what to do + where to eat in TULUM, MEXICO

You’re in Tulum! Now what? 

(Pssst—if you haven’t booked your trip yet, feel free to pop over to this article to get the rundown on planning). 

For me, I could sit on the beach all day, everyday… and Tulum is that kind of place. Here’s a list of some of our favorite places to eat and things to do in the different neighborhoods: 

The Hotel Zone

The Hotel Zone is the main beach strip in Tulum where all the boutique hotels are. Here are some places to check out while you’re there: 

breakfast

Raw Love → Raw, vegan smoothie bowl place right on the beach

Fresco’s → One of our favorite spots for breakfast

Ziggy’s → Another great breakfast spot

Tamarindos → Great breakfast spot on the jungle side of the road with great vibes. I loved the chilaquiles, obvi.

any time of day

Delek → We stayed at this hotel once so naturally we ended up eating at their restaurant several times. The food was delicious + consistent for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Ahau → Another hotel we stayed at that also had a delicious restaurant!

La Zebra → Good for breakfast but also has a Mulberry Project bar on the beach, and it’s a good spot to grab a cocktail or a beer while the sun sets. I also came for lunch one day and just sat at the bar and ordered shrimp tacos, which were delicious!

nicer dinners

Hartwood → One of our favorite restaurants in the world. Make a reservation the month before by emailing reservations@hartwoodtulum.com. (For example, if you’re going sometime in February, they start taking reservations January 1st). 

Atila → I’m obsessed with this place. We came because I liked their branding (true story) and I honestly thought it was better than Hartwood. Delicious plates meant for sharing & natural wines. Reasonably priced for the area. Accepts cards & the exchange rate isn’t terrible.

Casa Jaguar → So delicious with a nice ambience. Quite expensive and it’s better to pay in cash.

Bal Nak → A quieter, unassuming place that has delicious food and wonderful service. Ryan said they have great cocktails, too (I didn’t try any). Highly recommend this place for a nicer and more relaxed dinner. 

Posada Margherita → Italian place on the beach with delicious pastas + pizzas, and cool vibes. 

Kitchen Table → Another delicious option for an outdoor dining experience on the jungle side of the road. Make a reservation! 

Gitano → A very large restaurant and bar that becomes a total scene later at night (think 10ish and on) but has cool decor and delicious cocktails. This was actually the only place I was able to find a delicious mocktail that wasn’t just a $12 fruit juice.

yoga

Yoga at Ahau → Everyday at 9am. $20 USD. Mats provided. You don’t have to sign up beforehand—just show up 10 minutes or so before class. You get a lovely view of the beach + ocean, and Raw Love is right below it so you can grab a coffee and a smoothie bowl when class is finished. 

Yoga at Sanará → Mon–Tues at 8am + 9:30am. Wed–Sun at 8am, 9:30am, and 11am. $25 USD. Unfortunately my first and only time there we got a really bad teacher, but the studio and view was beautiful and most people rave about it, so I think we just had some bad luck.

Aldea Zama

Aldea Zama feels a bit more “suburban” (not the right description but you get my point)—below I listed a few places that were walking distance to our apartment, but generally it’s better to bike, drive, or taxi to the Centro or Hotel Zone to check out the real food scene. The places I list below were great, but I wouldn’t say you necessarily have to go out of your way to try them—just know that they’re available and good if you’re staying in the area!  We also used an app called tomate.mx to order delivery on the days we were working from the Airbnb… it was so easy and the food came so quick. 

Rossina Café → Cute café with a full breakfast menu. They also have decent wifi if you need to get some work done. 

Matcha Mama → A good spot to get smoothies and smoothie bowls.

Ola Bikes → This is where we rented our bikes when we were staying in the neighborhood. There are also a lot of cute restaurnats near this spot, but we didn’t try any. 

El Centro (Tulum Town)

El Centro, AKA Tulum Town, is the downtown area of Tulum, and while it’s pretty small, it feels much more like a city. This is a good spot to find authentic Mexican cuisine at an inexpensive price point, and potentially find some souvenirs, too. We didn’t try too many places here, so I’ll try to add to this list over time, but it’s definitely worth checking out at least one night while you’re there!

Tulum Taco Tour with Victoria → This is a great way to explore Tulum Town (El Centro) while trying some authentic Mexican tacos. We had the best time!

Burrito Amor → Ordered this on tomato.mx one day and the burrito was delicious. 

Don Cafeto → Authentic, no frills Mexican food on the main road. 

Other touristy things

Bike to the ruins → This is self explanatory, I think. Rent bikes… bike about a half hour to the ruins (from the Hotel Zone)… and explore the archaelogical site. 

Visit a cenote → There are tons in the area, but we’ve only been to one: El Gran Cenote, which came recommended to us by friends who had done quite a bit of cenote-hopping. Here’s my dead honest recap:

• It cost us $90USD round trip from the Hotel Zone in a taxi to get there, even though it’s only about 20 minutes away, which was sort of bullshit but the prices are fixed and there’s not much you can do about it.
• The entrance fee was reasonable (I forget exactly how much) and includes a life jacket and snorkeling equipment.
• We spent about an hour there swimming around and seeing some turtles.

It was pretty but a little underwhelming if I’m being dead honest, which is the whole point of this blog. When I’m in Tulum I just want to be crisping on the beach. *Insert grimace emoji here.*