Mexico — Healthy Recipe Ideas & Nutrition Blog

Mexico Part 2: Tulum! Coastal cliffs, centuries-old ruins, and octopus, oh my!

Octopus at Encanto Cantina in Tulum, Yucatan, Mexico.

Tulum is one of those locales that you know is a special place once you step foot on its soil. While we didn’t have much time in town, Adrian and I were swept away.

Not literally off the cliffs with breathtaking views of the Caribbean sea or anything.

Tulum ruins view from the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean ocean

But figuratively? We were enthralled with its natural beauty, itss rich history [the ruins are a must-see]….

…. and you guessed it, the FOOD!

Octopus tacos at encanto cantina in tulum mexico

Yep, Tulum offers coastal cuisine at its finest - like the octopus from Encanto Cantina? Oh so YUM! Or maybe you want a little turf with your 🐙? No problem. Steak gorditas have got you covered.

Steak gordita at encanto cantina in tulum mexico

We’re looking forward to spending more time in Tulum on our next visit to the Yucatan. Until then, we’ll be dreaming of its warm breezes and fresh seafood!

Adrian and I went to Playa del Carmen for Christmas, so I figured it's about time to share the pictures from our trip. Here's part 1 of 3: Tacos, huaraches, and posole, oh my!

In Playa, we feasted on al pastor tacos at El Fogon. The style is so different from what I've eaten in the US. The marinated meat is literally cut off of a vertical spit like gyros in Greece and served simply over a tortilla with melted cheese, yum!

These al pastor tacos were a super delicious meal at a restaurant in the Yucatan (Playa Del Carmen). The tacos have marinated pork and cilantro and onions.

One of the cooks at El Fogon added to the taco excitement by doing a little dance after he sliced off a piece of meat and catching it mid-air. What a pro.

We also tried the chorizo tacos, which were equally simple, and again, very different from the Mexican food I’m used to in California.

These chorizo tacos were at a tourist restaurant called el fogon in playa del carmen. They were really delicious and served with cheese, also radishes and lime on the side.

Between swimming at the beach and lounging at our pool at HM Playa del Carmen….

This is an image of our hotel pool at HM Playa Del Carmen in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The pool is a great place to grab a beer, relax, and have nice conversations with staff.

We managed to save room in our bellies for huaraches and posole at El Jurado!

Here is posole soup from el Jurado restaurant in Playa del Carmen. The posole was traditional and delicious!

I've only ever tried huaraches once and I knew that if the Yucatan'a tacos were so different from San Francisco's, the huaraches would be too. In case you don't know, "huarache" means sandal in a two Mayan languages (Purépecha and Nahuatl) because the dish is shaped like a shoe.

But that's where the similarities end, because these huaraches' ingredients were served on heavenly pillows of masa with refried beans. So incredible.

These huaraches at El Jurado restaurant in playa del carmen were great. They taste bit like sopes but are longer!

Last but not least, Adrian and I made friends with a lot of iguanas. This guy, I'll call him Fred, lives outside the parking lot at HM Playa del Carmen and is fed daily by staff. What a lucky guy!