We had a great flight on Flair Airlines from Vancouver to Cancun and created our own adventure in Mexico as we explored the food scene in Tulum in late January.

After a just under 6 hour overnight flight we arrived in Cancun and took the ado bus to Tulum arriving in about 2 hours time.

Our first meal was lunch at Restaurant Estrada which specialized in grilled seafood. Lawrence and I started off with the Guacamole & Chips. I then had the grilled Shrimp tacos while Lawrence had the Octopus & Shrimp mixta tacos!

For dinner we took my friend Jon’s recommendation and enjoyed an outstanding Mexican dinner at Negro Huitlacoxe. We started off with the delicious Elotes Dorados (spiced corn ribs); we also had the Fried Birria Tacos with consomme; as well as the Flautas stuffed with potato in a tomato salsa; for dessert we had the outstanding Churro ice cream sandwich.

The next day after a restful night at the hotel, I had breakfast on the rooftop patio and then we spent the day on a sightseeing tour of the Tulum Ruins and Coba.

For dinner we took Jon’s other suggestion and enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at Sabor de Mar. We shared the outstanding Volcanic Tower with cooked shrimp, Fresh Tuna, Aguachile and Marinated with House Sauce and then shared both the Fried Marlin tacos and Fried Shrimp tacos. 

We wanted to try some authentic churros so we had dessert nearby at Churros La Lupita and they were The best churros from this popular street cart.

The next day which was to be our last full day in Tulum.

We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and a delicious lunch at Ziggy’s Beach Club where they have a minimum spend on food and drinks of $70 USD per person and with that you get to enjoy the amenities of the beach club which is one of the oldest in Tulum. The weather was nice and warm, with a little breeze and the beach was stunning, we got beach lounger beds and towels and enjoyed the service by the waiters who brought us food and drink.

We started with some complimentary chips and salsas and Coconuts; then Lawrence and I each had the Fish fillet with cooked vegetables and rice.

We also had their outstanding Corn Cake with vanilla ice cream as well as the Chocolate and Coffee cake. Here we enjoyed a Spicy Margarita on the beach in Tulum made with Cointreau.  

For our last night in Tulum, we visited Arca, one of the top 50 restaurants in Latin America. Located off the grid in Tulum, they cook by fire in an open kitchen outside and the service was top notch providing a wonderful experience for me and Lawrence.

We had the Roasted Local squash, Sautéed Squash Greens, Squash Flowers, Toasted Squash Seeds, Squash Seed Sauce; then the delicious Crab Esquites with heirloom corn in a crab coconut bisque.

We also had the Striped Bass seared in coconut oil with green mole and jicama; and the Soft Shell Crab, Amaranth Tempura, Grosella and Pickled Habanero Salsa, Chaya Emulsion, Fried Chaya, Chaya Powder

We finished our memorable dining experience with the Tamal Chocolat that was served in a cacao bean smoked to our table.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: Cointreau and Flair Airlines provided us with complimentary roundtrip air tickets. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.