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    ARCA

    4.3 (349 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 pm - 10:30 PM

    ARCA Photos

    ARCA ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - ARCA

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    Roasted prawns
    Sarah W.

    Wow wow amazing foodie experience here. Can't recommend enough if you want a unique, superbly tasty experience highlighting ingredients of the region. We had a great server, Jonathan, who gave great recommendations. Each dish was presented with a detailed explanation which was appreciated. Everything was super high quality, unique and delicious.

    Suckling pig
    Darryl T.

    Made dinner reservations here for a Sunday night and the place was packed. The restaurant/bar was outdoor, with an open kitchen and had candle lit tables. It was very intimate and perfect for couples but can definitely accommodate a large party. The cocktail I ordered was the Naked in Tulum which was mezcal based and tasted good, so much so that I ordered another one. The food we ordered included: the bone marrow, scallop crudo, Mayan octopus, suckling pig, and grilled sourdough. All were good. However the stand out for me was the Mayan octopus (highly recommend). For dessert we ordered the Marquesita which was not too sweet and a great finish to our meal. I can see why this place was on the Michelin guide. But be prepared to pay a pretty penny for your meal. Shout out to our server Melissa for being attentive, friendly, and giving us recs.

    Bone Marrow
    Emil R.

    The Striped Seabass with green mole and jicama salad is worth the trip. Order 2. You won't want to share. Other highlights include the prawns, wagyu, and bone marrow. Do not skip desert. The ingredients and preparation are outstanding. Believe it or not, the inventive cocktail menu makes the already superlative menu even better. Don't overlook some adventure in a glass. With the tulum vibes in the dining room, open kitchen, and great service ARCA is a must visit.

    Mestizo Margarita - used sour orange which is native to Tulum and recado negro syrup to give it the black coloring. DELICIOUS!
    Allison B.

    I don't know what I could possibly say about Arca that would do it justice - this is a food experience that I genuinely will remember forever. Despite staying at an all-inclusive in Tulum, once we all heard that there were so many Michelin restaurants in Tulum, we knew we had to leave the resort and experience some incredible cuisine in Tulum. Arca doesn't just feed you, it gives you a cultural experience in addition to the absolutely incredible food and drinks that are unlike anything I've experienced - and for a price that you couldn't touch anywhere else given the quality, ambiance, and experience. Stepping into Arca is like stepping into a jungle experience with its outdoor seating, wood fired ovens, with beautiful greenery around you, and candles everywhere to light the area and also keep the vibe special and natural. It's also spacious - no tables on top of each other so you just feel like you can breathe and take your time. The DRINKS! A great mix of classics and ones that brought in a really unique cultural vibe - for example, my friends ordered dirty martinis, while I opted for the Mestizo Margarita - which used sour orange which is native to Tulum and recado negro syrup to give it the black coloring. DELICIOUS! Everything was fully explained to us when it was brought out, which really added a special touch to the experience. The FOOD. Oh my god, my mouth is watering as I write this review. The food at Arca is my favorite vibe - tapas to share, so plays nicely into my typical "Do you guys just want to get a bunch of apps?" vibe. We threw everything in at once, but it was all spaced out and basically arrived 2 at a time. We had the sourdough bread that was hot and so fresh, served with a coconut butter that lives in my dreams which arrived with the bluefin tuna crudo, served in an aguachile and with a vegetarian take on a chicharron. All dishes come out with explanations of how they should be eaten as well as the culture/history behind them as well. From there, we got my personal favorite, the whole squash, which was literally a roasted squash prepared so many ways and included squash blossoms and this AMAZING sauce. That came out at the same time as the grilled broccolini that was basically a deconstructed Caesar salad with some really unique, delicious twists to elevate it. Lastly, we had the crab esquites which was a massive portion served with corn, tomato, and in this delicious broth (it was also served in a massive shell) and the Mayan octopus that sat on lentil puree with radishes. Everything was AMAZING and it was the perfect amount of food for us. Again, the service was just top-notch, next level with every dish presented and described - you could feel the pride everyone had in being a part of the dining experience at Arca and it was truly special being a part of it. As a last surprise and delight, they brought out a cake and candle since my best friend and I were in Tulum to celebrate our collective birthdays. It was SO good and came with a goat cheese ice cream that I will also probably crave forever. This is truly a must for those who want a cultural experience in a gorgeous environment with people who are truly the best of the best at what they do. This is a dining experience I still think about and cannot wait to return to for the next time I'm in Tulum!

    Kshama P.

    Pros: The food is actually as good as they say online, and their beverages excel in quality compared to everything on the main Tulum street. Good vegetarian and pescatarian options. My partner has a huge aversion to mushrooms and he inhaled the mushroom ttlayuda. The ambience is amazing, an introverts paradise if you're a fan of dim ambient mood lights. Cons: Expensive! Steep. They were out of most of the mixology options on the menu that we were there to try. While seafood plates were good, the octopus was overcooked and a bit chewy. Crab tacos tasted or were primary just batter, no meat.

