When I was young I’d read in Elle Magazine about a fashion designer (a woman.. I forgot her name) who’d go to Tulum every year to relax and to get inspiration for designing upcoming collections. From the way she described Tulum I figured the place had to be some sort of tiny fishing village turned into a bohemian hotspot with Mayan ruins all around.
Some fifteen years later I finally visited the place and it turned out that all of that was true. However, Tulum grew big time in those fifteen years. Tulum is booming. Tulum is fancy. And Tulum is not always easy to come around when you’re on a budget.
We tried a lot of restaurants along ‘the strip’, but I was often disappointed by the steep prices in here. As Mexico is a country where you can eat absolutely deliciously for far under $10,- USD per person we went on a quest. ‘Cause after all, there must be some places where things are still quite normal right?
Luckily we found quite some spots so that you won’t have to eat peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of your trip in Mexico. At all of these places you can eat for under $10,- USD per person. So disfrute su comida!
Raw Love Cafe
My favourite spot in Tulum, if only for the location, so Raw Love Cafe just hás to top the list.
Note that Raw Love Cafe actually has TWO cafes in the same area. Number one is real cafe; the bigger spot with hammocks and a large chill-out area right behind the beach. The second one is a tiny cafe with two tables right at the beach.
Both are great to check out, but note that at the stop on the beach you can only order drinks. However, the second time we visited this place we ordered food at the cafe and ate it at the beach. The staff seemed cool with that too.
The food in here is fresh and it feels super healthy. You pay something like $10,- USD for this big bowl below ↓
On top of that we also tried out the coffees, smoothies and the pad thai and all was really good in here.
At both spots the vibe is pretty relaxed. I wouldn’t mind hanging in one of those hammocks all day (picture 1) ↓ or enjoying that view on the beach for a full day (picture 2 and 3) ↓
This is also a great place to enter the beach for free, without a need to enter awkwardly via one of the fancy hotels entrees. Just bring your towel and chill as long as you want!
Pasha
Not dirt cheap, but price-quality wise this Lebanese / Mediterranean restaurant is absolutely superb. Plus, if you’ve been travelling around for a while you may not have been eating this type of food since a while. I surely didn’t!
The food is fresh and authentic and the couple that runs the place is very lovely. The portions are quite big and because we had to wait for a little while in here we even got some free hummus on the side. A cool gesture.
Taquería Honorio
Coca Cola-plastic chairs, a menu with pictures and plastic plates. Doesn’t sound all too good right? Nope. But if you want to eat superb tacos, you sacrifice all your values and run to Taquería Honorio for some dirt cheap tacos. With a bit of a hurry as well as most of the fillings are sold out after 1 pm.
If you aren’t done yet with all the chicken, avocados and tortillas (or if you actually need a break in Tulum from all the breakfast bowls), there’s no better place in town for a taco! The amount of locals in here will attest that!
Happy hour: Mateo’s Mexican Grill
A lot of places are in for the Happy Hour, which is great in general. The best place for a drink however might be at Mateo’s Mexican Grill. This is just a typical sports bar, but you have to come in here for the sunset on the roof. It’s really neat. It feels like you’re suddenly in the middle of the jungle and you can see the ocean on the other side as well.
Sip your margarita or daiquiri (2 x 1) while the parrots are flying by and the jungle is preparing for the night.
La Gloria de Don Pepe
Paella! Sangria! Patatas Bravas! Punk Spaniards! It felt like I was back in Spain at this place. Although La Gloria de Don Pepe may not look like much on the outside, on the inside the glory of Spain is awaiting you.
We ordered some tapas, a bit of wine and could enjoy it all in the midst of the Spanish paraphernalia (think of Picasso posters and a Catalan flag). On the other side of the street we were able to observe a fiercely swinging zumba class, while we were stuffing some more patatas and garlic pulpo down.
Oh once more I forgot to picture the food (as usuel), but I did capture this lovely dog at the restaurant.. doesn’t he look like Dogmafix from Obelix!?
Matcha Mama
Vegan smoothies, energy balls, acai bowls with peanut butter, very complicated coffee, flamingos as decoration. Yup, this place is a hipster haven. The bowls are not as good as at Raw Love (see previous), but in case you want to try out another place for a smoothie, this is a decent option for sure!
Hashtag Poke
In the mood for poke bowls?
Along the big Tulum strip and next to pizza restaurant La Onda, you’ll see this ‘millennial pink’ Volkswagen bus. It’s transformed into a little poke bowl shack.
When I saw the bus itself and the # sign I was a bit afraid this would be some kind of Instagram spot, favouring the outlook over taste. But the poke bowls were actually pretty good! For $16,- USD you can get a very big bowl of tasty and spicy tuna which you can easily share too (if you’ve already had an appetizer).
I’m not sure if it’s always at the same spot, so check at their Facebook page where the bus is at!
El Sudaca
Only little bit off the main strip, I was drawn to this place because it smelled just so so great. What can I say, it’s a little hole in the wall with the best and cheapest empanadas of Tulum. They make the empanadas fresh in the morning (I’ve seen the process) and bake them in 15 minutes after you’ve picked one. There are some sauces too if you want to spice it up.
This spot really is a favourite among locals and I can see why. Plus the empanadas are awesome if you’re looking for a snack on the go!
Note that it only opens after 4 pm!
Here’s where to find the places in Tulum!
