A place where culinary experience steps outside the norm. Feast on skillfully crafted cocktails, and eat food that could be considered art. All while in the heart of the Tulum jungle. This is a place whose atmosphere, ambiance, and cuisine cannot be matched.
Alright, you've made it to the infamous Tulum! You are greeted with endless options of shopping, activities and dining! So how the heck do you even know where to begin when it comes to picking a place to eat. Let me help you out, ARCA needs to be at the top of your list. Let me show you a little blurb from their website to give you an idea of why their cuisine is top notch and must try for your next trip.
"OUR FOOD IS MICRO-SEASONAL AND IS A CURRENT REPRESENTATION OF THE FLORA AND FAUNA AROUND US We have created the dishes to be in tune with our roots and traditions, with bold and explosive flavors.
Open-fire cooking is integral to our menu, which is composed of small plates intended to be shared, a way of eating that is inherent in Mexican culture.
We have spent several years nurturing our relationship with our local purveyors whom are now like our family. We cherish these relationships because they allow us to properly represent the diversity of the area, and in turn we help the community that has welcomed us open-heartedly in this jungle paradise we call home."
I mean....if you are not enticed I don't get it! Their menu changes with the season, and this is not a place that you will get your "typical" mexican food. I put typical in quotes because a lot of people assume mexican cuisine is what we are served in the states. Flour tortillas loaded with cheese, sour cream, and ground beef. Now while that is a delicious meal all in itself...ARCA is going to expand your palate a bit more than that!
This restaurant takes it back to Mexico's roots, and not only does the food taste amazing but you can feel the effort and the love that goes into creating each of these dishes.
The Ratings:
Total Rating: 5/5 stars - And I will break it down for you by category
Cuisine : 5/5 stars
If you couldn't have guessed from my glowing recommendations in the section above I would rate the cuisine in this place 5/5 stars. I would give it a 15/5 if I could! It was the best meal we had in Mexico by far, and probably one of the best meals we've had ever if I am being honest. It was one of those situations where we just ordered a couple things, and then everything was so good we just kept ordering more and more. The food is skillfully crafted, the knowledge of both basic culinary skills and the Mexican heritage is transparent throughout each dish. Bold flavors, good sized portions, artfully plated...you could not ask for more from a food perspective.
Drinks : 5/5 stars
If you were worried that the cocktails could not compete with the cuisine...I am here to end your fears. They were divine! Some of the most interesting blends of flavors I have ever had in my life; and just like with the cuisine the way they are presented to you should be deemed art. My only complaint is that this place ruined me for the rest of my trip! We started with the best and after having the cocktails here, nothing else compared.
Ambiance: 4/5 stars
If I being honest, this should probably be a 5/5 as well because it was such a unique jungle Tulum vibe....butttttttt nothing is perfect and I wanted to keep it 100 percent honest with you guys! The reason this is a 4 and not a 5 is for two reasons. First, the heat...this restaurant only offers outdoor seating; and well, you are in the jungle in Mexico so guess what...it is hot! Not that that is ARCA's fault, but if you are someone who doesn't like to be hot when you eat, I would wait to come until the sun has set because while you are in the jungle, so there is shade, there is no escaping that heat. Especially since all of their food is cooked in the open grill - which you can see by the way so that's amazing- but yea..the heat.
Second thing that also comes with eating in the jungle is the bugs...and no I am not talking about the ones that come in your cocktails. I am talking about those annoying little critters that have the whole open air to fly around in but their favorite spot is right next to your face as you are trying to chow down! Yea, when you are enjoying here the little buggies of the world may also be trying to enjoy with you and that can be a little annoying. However I have to say that the management is very aware of this and is taking active steps to address it. For example, they had large fans everywhere to bring a pleasant breeze through, and every so often they would burn the pleasant scent of copal to help rid the area of bugs.