    Seabass setup
    Aria S.

    We went for dinner a couple weeks ago when we were in Tulum. I'm still thinking about the amazing seabass and green mole! It's so unique - doesn't taste like any seabass I've had. And so delicious and flavorful. We also got the Dzikilpak spread. It was unique and flavorful and filling. The restaurant is trendy and outdoors - typical for Tulum. Service was as expected for Tulum.

    Diana J.

    Really nice spot. Excellent service. We did the chefs tasting with alcohol pairing. Everything was small bites but so delicious and you can order more if you want. The presentation for each dish was pretty and explained with background of all the ingredients. Each pairing went well with each course. Would def recommend a nice fine dining experience here.

    Abigail J.

    Tasting menu - hands down 10/10. From appetizers to mains and desserts, chefs kiss! Delicious food on our last dinner in Tulum with my girls. Servers were nice and attentive, cool vibe overall.

    Shrimp -Dish
    David H.

    The food was authentic and exquisitely done. Fresh, simple, high quality ingredients, prepared perfectly with excellent waiting and table attendant, excellent cocktails.

    Scallop and Sea Urchin Crudo 9/10
    Arianna G.

    Best food I've ever had. My first experience at a Michelin featured restaurant. The soft shell tacos were INCREDIBLE. The crab was perfectly tempura fried giving the taco a nice crunch. The tortilla is subbed out for a leaf, which I found worked perfectly with the tempura. Where a regular tortilla could have been too heavy, the leaf gives a nice freshness to the taco. All of the flavors worked well together. The saltiness of the sea urchin paired well with the sweetness of the scallops. The bass was cooked to crisp perfection and I could drink the green mole sauce. The sauce was slightly smoky which worked well with the light and bright jicama salad. The salad also cut some of the richness from the sauce and the fish. The mushroom tlayuda was perfectly crisp with smoky, meaty mushrooms and fresh greens. The prawns were soft and juicy and I could drink that sauce as well. The atmosphere was laid back and sophisticated. Great music, not too loud. Definitely very pricy but worth it for the experience.

    Alexis Y.

    Hands-down my favorite dining experience in Tulum. We had a 5:30 PM reservation and were seated immediately. As a family of five, it was comforting to see other families dining there as well, since some restaurants tend to lean on the clubby side. But Arca is not that, you can tell they that their focus is in the quality of their dishes. First off, I must give major props to the spots amazing taste in music, from disco to Feist, I couldn't stop singing when I wasn't sipping from the delicious cocktails. The restaurant is moody and chic, tucked under gorgeous palm trees. All of the food is shareable, and it's more fun that way so that you can taste a bunch of things. We ordered about five dishes, excluding the kids, delicious crispy chicken and potatoes. EVERYTHING WAS 10 OUT OF 10!! We live in Los Angeles and dine out frequently, a lot of restaurants are trying to pull off the Tulum thing..and while they are absolutely delicious and elevated, Arca is top tier. Highly recommend visiting.

    Loved our drinks
    Lan T.

    We went there when vacationing in Tulum. It was a perfect dinner for the occasion. We all loved our drinks, perfectly balanced, not too strong or too sweet. The food was served in smaller portions so we probably ordered 8 items for 5 people. Everything was very delicious. The ambience was amazing. We sat by the open kitchen and it was so much fun to see their actions. They are definitely in the top 50 as awarded.

    Freddy T. W.

    ARCA was such a brilliant culinary experience we came back a second time! The whole atmosphere is designed to please- open air kitchen where the artist chefs create delish dishes. The soft shell crab tacos were amazing, the wagu was perfectly tender, the prawns flavor was to die for. Every waiter and waitress were kind and enthusiastic. Not many places that boast these kinds of prices can live up to it but ARCA surpassed expectation!

    Bone Marrow Dish

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    Page 9 of 9

    ARCA Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - ARCA

    We had originally wanted to go to Hartwood, but as it was closed we walked around and liked the look of Arca.

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    WILD

    WILD

    4.4(101 reviews)
    1.7 km
    $$$

    Fantastic experience. Location, food, service - all of it. The exec chef here also has a great…read moreplace in Chicago - Carino - which we love so we had to try this and it didn't disappoint.

