Holy cow. I dream of this dinner. I made a reservation a month out, but started to panic the morning of since they didn't have parking. We quickly learned parking was really tricky on that street. We even swung by that afternoon to ask, and were basically told too bad. That night I dropped off my friend to ask again. Down the road about a block there is a lot where you can park for 100 pesos. We nabbed a spot there, walked and were immediately seated though we were 15 min early. BOOK A RESERVATION! We saw people waiting for a seat that had been there before us and were still waiting when we left. We never felt rushed, though we wanted to be considerate. The food was incredible. The drinks strong and delicious. The staff delightful. We fell in love with Hartwood. We made sure to spray on bug spray before going in, which was smart. No bites. We were able to enjoy everything about Hartwood. I suggest everyone go. It was also fun to have somewhere to dress up just a bit. Not fancy at all, but don't go in wearing your swim cover up. Have pesos ready. For 2 of us, drinks, and 2 starters with our meal, it came to about $55 each read more

Cash Only. Do not forget to come to this restaurant with a substantial amount of cash in the form of pesos. They use a wood fired oven here so everything generally is cooked really, really well. We opened the meal with the halibut ceviche, which was a small portion, but very good. We then had the vegetalas asado appetizer, which came with two tasty roasted vegetable sides, and a creamy smoked marlin dip. The accompanying flat breads were more like tortillas and weren't particularly special. We each had a different fish filet served over either fresh or cooked greens. The cooked greens were a bit heavy, and came with some kind of roasted fruit in them, which I couldn't identify as the restaurant is not well lit. We had the plantain side dish, which was cooked in its skin directly in the fire, then slit open and drizzled with honey and spices. The plantain was not very good and a bit dry, though the presentation was cool. We finished off the meal with "cheese ice cream" which was made from cojita cheese and surprisingly tasty. Overall the atmosphere of the restaurant fits the Tulum coastal location, though the smell of the bug-limiting incense smoke made it a bit hard to taste the food and wine properly. Probably better than being eaten while you're eating, however. Service-wise, we were seated within 25 minutes of our reservation and the food came quickly though we had to wait a while to order and a very long time to get our check. The check included a 15% service charge. Hartwood was pretty accommodating with us when we realized we could not use our credit card on our $150+ tab for two people. They asked that I come by the next day at opening and leave my ID and credit card behind as collateral. I was able to pay up and get my cards back easily the next day. Parking is very limited. read more

For the 2nd year in a row our reservation was "changed" by the restaurant. Not trying this restaurant anymore. Ate next door at Muir Muir, which was incredible. read more

In any other place, the quality of the food and service would merit this place one less star. But in Tulum, with a rocky floor beneath and a star-dotted sky overhead, one feels compelled to give it a full five. The food was excellent. The octopus I had was fresh, perfectly portioned--which was much appreciated as the plate sizes in Tulum tend to skew larger by NYC standards--and perfectly but simply prepared. The cocktails were flavorful as well, providing olfactory and gustatory balance to the intoxicatingly primal smell of the grill in the open air kitchen. My one complaint was that the waitstaff was utilized as more of a blunt instrument than an experience multiplier. Get em in, get em out. This mode of operation is probably to be expected from a place that tops the list of most of the Tulum travel blogs and is accustomed to having to fend off throngs of put-out tourists vying for scant walk-in spots, using tricks and threats normally reserved for the world's hottest nightclubs to talk their way in. This place needs a bouncer. Pro tip: make reservations. It's okay if you missed the Noma pop-up--there's Hartwood. read more

