Hartwood

By the pool

As promised, I am giving you a full on review of Hartwood Restaurant, the best, most blogged about restaurant in Tulum. We took these photos before dinner last Friday and I wore this outfit to the restaurant. I was by far the most over-dressed person there. Oops! But at least I got a chance to wear these fabulous turquoise tassel earrings and the chicest maxi dress.

To get a “reservation” at Hartwood, you have to show up at 4pm and give a woman your name. . . which she doesn’t write down, natch. The lady in front of me in line was wearing a bikini with no shoes and the guy behind me had the longest dreads I’ve ever seen. So hip. I fit right in. There are two sittings at 6 and 8pm so if you want to eat at 7, no bueno. I went at 4pm and then spent a few hours at a nearby spa until the first sitting at 6pm. Talk about best night of the trip!

At 6, we were ushered right in when I mentioned my name (is this magic?) to a table that we shared with another couple. The menu is written on a chalkboard and consists of 6 apps, 6 mains, and 3 sides. The waiter came and sat at our table to translate it into English and tell us his favorite dishes. We started with a grapefruit mint mojito and a cucumber basil gimlet type of drink with Mezcal (pictured below).

For apps, we ordered the freshest ceviche that was garnished with stunning edible flowers and a tomato salad that would be hard to beat. We got two different kinds of fish for our main course (no idea what they were) that were so incredibly fresh and perfectly seasoned that our jaws dropped. Seriously some of the best fish I’ve ever eaten which is saying a lot. By the time our food came, Anel was over taking photos (understandably) so I only caught our cocktails but just trust me that every dish was styled to perfection. It was like Pinterest on a plate.

For dessert, Anel had a scoop each of white cheese and sweet corn ice cream. They sound gross but were so incredibly delicious, I can’t even explain it. I had another cocktail obviously. This time it was bourbon with fresh ginger, club soda, and lemon. Like a jack and ginger but fresher and better.

Overall I give Hartwood an A+. The atmosphere was super cool and relaxed and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Some things to note:
– You have to pay in cash so bring a lot. The place ain’t cheap.
– There are a lot of mosquitos and they burn some herb that is super smokey to help the situation. You can see it in some of the pictures below.

Have you been to Hartwood? I’d love to hear about your experience! Enjoy the photos below of the restaurant and my look for the evening.

Hartwood

Pool Side

Fresh Cocktails

Resort Chic

Hartwood 4

Jack Rogers Lauren sandals

Hartwood 2

Sail to Sable maxi dress

Hartwood Menu

Vineyard Vines beach bag

Photos by Anel Dzafic.

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Comments

  1. Paola Blanc said:

    Nice bag and great dress!
    Paola
    http://www.lechicchedipaola.it/

    3.11.15 · Reply
  2. Shira said:

    Ah I’ve been loving your vacation looks! This just screams happiness ๐Ÿ™‚

    http://asequinloveaffair.com

    3.11.15 · Reply
  3. Kelly in the City said:

    So beautiful, Julia! I love everything about this post. (So funny about all the smoke!) Hope you had an amazing time. ๐Ÿ™‚

    3.11.15 · Reply
  4. Aimee said:

    I’ve never been to Tulum but love Playa del Carmen, I can only imagine how fantastic this was!

    3.11.15 · Reply
  5. Elana said:

    I love your outfit, Julia! The photos Anal took are gorgeous! Congratulations on the Town & Country feature P.S.!

    http://www.elanalyn.com

    3.11.15 · Reply
  6. Kelly said:

    I love the Jack Rogers “Lauren” sandals + you look so cute. Who cares that you were overdressed when you look that fabulous, right?!

    Kelly
    Ohio Stripes

    3.12.15 · Reply
  7. Kara @ The Bostonista said:

    omg you look so adorable! Where is this place??? It seems so glamorous and fun!

    xo
    Kara
    http://www.thebostonista.com

    3.12.15 · Reply
  8. Caitlin said:

    I love this look so much! That bag is to die for.

    xx

    Caitlin | Your Typical Prep

    3.12.15 · Reply
  9. Laura (bright and beautiful) said:

    This looks incredible! Love the dress and all the vibrant colors!

    xo, Laura
    http://www.brightandbeautifulblog.com/

    3.13.15 · Reply
  10. Lauren Anne said:

    Made the rookie mistake of reading this post before lunch, everything sounds so delicious!!!

    Lauren
    dcgirlinpearls.com

    3.13.15 · Reply
  11. Julia Mazzucato said:

    Absolutely stunning photos. You look gorgeous in this dress!
    xx Julia
    littlemisshautecouture.blogspot.com

    3.15.15 · Reply
  12. Laura said:

    Hi there – I plan on going to Hartwood during my Tulum trip in May. You mention it being $$ and cash only – do you think $300 would cover a dinner for two (normal amount of food and a few cocktails)? Do you remember if they took American dollars or pesos only? Thanks in advance!

    3.18.15 · Reply
    • Julia Dzafic said:

      Yes that should be more than enough! They take pesos or dollars but I suggest using Pesos ๐Ÿ™‚

      3.18.15 · Reply
  13. Leslie said:

    What was the nearby spa that you went to? Going to tulum i two weeks and would love to go to a spa while waiting to eat at Hartwood!

    4.1.15 · Reply
  14. Daisy said:

    i love your dress! I am surprised you were overdressed though because i remember peeps getting all nice for dinner. maybe it was just the crowd on that night. ๐Ÿ™‚

    my post
    http://indulgeinspireimbibe.blogspot.com/2014/11/hartwood-tulum.html
    and more restaurants:
    http://indulgeinspireimbibe.blogspot.com/2014/12/dining-out-in-tulum.html

    2.8.16 · Reply