If you can't afford a flight to Spain, just sit down 'Beneath the Tree.' Basque chef Julio's menu changes daily, but he whips up an extraordinary escalivada (eggplant and pepper dish), and the pulpo a la gallega (octopus), topped with crunchy sea salt, is so damned good it ought to be illegal. Add a half-bottle of Spanish wine, and you're set.
There's also a convenient four-room guesthouse attached (d incl breakfast US$40-50). Just 200m north of the T-intersection, in Playa El Carmen.