Jay Y.

I have to say that this place was amazing. Great vibes, great food and even better service. Lauro, was our server and his service was on point. He greeted us and sat us at our table. He was very cordial and asked us if we wanted mosquito repellent lotion. He made great recommendations and provided the best service. The food was great as we had the grilled octopus, which was nicely grilled and wasn't chewy but soft. Catch of the day, which I can't remember off the top of my head was amazing. The dessert was also delicious as well as the drink. I'm writing this a week after I got back from Tulum but I do have to say that this place was a highlight.

Terry W.

My daughter and I have our New Years Eve Dinner here. This is a most amazing restaurant . From being greeted by Daniella and seated . To being served in a way that I never experienced before . We ordered drinks and our server gave us the breakdown on what was in them, where they came from. Even the food is Mayan Inspired. We were told the history of the dish we ordered. Everything when pressed was explained. It was truly amazing. Now for the taste , absolutely delicious. Every bite , every spice was bursting with delicious flavor. This is truly an experience in dining. When in Tulum make Bal Nak one of your dining restaurants. You will be glad you did.

Amanda G.

Overall the food was good and the ambiance was intimate, but for myself it was a little too dark and there were tons of bugs (yes, I know its the jungle). The food took a little bit to come out, but the short ribs were delicious. The piglet's veggies seemed kind of like an after thought and were not really paired well with the entree. The drinks were delicious and the waitress was super friendly. Plus the artwork was neat.

Asiah C.

Not sure why this spot didn't receive the same foot traffic as its neighboring restaurants! The first night on the strip, i felt a kinship to the spot and on the second night we decided to give it a try. The ambiance is exotic jungle with the nice scents of copal/citronella used to ward of the insects. Since we had already eaten, we opted for dessert, drinks and hookah. The hookah was so fresh! Ice tea with mint. The drink menu was peppered with 2 for 1 specials. I got this cool drink that resembled the sun setting. The dessert was small but the flavors paired so nicely with the roasted sweet potato. The food in tulum definitely trumps Cancun. I would recommend this location and i am coming back to try a meal.

Kimberly D.

Food was amazing and the staff was also the best. I really appreciate all the special Attention I got. Loved the Kobe steak presentation. I recommend this restaurant.

Christina M.

I can't. Even. Begin. Service: 11/10 Ambiance: 11/10 Location: 10/10 Food: 25/10 Let me break it down from there. Allow me to set the stage: Friday night mid-COVID and Hartwood had a wait, but Bal Nak had been on my list for bday dinner from day 1. I'm so glad I skipped Hartwood and headed literally 2 minutes down to Bal Nak. Now let's get into the ambiance/location: jungly AF (typical of Tulum), cozy (but not in the NYC apartment kind of way), inoffensive lighting, chill music and lanterns to get rid of the mosquitos. It's right in the heart of Beachy Tulum and almost next door to Hartwood. It can be hard to see as the restaurant itself is quite narrow, but the sign is easy to spot. The service: Personal attention is the understatement of the century. Even in COVID, they were patient and explained each of the dishes in full as they came out to me, going so far as to say where certain leaves were sourced (hint: literally everything here is sourced from Mexico and legit Mexican dishes). My food came out in a timely manner and in the order I requested. Now the best part: the food. Oh my GOD the food. I ordered a Mexican Elderberry cocktail (tequila + elderberry + lemon = the universe made this just for me) that was like a cup of foamy tequila-laden perfection. Originally I had only ordered the pulpo, but opted for the Tíradíto as well (it looked too good, and it was). The Tíradíto had sliced Star fruit mixed in with fresh sliced raw fish in a balsamic and citrus vinaigrette. It was light and I literally felt the Ratatouille-esque lightning-y explosions in my mouth. I will dream about that dish for years to come. Then it was onto the main course: the pulpo. Anyone who knows octopus knows it is VERY easy to over or undercook. Bad octopus is worse than improperly cooked shrimp. It's garbage. Fortunately that was not the case here. The complete opposite, in fact. I did not know octopus could be cooked this perfectly. Crisp on the outside and buttery AF on the inside. The potatoes, onions and various sauces complimented it perfectly without being in any way overpowering. I had planned on eating elsewhere tomorrow night but uh... that's not happening. I'm never one to return to the same restaurant on a vacation, but why mess with a good thing?

Susana S.

Very nice experience at this place! The cocktail and food was delicious. The service was also friendly and obliging. I had hibiscus mezcalita and octopus with a salad. Everything tasted great! Highly recommend!

Sandy L.

The cocktails were the best I've ever had in my life! The catch of the day was sea bass and it was a little dry for my taste but the corn was the star of the show. I expected more flavors from my entree. Four stars because the dessert, service, and atmosphere (jungle) were all phenomenal.

Christina B.

The ambience, the food, the drinks, and the service were all superb! It was a perfect meal. I started with a jungle cocktail with jalapeño mezcal and it was great. Then I had the beet salad and I almost lost my MIND over it. It was perfection. Then I had the elderberry cocktail, delicious. Then the short rib--divine. And last the cornbread dessert--yummy! I realize I sound like a glutton but actually the portions were not huge and I ate most of it! 5 out of 5 WOULD GO BACK!

Phenomenal experience, from start to finish! The food, the drinks, the service, and the ambiance were all on point. The duck and the cornbread dessert were some of the best things I've eaten in a while. Strongly recommend you check them out.

Bader H.

I seldom make the effort to write a review while on vacation, but tonight I was inspired. This gem of a restaurant was the icing on the culinary cake for our last night in Tulum. Wish we had discovered it sooner. Bal Nak is laid back yet sophisticated. Hands down the best cocktails we had all week. Nothing overly foo foo just perfectly fused drinks where you can actually taste the alcohol. The chef has a wonderful way of incorporating ingredients and from many areas of Mexico, not just the local splendor of the Yucatán. Every 2O minutes one of wait staff paces through the restaurant and bar area with an iron pot contains smoking embers of resinated wood from the Copal tree resin that has traditionally been used to cleanse energy and keep away any unwelcome mosquitos. The fish was fresh and the sauces and side dishes absolutely unique and plentiful. They have a well rounded menu that is refreshingly diverse in terms of proteins choices compared to their overpriced competitors next door. Most impressive was the incredibly attentive and impeccable service. Leo, our server and Tōno the manager really went out of their way to make sure that we had a superb evening. It's not a crowd scene yet and the beautifully designed restaurant is set back from the street so don't be discouraged if the front bar isn't packed. They've only been open a short time and I'm sure their popularity will steadily grow.

Elyse L.

We had one of the most delicious and beautiful dinners of our lives at Bal Nak last night. The fact that it's a little hard to find, nestled amongst shops and other restaurants in the Zona Hotelera in Tulum, just made it's intimate, lush setting even more special and unique. The food was absolutely delicious. We shared the Pork Belly Confit and the Catch of the Day Tiradito and spent the whole meal telling each other how happy we were and how incredible the food was. We also had one of the best cocktails of our lives--the Mexican Elderberry. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, and they created a calming atmosphere by burning some lovely copal around the outskirts of the restaurant before we ate. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. Thank you, Bal Nak, for an unforgettable evening!

Jim F.

We had our anniversary dinner here--absolutely wonderful! I had the octopus and it was very tasty. The service was impeccable as was the ambiance. We felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant/jungle. Drinks were great! Coconut explosion for dessert was very good.