Service : 5/5 stars
The service here was divine. Not just because the food and drinks come to you fast. Not just because the servers are polite, but because they add to the entire experience. Our server was so knowledgeable about every single dish and drink that hit our table. He recommend which dishes to try based on his preferences and what we told him ours were. He knew about the ingredients and where they came from, what blended well with that! He told us the best way to eat certain dishes, such as take a bite of this then this or mix these two together. He explained which cocktails partnered well with each dish, it was truly an experience. And on top of that they all just had amazing personalities. At ARCA it is not your typical experience where your server is just a vessel that delivers your food, no here they are your food mentor and they educate you in the most brilliant way and it further adds to the enjoyment of the experience.
Cost : 4/5 stars
Now here, I will be honest with you...this place is not cheap. But how could you expect it to be! With the quality of food and knowledge that you get here it is incredible and well worth every penny that is spent. I believe for the two of us our dinner cost us around $250 USD. However, for that price we had, bread, 3 entrees, dessert and four cocktails. So we got a lot of incredible food and beverages and we were there for hours. Your meal would not have to be that pricey if you ordered less things! But let's be honest, in a place as amazing as this how can you order just one thing!? We had room in our budget for one splurge night and we chose to spend it here and we have ZERO regrets. If you are someone who can financially swing that I definitely recommend. This is a 4 just because I know that that price tag may turn some people off immediately. But like I said, if you are on a budget, you can easily each come, grab a cocktail and split an entree and it would be much more budget friendly.
The Basics:
Where is it
This restaurant is located on Tulum Beach Road. If you are driving down the road from Tulum Central it is toward the end of the road. It is close in proximity to Rosa Negra.
The address: CARRETERA TULUM-BOCA PAILA KM 7.6
77780 TULUM, QUINTANA ROO MEXICO
(note this is the address on their website)
The address: Av. Boca Paila, Tulum Beach, 77766 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico
(this is the address I used off of Google Maps when we went)
Hours: 5:30pm- 10:30pm
(image taken from Google Maps)
What type of cuisine is it
I would say that the cuisine presented here is traditional Mexican cuisine. But imagine it as more of a casual fine-dining experience. I think often times when people think traditional Mexican cuisine they are assuming it is only foods they have been taught to associate with that, such as tacos or burritos. This restaurant offers a wider variety and will introduce you to ingredients from Mexico's heritage that you may have never know before.
Do you need reservations
I highly recommend making a reservation for this restaurant. While you may be able to try your luck at just showing up I do not recommend this. Tulum is a very busy place and this restaurant is one of the best! If you want to be guaranteed a spot I would make a reservation. You can visit their website for instructions on how to do so.
Their website: https://arcatulum.com/
Cost
Like I said previously, it is not the most affordable place in Tulum but I think it is worth every penny. It is a place where you get value for the price that you pay. There are plenty of other places in Tulum where you are just paying for the name, no here you are paying for the experience. And if you are someone who is on a budget but still want to enjoy, grab a drink each and split an entree, it is amazing and worth it.
The Details:
So without further ado let's get into the stuff you really care about...what did we eat! And how was it! Believe it or not, our original plans were not to eat here at all! We had dinner plans this evening at a different venue. But we had heard such great things about ARCA, we had made a reservation for drinks and maybe an appetizer or two before heading to dinner. It did not take long for us to change our minds.
Our server was so knowledgeable, the way he described the food made us so intrigued and after tasting one dish and one drink..we just knew. We had to try more! There was no where else that was going to compare and we couldn't bring ourselves to leave. We stayed and enjoyed dinner here instead and it was divine. Below I will show you everything we ordered and I will do my best to tell you the details about each dish! Here we go!
