During our trip to Tulum, we stayed in the beach zone and noticed that there were a plethora of restaurants to try. While researching on yelp, I found this spot had not been reviewed in quite some time so I wanted to explore it for myself an update it for everyone here. Wow this was a great idea and I was blown away by just about everything that this place had to offer. Whether it was the drinks, food, ambiance, music, service or decorations, all the boxes are checked! We started out by ordering a couple Mezcalitas and they were offered spicy or non-spicy with or without passion fruit. As an appetizer, we tried the goat cheese stuffed tomatoes after we were served a fresh batch of chips with pico de gallo. I have never thought of pairing goat cheese with tomatoes, but man was that a game changer. They came in a pretty hefty portion size, and it was a great item to start our culinary journey this evening for the main course is I ordered the enchiladas rojas and I am not joking when I say, these are probably the best enchiladas I've ever ordered. Javier was such a great waiter along with his teammate and made the whole experience perfect. What a beautiful restaurant and evening! read more

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Food is pretty good I got beef tacos and cheese enchiladas. Staff were very friendly and accommodating after we biked from the hotel in the humidity :) read more

El Tabano - Sign outside love it - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

I stopped at this place after biking about 5 miles on a beach bike in the heat. There were only 2 customers in the place. I took a seat, recovering myself for a few minutes and responding to some text messages. Literally every 60 seconds the fat little guy behind the bar would pester me for my order as if he couldn't see I was otherwise occupied. After the 5th time I told him to give me a break I'll order when I'm good and ready (in Spanish which I speak fluently). I hadn't even been given a menu by the way!! Anyway, from there he and the other employee became more and more aggressive ... anyway even though I was hot and thirsty I told them they could buzz off there are only about 100 restaurants and bars along the road parallel to the beach. My conclusion: These people have absolutely no concept of customer service. I'd recommend one of the many other options in the immediate vicinity. read more

El Tabano - A bar and restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

El Tabano is a very nice place with great service. The food and drinks were good and the ambiance was relaxing, however I did think it was over-priced, but that's typical for Tulum. read more

Food was OK, but the staff was great - bilingual, friendly and attentive. The ambience was nice and pretty zen. We unintentionally stopped by during Happy Hour which included 2x1 basic drinks but they were very watered down so it was more like refreshing flavored water. WiFi was pretty strong read more

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Great dinner, drinks and service! And nice atmosphere! We are happy we found this place right outside of our resort (Hotelito Azul that is quite terrible). read more

Delicious food and great atmosphere. We had the fish tacos, steak burrito, and chicken enchilada. Best enchiladas!!! read more

El Tabano - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

If you ever get a chance to visit Tulum, come to El Tabano for breakfast. From the drinks to the service everything was great. It felt homey there the minute you walk in. I believe it's a family own business and they put a lot of thoughts and love into it and it shows in their food. We had some specific requests with our food and they were more than accommodating. It was a great experience. read more

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The absolute best service and food. Open kitchen cooking the freshest dishes. Delicious mezcal cocktails- Mama Lindo was my favorite! Feels like family is cooking and serving you. Exceptionally clean and you're asked to wash your hands upon arrival in the most innovative hand washing station. We had appetizers one day and retuned the next for dinner it was so good. This is a must to add to your list! read more

El Tabano - Beef tacos - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

Came to this spot last night with my wife, celebrating our 10 year anniversary week. LOOOOVED IT! Beautiful atmosphere, intimate lighting, great service ! The whole staff were amazing from the bar tender to the hosts the chefs they were all so welcoming. Definitely recommend the Puerco Pibil tacos!! That pineapple topping and pickled red onion were oooo and the cucumber margarita was delicious and refreshing!! for sure going back again while we are out here. Bonus: they have big repellent candles and cream all over the place! We didn't get bit once! Thank you guys so much!! read more

El Tabano - Steak tacos and Puerco pibil tacos - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

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We stopped at El Tabano for lunch during one of the days we were in Tulum on our honeymoon. And I'm glad we did! It's a casual restaurant - you can see the staff cooking your food while you sit. And the food and the drinks were quite delicious. We shared the ceviche verde (fish and shrimp and apple and lime and mint) and the fish tacos. Both were quite delicious. We also had a couple of cocktails each. They were excellent! Particularly the passion fruit mojito, which was possibly the best cocktail I had all week in Tulum!! Definitely a meal I'd repeat the next time I'm in Tulum! read more

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We stopped by and fell in love with this place! Great happy hour, great wine by the glass or by the bottle and wonderful service! A must if you're in town for a drink and appetizers. I haven't tried dinner but likely delicious. Cheers! read more

Super disappointing place to spend our last dinner in Tulum. Our waiter brought our table of 14 an extra dish. When we told him we did not order it he aggressively told us that we in fact did order the meal, left it on the table, and charged us for it! Extremely rude service. The food was nothing special either, especially for the price. I would highly recommend going elsewhere as others have suggested. There are incredible spots throughout Tulum with great food and extremely friendly waiters. Spend your money somewhere that actually appreciates your business. read more

I was initially turned off by the somewhat higher prices but it wound up being totally worth it and we came back again two nights later.

