BAL NAK' — Restaurant in Tulum

We ordered the beet salad, the pork belly confit, the octopus, and the cerdo perdón.

The pork belly was cooked well and the pickled onion cut through the fat of the dish decently, but the rest of the ingredients added nothing to the overall dish.

The cerdo perdón was cooked extremely well, but the garnish and other ingredients felt almost pointless. No additional aciditity was added to cut the fat of the pork and the mole had little complexity. It added little more than a singular bitter note. The vegetables were entirely pointless. Overall the dish had almost no evolution.

The beet salad left a lot to be desired. It was raw beets arranged on a platter with piled lettuce on the side. Little creativity or complexity was applied to any of the ingredients resulting in a disjointed mess of a dish that was entirely unmemorable. This could only be generously described as an afterthought on the menu.

The octopus was by far and away the highlight of the night. The dish was the only thing I ate the whole evening that was complete. It was beautifully plated and the dish as a whole provided very interesting variations in texture. The dish had a wonderful evolution of flavor with the upfront notes of aromatics from the marinade transitioning into notes from the pepper emulations and finishing with the flavor of the octopus itself. The protein was cooked absolutely wonderfully.

Based on the other reviews, the menu, and the photos I had seen, I was anticipating a wonderful meal. I definitely didn't get that. The restaurant, as a whole, felt like a perfect reflection of the hotel zone. All appearance for the hordes of influencers looking to get a shot of a beautifully plated dish for Instagram. I doubt most really even care if the food actually...

I don’t give reviews but felt compelled to write one after my visit to Bal Nak.

Booked in advance as a gift to my girlfriend to eat at Bal Nak after seeing the great reviews and photos online. Arrived after an expensive taxi ride from Tulum Pueblo ($40…) and found the place basically empty - the nice seating area they have behind was closed and we were only offered to sit at the front area where there is some car noise.

The food: we had the Chocolata clams as the starter, steak and the octopus as the main. The clams were okay but were chopped and mixed in with other ingredients, so you didn’t get the full seafood taste. The steak was tasty, had nice garnish, but a little dry. The grilled octopus is one of their signature dishes - $25 a plate - what a disappointment in my opinion. The plate came out with (what looked like) the scraps they had leftover as there was only 5 tiny tentacles, none connected and no larger pieces at all. Three bites and the plate could be finished.

Pros: drinks were tasty, but pricey ($15), dish presentation was pretty, super service and nice staff.

My recommendation: skip the high price, long journey, and small portions for something more fun, full,...

After having read the reviews, we decided to go to Bal Nak. At first glance, the decor is nice but not as extravagant as some of the other restaurants (it is not a club, it is a restaurant!). However, once you set foot in the place, the atmosphere changes dramatically. When it comes to food, these guys mean business. Make sure you dine in the garden, which is an experience in itself. Waiters are very passionate and proud to present you the menu, which is based on local ingredients. I must say that it is very impressive, you will not be disappointed. Flavours that I had never tasted before. Yucatan-Mexican fusion would probably be the appropriate designation. Rest assured this is not the typical semi-Mexican international menu that other places offer. We had the chocolate clams, red snapper, salt shrimps, and the coconut dish for dessert. All very delicious. I was very happy we went there. We still have 2 more nights and I am sure we will go back. Try it, you will not be...