The 18 Essential Tulum Restaurants

October 30, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

Where to find incredible mole, tropical Turkish cuisine, and grilled avocado toast in Mexico’s seaside jungle paradise

A decade ago, Tulum became famous as a wellness-centered, eco-chic destination. The scenic paradise was easily accessible, just an hour and a half drive south from Cancún along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. Bohemian hotels and restaurants along the palm tree-lined hotel zone ran on generators and solar power. And ingredient-driven, wood-fired cooking, along with fresh juices, fueled yoga sessions and tanning sessions.

In the last couple of years, Tulum has changed. The sandy roads now boast paved sidewalks, and global tourism is at its peak. Mexico City restaurant groups are beginning to move in with concepts of their own. Meanwhile, local operators are enjoying increased income from the tourism boom, allowing them to pursue new projects, including expansions beyond the hotel zone into town.

Tulum’s culinary competition is as fierce as ever, with chefs cooking at the top of their game. Indigenous ingredients, pib (in-ground pit) cooking, and new ancestral spirits like pox (which joins small-production mezcals behind the bar) make this once-sleepy beach town Mexico’s hottest trend-setting destination.

Here, Eater contributor Kat Odell offers an overview of dining in the epicenter of hipster tourism, where chefs in the hotel zone and in town are cooking some of the best food the area has ever seen.

Price per person, excluding alcohol:

$ = Less than 200 pesos (less than USD $10)

$$ = 200 - 380 pesos (USD $10 to USD $20)

$$$ = 380 - 570 pesos (USD $20 to USD $30)

$$$$ = More than 570 pesos (more than USD $30)