When Can You Buy Alcohol in Playa?
Sunday beer runs, supermarket cutoffs, restaurant drinks, hotel bars and alcohol delivery: here's how alcohol sales work in Playa del Carmen.
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Last Verified: October 25, 2026
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Quick Answer
Yes, you can buy alcohol on Sundays in Playa del Carmen, but where you buy it matters.
Supermarkets, convenience stores and minisúpers can sell alcohol from 9 AM to 5 PM on Sundays. From Monday through Saturday, the ordinary sales window is 9 AM to 10 PM, and some stores are authorized to keep selling until midnight.
Restaurants and bars follow different rules, and some establishments in designated tourist zones have later permitted hours.
Ordering alcohol for home delivery doesn't automatically get around these hours. Whether you can receive an order on Sunday depends on the licensed seller, its permitted hours and the delivery service.
Alcohol Sales Hours at a Glance
These are the hours set by Quintana Roo's alcohol sales law, subject to each establishment's license, any extended-hours authorization and temporary restrictions.
Important
The latest permitted closing time isn't a guarantee that every establishment can sell until then. Extended hours need an authorization from the municipality, and each business's authorization says how many extra hours it has.
Buying Alcohol to Take Home
If you're shopping for beer, wine or liquor at a supermarket or convenience store, pay attention to the alcohol sales cutoff, not just the store's opening hours.
A supermarket may stay open after alcohol sales have ended. You might still be able to buy groceries, snacks or soft drinks, but not beer or wine.
Monday Through Saturday
The ordinary alcohol sales hours for supermarkets, convenience stores and minisúpers are 9 AM to 10 PM.
Some businesses are authorized to keep selling until midnight. Don't assume your nearest store has that authorization.
Sundays
The ordinary permitted window is 9 AM to 5 PM. This is the rule that often catches newcomers by surprise.
If you're planning a Sunday barbecue, pool afternoon or gathering at home, it's safest to buy your alcohol before 5 PM, or the day before.
Ask Playa Tip
Hosting friends on Sunday? Buy your beer, wine and liquor before 5 PM, and preferably earlier.
A store being open, a restaurant serving cocktails or an app accepting grocery orders doesn't necessarily mean you can still buy alcohol to take home.
Does This Apply to Beer, Wine and Liquor?
Yes. These hours apply to all alcoholic drinks, not just hard liquor.
What About Liquor Stores?
Under the state law, a business selling sealed bottles to take home is licensed as a minisúper, convenience store or large supermarket, so expect the same take-home hours.
Agencias and depósitos (beer and liquor distributors) are licensed for wholesale sales to other businesses. If a shop's hours look different, ask before you plan around them.
Can You Have Alcohol Delivered on Sundays?
Sunday delivery may be possible, but it isn't an unrestricted way around the law.
Quintana Roo's law treats online, phone and home-delivery orders as alcohol sales by a licensed business, and selling alcohol for delivery without the right license is an infraction.
The key questions are whether the business is authorized to sell alcohol to take away, whether the sale happens within its permitted hours, and whether the delivery service offers alcohol at your address.
What About Rappi or Other Delivery Apps?
Alcohol availability can vary by store, delivery address and time. An app may show beer, wine or liquor during the permitted window and stop accepting alcohol orders after the cutoff.
You may still be able to order groceries or food when alcohol is unavailable.
Don't assume that an app showing a product means a late alcohol sale is allowed.
What If I Order Before 5 PM but Delivery Arrives Later?
The state law sets the sales hours, but it doesn't spell out what happens when an order is placed before the cutoff and delivered after it.
Practical advice: Order early enough that both checkout and delivery are finished before the cutoff.
Can a Restaurant Deliver Cocktails After the Store Cutoff?
Don't assume so. A restaurant's license to serve drinks on its premises doesn't automatically allow it to sell bottles or cocktails for home delivery during the same hours.
The business would need the right license for delivery sales.
Drinking at Restaurants on Sundays
Yes, restaurants can serve alcohol on Sundays.
Under the state law, a business licensed as a restaurant has an ordinary alcohol service window of 10 AM to 11 PM every day, which can extend to 1 AM with authorization. That's different from the 5 PM Sunday store cutoff.
Do I Have to Order Food?
It depends on the license, not the name on the sign. A restaurant that serves cocktails isn't necessarily licensed as a restaurante-bar.
- Restaurante: can serve alcohol only with food.
