Taqueria Honorio: Where to Eat in Tulum (4.7★)

Breakfast hours on Satélite Sur

Get here early. Taqueria Honorio keeps breakfast-and-lunch hours: 6:30am to 3pm, six days a week, closed on Tuesday. If you show up for dinner, the shutters will already be down.

The address is Satélite Sur 19 in the Villas Huracanes area of Tulum Centro. That is a residential side street in town, a long way in feel from the beach clubs and jungle hotels east along the coast road. It is one of the best-known and most consistently well-rated places to eat in Tulum, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

What a Yucatecan taquería serves

Honorio is a Mexican restaurant on the budget-to-mid-range end of the scale. In the Yucatán, a morning taquería is where people eat the peninsula’s slow-cooked pork and turkey dishes. Read the board for these regional staples:

• Cochinita pibil: pork marinated in achiote and sour orange, then slow-cooked.
• Lechón: roast suckling pork, often served with crackling.
• Relleno negro: turkey in a black sauce made from charred chiles.
• Tortas: the same fillings in a crusty roll, for when you want something more substantial than tacos.

Fillings come as tacos, panuchos or salbutes (fried tortillas with toppings), or tortas. Pickled red onion and habanero salsa are the usual toppings in this region. Habanero is properly hot, so try a drop before you spoon it on.

Getting there from the beach or the ruins

Tulum splits into two areas: the town (Tulum Centro) and the Hotel Zone along the coast. If you are staying on the beach, take a taxi or cycle in. Many hotels rent bikes, and the flat roads between coast and town are easy riding.

From the Tulum archaeological site, north of town, a short taxi ride covers the distance. Colectivo vans also run along Highway 307, which becomes Avenida Tulum as it passes through the centre. Ask to be let off in town and walk the rest. Satélite Sur is off the main avenue, so put the address into your map app before you set out.

Pairing Honorio with the ruins works well. The site is at its most comfortable in the cooler morning, and the taquería is open from dawn. Eat before you go, or come straight back for lunch before the 3pm close.

Ordering and paying at Honorio

Order tacos by the piece and by filling. “Dos de cochinita” gets you two cochinita tacos, and a few Spanish words go a long way here. Many people start with two or three, then order more once they’ve tasted the salsas. Wash it down with an agua fresca or a Mexican soda.

• Pay in pesos. Small taquerías in Mexico often prefer cash, so don’t count on a card going through, and carry small notes.
• Tip about 10% at a sit-down table. That is customary in Mexico.
• Check the current prices on the board or menu before you order.
• Arrive earlier rather than later. At taquerías that cook a fixed batch each morning, the popular fillings can run out before closing.
• Plan around Tuesday. It is the one day of the week the place is closed.

Expect a quick meal: most visits take 30 to 45 minutes. Shared tables and fast turnover are normal at a popular taquería like this, so sit down, order and eat without fuss.