In the early 1990s, Tulum was a sleepy pueblo in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Playa del He was a day trip from our hotel in Carmen or Cancun to see the ruins and stroll downtown. But by the end of the 20th century, Tulum was becoming a global destination. It has become a destination first for hippies seeking yoga and meditation retreats, then celebrities, and then developers. International investors, hoteliers, Mexico City restaurant groups and chefs from around the world followed, eventually creating an expensive tropical playground by the sea.
These days, a stone’s throw away from the hotel, you can cook locally sourced produce in a wood-burning oven in a trendy outdoor restaurant built on decaying granite. Exactly the kind of restaurant you would expect from a reputable location in Tulum. But in recent years, new chefs from all over Mexico (often recruited by Mexico City’s restaurant groups) have increased competition, bringing other regional dishes and specialties to town. And there are even some affordable stalwarts of old Tulum that have survived the region’s economic development.
Still, dining in Tulum is expensive most of the time, and if you’re over $300 for dinner and drinks for two, you’ll want to make sure your meal is worth it. The best restaurants offer all the magic, romance and aesthetics that beachside destinations promise. It often includes recaudos (marinated colorful herbs). In particular, it includes grilled octopus in his recaudo negro, an iconic dish by chef Jose Luis Hinostroza of Arca.
Bill Esparza is an LA-based James Beard Award-winning food writer LA Mexicanoand Featured Journalists Netflix Street Food USA.
