Restaurants in Tulum

Similarly to the bars, we visited a number of restaurants in Tulum split between the downtown and the beach area.

Matteos

We were drawn to this friendly looking restaurant and bar on our bike ride to Tulum Ruins so cycled back to have some lunch. We really liked Matteos with a cool laid back atmosphere and open kitchen to watch the chefs prepare food.

A Corona (30 pesos / £1.50) and frozen daiquiri (around £5) was the perfect way to start our lunch.

We received complimentary tortilla chips to start with two different salsas. This was followed by Arrachera (Angus steak) Tacos served with rice and a Shredded Chicken Burrito filled with rice, beans, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. The meal came to around 650 peso (just under £30) and we thoroughly enjoyed everything.

Cabanas La Luna

Far down on the east side of the beach front is Cabanas La Luna. We visited on a Wednesday for their BBQ and music night. For $25 a person we had a buffet BBQ dinner and a free cocktail. The BBQ was fantastic and included a very tender steak, chicken, sausages (which were a specialty and very flavoursome) and ribs.

There was also a salad table with vegetables, salads, tortillas, beans and rice. You could help yourself to as much as you wanted – brilliant! We finished the meal with a Mezcal with a slice of orange!

The restaurant has security on the door who can flag down a taxi to take you back to your hotel. We paid 120 pesos for a taxi back to Villas Geminis. I would definitely recommend getting a taxi or Collectivo along the road as it is dark, does not have a path and the distance between some of the hotels / restaurants can be quite far.

La Gloria De Don Pepe

Gloria is a cute Spanish tapas restaurant in downtown Tulum offering a range of tapas dishes and paella starting from only 125 pesos per person (£5).

With complimentary bread we also had patatas bravas, albondigas, croquetta de pollo, garlic chicken and a selection of meat and cheese board.

We absolutely loved the different meats and the meatballs were delicious. Overall it was a great meal and around 600pesos with a frozen margarita and a beer so good value!

El Asadero

Situated in downtown Tulum is El Asadero serving a wide range of meats with a focus on steaks. It is clearly a popular restaurant as there were only a couple of tables left when we visited on a Tuesday.

We had the chicken fajitas, the special Argentine steak with chorizo (chistorra) and a jacket potato. At only 240 pesos (£10) this was a bargain considering how huge the portions were.

Given it was busy the service was not fantastic. However, it is worth a visit if you like your meat as there are tons of options.

Taqueria Honorio

Satélite Sur Tulum Q.R. Mexico, Tulum, Q.R., Mexico

This taco joint is featured on many blogs and books so we had to try it out. Taqueria Honorio started out as a taco truck and then became so popular that it added some tables and chairs.

Expect simple but authentic tacos here – you can see the huge joints of meat and the tacos being made. The menu is simple with around 4 choices of tacos and quesadillas mainly with chicken and pork which are 10-15 pesos each (under a £1!) They come served on a paper plate and with some sauces!

Four tacos and two cokes came to around 200 pesos so if you are looking for a cheap lunch sitting with locals, this is the place to visit!

Don Cafeto

We were initially attracted to Don Cafeto on Avenue de Tulum when we heard a three piece band playing Mexican music! Given it had a good vibe and atmosphere we ventured in.

We were served with nachos, salsas and a HUGE plate of vegetables which were complimentary. We thenn chose the Mexican platter (195 pesos) which had had quesadillas, empanadas,enchiladas and tacos. Presentationally it looked a little messy but the food was good and very reasonably priced. This was a lovely place for a quick lunch!