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.

Photos by Anel Dzafic.