More Tulum chow

[yogatini]

I thought this thread from chowhound would be of great interest to all here - it certainly is to me - yum!

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/267503

[beachreader]

Thanks for posting that, very helpful for sure, though none seemed too impressed by the food along the beach!

[Gale in KY]

I would have to agree with them on that Beachreader, with a couple of exceptions, Don Cafeto's and Nacho's. Zamas is highly overrated I think..something about being beachfront that adds to the positive votes this place gets, but the food was average at best imho.

I would vote to go into the Pueblo for wider variety, higher rated cuisine, at a better price..but you aren't going to see the azul water or hear the waves. I can't say I had anything at any of the beach restaurants that was horrible, but the food found in town was more memorable.

[minniemex]

I would vote to go into the Pueblo for wider variety, higher rated cuisine, at a better price..but you aren't going to see the azul water or hear the waves. I can't say I had anything at any of the beach restaurants that was horrible, but the food found in town was more memorable.

I am with you on this one Gale - I can get good food just about anywhere, but the only place I can get this -

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Sunrise%20Tulum/DSC01066.jpg

is at the beach - Can't get enough! If you read trip reports, good food always accompanies good ambiance & most times I think it is more ambiance than good food;)

[petecat]

I would agree with Gale, Zamas is overated, this is also the first person I have heard that was not delighted with Posada Margherita. Tita has some very good meals and outstanding view if you eat outside, Ana Y Jose is very good, there also is a small restaurant on the beach just to the left facing Nueva Vida that has great dinner, you have to stop there around lunch time and tell them you are interested in dinner they will tell you what they are having for dinner and tell them what time you will arrive ( can not remember there name). La Banana at Nueva Vida is good also but it is on the road not the beach.

[mariposa]

This is great! I copied alot of it into my homemade guidebook.

As far as some of it goes though, many of the people who frequent chowhound are, if not actual professional chefs, very avid amateur chefs.
So w/a place like Posada Margherita (that has what most people think is excellent food and prices to match) there's a little bit of a conflict. When these type of people , people who are really good cooks, eat at a place
that is pricey they expect absolute perfection.Because all they can think is I could make this at home better and for half as much money. This is why most of them prefer the hole-in-the-wall plastic chair places. Because for a few hundred pesos a few flaws can be overlooked. And it's usually true that this kind of street food is fresher, more authentic,simpler and alot of times better.

Just wanted to point that out. I have a couple friends who are 4 star chefs and I've seen this w/them. I am a pretty obsessive cook myself but I still
like to have someone else cook for me especially on the beach! Can't wait to write my food..I mean trip-report!

[petecat]

I also must say I have never had lunch at Posada, only dinner and it was always great, fish and patsa are always fresh and homemade, they even cook and boil the pasta in bottled water, I live minutes from Manhattan and eat ther at least once a week I am very picky and I always make it a point to do Posada at least twice for dinner, also to mention in the $50.00 is a large cutting board of appetizers thats included with your meal. The only think I found was that their wine by the bottle was priced high, so we do a couple of beers and margheritas.

[AdGuy]

also to mention in the $50.00 is a large cutting board of appetizers thats included with your meal.


Gotta love that...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB400.jpg

[AdGuy]

Yogatini,

Thanks for pointing this link out. I'm a fan of chowhound but never thought to check them out for Tulum & Valladolid recommendations. The majority of the time, I use them when we head down to Orlando or up to Savannah for culinary-getaway weekends. Jacksonville's food is terrible...nothing but chains! http://smilies.vidahost.com/cwm/cwm/puke.gif

[austxdan]

I would have to agree with them on that Beachreader, with a couple of exceptions, Don Cafeto's and Nacho's. Zamas is highly overrated I think.

I guess I tend to disagree with others on a couple of these. We ate at both Nachos and at Zamas (multiple times) and I had opposite experiences. We had late afternoon lunch at Nachos on the beach, and while the view was great the food was average at best. We had much better guac further south at Playa Kin Ha, and I can't remember the rest of our meal at Nachos - which is to say it was uneventful.

I think Zamas is an all around great place to eat. We found their dinners to be fantastic. True, the beach is a draw, and we loved the live music each night. We even had breakfast there our last day and it was superb. The pizzas as well as grilled fish dinners were very good.

We also ate twice for dinner at Posada Margherita. Yup - the wine is a bit pricey but the margs are great. The bread/cheese platter was a very nice unexpected surprise the first time there, and I could eat there every night if I could afford it. It is quite a relaxing and romantic place to have dinner.

Guess I'll have to do more research again this coming May :D .


Dan

[yogatini]

Food is my passion and my primary profession and I love Chowhound. I've been pretty much a daily reader and occasional poster for (can it be?) 8-9 years. Chowhound has directed me to some of my most memorable meals - whether it be a $$$$$five star polished service-to-the-hilt experience, or a $five star plastic-chaired chickens-running-amok mom-and-pop-run mind-altering couple-a-buck flavor experience (some of my favorite food in Playa is to be savored at the bus station). I'm always looking for something I can't get or replicate at home, something indigenous is always a plus. I'm not looking for flaws, heck, I want to enjoy every bit of my vacation! I'm looking forward to eating in the pueblo and along the beach - checking out many of your recommendations and some from Chowhound, and maybe making a discovery or two of my own. That being said, I don't believe I've ever had a bad meal that's been served to me on a beach....with a surf....and a sunset.