To heck with those reviewers here who gave this place just one star because of the reservation system. Yes, it sucks that they might not be able to accommodate you and 14 friends (no, wait! now Chloe and Dana want to join us too, can we squeeze in a few more?!). As long as you're not a d-bag then you've got 2 ways in that we saw: either line up before 3pm when the hostess starts to take down names (coming with a bottle of beer at 2:30 would be smart) or drop by around 5pm and ask if you can squeeze in for the first seating. We did that. She told us to come back at 5:45, which we did and when they opened the doors a few mins later we waltzed right in to get a sweet table for 2 right next to the kitchen. The staff was kind of you were kind to them (Uncle Valentine!). We got served right away. Order the papaya empanadas. They will change your life. Both my fiancé and I agreed that it's been years since food excited is so much. The flavors aren't anything that could be recreated outside the region, thanks to the farm-to-table relationship this team has with local farmers. The fiancé had the octopus which is baked and then finished on the grill. I had the ribs which lived up to the hype but the portion is crazy big (split it if you can with someone else). The beet side dish was interesting but also really big so I'd split it between 4+ people if we were doing it again. Aside from the empanadas, my favorite dish was the ice cream: corn in one scoop and cheese for the other one. Oddly delicious! A couple of downsides to the evening: the flies were really swarming. They try to keep someone walking around with a bucket of smoking wood ash to deter them but it only worked for a few mins at a time. The bit we'd wish they would work towards improving is the cocktail list. The ginger/lime cocktail was nearly without flavor and the super nova was more like pure alcohol, not subtle and definitely not a great pairing with the food. We did like the spicy margarita and the grapefruit mojito however, but with such an exquisite food menu, why not pull in a more serious bar program too? All in all, the meal was one that we will remember and hope to have again, if not soon, then at least as soon as we can get back! read more

We really enjoyed our meal: Gambas Mayas for starters, Boquniete en mariposa for me and costillas al agave for my husband; our sides were betabel and comote. Good food, great service by our waiter, Arsen, despite the heavy downpour that ensued shortly after we arrived. I suppose it added to the authenticity of eating in the "jungle." The worst part of the experience for me came at the end. The meal was expensive--we expected that and we'll absolutely pay for good food, but I felt robbed! We opted to pay in USD and their exchange rate was $16MX:1USD. GIVEN THAT THE RATE IS ~17 and as much as 17.80 at other places around the time of our stay, this seems grossly ridiculous and should be advertised to patrons. I was most shocked by the matter of fact way in which the exchange rate was shared with us, "I believe its 16:1" no explanation as to how they could possible arrive at that number, just stated as fact. For that reason, solely, I will not return to HARTWOOD, nor will I recommend it. We are a couple who operate on principle, and if that isn't ring practiced or honored, we'd prefer not to patronize the establishment. read more

Where do I start? Went there last night with the intention of having dinner ( party of two ). Arrived at 8:30pm on a Sunday evening. I was told that they were fully booked, but after looking around and seeing how many tables were about to finish eating we chose to grab a drink at the bar and see how things played out. ( I had read multiple reviews that said this was the typical response when arriving so was fairly confident on getting a table ). After waiting around 40mins the staff started picking up tables and member of staff came over to inform us that ' we have don't have enough time to serve you ' the time was only 915pm and a couple who I presume had a reservation had been seated only minutes before we were given the news. My reason for 1 star is based on my experience. I wanted to try their food, I feel I arrived at around a reasonable time, I saw multiple tables empty or about to finish, but despite hanging around for a drink, was told I would not be seated. ( not that it matters but we were hardly posed as people on a budget, and given this is low season I'm shocked that we weren't seated even after offering to split a table 'another couple had just left that split table situation ') Had it not been for the fact that ACRA had an issue last night, I would never have revisited this place, and after their reminder of service I never will again. ( I hope the owner reads this and is not aware if how a guest is being treated! If they already know, then I have no problem. We all have a choice as to the way we do business, some times the styles don't mesh. In this case I would never go back (based on my last 3 and attempted 4th visit). Sorry for the bad review, but I hope your not aware of how the front end if your business is being run. Please fix it!!!!!! read more

Great food and great atmosphere. Nothing more really needs to be said. The lobster salad and the ceviche were to die for.

amazing. food was fresh, i liked that their menu changed often based on what was available & fresh that day. cocktails were incredible and the entire place was simple and clean. this may have been our favorite restaurant in tulum and we dined at every restaurant while we were there. i would highly recommend coming right when they open reservations for that night so you are able to come back for dinner. and order as much food as possible so you can try everything. read more