House Pulque Sourdough Bread
House Pulque Sourdough Bread from the Wood Fire Oven, Local Amish Butter, Mayan Salt from Celestun
This bread was delicious. It was baked to perfection and their house made butter melted in your mouth. You can rest assured that this butter is high quality because my boyfriend hates butter, and he left none of this butter behind! We cleaned house! This was the perfect start to our meal.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Octopus Al Pastor
Octopus Al Pastor, Guajillo Adobo, Lentil Puree, Lentil Granola, Pickled Radishes, Xcatic Salsa, Epazote
I am a huge octopus lover! I try to order it everywhere I go, and I can honestly say this is some of the best octopus I have ever had in my life! This was one of my favorite dishes we had this evening. Bursting with unique flavors.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Roasted Local Squash
Roasted Local Squash, Sauteed Squash Greens, Squash Flowers, Toasted Squash Seeds, Squash Seed Sauce
This dish really surprised me. When I saw how much squash was listed I thought to myself, wow how interesting can squash be? But let me tell you, everything had a different flavor and texture and I was truly amazed at how they successfully utilized every part of this plant. They took one ingredient and created five different interpretations, all of which were amazingly tasty. It was as if they were trying to show how much they could do with one ingredient, and the result was just spectacular.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Sea Bass
I no longer saw this on the menu, and unfortunately I do not recall all of the details of the dish, which is a shame because this was my favorite! I know it was sea bass and I believe the sauce had tomatillos in it and it was HEAVENLY!
This dish was astounding! This was my favorite dish of the night and I am so sad I can't recall all of the details for you! I have never tasted such a perfect balance of flavors and that sauce was so amazing I had no shame in literally licking it off of the plate.
Rating: 15/5 stars
Roasted Bone Marrow
Roasted Bone Marrow, Tamarind and Pasilla Glace, Charred Scallion Salsa, Pickled Onion Flowers, House Grilled Bread
I was apprehensive to try this meal at first. I have never had bone marrow before, and I am a huge texture person when I eat. However I have to say the flavor was pleasant and the use of the house bread helped with the texture a lot! I definitely recommend.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Avocado Ice Cream
Because the restaurant changes their menu with the season, I no longer saw this on the menu when I looked but be sure to ask for it! This was their avocado ice cream, I believe it came with cucumber flowers as well. It was one of the most interesting things I have ever eaten and I would highly recommend experiencing it!
This was the most interesting combination of flavors I have ever experienced. Definitely not your traditional ice cream flavors but so fresh and so unique I highly recommend letting your palate try this out for size.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Now let's get into the cocktails!
HAR MAR SUPERSTAR
Mezcal, Ginger, Honey, Lemon, Thyme
The drink in the front of this image is the HAR MAR SUPERSTAR. Sweet, delicious, and bursting with flavor I was happy I ordered it.
Rating: 5/5 stars
EL SOLAR Mezcal, Jamaica, Jarabe De Piloncillo Y Chipotle, Limón, Escarcha De Sal De Chapulín
The drink in the back of the image is the EL SOLAR. My boyfriend seemed to thoroughly enjoy this cocktail and had no complaints. He ordered this drink just because it came with a cricket on top. Chapulin means cricket, and in Mexico it is considered a delicacy. He ordered it to try it and was pleasantly surprised at how well it lends itself to the cocktail.
Rating: 5/5 stars
CHECHÉN
Tequila Blanco, Jarabe De Piña Rostizada, Limón, Angostura Bitters
This is where our server came in handy. My boyfriend asked for his opinion because he couldn't make up his mind on what to order. He told us to order this drink because if you order this you get two drinks in one...and he was not lying. If you drank it alone it was fabulous, but if you drank it then took a little nibble of that plant inside of it it exploded with brand new flavors and was an entirely different drink! I will leave the flavors a mystery to hopefully entice you to order it for yourself.
Rating: 5/5 stars
MAYAMI NICE Aconte 7, Xtabentun, Passion Fruit, Almond Orgeat, Lemon
The drink in the front of this image is the one that I believe is the MAYAMI NICE, sorry after a couple cocktails I can't be 100 percent sure! Sweet and refreshing I highly recommend this one as well.
Rating: 5/5 stars
All in all this restaurant is truly one of the best places we have ever had the pleasure of visiting. If you are ever in Tulum this should be a MUST STOP place for you. I cannot recommend it enough and we will be returning to Tulum , if for nothing else, to eat here again.
I will link their wesbite and Instagram down below so that you can check them out !
Happy Enjoying!
Until next time,
Steph
INSTAGRAM: @arcatulum
WEBSITE: https://arcatulum.com
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