There are two main spots for eats in Tulum: the pueblo (the main city) and the beach hotel strip. I would avoid the beach hotel strip. They are overpriced and overrated, a pure tourist trap. They do have decent food there, but they weren't worth it. All the good places are in the pueblo.
Sure, there are tourist traps in the pueblo too, but they are still cheaper than the tourist traps in the beach hotel strip. You would spend about 300+ pesos per person in the beach for dinner. In the pueblo, you can expect to pay about 150 pesos or less.
Anyway, here are the places I ate in Tulum city.
Antojitos la Chiapaneca
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| The man doing his thing. |
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| The glorious al pastor burning on its spit (trompo) |
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| La gringa |
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| Tacos al pastor |
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| Tacos al postor dressed up |
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| Sopes |
My favorites were the tacos al pastor and las gringas. Las gringas were really good. It's the pork from the trompo, cheese, flour tortilla, and a pineapple. It doesn't sound like a traditional taco. Usually, flour tortilla on a taco is disgusting, but this one tasted awesome. I would definitely order 4-5 of these.
The tacos al pastor is great too. You can go to the salsa bar and dress it up as you wish. Put onions and cilantro at your own risk, unless you have an iron stomach. The tacos are only 10 pesos each.
This is definitely the best taqueria in Tulum. I was mesmerized by the man working the giant trompo. He is an artist. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up.
Don Taco
I can't decide if Don Taco or Antojitos la Chiapaneca is my favorite place to eat in Tulum. There is also a Don Taco in Atlanta. Something tells me it's not the same place.
Don Taco is just a tamale stand. He's always at the same street corner that I can't remember the name of. If you're traveling south on the main road in the pueblo, he's on the right. You would probably need to walk to see him. You won't see him on a car. Just start from the bus station and head north. Then you'll probably see him.
These are the best tamales I've ever had. It melts in your mouth. He must steam that thing for hours. They are also very cheap, about 10 pesos each. I can finish off 2-3 of these. Man, I miss these tamales so much. Just like Antojitos la Chiapaneca, Don Taco is open later in the day. I saw them open around 5:00 PM. Make sure not to miss him. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up.
El Tacoqueto
El Tacoqueto, or Taco Ghetto as I like to call it, is another cheap good eats in Tulum. This place looked sketchy. Like the other 2 places mentioned above, they seem popular with the locals. Although I did read about food poisoning in the Trip Advisor forums, I had no problems eating here. Also, it had a nice, family atmosphere.
There is no menu. You just go into the kitchen and point to the dish you want. They are all cooked in something that looks like a turkey roaster. They offer several homemade specialities. I tried three of them: chicken, pork, and another chicken dish. They were all comforting and good. The plates also only cost 50 pesos and is filling. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.
Charlie's
It seems Charlie's is a place for tourists. They are more expensive than the local stuff mentioned above. Even though they're a tourist spot, they are a relief to the stuff found on the beach. The food is tasty. Not the best in Tulum, but it can hit the spot.
My favorite dish they had was la sopa mariscos. Great, fresh seafood inside a nice, spicy broth. Their mole enchilada was delicious as well. If you're in Tulum, I recommend to give this place a chance. It's definitely better Mexican food than anything I found in Atlanta so far. Mr. Kitty gives this place 4 paws up.
NaturAll
NaturAll is a little cafe near the bus station. It's very Westernized and tourist friendly. Don't worry though, the prices are reasonable. I thought the food tasted decent. It takes a long time for the food to come out. Actually, most places in Tulum takes a long time to get the food out. I think it's because they make it by hand.
There are much better places go to in the pueblo. If you want a super safe choice though, this would be the place to do it. The menu seems very non-Mexican. I guess if you're one of those tourist that are afraid to try something too local and need something closer to home, this is a good place to go. I even think the people here speak English. Mr. Kitty gives this place 3.5 paws up.
Panna e Cioccolato
For dessert, you can go to Panna e Cioccolato. I think it's a franchise in Tulum. It's available on both side of the street. So just pick a side and walk. You won't miss it. They offer delicious gelatos for about 30-50 pesos. They have a ton of flavors for you to try. I liked it. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.
San Francisco Supermercado
If you want something cheap and fast, come into this supermarket and buy their pre-made meals there for cheap. We got a whole chicken, stack of tortillas, beans and rice for like 50 pesos.
They also have ton of delicious pastries you can buy. I liked this store a lot. It's like going to Publix. The prices are reasonable too. If I had a kitchen in my hotel, I would've definitely done some grocery shopping here and cooked myself. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up.