[mariposa]

actually that's our little trick for deciding what to order..if we can't make it at home or it would be really hard to make it at home..that's what we get.

I brought up the "foodie syndrome" to try and explain the lackluster review
of Posada Margherita. While it's true that 99.9% percent say it's amazing
most also mention that it's expensive.

Some of the best food I've ever had while travelling (maybe best period) was
in Playa Del Carmen. We still make something we call a "playa taco" at our house, we had it close to 15 years ago now. Carne Asada w/radishes and limey guacamole and a red onion salsa..It was from a cart (yes w/plastic chairs and..I didn't see a chicken but back then there probably was one)

I can't wait to find the "Tulum Taco" for the next 15 years!!

[sonofabeach]

Thanks for the info!!
I've lost about 75 pounds in the last five months and I'm gonna see if I can put it back on during my seven days in Tulum.:)

[mariposa]

sonofabeach, that's so impressive. 5 months really!

You must feel great. I agree though enjoy your vacation and don't
worry about calories..

[bluestraveler2]

Thanks for the web site. Added it to my ever growing cut and paste book of Tulum.

[firecop680]

Breakfast on the beach, lunch in town, and then dinner on the beach? I am trying to get a good game plan down, when I travel, I like to eat!!!
Is there any good breakfast stops in town?

[Uno Mas]

My personal favorite is the banana pancakes with fruit, yogurt, and granola at Zamas. This will be where I eat my breakfasts when I return in May.
That little bowl of salsa/pico was awesome on eggs!

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture029.jpg

They have have a smoothie type drink (a limey?) that was good.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture215.jpg

Posada's Red Snapper cooked in seawater, another one of my personal favorites!
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture177.jpg

Babes Dorados on a bed of mashed potatos.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture231.jpg

Ana y Jose's Shrimp Ceviche
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture157.jpg

La Nave's Pizza
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture123.jpg

Bronco Pollo
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture064.jpg





Breakfast on the beach, lunch in town, and then dinner on the beach? I am trying to get a good game plan down, when I travel, I like to eat!!!
Is there any good breakfast stops in town?

[minniemex]

Thanks for the info!!
I've lost about 75 pounds in the last five months and I'm gonna see if I can put it back on during my seven days in Tulum.:)


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_1_108.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cus/e_1_54.gif I wish I could have do as well!

[AdGuy]

Breakfast on the beach, lunch in town, and then dinner on the beach? I am trying to get a good game plan down, when I travel, I like to eat!!!
Is there any good breakfast stops in town?


My vote for best pubelo breakfast would be Don Cafeto's...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/DSCF0995.jpg


They're also great for lunch and dinner...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB137.jpg


Of course, grabbing baked goods from Casa Del Buen Pan is a great option too...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB276.jpg

[beachreader]

Oh man, y'all are making me hungry! Wow I can't wait to get down there.

Sonofabeach, congrats on your weight loss, that's really excellent. Do you mind if I ask how you did it?

As for the beach/pueblo thing, I totally understand that the pueblo may have better food, but I love to cook at home (and I live near NYC), so when I go away, I want scenery with my food. I mean, I love great restaurants and great taco food, but you can't beat a meal with a view of the ocean.

My meal at Posada Margherita was actually sort of average, IMO. I loved the appetizer platter, but I had a grilled fish that was slightly overdone and had nothing interesting going on, but it was a great night (there were wicked thunderstorms and everyone was sort of trapped in the restaurant getting to know one another) and I'm looking forward to going back there again.

And while I can definitely be critical of food, all of my meals at Zamas have been excellent. My pizza was one of the best I can recall (I made up the ingredients and they were happy to comply), and for lunch the Tacos Maya were amazing the day I had them. I've had two or three other meals there that I also thought were great, and it's where I took my friends when we only had one lunch in the area.

I'm looking forward to the guac at Playa Kin-Ha, and I'm going to try to get down to Hechizo, but I'll be eating most of my meals along the beach. That view is the one thing I can't get here at home!

[firecop680]

UnoMas where is this great looking dish at?

Babes Dorados on a bed of mashed potatos.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/tul9033/Picture231.jpg

[LizardLady]

I'm confused.
The standing advise is to 'not drink the water'. But many drinks listed are 'fruit mixed with water and honey'. And Margaritas with ice?
Should I be asking every time if they are using safe water? Will they be honest about it?

[Gale in KY]

Bottled water is usually available..either as part of your room..or they sell it at the restaurant. Ice is made from bottled water. You can tell because it has an indentation in the top..like a dip in it. If in doubt, of course ask..but I don't think there is anywhere that doesn't use bottled water for ice, cooking, drinks and drinking.
When you hear "don't drink the water" it is referring to the tap water..be sure to use bottled water to brush you teeth..and this is crazy, but don't swallow any when you shower..hold your breath if you have to.

I usually stop at the San Francisco grocery and buy a big jug of bottled water..it comes in handy for all kinds of things.