Great decor, vibe, music and staff. The food was amazing and melted in your mouth. Was a bit pricey compared to other options, but given the quality of the food, we had no issue with it. The issue we did have, was having to wait an hour, despite having a reservation. There were about 6 other couples in the same boat. Really defeats the purpose of making a reservation and lousy to start off on the wrong foot like that. read more

Average. Stand in line for an hour in the middle of the day when you could be at the beach or anything else for that matter because you want to eat at an over hyped place that is not even rated in the top 50 on TA? No thank you. I've been there before it's.......average. Why not an average star rating? Minus 1 star for the absurd reservation system. Get over yourselves! read more

If you are vacationing in Tulum and are trying to get a coveted reservation at this place.. NOT WORTH IT! The food was fine, nothing to write home about. The single most reason I would deter anyone from visiting this place is the service! I'm no stranger to customer service outside of the US, I realize it differs from country to country, however the hostess who was working on the night of Nov. 18 was beyond rude. First off, our waiter was nowhere to be found after our initial order. We were never offered more drinks or refills on our water. After finding some items that were double charged on my bill, I was waiting for the correct bill. My partner ran across the street to get more pesos from the ATM and I was very rudely told to leave the table and wait for my fiancé at the door to pay the bill! This is a table I had made a reservation for 1 month in advance!!! Our dinner was less than an hour so it's not as if we were hogging someone else's table. When I was ready to pay my bill, 3 minutes later, the hostess would not give me the time of day to pay up. I honestly had to interrupt her phone conversation and put the money in her hand!!! Please take this from someone who was super looking forward to dining here, you're much better off going to Kitchen Table, food and service are ten times better. read more

Terrible, we went to wait in line at 2:30 we were there as well as about ten other people. We were told we could get a reservation by showing up to get our name on the list. After waiting 1 hour someone came up and told us they no longer do it that way. Keep in mind it's an open reasturant, they watched us stand and wait for an hour before telling us! Awful read more

Excellent cocktails. Parking was a bit of an annoyance and cash-only. Great customer service and mostly excellent, delicious food.

Watch out for overcharges! They may try to rip you off. We had a birthday dinner here on a Thursday night. Five of us showed at 9pm on time for our reservation. However, we still had to wait 35 minuted for a table. No biggie, the place was relatively small and pretty busy. Our female server was very knowledgeable and did a great job explaining the menu in English. She was also quite attentive and checked on us multiple times throughout the dinner. The food was decent. We liked most of the dishes although there were a bit too salty and spicy for our taste. We were having a good time until our bill came. It had 3-4 items which we didn't order totaling $50. We kindly asked to remove those items from our bill. The server took the bill without being apologetic at all. She brought us a new bill however the total barely changed. We checked the bill again. They took off others we pointed out earlier but added 2 more deserts and two other drinks!!! Like WTF! I could maybe believe that the first time was a mistake but adding more item later definitely was on purpose in an attempt to overcharge us. They also suggest that add 15-20% tip. This completely ruined our experience at the restaurant and our birthday celebration mood, hence, I give the place one star. read more

My wife and I ate here recently on 7-9-17 while on vacation in Tulum. What a wonderful experience. The beautiful jungle setting, great food/wine/service, only added to the evening. It was a full house on a Saturday night with lots of beautiful people. Hartwood is a must on any "foodies" list while in Tulum. read more

Let me start by saying the food was AMAZING and worth the other annoying things you will experience trying to eat here. Apparently they have a mosquito problem. I didn't know that from the mosquitos bothering me. I knew it because of the guy walking around with the mosquito gasser. What was that thing? He walks around with it right by the table, while I was trying to eat my awesome food. It was absurd. Next I have no clue how you get a reservation here. I read. I tried. I failed. The hostess is not the sweetest person on earth. We (my husband and I) showed up as they were just opening. She let us sit but let us know we could not stay long and have extra drinks and chat because of upcoming reservations. I let her know that I tried emailing (which is what their website says to do) to get a reservation and no one got back to me. She didn't seem to care about that. Also the dress code is elegant casual, but no one seemed to care about that. People rolled up in there straight from the pool. In the end, great food. Our waiter was awesome too. Everything else was just okay. read more