Tourist trap. Don't do it to yourself unless you're starving. $12 bucks for 2 waters? Not Fiji or Voss. $30 for 6 small shrimp. $25 for three tacos of the cheapest meat possible. read more

This place is great. Adorable bohemian decor in the jungle. The staff is wonderful with top notch service. Then there's the food. So good!! Definitely stop in while in Tulum! read more

Super friendly staff! We had a salty breakfast with a cold lime juice with fresh mint. They have fans to move a bit the air under the roof, it can get a bit hot inside. They have wifi and entire menu if you want to have lunch or dinner as well. read more

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Great food. Stopped in for the 2 for one happy hour and ended up staying for the food. Marco was amazing and really helpful for picking out great items on the menu. I recommend this place if your wanting friendly service and atmosphere. read more

I stuck with the 4-star rating this place has because I didn't get to eat here. I will say my partner and I walked the beach strip three times over trying to find it and failed! Just a flag that we mistook the place as closed, only to return home to find reviews of it around the time of our visit. So make sure to ask a local if you can't find it! read more

Wow. We just ate here for an early dinner and the mole chicken is the absolute BEST any of us has ever had! Ditto for the cochinita de pibil (pork). Soooo good! The mole apparently has 55 different ingredients, prepared starting at 7 am, from chocolate and cinnamon to peppers to who knows what else. Also: best margaritas in Tulum, IMHO. And as if that wasn't enough, Jair (bartender) and Constantino (host) are amazingly warm, welcoming, genuine and fun. Such a five star experience! We love this place. Did we mention it's on the outskirts of the crazy tourist hotel zone? So it's easier to access and reasonably priced. :) read more

Best passion fruit mojito! Yes it beats bateys. Coconut crunchy shrimp was so good. The shrimps were big. Boyfriend got the buttery garlic shrimp. It was delicious. Pricey since this is over in the Beach area. read more

El Tabano - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

This place was absolutely delicious!! I came here for dinner with my two friends and we are all vegetarian. They had amazing veggie options that were so flavorful and satisfying. We had the poblano peppers, the corn truffle crepes, banana and lentil croquettes, and tamales. The croquettes were our favorite but everything was truly very good. Our cocktails were one of the best we had in Tulum! Really attentive staff but not overbearing at all! As it got darker out we could feel the mosquitos coming out and our waiter brought us bug lotion to use which is a thoughtful touch considering you are in the jungle. It is a bit pricey but that's what you get when you are by the beach and it is totally worth it. If you are unsure of places to go by the beach, I definitely recommend coming here for sure! You will not be disappointed. read more

El Tabano - Mexican Near Me - Cancún, ROO

The food and the service was excellent!!!! We had the Las Enfrijoladas, omelettes, huevos rancheros, natural juices ALL delicious! A MOST GO! read more

To be honest, you can have wayyyyy better food at a wayyyyy cheaper value than this place. It's a tourist trap. You either go here or any other restaurant on this strip and pay $60+ for a mediocre meal (no apps, one water, one coke and two meals which were shrimp and BASIC ASS MEAT TACOS with no flavor) or have to fetch a cab, go into the city of Tulum and catch another cab back to your hotel. It's really about whether you choose to eat "local" a.k.a down the street, or pay enough to get into downtown. We got charged 6$ for water - water....water....WATER! Had I known I probably would've chosen to choke on my own saliva rather than order a "Just Water" ...what is this NYC?! Lol Anyways, 2 stars for ambiance and friendly people. I must be in the wrong business if they're out here charging $6 for water! Of course people will pay it, but just be smart. If you want an authentic experience, this isn't the place. read more

El Tabano is a cute little outdoor restaurant on the jungle side of beach road serving Mexican fusion items- it was close to where we were staying and so we came in for dinner on our first night. Service was absolutely terrible in that it took quite a while to get menus, silverware, drinks, food, complimentary bread and salsa were never received, and lastly, getting the waiter's attention for the bill. That said, it wasn't totally the fault of our waiter, but more the owners, as there was one person serving an almost full house. The food....ceviche was terrible- I've had a lot of ceviche (in Mexico, Peru, and at home in San Francisco), and this was the first I've had where (poor quality) red wine completely drowned out the taste completely. Is ceviche even supposed to have wine in it? Also, it was a turn-off to see the server pouring tortilla chips from a store bought bag to serve alongside the ceviche. Really? This is Mexico- why not get some homemade tortilla chips from anywhere in the pueblo? That said, our other entree, vegetarian tamales, were delicious and made up for the meal quite a bit. Highly recommended. There were other items we wanted to try but they'd sold out for the night. Go early in the evening for the full menu selection. But really, for the prices they are charging at El Tabano (including 40 pesos for water and items that are twice the price because they're on the beach side) service really should be up to par. read more