    This was by far one of the most delicious meals I've experienced in a long time…read more This restaurant was directly across from our resort and we decided to try it for our last meal in Tulum and we definitely saved the best for last. We did make a reservation, although the space was surprisingly empty at 7pm. We do know we came as the season is winding down, but for how good this food is, this place should always be packed. Our waitress was delightful - attentive, helped to explain every dish and the dishes all came out quickly but nothing felt rushed. The vibe is very jungle chic with open air seating, slightly covered by large leaf structures. Lots of candles and mood lighting. The menu offered quite the diverse selection of food options with a focus on traditional but elevated Mexican flavors. We started with some signature cocktails - my husband the mustachio whiskey drink and I had the wildfire. Both were perfectly mixed with great flavors. I will note the wildfire was more tart than spiced and did come with a fun flame element (sadly no pic). Also of note, the passionfruit that is used in this drink is a local fruit that is far more tart than other passionfruit you may have experienced. If you like a tart refreshing drink, this is your pick. We shared many dishes - the first was the pork rind with street corn dip. WOW. The pork rind seasoning was absolutely delicious and the serving size of street corn was epic. So rich, so delicious. We also shared the fried avocado - truly, the local avocados are heaven sent and the pumpkin seed purée was perfectly developed and spiced. Next up, larger dishes included the corn ravioli - this was so rich, and swimming in delicious truffle flavor. The raviolis were huge and there were 6 of them. The foam and nest elements while very pretty were also equally delicious. Not something that I often say when it comes to foam on plates. Finally, we had the shrimp main - I cannot put into words how amazing this dish was. The sauce was spicy, garlicky, and clearly developed over many hours. You could taste the time put into this. The shrimp were so tender the heads and tails just fell off. It comes with a side of bread and you will want to soak up every drop of this sauce with the toasted bread. If you are looking for elevated local flavors that have been carefully and meticulously curated then you must have a meal at WILD.

    Photos
    WILD - Dining area

    Dining area

    WILD
    WILD - No Mames! cocktail

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    No Mames! cocktail

    Todos Santos - The bar setting is lovely here!

    Todos Santos

    4.6(5 reviews)
    7.3 km
    $

    Casa Jaguar has a great mixology bar, these were the best drinks we've had in Tulum and only a…read morelittle bit more expensive. Bryan was very knowledgeable and attentive, so everyone got *exactly* what they wanted . I went with a mezcal rosemary based cocktail. My friends got a passion fruit tequila and spicy mezcal ones. Our only regret was not being able to stay for dinner since we didn't make reservations. Lesson learned.

    Todos Santos was a super hip bar in the heart of downtown Tulum. We were wandering around downtown…read moreTulum on my birthday and I was complaining about being way to sober for a birthday afternoon, and Todos Santos magically appeared... like out of a dream. The space was gorgeous... like rustic, jungle chic. It seemed a little out of place on the main strip (it looked very different than most of the other places), but that's what drew us in. They had a menu of inventive cocktails that featured local ingredients (guanabana, mango, coconut milk) and lots of different types of mezcal. The drinks were delicious and the music and atmosphere was awesome. It felt like a Brooklyn bar transplanted into Mexico (sorry if I sound like a snobby New Yorker :-)). There were only 2 other people in the bar, the bartender, Ulysses, and the owner (I think), Jonathan. They were 2 super friendly young guys. They gave us a brief history of Mezcal and told us all about the different local ingredients they used. I think this place only opened a few months ago. It seemed like business may be a bit slow, but we drove by late at night a few days later and it was pretty crowded. The crowd was all tourists, European expats, etc... no locals... I didn't even see any locals working there. I loved the bar, but I love supporting locals, so I feel a little odd giving such a colonized place 5 stars, so solid 4 stars from me. If you're looking for a cool a cool bar to have a tasty cocktail, definitely check it out.

    Photos
    Todos Santos - Photo with Raul on our last night in Tulum.

    Photo with Raul on our last night in Tulum.

    Todos Santos - Small sign out front

    Small sign out front

    Todos Santos - Rosemary mezcal, passion fruit tequila, tequila something and spicy mezcal cocktails  that were

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    Rosemary mezcal, passion fruit tequila, tequila something and spicy mezcal cocktails that were

    Swoon Rooftop - Concrete hot air balloon

    Swoon Rooftop

    4.7(23 reviews)
    6.9 km

    This is a very cool place. I do have to say the menu has changed. A number of previous pictures…read morethat people posted here of there food is not available on the new menus. But the dinner my daughter and I had was delicious. We were seated right away. Up to the roof top we go. There are 4 levels to this restaurant. Each has their own vibe. The service was top notch, always attentive to our needs. Everyone was very friendly here. This restaurant is great for large groups. They have a number of rooms that can accommodate 15 to 20 people in an intimate setting. The roof top view is cool if you are a people watcher. Give it a try, you will be glad you did.

