El Cerdo Pelón — Restaurant in Quintana Roo

I’ll start this review by saying I regrettably don’t have any photos of the food. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ve been here in Tulum for 4 days for work and 2 of those days I’ve eaten here. Between myself and my coworkers, we’ve tried much of the menu in the 2 times we’ve gone.

The meats:

The brisket! The brisket is incredible. It’s moist and tender, and has a great bark formed on it. The bbq sauce is tangy and pairs well with the smokey, meaty flavor from the meat. It is consistently fall-apart tender and certainly not disappointed.

The pulled pork! The pulled pork is juicy, but not dripping wet, it’s cooked and more importantly, seasoned to perfection (along with everything else) and it is also paired with the tangy bbq sauce which I have to assume is a homemade recipe after talking with the owner, I will ask and verify that.

The wings! The smoked wings we have tried in BBQ, Parmesan, and Mango Habanero flavors. The bbq are the perfect, classic wing. Good Smokey flavor, cooked perfectly and are fall off the bone. No struggling getting meat off of flats or cleaning up drums, it all comes off with ease. The Parmesan are cheesy and explode with flavor. I was taken by surprise at the flavor profile from that flavor, it is seasoned very intelligently. The Mango Habanero flavor had a sweet mango flavor, paired with a smokey caramelization from the cooking process. That sauce had a very subtle habanero aftertaste that was not really hot at all, but still had much flavor.

The ribs! The ribs, the ribs, the ribs… The ribs are perfect. They have similar smoked properties of the brisket, there’s the most incredible bark, fall off the bone, seasoned perfectly and the sticky bbq sauce pairs exquisitely with the flavor of the meat. They’re the perfect ribs, that’s all that needs to be said.

The chicken tacos! The chicken tacos were started with a base of fresh tortilla, then stacked with juicy breaded chicken. They were then topped with fresh white onion, thinly sliced red cabbage and cilantro leaves, and finally drizzled with the tangy bbq sauce. They were cooked well and a good size portion for one person.

Each meat dish comes with a serving of chips, pickles and Cole slaw. The pickles are so fresh and add the right amount of sweet, tangy and sour to the meats. The slaw is fresh and crisp, with the flavor of the sauce not being offensive or overpowering. The flavors all mingle very nicely together

The sides:

The corn! The corn was a very handy, self-contained order of Elote like from a street food cart. The presentation consisted of 2 portions of corn on the cob, roasted and seasoned to perfection, with the right amount of butter, and the rolled in cheese. Also an ideal dish to share with another person, as one cob is a good sized portion.

The Mac! The mac and cheese was delicious, and rivals my family recipe that’s been worked on for 6 generations. This Mac and cheese has been made with gastronomy in mind. The type of noodle is good at holding the silky, but still thick and cheesy sauce, and is also a good noodle for eating. It’s easy to handle and there’s no fuss trying to wrangle noodles onto your utensils.

The smoked vegetables! Now, I have not yet had the smoked vegetables. However with that said, the owner explained to us that right now is not a very busy season, so he will not frequently order the fresh vegetables. In the next breath though, advised me to ask him a day in advance if he could order the vegetables and that he would put an order in to get them. That was very impressive to me, and I am very excited to figure out my work schedule and let them know when I can get the vegetables, I will update my review to reflect that.

My (semi)final conclusion is this: This restaurant was born out of a love for good food that makes sense and is made well. For a love of flavors and fresh, local ingredients, and the art of smoked foods. This has been my favorite of all the restaurants I’ve been to in the 5 weeks I’ve been in Mexico, and I cannot wait to add more sides to...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this barbecue restaurant in Tulum, Mexico and I must say, the food was nothing short of amazing. The ribs were cooked to perfection - the meat practically fell right off the bone. And the Coca-Cola cans they offered were a very satisfying addition to the meal.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was also top-notch. The outdoor seating allowed for a great view of the surrounding area and the staff were all very friendly and attentive.

Overall, I highly recommend this barbecue restaurant. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is perfect for a casual dining experience. I will definitely be returning for more of those...

Food is tasteless, price is high and service is aweful, we came in a group of 9 ordered, at 5. All ordered tacos, we got half the orders by 530, we asked for salsa but after the orders come we didn't get salsa and he was like oh we don't have salsa here eventhough he said he did and then turnsaround and says You can buy it elsewhere. By 615 we still didn't get the rest of the tacos and they are preparing skip orders. In the end we had to cancel the orders but they still charged us for them. We left the place by 630 and the rest of the food was...