We happened on this spot by accident and are so glad we did. There is a wine shop next door (def worth going to by the way found some great options) The young lady at the wine store mentioned her grandma & mom cooked next store so we gave it a try! Everything was lovely and we enjoyed the ambiance & open kitchen. The shrimp mole was fantastic as was the red chicken and my husband said it was the best flan he has had in his life. read more

Love this restaurant! Stumbled upon this place when the bartender Jair noticed us waiting awhile outside for our taxi and offered us a seat inside and cold water. We returned for dinner. The concept is very cool and the food was deliciously authentic Mexican. The bartender made a fantastic mango Mojito! read more

My family usually has doubts about my yelp finds when there are so few reviews, but I was right! If you are from the US and the following names mean something to you, this is your place! Diane Kennedy Patricia Quintana Rick Bayless Zarela Martinez Damn good food They could reduce the number of offerings on the menu and still kill it, but overall amazing read more

This place was incredible! Such a hidden gem in Tulum. We rode our bikes to this little outdoor cafe to find an open outdoor kitchen with two women cooking up our lunch. The food was amazing. We ordered tortilla soup, coconut shrimp, ceviche, a stuffed poblano pepper and fish tacos. The drinks were also equally amazing. They have a large menu with a lot of selection. I highly recommend if visiting Tulum. read more

I ordered a mezcal pineapple margarita and pollo rojo. The one waiter was such a jerk, fake and unprofessional, the bar tender was sweet. The mezcal smell brought me straight back to anatomy lab dissecting the wrinkled old body of an old man, I almost threw up because it smelled & tasted like formaldehyde! Disgusting. The pollo rojo actually was pretty tasty. But the brown rice that came with it was a bit wet. read more

We have been traveling to the Playa del Carmen area for over 25 years and have recently begun frequenting Tulum to avoid the crowds. El Tabano is one of the best restaurants we have found. We are vegan and they had many vegan options. The spices used are incredible, the food is absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is also wonderful, open and airy. read more

We were staying across the street at Hemingway's and came here for a casual dinner! My daughter had the Carne Asada and Al Pastor tacos. I had the veggie! They were so fresh and amazing! They have a salsa bar, so you can dress your own tacos! The staff was exceptionally friendly! Highly recommend! read more

El Tabano moved from its original location now across from Hemmingway Retreat. We came here for lunch and it was incredibly delicious. We come to Tulum every year and eat at the best spots... Hartwood... Posada Margarita... this place is up there. The Ceviche Verde is a must. We also ordered the stuffed Chili Relleno with vegetables and the vegi tamales. We like it spicy so we got a side of habanero hot sauce. Amazing flavors. Top it off with passion fruit mojito and you have truly entered paradise. Try for yourself. Coming back next year for sure. read more

Great traditional Mexican food, and breakfast is served all day. The staff was incredibly friendly and the food was delicious. We will definitely go back. read more

3rd time and it NEVER disappoints....I think this restaurant is totally underrated. Give it a try it's totally worth it. I think the location is great away from all the madness. read more

Food was a solid 3+ stars: Chicken stuffed jalapenos were great, although near the top of my heat scale. Coconut crunchy shrimp was tasty, but a little overdone. Roasted tomatoes were solid. Shrimp tacos were bland. The truffle crepes were weirdly spongy and lacked flavor, though my dining partner liked them. All of the above plus a mediocre bottle of wine cost 1900 pesos ($100 USD.) It was a reasonable cost for an average restaurant in the US, but for Mexico, this place is pricey. Expect the service to be aloof. read more

Fabulous food, fabulous atmosphere. The ladies are right there in the kitchen preparing food which is made with great love! After a couple of days eating at local restaurants we found the spices and dishes unique and left us looking for more. read more

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Excellent food! We had the chicken stuffed jalapeños, conchita pibil, and the most delicious flan! I would recommend this to anyone wanting Yucatan food. I can't tell you how amazing this place is.... Go see for yourself. read more

Three stars for the shrimp tacos... and everything else we ordered was good. This place is cash only and gave $ 1 usd to 16 pesos verses 18 pesos. read more

Love this place! It is on the jungle side down the Tulum beach road. Small place with limited parking. The staff is friendly, and helpful. Open kitchen, and indoor, outdoor seating. Antique chairs and tables with a small seating area under a large palapa. The menu is three large chalk boards on the wall. It can be difficult to view if busy, but the items on the menu change, or they run out so they change the board nightly. We have been here repeatedly, and left happy every time. The food! I really have had nothing less that great. The shrimp in Mole, roasted tomatoes with goat cheese, yucatan pork were all really top notch. The tower of pear was my favorite. Sliced pear, Brie,granola, and agave nectar? Amazing, truly, and unique. So far my favorite place in Mexico. Thanks! read more