcohol sales hours change depending on the day of the week, and the city’s dry laws can be unpredictable, not to mention the fact that each convenience store has its own set of hours. For this very reason, we decided to write up our very own little guide to buying alcohol in Playa del Carmen. We hope you find it useful!
Note: This guide applies only to buying alcohol from stores in the Playa del Carmen area. You’ll find different laws when traveling to nearby areas like Cancun, Akumal or Tulum.
Alcohol sale hours: Playa del Carmen stores are only allowed to sell alcohol during certain times of the day. On Sundays, for example, stores are not permitted to sell alcohol after 5pm. Monday through Thursday have later hours, while weekends have the latest possible hours for alcohol sales. That being said, if you’re looking for late-night drinks, you can always head to one of Playa del Carmen’s bars or nightclubs for some beers or cocktails.
We took the time to visit some of the most visited stores for alcohol sales in Playa del Carmen, including the main supermarkets, a few wineries, and of course the most central Oxxo convenience store locations in town, and got the alcohol sales times for each. Here’s our list:
Oxxo (Shangri-La beach entrance on 38th Street)
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9pm
- Sunday: 9am – 1pm
Oxxo (10th Ave and 36th Street)
- Monday: 9am – 9pm
- Tuesday: 9am – midnight
- Friday and Saturday: 9am – 1am
- Sunday: 9am – 5pm
Oxxo (5th Avenue near the Cozumel ferry)
- Monday – Saturday: 10am – 9pm
- Sunday: 10am – 5pm
La Europea (Quinta Alegria)
- Monday – Saturday: 11am – 10pm
- Sunday: 10am – 5pm
El Campeon (5th Ave and 38th Street)
- Monday – Thursday: 8am – midnight
- Friday and Saturday: 8am – 1am
- Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Off the Vine Wine & Liquor Store (1st Ave between 26th and 28th Street)
- Monday – Saturday: 10am – 11pm
- Closed Sundays
Winery & Plus (10th Avenue and 28th Street)
- Monday – Saturday: 10am – 10pm
- Closed Sundays
Mega Comercial (30th Avenue and Constituyentes)
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9pm
- Sunday: 9am – 5pm
Cava del Duero (Constituyentes and the highway)
- Monday – Saturday: 10am – 9pm
- Sunday: 10am – 2pm
City Club (Centro Maya)
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 10pm
- Sunday: 9am – 5pm
Soriana
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9pm
- Sunday: 9am – 2pm
Sam’s Club (on the highway across from Centro Maya)
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 10pm
- Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Chedraui (on the highway near Benito Juarez)
- Monday – Saturday: 9am – 11pm
- Sunday: 9am – 5pm
Ley Seca / Dry Law: On election days, Playa del Carmen stores (and sometimes bars and nightclubs as well) have to adhere to what’s called “Ley Seca” (Dry Law) where for 24 – 48 hours during the election period, alcohol sales are strictly prohibited. The Ley Seca hours are determined on a case-by-case basis by each state, and Playa del Carmen tends to be less strict about alcohol sales in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs during this time due to the high level of tourists (but stores will always be closed to alcohol sales during Ley Seca). You will want to check news articles in the days leading up to elections for the latest Ley Seca regulations.
Drinking age: The minimum drinking age in Playa del Carmen is 18 years.
Drinking alcohol in the street: Drinking alcohol in public streets is not allowed in the state of Quintana Roo. Yes, this means that walking along 5th Avenue with a beer in your hand is against the law. Oftentimes the local police will be lenient about this law in tourist-heavy areas, but we still recommend not drinking any beer or other drinks outside bars, restaurants, or homes in order to save yourself some potential trouble.
As you can see, there are very few hard-and-fast rules when it comes to alcohol sales in Playa del Carmen. In our opinion, your best bet is to buy in advance to make sure you don’t get stuck with no beers at your late-night party.