We had a reservation made weeks in advance for a 9pm seating and didn't sit down until 10:30. I get the restaurant is busy but that made the beginning of the experience incredibly underwhelming. It has a beautifully curated atmosphere but nothing too far out from the rest of tulum: white string lights, candles, wooden furniture etc etc. I will say the dinner was delicious and more innovative than anything else I ate on my trip there. We ate Ceviche (which was made more like sashimi), the roasted beet salad (really yummy), and I personally had the Robalo entree. It was one of the best fish dishes I ever had. read more

I was trying to avoid this place because of the hype and the scene surrounding it, but eventually succumbed. The hype is deserved.

I recently attended a wedding reception at Hartwood and I was so amazed! The service was amazing!!!When I say amazing I mean stupendous!!! The staff was so helpful and they all had smiles on their faces the whole night. You could tell serving us wasn't something they had to do but something they enjoyed doing. The reception had 60 total guests and I did not hear 1 person complain the entire 5 hours. The staff brought drinks within minutes of ordering them. The drinks were delicious and never watered down. The food was delicious!! We were served 8 different courses and each plate was better than the one before. The food was original and so many flavors in each dish. I was skeptical about attending an outside event in September but the staff made it so comfortable. It was so hot but the waiters went around giving water to everyone so we could stay hydrated and continue dancing. I would definitely recommend Hartwood to everyone. Thank you so much for an amazing experience! read more

Is it smug? Yes. Will they turn everyone away that doesn't have a reservation? Yes. Is it the best food & atmosphere in Tulum- also yes. Everything is excellent. Just email them and they will get you in. read more

Spending a few days in tulum, we had heard about the hype surrounding hartwood and thought we should check it out. We arrived around 5:15 pm to put our names down for a 7:30 reservation. We then went back to our hotel to relax. It later started raining which became a concern for the restaurant. Many people ahead of us could not be seated yet because of the rain. The maîtred initially suggested we just cancel our reservation but we said no way, we would wait and see what happened. As soon as we went to the bar, a couple of wait staff approached us and were very attentive. They quickly reopened the remaining tables when the rain appeared to have stopped and we were seated, then within moments the same maîtred moved us to a covered table. That was nice of them. I found the waitstaff to be attentive. Perhaps they've responded to the reviews, there were no "slackers in tshirts", but rather uniformed staff. One simply sat at our table to see how we were doing. Our main waiter brought the chalkboard menu over to us, put a light beneath, and asked to sit beside us while he went over the menu item by item. Drinks arrived quickly, with the use of various staff, and at times even the sous chef came by to provide items for us. I don't know how it's been in the past, but this was well executed. The food was great. I've had a lot of good meals in tulum, I have or will review them separately. But this was hands down the best meal I've had in tulum. Extremely well prepared local ingredients. We started with a spicy calabasa salad - a kind of squash in a dark sauce, with some greens. It's a dish that got better with every bite, especially as the spice was kicking in. There were scattered sweet nuts to offset it. For entrees we shared the porks ribs and the grouper. The former fell off the bone, was deliciously succulent and placed above a bed of slaw and a side of pickled jalapeños. The latter was moist, tender and served with white beans. It was smooth as butter without any overtly fishy taste. Fantastic. The drinks were solid. We were too full for dessert. If there's one place you must dine at in tulum, it's hartwood. Coming from nyc, it meets my somewhat high standards for great cuisine. read more

One word Awesome! This place is a little out of the way but is really worth it. Everything we had was great. The best was the Octopus and the short ribs. read more

A group of 8 of us had dinner here and did everything family style which was really great because we were able to taste everything. I highly recommend the jicama salad, the whole fish, and the lobster salad in particular. Great fresh ingredients, inventive cuisine but not overly fussy. A great place. read more

