Café Simi and Low-Cost Veterinary Clinic Open on Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Pet owners can now have a coffee while their dog or cat sees a veterinarian at a new combined Café Simi and SimiPet Care that opened Friday on Fifth Avenue.

Víctor González Herrera, executive president of Grupo Por Un País Mejor and chief executive of Farmacias Similares in Mexico, inaugurated the location on Sept. 4. It is the third Café Simi open to the public and only the second in the country to share space with a SimiPet Care clinic.

The new business is located on 5th Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

González Herrera said Playa del Carmen was selected because of its popularity as a pet-friendly destination and the number of residents and visitors who include animals in their daily routines.

The format combines a veterinary consultation and grooming area with a café serving hot and cold drinks, baked goods and light snacks. Customers can leave a pet for an appointment or bath and wait in the adjoining café rather than making a separate trip.

Veterinary consultations start at 75 pesos

The clinic is built around the same low-cost approach that made Farmacias Similares familiar across Mexico.

A basic veterinary consultation costs 75 pesos. Vaccinations are listed from approximately 49 to 331 pesos, depending on the vaccine.

Basic pet baths range from 160 to 220 pesos, based on the animal’s size. Packages that include a special haircut or additional grooming services cost between 330 and 530 pesos.

Prices may vary according to the animal’s condition and the services required, so owners should request an estimate before authorizing treatment or grooming.

SimiPet Care’s wider network offers consultations, vaccines, medications, nail trimming and grooming. Some branches also treat rodents, reptiles, birds, fish and other small animals, although customers should confirm that an appropriately trained veterinarian is available at the Playa location before bringing an animal other than a dog or cat.

The company says it keeps consultation fees low by allowing participating veterinarians to use its offices without paying rent or utilities, a model similar to the medical consulting rooms found beside many Farmacias Similares locations.

When the first combined café and veterinary location opened on Insurgentes Sur in Mexico City earlier this year, SimiPet Care reported operating 51 clinics in eight states, supported by approximately 70 veterinarians.

Coffee priced for the local market

Café Simi is positioning itself as a less expensive alternative to the international coffee chains already established along Fifth Avenue.

Espresso and American coffee start at approximately 40 pesos, while specialty drinks and affogatos, made with espresso poured over ice cream, can cost up to 95 pesos. Food items reportedly range from about 45 to 110 pesos.

The company says its coffee combines beans grown in Oaxaca and Veracruz. It also plans to maintain consistent prices across locations rather than charging more in airports, tourist districts or higher-rent neighborhoods.

That policy will be tested in Playa del Carmen, where the new café sits in one of the city’s most expensive commercial areas and within walking distance of several established coffee shops.

Café Simi remains a small operation compared with Mexico’s leading coffee chains, but González Herrera says the company plans to finish 2026 with approximately 20 cafés and more than 100 SimiPet Care clinics.

Holbox is expected to be next

The next combined Café Simi and SimiPet Care is planned for Holbox, according to González Herrera. The company has not yet announced its address or opening date.

If the Playa del Carmen and Holbox locations perform well, similar branches could be considered for Cancún, Isla Mujeres and other tourism destinations.

The strategy uses the popularity of Dr. Simi, one of Mexico’s most recognizable commercial characters, to move the company into markets beyond generic medicines. Farmacias Similares has recently expanded the brand into veterinary care, coffee shops, financial products and entertainment.

For Playa del Carmen residents, however, the appeal is more practical: an affordable veterinary appointment in a central location, with somewhere comfortable to wait and have a coffee while the pet is being treated.