With Tulum growing into one of the most popular vacation spots in the Riviera Maya, you are going to want to know about the best Restaurants in Tulum to feed your hunger when you visit.
Tulum has it all. Beautiful sandy beaches, clear blue waters, chic boutique hotels, lively nightlife, and an exciting culinary scene to match.
From local taco stands to large-scale dinner clubs the options are endless. There are so many restaurants in Tulum worthy of a mention, it was really hard to narrow down this list.
The city of Tulum is separated into two sections. The “Hotel Zone” and “Downtown” or “Puebla” (Spanish for town).
In the town of Tulum, you find cheap eats, street food, trendy restaurants, and buzzing nightlife.
The hotel zone features upscale dining, fascinating dinner clubs, chic cafes, and a lot of really good food.
To be honest, the restaurants in Tulum are some of my favorite places to eat in the Riviera Maya. There is no shortage of style, design, and ambiance when it comes to a lot of the restaurants in Tulum.
Continue reading to learn about the nine best restaurants in Tulum that you won’t want to miss.
Planning a Trip to Tulum
If you are planning a trip to Tulum, you’ll want to know more than just where to eat in Tulum. Here are some of our top articles about this beautiful beach town.
- Best beach clubs in Tulum
- Best restaurants in Tulum
- Tulum Packing List
- Things to Do in Tulum
- Tulum or Playa del Carmen, which to Choose?
Maps of the Best Restaurants in Tulum
1. Caprice
A brand new and exciting restaurant in Tulum that you must check out is Caprice.
With a high-class burlesque environment, Caprice will tantalize your taste buds and keep you entertained all night long.
The atmosphere inside Caprice is stunning and seductive. Chandeliers, dim lighting, and loungy sofas all contribute to the mood.
The menu is exquisite featuring international cuisine with a heavy French influence. The flavors and ingredients are top-of-the-line, offering prime seafood and the best cuts of beef.
Beautifully designed cocktails, beers, and an extensive wine list are all available at your convenience.
Be dazzled by entertainment inspired by the movie burlesque. Sultry acts of dancers, singers, and acrobats make appearances throughout the evening all adding to that wow factor of your dining experience.
Be sure to book a table through their website so that you don’t miss out on visiting. It’s a popular spot during the peak season (November to February and Easter holidays).
Dress to impress as this is a place to see and be seen.
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2. Kay Nah Woodfire Experience
Kay Nah is a favorite of mine and I have actually eaten here quite a few times. It’s one of the best restaurants in Tulum for ambiance, food quality, and entertainment.
The flavors and ambiance keep me returning to the restaurant every time I visit Tulum.
Located on Calle Centauro Sur in the heart of downtown Tulum, Kay Nah has a perfect location. If your accommodations are in the center of Tulum, the restaurant is easily accessible by walking.
The ambiance is quite zen and Tulum-style trendy.
Clean white wooden tables and chairs fill the open-air space. Lights and lantern-style fixtures are hung from above creating a warm glow. The restaurant has kept a lot of trees and greenery on its property, all contributing to that jungle vibe.
The menu features surf and turf, cooked over a wood stove and grilled to perfection. Choose from a variety of steak cuts, shrimp, fish, octopus, lobster, pasta, and more.
All the plating is beautiful and will have your mouth watering before your first bite. The shrimp pasta and Caribbean lobster are two of my favorite dishes.
They also have a lovely selection of hand-crafted, classic cocktails, wines, and beer to pair with your meal.
On busy nights they even bring in a DJ to keep the atmosphere lively. Absolutely to be expected in a popular restaurant in Tulum.
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3. Il Bacaro Tulum Trattoria Italiana
I actually stumbled into Il Bacaro Tulum unplanned. I was with a group of friends and we were all so hungry that no one could decide on a place to eat.
We were wandering around aimlessly searching for a restaurant that suited the group’s appetites when finally we walked by Bacaro and I said with relief ‘Let’s just eat here”, …and I am sure glad we did.
Both the visual appeal and the menu drew us in.
The design is chic and simplistic playing off of features from the jungle with a small open-concept kitchen and bar with stylish wood and concrete design.