Made a reservation a week prior to coming, and we were seated immediately. Had the grouper, ribs, lobster salad, side plantain, and ceviche. Everything was delicious and tasted very fresh. Drinks were great as well (had the Hartwood). Probably won't be able to go back during our stay, but it's a cool atmosphere with very friendly knowledgeable staff and great food! Gets buggy, FYI. There was a line almost as soon as we were seated (6pm) for our reservation. read more

When you go to Tulum you don't really think of haut cuisine or refined service. In the case of Hartwood you don't really get either....but you get an experience committed to delivering wonderful combinations of flavors, invention, using the freshest ingredients possible in a setting perfectly befitting the environment. Our meal there was fantastic. A couple of things to know. The service is a bit sporadic but they make up for it in enthusiasm. If you want to go you need to be prepared to sacrifice the middle of the day. We waited 90 minutes to secure our reservation. It was worth it but only because we had plenty of other days to do as we pleased. If you are in Tulum for a few days only maybe visit one of the other excellent options: Posada Marguerita, Hechizo, Casa Banana, Zamas, Encatada.....many many options! This area has no shortage of great food! read more

We had a party if 5, so my friends waited in line for 2.5 hours to get on the reservation list, 7 pm or 5:30 were the only slots left unfortunately. We took the 7 pm reservation. We arrived a little before 7 because they will give your reservation away if you are not there at your reservation time. While we waited for about 10 minutes, someone promptly came over and took our drinks orders, the staff was very friendly. One server named Valentine was especially friendly and made our wait time quick with rich and interesting conversation. Finally our table was ready and our drinks came immediate (bc we had ordered them while waiting). Our server came and read the menu to us perfectly, explaining in much detail what was offered and I must admit, I was super impressed with his knowledge. Heirloom Tomato salad was my appetizer - amazing! Feta and basil and an amazing light vinaigrette dressing. I ordered a white fish something rather for dinner that was good too - not amazingly breathtaking - but it was good. Drinks were pretty as well and delicious, try Mezcal! All in all I rate this place a 4, the hype is a little over the top for what they have to offer but definitely go there if you don't mind waiting in that damn line. read more

are you kidding me? this is the classical example of fake marketing and poor execution. the reservation system, the attitude and the overall experience is defenetely not worth the pain. do not go unless you want the experience a new york attitude with las vegas prices. read more

So nice we went twice. Went here on my honeymoon and it was some of the best food we had on our trip. Plantain was unique and delicious. Ceviche was amazing. Going to travel back to Tulum just to eat here. Good people, great food, amazing atmosphere. read more

Great food, HORRID attitude! I am down-voting Hartwood because of their seating policy, or lack thereof. I was "lucky" enough to get a table there last April after waiting on line for an hour during my first visit to Tulum and we really enjoyed it. I had a salad of nopales, mushrooms, Oaxacan cheese, sunflower sprouts, and pickled onions with a phenomenal lime vinaigrette which was the most memorable thing I ate during that trip. HOWEVER, upon my return last month I was treated to a very different experience and one that will keep me from ever returning in the future. We arrived around 6:45, which I realize is a prime dinner hour and that we were probably not going to be able to get in. While my friends were waiting in the cab, I approached to see what the situation was. I stood there and stood there like an idiot waiting for them to even acknowledge my presence. I was finally able to get the attention of one of the very serious and self-important people that were hosting after almost 10 MINUTES for them to tell me they were full for the evening. As you can imagine, I WAS LIVID. I said "thank you" in a very sarcastic tone and we went down to road to Encantada, which has fabulous service and fresh and delicious food that they prepare to order (as in they chop vegetables and blend soups just for you). Quite honestly, this place doesn't treat you that great even when you actually get a table and you are paying/tipping them. There are a LOT of great restaurants in Tulum (like Encantada) who actually treat you like a human and seem happy to have your business. Hartwood represents the worst of Tulum - bringing a snooty American big city attitude to a beautiful and peaceful beach setting and making you feel like they're doing YOU a favor by allowing you to eat at their restaurant. I also recommend Cenzontle for better cocktails and service and food that is on par with the over-hyped and overly rude Hartwood. read more