    Disclaimer: I was only here for a night cap, so I am reviewing my one drink and experience…read more Swoon Rooftop is two floors (on the roof, of course) above The Good Burger. Out front of Good Burger, it was hard to tease out which menu was for what restaurant, but I guess it didn't matter because the second floor was the bar where the night cap was made and brought upstairs. Up on the rooftop, the setting was whimsical, naturey, romantic. It was great to sit on cushiony seats under dim lighting with lots of greens hanging above and on the walls. The street view below was, well, of the street. For a weekend night, it was desolate and for awhile, we had the whole roof to ourselves (minus the two servers with nothing to do). For my one drink, I selected a mojito swoon (ginger, lime). It was pretty much a very refreshing lemonade with only a slight hint of alcohol - but that's the theme in most cocktails I had in Tulum. Our poor waitress came by several times to check in on us out of boredom, which was nice, but also weird at the same time given it was clear the place was dead, so it seemed like she was coming to our table too often.

    Photos
    Swoon Rooftop - Top of Tulum deck.

    Top of Tulum deck.

    Swoon Rooftop - Hookah bar

    Hookah bar

    Swoon Rooftop - Ceiling of the space egg...

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    Ceiling of the space egg...

    Encantada - Broken chair needs updating

    Encantada

    4.2(5 reviews)
    1.1 km

    They advertise peace abounds, it doesn't. Loud music past 12am and was told it's just a party…read moremeaning I shouldn't be bothered on my honeymoon that there is loud music all night and constant saws, drills and hammering all day. Worst part of my honeymoon is my stay here. Giving them A chance to make it right, if not I will update with detailed review,sincerely exhausted upset frustrated newlywed DON'T BOOK HERE IF YOU WANT A QUIET ROMANTIC HONEYMOON we did NOT get what we paid for, cried myself to sleep due to stress #namronhospitality #peaceabounds

    We were initially reluctant to leave Mi Amor and switch to Encantada for the second half of the…read moretrip. We were wrong! Service: Tulum is very hospitality-focused so everyone is pretty nice, but they REALLY bent over backward here. From the welcome cocktail to the complimentary 20-minute massages, everyone was extremely welcoming and really went out of their way to make our stay special. Food: Breakfast is included, delicious, and authentic. Rooms: Beautiful. You are literally in a tree house. The bed is massive and comfortable. Location: Right on the beach and steps away from all the "hotspots". One of the highlights on our trip was sitting on the beach chairs at night and seeing all the huge turtles come out of the ocean to nest/lay eggs! Minor downsides: Limited number for rooms, so don't expect to be able to check in early. They have AC but some of it escapes through the walls. Lastly, you can hear faint club music from inside the room pretty late into the night, but it wasn't loud enough to bother us. Overall, we'd definitely return!!

    Photos
    Encantada - Broken chair in arrival nowhere to sit, didn't replace chairs

    Broken chair in arrival nowhere to sit, didn't replace chairs

    Encantada - Towels are very old and scratchy, not sure how the have received awards here

    Towels are very old and scratchy, not sure how the have received awards here

    Encantada - 2 examples, literally counted 7 different stains colors on sheets,cover and pillowcases

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    2 examples, literally counted 7 different stains colors on sheets,cover and pillowcases

    Papaya Playa Beach Bar - Espresso martini

    Papaya Playa Beach Bar

    3.7(36 reviews)
    1.8 km

    This beach club was super fun! Located in the heart of Tulum, Mexico. It gave iii points vibes…read morehonestly, when you walk in it's as if you're walking into a trippy garden. There's someone doing face jewels as soon as you walk in, not sure how much it was but it looked super pretty. There's a system to get drinks where you reload your wristband with money and they scan it every time you order a drink to deduct each transaction. The only bad thing is that whatever you have left on the bracelet goes to waste because you can't get your money back. Each drink was kinda pricey, between $30-$40. I would suggest pre-gaming before coming or buying a table. The music was good, it was a lot of tiki tiki. There is a beach view from the dance floor. Everyone was very nice, the staff were extremely busy but attended each customer in a timely manner. I ordered an espresso martini, the presentation was great but the taste wasn't as balanced as I preferred. It taste more like tequila rather than coffee. I then switched back to vodka/sodas. I highly recommend you check this spot out for a night of dancing and fun!

    We stayed at the Papaya Playa Project, and so obviously this beach bar was part of our daily…read moreroutine: grab a carajillo each morning from the bar, lay out on the beach and order margs and ceviche from the waitstaff... but the highlight of our stay (other than our friend's wedding), was the full moon dance party they host every full moon. There is no cover for hotel guests. They had live music, artists doing body paint, dancers... If you're staying in Tulum and your hotel or airbnb tragically doesn't have a pool or beach access, consider reservations at Papaya Playa Beach Bar. You can also buy tickets from their website.

    Photos
    Papaya Playa Beach Bar - SEAFOOD GRILL

    SEAFOOD GRILL

    Papaya Playa Beach Bar - FETTUCCINE & SHRIMP

    FETTUCCINE & SHRIMP

    Papaya Playa Beach Bar - Tree of Gratitud

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    Tree of Gratitud

    ARCA - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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