Delicious Italian food fills the menu. Pizzas, pasta, salads, and main dishes are prepared with quality ingredients.
The pizza crust is fluffy and thin. I ordered the Prosciutto E Funghi pizza and was in love.
Two people from my group ordered the salmon baked in banana leaves and couldn’t stop raving about how tender and moist the salmon was.
If you love Italian cuisine any item from the menu will not disappoint. A nice perk is that you are offered fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar to start your meal.
A good-sized list of beverages is offered to pair with your meal.
Menu prices at Il Bacaro are incredibly reasonable and are comparable to pricing you would find in Playa del Carmen or Cancun.
You can easily dine dinner for two with drinks and appetizers for $65 USD. Definitely worth the visit and without a doubt one of the best restaurants in Tulum for great Italian food (or simply great pizza).
Il Bacaro, Tulum.
4. Tres Galeones
To experience some incredibly tasty seafood make your way over to Tres Galeones for one of the best places to eat in Tulum.
Right on Tulum Avenue, this is surely one of the best restaurants in Tulum for seafood with an unbeatable downtown location.
They serve one of the best shrimp burritos I have ever tasted.
At Tres Galeones fresh seafood meets Mexican street food creating a surf and turf menu that is really memorable.
The interior is styled with vintage fishing equipment and nautical decor playing to the theme of the restaurant.
All menu choices are absolutely delicious. The tuna tataki toast is loaded with flavor as is the huge variety of tacos on the menu.
However, it’s the huge burritos on the menu that I come back for again and again. They load their soft flour tortillas with bacon, chipotle mayo, jack cheese, cabbage, and protein of your choice.
I ordered the marlin with shrimp burrito, which tastes as good as it sounds. The meat was sweet and tender and the burrito itself was really filling. You definitely get your value for money here compared to other restaurants in Tulum.
Considering restaurants in Tulum tend to be on the higher end, you can enjoy a meal for around $20 USD.
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5. Encanto Cantina
Pay a visit to Encanto Cantina to satisfy your breakfast, lunch, and dinner needs.
Located in Tulum town Encanto Cantina has a great location right on the main Boulevard.
The restaurant is absolutely dreamy.
Beautiful wooden picnic tables fill the open-air space. The area is surrounded by many beautiful trees and hanging vines creating a whimsical aesthetic.
Soft lights with wicker accents are hung throughout the venue. In the center of the restaurant, there is a giant red wicker heart light fixture that hangs from above.
You will feel as though you are dining in a candle-lit jungle.
Their breakfast menu is huge with a large selection of eggs, toasts, chilaquiles, smoothie bowls, and classic Mexican and American breakfasts.
The lunch and dinner menus offer many selections as well. Choose from tacos, guacamole, salads, hamburgers, risotto, large sharing plates, and more.
There are so many delicious options making it hard to decide on what to order. The taco plate is a fun dish to share. They serve you a ton of tacos in different varieties so you can try all the flavors. Great value for your dollar as well.
They have a fun selection of cocktails… One cocktail even changes color.
Service is fast and friendly and the restaurant is really naturally beautiful. I would recommend this restaurant if you are dining with a group of people with mixed preferences on tastes as the menu is quite extensive.
Seafood burritos are one of the best things to try while traveling around Mexico.
6. Hartwood
Hartwood is easily spoken about as one of the best restaurants in Tulum. In fact, some might call it the very reason Tulum is on the map the way that it is today.
This open-air restaurant is located in the hotel zone of Tulum and plays off the accents of the jungle with minimalistic decor.
The menu at Hartwood changes daily as all their ingredients are gathered from local and sustainable sources from the interior of the Yucatan.
Meats from the land, as well as fruits and vegetables sourced locally, and fish from the Caribbean sea are all harvested and prepared into dishes to please all of your scenes.
Hartwood is an off-grid restaurant meaning that sustainability is their #1 priority. Solar panels fuel the restaurant and a wood flame fuels the oven and the grill.
The flavors from the smoke and the wood travel into the ingredients creating amazing flavor profiles.
