A cool new concept hits Playa del Carmen!

By Kristin Hahn

La Diez deserves a "10"!

On Saturday night I was out and about with friends and we came upon La Diez. Meaning “The Ten” it is a new restaurant and bar located on the corner of 8^th Street and 10^th Avenue.

From the street you look through huge picture windows that face 10^th Avenue. The tables had something strange attached to the top of them….wait a minute those are draft nozzles! Could it be? No way! Self serve beer at your table! This was something I had never seen before so my friends and I went in to check it out and we met the owner….

Owner: Justyn JOnes Justyn Jones is the owner and the brains behind this great new concept here in Playa del Carmen. Born in England, raised in Brazil, and happily living in Mexico for the past 16 years, Justyn has been in the Playa del Carmen area for the past 4 years. He has worked at Xcaret since his arrival, but has always had the idea of being self employed and independent, and now his dream has become a reality. When asked how he came up with the concept of having a cantina with self service beer, he said he had combined the style of a traditional Mexican cantina with his English roots and love of beer.

When sitting at one of the self serve tables there is a window at the back of the room so you are able to see the kegs in the cooler. The cooler is kept at a constant 2 to 3 degrees Celsius to ensure nice cold beer. In addition there are insulated hoses that run from the kegs to each table, and food grade antifreeze (called Glycol) is constantly circulating around the hoses to keep them at the optimum temperature. Because of this each frothy beverage that you pour arrives at your table chilled and frosty for the perfect pint!

The Spicy wings! As we happily sipped our glasses of beer we perused the menu. There was a great selection to choose from; ranging from the grilled Mexican burger, to spicy chicken wings that you order by the pound. We decided to test the tantalizing treats, and we were not disappointed! We settled on an order of guacamole, some chicken wings, and a platter of Mexican appetizers (miniature shrimp, arrachera, and nopales tacos). Everything was absolutely scrumptious and fresh and we barely took a breath as we made short work of everything on the table.

There is a pool table, televisions scattered through out, and soon Justyn will have table games as well. All and all this is an absolute must try! Beer is only 60 pesos a liter (measured digitally at your table), food is served family style to integrate the tables, and all of this is a recipe for success! So go on down and experience the fun, you will not be disappointed!

Locals enjoying a cold pint! La Diez is open from noon to 2:00 AM daily and the kitchen is open until midnight.