Next Stop, the Beach
Well, this concludes my review of all the places I've been to in the pueblo. There were a ton of places that I didn't get to try like El Pollo Bronco and Le Cottage. There's even a rumor that there is a legit Neapolitan pizza place in Tulum run by real deal Italians. But there are like 7 billion pizza places in Tulum, and I already had one disastrous pizza experience in Tulum. So I didn't want to look for it.
I would've also liked to check out the other taqueria stands and compared them to the Chiapaneca place. Oh well, maybe next time.
In part 2, I'll review the places on the beach, so stay tuned.
Don Taco
I can't decide if Don Taco or Antojitos la Chiapaneca is my favorite place to eat in Tulum. There is also a Don Taco in Atlanta. Something tells me it's not the same place.
Don Taco is just a tamale stand. He's always at the same street corner that I can't remember the name of. If you're traveling south on the main road in the pueblo, he's on the right. You would probably need to walk to see him. You won't see him on a car. Just start from the bus station and head north. Then you'll probably see him.
These are the best tamales I've ever had. It melts in your mouth. He must steam that thing for hours. They are also very cheap, about 10 pesos each. I can finish off 2-3 of these. Man, I miss these tamales so much. Just like Antojitos la Chiapaneca, Don Taco is open later in the day. I saw them open around 5:00 PM. Make sure not to miss him. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up.
El Tacoqueto
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| Mostly eaten pork plate. I was so hungry and scarfed down the other 2 dishes I got so I couldn't take a picture. |
El Tacoqueto, or Taco Ghetto as I like to call it, is another cheap good eats in Tulum. This place looked sketchy. Like the other 2 places mentioned above, they seem popular with the locals. Although I did read about food poisoning in the Trip Advisor forums, I had no problems eating here. Also, it had a nice, family atmosphere.
There is no menu. You just go into the kitchen and point to the dish you want. They are all cooked in something that looks like a turkey roaster. They offer several homemade specialities. I tried three of them: chicken, pork, and another chicken dish. They were all comforting and good. The plates also only cost 50 pesos and is filling. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.
Charlie's
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| If you want to be super safe, always order Coke. Mexican Coke tastes good too. |
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| Very spicy salsa. |
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| Mole Enchilada. |
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| Some ensalada. |
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| La sopa mariscos, yum. |
It seems Charlie's is a place for tourists. They are more expensive than the local stuff mentioned above. Even though they're a tourist spot, they are a relief to the stuff found on the beach. The food is tasty. Not the best in Tulum, but it can hit the spot.
My favorite dish they had was la sopa mariscos. Great, fresh seafood inside a nice, spicy broth. Their mole enchilada was delicious as well. If you're in Tulum, I recommend to give this place a chance. It's definitely better Mexican food than anything I found in Atlanta so far. Mr. Kitty gives this place 4 paws up.
NaturAll
NaturAll is a little cafe near the bus station. It's very Westernized and tourist friendly. Don't worry though, the prices are reasonable. I thought the food tasted decent. It takes a long time for the food to come out. Actually, most places in Tulum takes a long time to get the food out. I think it's because they make it by hand.
There are much better places go to in the pueblo. If you want a super safe choice though, this would be the place to do it. The menu seems very non-Mexican. I guess if you're one of those tourist that are afraid to try something too local and need something closer to home, this is a good place to go. I even think the people here speak English. Mr. Kitty gives this place 3.5 paws up.
Panna e Cioccolato
For dessert, you can go to Panna e Cioccolato. I think it's a franchise in Tulum. It's available on both side of the street. So just pick a side and walk. You won't miss it. They offer delicious gelatos for about 30-50 pesos. They have a ton of flavors for you to try. I liked it. Mr. Kitty gives it 4 paws up.
San Francisco Supermercado
If you want something cheap and fast, come into this supermarket and buy their pre-made meals there for cheap. We got a whole chicken, stack of tortillas, beans and rice for like 50 pesos.
They also have ton of delicious pastries you can buy. I liked this store a lot. It's like going to Publix. The prices are reasonable too. If I had a kitchen in my hotel, I would've definitely done some grocery shopping here and cooked myself. Mr. Kitty gives it 5 paws up.
Next Stop, the Beach
Well, this concludes my review of all the places I've been to in the pueblo. There were a ton of places that I didn't get to try like El Pollo Bronco and Le Cottage. There's even a rumor that there is a legit Neapolitan pizza place in Tulum run by real deal Italians. But there are like 7 billion pizza places in Tulum, and I already had one disastrous pizza experience in Tulum. So I didn't want to look for it.
I would've also liked to check out the other taqueria stands and compared them to the Chiapaneca place. Oh well, maybe next time.
In part 2, I'll review the places on the beach, so stay tuned.
This is a great post! Thanks so much for the recommendations as I head to Tulum in less than two months :)
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