On the menu, you can expect fresh vegetable salads, grilled meats and seafood, freshly prepared ceviche, and homemade desserts.
Due to the popularity of the restaurant, reservations start booking out a month in advance. You need to make these reservations on their website via email.
They do leave space for walk-in guests, but if you are planning a visit to Tulum and have your heart set on dining at Hartwood I would recommend securing a table beforehand. It’s a dining experience you truly won’t want to miss.
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7. Campanella Cremerie
Now with three locations in Tulum, Campanella Cremerie is the perfect spot for a tasty treat and one of the best restaurants in Tulum for those with a sweet tooth.
Because of their heavenly desserts, they easily won a spot on my list of best places to eat in Tulum.
The restaurant is chic and trendy and follows a minimalistic decor style.
Their primary focus is desserts. Believe me that you will want to order more than just one.
On the menu, you can find a variety of freshly baked croissants, bread, waffles, yogurt parfaits, paninis, ice cream, gelato, coffee, teas, and much more!
The pistachio croissant is to die for. A flaky and buttery pistachio-flavored croissant filled with a delectable creamy pistachio ganache. With every bite, you will be in heaven.
The menu is truly magical combining the true flavors of Italy with the essence of Tulum.
They even offer custom pre-ordered cakes for any occasion you might have.
The stunning pistachio croissant from Campanella Cremerie.
7. Funky Geisha Tulum
One of my favorite places to spend an exciting evening out in Tulum is Funky Geisha. For its elevated Asian cuisine, it wins a place on my list of top restaurants in Tulum.
Not only are the dishes and drinks fabulous, but the decor, environment, and entertainment are all elevated to match.
Funky Geisha is located in the Hotel Zone of Tulum. As soon as the hostess greets you, you are stepping into another world. Soft sandy paths lead you to your table.
There are different dining sections of the restaurant with some tables and chairs on the ground level. Other seating areas are on raised platforms and you sit on the ground as you would experience in Asian culture.
Cushions, candle-lit lanterns, and wicker chandeliers fill the open-air room.
All the food and cocktails are prepared with an artsy flare. With the chef originally from Japan, the menu items are inspired by original family recipes that have been passed down through the generations.
With delicious sushi rolls, rice dishes, noodle bowls, sashimi, maki, vegetables, and quality meats, your tastebuds will be in for a treat.
The cocktails and drinks are of the highest standard as well. Whether they are smoking, bubbling, or lit on fire you will be amazed by both the flavors and presentation.
As to be expected by this caliber of a restaurant you can expect the service to be 5-star (and the prices to match).
If you are celebrating a special occasion, Funky Geisha is a great place to dine as they have live entertainment acts and they love to light the room with sparkles to add that special touch.
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9. El Camello Jr
For super fresh seafood at great prices, you will want to enjoy a meal at El Camello Jr.
El Camello Jr was recommended to me by a friend for its great seafood so I decided to check it out.
It remains one of my favorite places to eat in Tulum and if you want to enjoy simple Mexican seafood, this is one of the best restaurants in Tulum to have that.
There is nothing fancy about the restaurant’s interior. Do not let that fool you about the quality, flavor, and freshness of the dishes they offer.
On the menu, you will find all sorts of seafood dishes and a few American classics (french fries, chicken fingers, and hamburgers to be exact).
Choose from a variety of ceviches, fish cocktails, nachos, seafood tacos, lobster, shrimp, octopus, and fish cooked to order.
Fish tacos in Mexico are the absolute best things to eat in Tulum (as are the ceviches and aguachiles!).
A personal favorite of mine is camarones a la diabla. The dish consists of big shrimp that are grilled, then generously coated in a spicy hot sauce, served with rice, beans, and vegetables.
The sauce is the perfect amount of spiciness and the rice is the best tool to soak up all the leftover sauce. Mouth-wateringly delicious is the only way to describe it.
They have a small drinks menu of beer, cocktails, soda, coffees, and wines with no drink prices being over 120 pesos ($6 USD).
For the portion size, quality, and cost of the dishes, this is a great local spot to check out.