GITANO TULUM

"Gitano has two locations in Tulum, one in NYC, and another in Dubai—a fact you’ll probably hear at least once from the table next to you. If you’re looking for a sceney dinner in the jungle, this is it: there are disco balls, a live DJ, and plenty of groups working hard to keep the party going from Gitano’s beach club across the street. Sit down, order a mezcal cocktail and a bunch of the small plates, and get a little weird with them." - barbara gutierrez, rianne shlebak

"The vibe is the allure at this swank jungle getaway with an old-world feel that merges 17th century Mexican architecture, candlelit dinners, and overgrown palm trees and vines. The food is a blend of Mediterranean mezze, Mexican American tacos, and appetizers like quesadillas cut into acute triangles like the ones at American chain restaurants. Order a smoky, citrusy Gitano Swizzle or any of the delicious tropical mezcal cocktails, and snack away in this irresistibly hip setting." - Bill Esparza

"This restaurant inside Mid-Beach’s Casa Faena is originally from Tulum - and it feels like the kind of place your least favorite friend would end up on vacation. Vague tropical house music plays just a little too loud over the speakers and your server might ask if you’ve had time to “discover” the menu yet. The food is luckily more tolerable than the atmosphere. The green tomatillo bowl with kale and kiwi is refreshing, the truffle tlayuda is basically just a cheesy tortilla pizza (which isn’t a bad thing), and the smoked shrimp tacos definitely aren’t worth $26, but they get the job done." - Ryan Pfeffer

"This is the second Tulum restaurant to come to NYC this year, following sceney but troubled hot spot Gitano." - Stefanie Tuder