Tulum Beach Restaurants: Where We Eat on the Beach Road
By Xela, Member of Design Hotels ·
Quick answer
These are the Tulum beach restaurants we send people to. At our house: XELA Izakaya (Asian-inspired, every evening 5 PM to 10 PM) and the XELA Beach Club (light organic dishes on the sand by day). Along the beach road, at our sister properties: NÜ Tulum, a jungle-side dinner spot featured in the Michelin Guide; Climo, Mexican cooking with Sicilian technique, open daily 12 PM to 10 PM; and Los Bowls de Guadalupe, a roadside shack for bowls and smoothies. Room service runs 1 PM to 10 PM.
Dinner at NÜ Tulum, on the jungle side of the beach road.
We get asked where to eat more than almost anything else, and our answer is short. There are five places on Tulum's beach road we send people to without thinking twice. Two are ours, three are at our sister houses along the same road. All five are below, with what to order and when to go.
One thing worth knowing before you set out: Tulum still runs largely on cash, so carry some pesos. And if you have dietary needs, gluten-free or dairy-free, tell us when you book and we'll pass it on to the kitchen.
How to plan your evenings
Our suggestion for a five-night stay: two dinners at the Izakaya, one at NÜ, one at Climo, and one on your terrace with room service when you can't face getting dressed. Breakfasts and lunches take care of themselves at the Beach Club, with a morning at Los Bowls when you fancy a bike ride.
We can book NÜ and Climo for you. That's an easy one to arrange: tell your concierge the night and the time and we'll handle it. For NÜ, book ahead, since reservations are required.
XELA Izakaya
· In our house · Priced in pesos, taxes included, service not included
Our own dinner room, open every evening from 5 PM to 10 PM for our house guests. The menu is Asian-inspired: start with edamame, gyozas, yakitori or camarones roca, then nigiri and sashimi of hamachi, salmon and tuna (otoro, toro and chutoro), then an eight-piece roll. The spicy salmon and the ebi tempura are the easy first picks. Finish with sticky rice and mango. International favourites sit alongside if someone at the table isn't in the mood for raw fish. It's served around our central roofed patio, with a sunken living room, a bar and a proper dining area all in one space, which is where most of our guests end up after dark anyway. Vegetarian, gluten-free and nut-free dishes are marked on the menu.
XELA Beach Club
· On the sand out front · Charged to your room
Breakfast and lunch for most of our guests, because it's right there and you don't need shoes. The cooking is light and locally inspired, with organic ingredients, served through the day on the sand. Access is exclusive to our guests, so it stays quiet. Come for a late lunch, stay for the afternoon, and go back up to the room only when the sun drops.
NÜ Tulum
· Jungle side of the beach road, at our sister property · Menu in pesos, reservation required
The dinner to plan your week around. NÜ sits on the jungle side of the beach road, under a thatched roof, with a wood-fired grill doing a lot of the work. The cooking is modern Caribbean and Mexican, built on local, sustainable ingredients. It's featured in the Michelin Guide and Travel + Leisure named it one of the top five restaurants in the Riviera Maya. Go after dark, when the candles and the living wall of plants are lit. Order the grilled octopus. Reservations are required and it's open to the public, so book early in high season.
When you've had your fill of ceviche and want a plate of pasta. Climo puts contemporary Mexican cooking together with Sicilian technique: handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas and fresh seafood. The ravioli and the fried calamari are what we'd order. It's open every day from 12 PM to 10 PM, so it works for a long lunch as well as dinner, and you don't need a reservation, though you can book one.
Los Bowls de Guadalupe
· Next to our sister property NEST Tulum · Casual, no reservations
A roadside shack with shaded tables and chalkboard menus, next to our sister house NEST. It's for organic bites, smoothies and bowls: a salmon poke bowl, a fruit bowl with mango and raspberries, a cold orange smoothie in the heat. Take one of our shared bikes up the beach road for a mid-morning stop. It's open to everyone and you don't book.
