With a late-night pineapple-pork taco in the streets of Mérida as catalyst, chef René Redzepi’s love affair with Mexico has spanned close to a decade. In collaboration with his former sous-chef Rosio Sanchez, and inspired by 6 months of travels throughout the country, the duo has chosen Tulum for the third Noma pop-up—and the first so far off the beaten path (the first two were in Tokyo and Sydney). It's the last stop before the reopening of the critically acclaimed restaurant later this year on an urban farm back home in Copenhagen. The 7-week residency opened this week (from April 12 to May 28) as an outdoor open-air restaurant located in the jungle just opposite La Zebra Hotel, Noma’s host for the space. (La Zebra will then take possession of the kitchen upon the team’s departure.)
Focusing on interpretations of Mexican ingredients and traditions, the Noma team plans to seat up to 140 customers per night, serving 8 courses over an estimated 2.5 hours per meal. Seating sold out within a couple of hours back when the the online booking system went live, and partner Colibri Boutique Hotels was granted a few tables to be sold to guests as part of a special Noma package. But if you weren’t lucky enough to secure a table at this summer’s hottest pop-up don’t worry: Tulum, also home to the highly-lauded Hartwood (which arguably put Tulum’s food scene on the map), has plenty to offer, from mezcalerias to fine dining and everywhere from remote beach to the center of town.
Here, nine picks for the months ahead:
Arca’s focus is on Yucatán ingredients, resulting in Mexi-Cal cuisine—think farm-to-table starters like charred snap peas and grilled asparagus; inventive cocktails like El Solar that blends mezcal, hibiscus, chipotle syrup and smoked ancho chili rum; and homemade sourdough bread so good it sells out by 9 p.m. The simple wood and candlelight environment is elegant without being pretentious, a touch more upscale than neighboring Hartwood. (And if you do feel the need for new dining attire, Caravana—Jacopo Janniello’s Mexican-made artisanal luxe collections that pioneered the free-spirited style so often associated with Tulum—has a flagship just steps away.) Dinner only. Closed Monday.
At Cenzontle, another Hartwood neighbor, food is served in a charming candlelit garden, so cozy that it feels more like an old family country house than a dining spot in a jungle next to the Caribbean. Since opening 2 years ago this week, the restaurant has distinguished itself through Mexican cuisine with a twist. Signature dishes include vanilla and chile pork ribs, goat cheese stuffed piquillo peppers and duck carnitas served with fresh tortillas made to order in-house. They also have their own locally brewed beer— a first in Tulum—and tasty cocktails such as The Garbo, made with cucumber, pineapple, tequila and xtabentún, a local anise liqueur. Open for lunch and dinner. Seven days a week.
Deep in the jungle and under the stars, at the edge of the Sian Ka’an UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve, this new addition is a large-scale restaurant featuring a Middle East-meets-Mediterranean menu that uses sustainably sourced ingredients from the Yucatán and Caribbean. Greatest hits include homemade flatbread served warm with hummus and baba ganoush, organic beet gazpacho with jicama, charcoal ash feta cheese and candied walnuts, and zaatar-marinated lamb chops with yogurt sauce. The cocktails are more than just highly Instagrammable: Created by Nicolas Baptiste of Experimental Cocktail fame, all juices, purees, syrups, and cordials are made on-site. Make sure to follow WILD on social media for updates on parties that the well-connected owner Karen Young— a veteran music festival promoter—will be hosting in the coming months. We hear there is a great line-up scheduled as soon as April 24. Dinner only. Open seven nights a week.
Last year, celebrated Australian-born chef Paul Bentley took the reins at the restaurant of this 17-room boutique hotel, adapting his French-Italian techniques to an adults-only clientele in search of a romantic setting north of the main beach strip. The culinary offerings range from kale soup to tuna paté and lobster tacos. The cocktail menu is prosecco-heavy, a fitting beverage for this pretty perch on the rocks. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Open 7 days a week.
Come here for comfort food and good conversation. Kfir Levy and Eduardo Castillo, the itinerant tastemakers behind the Habitas artist community, have staked their tents into the sand for their first permanent home on a discrete strip of beach just north of Papaya Playa. In their trademark community-minded fashion, the restaurant will specialize in weekly family dinners open to solo travelers or small groups of 2 to 4 in order to foster conversation and a curated social experience. The menu combines Spanish-Arab influence with modern Mexican—think tagines, albongides (meatballs), and mole—and all meals are served family-style along large wooden tables. After dinner, retire to one of the cozy lounge areas for (more) mezcal, wafts of copal, and live music. Contact for details.
Charly, the restaurant’s namesake, was a chef in a slew of high-end gourmet restaurants but rose to the challenge of creating a vegan taco truck stationed on a small plot of land on an underpopulated part of the northern beach strip, with little foot traffic and limited parking. And yet, it works. The food is inventive, the flavors complex, the ambiance pleasant, and the salsas spicy. Don’t miss the plantain chips served over coleslaw and quinoa as well as the Portobello tacos and mango guacamole, washed down with a chalice of homemade stevia-sweetened lemonade. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday.
Guadalajara-bred Paco Ruano, voted one of San Pellegrino Latin America’s One to Watch, worked in kitchens in Spain and Denmark before settling in Tulum where he specializes in a seafood-laden menu served in a shabby-chic family-friendly beachfront restaurant, with a spacious landing for indoor and outdoor seating. We love the sikil pak pumpkin spread served with fresh pita bread and the shrimp aguachile with coconut cream. The craft cocktails—with names like the Gambler and Spicy Señorita—are by Mulberry Project founder and mixologist Jasper Soffer. This season, Soffer also created a special pop-up in collaboration with La Zèbre Hotel just across from the Noma pop-up for the day drinker in you. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Open 7 days a week.
Open for just over a year, the Tulum Art Club has created a much needed meeting point and coworking space for both locals and visiting creatives. In addition to hosting events and showcasing artists, the club’s café serves breakfast and lunch as well as tasty turmeric lattes and artisanal coffee from Veracruz. TAC recently fleshed out a dinner menu and craft cocktails as well. Follow them online for updates on gatherings and initiatives.
This fun spot in town is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks serving Mexican-style eggs, bagels, burritos and taquitos in a hip cantina setting with pale wood, small tables and stools. But let’s be honest: Pasito is first and foremost a mezcaleria. So we say go for drinks and stay for the music.