- Restaurante-bar: food is required during its ordinary hours. During authorized extended hours, you don't have to order food, but food must be available.
- Bar: no food requirement.
Bars, Beach Clubs and Tourist Areas
Alcohol service hours can differ a lot between a neighborhood bar and a business in an officially designated tourist zone. The law allows later hours for restaurant-bars and bars in tourist zones, and the municipality decides which areas are tourist zones.
However, being near the beach or on Fifth Avenue doesn't, by itself, tell you a business's license type or permitted closing time.
Beach clubs can hold different licenses too, depending on whether they're registered as restaurants, restaurant-bars or bars. Check the venue's actual service hours rather than relying on a general rule for all beach clubs.
What About Hotels and All-Inclusive Resorts?
Hotel bars, resort restaurants, pool bars and room service don't necessarily follow the same hours as a supermarket selling bottles to take home. What they can serve depends on each outlet's license, authorized hours and location.
An all-inclusive package doesn't override legal alcohol service restrictions.
- For guests: Ask the hotel about its actual bar, restaurant, minibar and room service alcohol hours.
- For day-pass visitors: Check both the hotel's alcohol service hours and the times your day pass covers. They may be different.
What Is Ley Seca?
Ley seca (literally "dry law") means a temporary ban on alcohol sales.
Under the state law, the state can suspend alcohol sales for elections or for reasons of public interest, and it must announce the start and end day and time in the media at least 48 hours in advance. For example, the state banned alcohol sales statewide as Hurricane Beryl approached in July 2024.
A temporary ban overrides normal sales hours. Don't confuse the ordinary Sunday 5 PM store cutoff with a complete Sunday alcohol ban.
Why Did the Store Refuse to Sell Me Beer?
The register may block alcohol sales even though the store is still open. Common reasons include:
- The legal sales window has ended.
- The store isn't authorized for extended hours.
- A temporary ban is in effect.
- The store has its own earlier alcohol cutoff.
- The business's license doesn't allow that sale.
- You look under 18 and can't show ID (stores can't sell alcohol to anyone under 18).
Useful Spanish
- ¿Hasta qué hora venden alcohol?AH-stah keh OH-rah BEHN-dehn ahl-KOHLUntil what time do you sell alcohol?
- ¿Venden cerveza los domingos?BEHN-dehn sehr-BEH-sah lohs doh-MEEN-gohsDo you sell beer on Sundays?
- ¿Todavía puedo comprar vino?toh-dah-BEE-ah PWEH-doh kohm-PRAHR BEE-nohCan I still buy wine?
- ¿Tienen servicio a domicilio?TYEH-nehn sehr-BEE-syoh ah doh-mee-SEE-lyohDo you offer home delivery?
- ¿Puedo pedir cerveza a domicilio?PWEH-doh peh-DEER sehr-BEH-sah ah doh-mee-SEE-lyohCan I order beer for delivery?
- ¿A qué hora cierra el bar?ah keh OH-rah SYEH-rrah ehl bahrWhat time does the bar close?
- ¿Necesito pedir comida?neh-seh-SEE-toh peh-DEER koh-MEE-dahDo I need to order food?
- ¿Hay ley seca hoy?eye lay SEH-kah oyAre alcohol sales restricted today?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy beer at OXXO on Sunday?
Generally, yes, between 9 AM and 5 PM, as long as the store is licensed and no temporary ban applies.
Can I buy alcohol at Walmart or Chedraui after 5 PM on Sunday?
Not under the ordinary store sales hours, which end at 5 PM on Sundays.
Can I drink at a restaurant after 5 PM on Sunday?
Yes. A properly licensed restaurant can keep serving alcohol during its permitted hours, which normally run until 11 PM.
Can I order beer through an app on Sunday?
Possibly, during the permitted sales window, if a licensed store delivers to your address. What the app offers and how long delivery takes can vary.
Can I buy alcohol at midnight on Saturday?
Only at a store authorized for extended hours, which can sell until midnight. Other stores must stop at 10 PM.
Are alcohol sales banned every Sunday?
No. Sundays have a shorter store sales window, not a ban on alcohol.
Can I get a drink at a hotel late at night?
Possibly. It depends on the hotel's license, its authorized hours and the specific bar or room service.
What is the legal drinking age?
18. Businesses can't sell alcohol to anyone under 18, so bring ID if you might be asked.
A Note About Alcohol Sales Hours
Sales hours depend on each business's license, any extended-hours authorization and temporary government restrictions.
Sources
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