So excited to share this Puebla food guide with you all. Puebla is in my opinion the heart of gastronomy in Mexico. It is super well known for its incredible cuisine and extravagant restaurants. After having lived here twice I feel like I know my way around the best food spots in town pretty well and would love to share them with you now.

The amount of cool, unique trendy places is really astonishing in Puebla. It was something I certainly didn’t expect when I came here the fist time. I can honestly say our restaurants & cafés in Austria don’t even come close to the awesome food spots you will find here!

Gastronomy is super important for the city of Puebla. In almost every university you will find a gastronomy major, which is also what I studied during my exchange semester here. It is the soul and beating heart of the Mexican haute cuisine. The food is really so unbelievably good here and in this Puebla food guide I want to present you my top food choices of the city!

Puebla Food Guide

Breakfast

Here a list of my favorite breakfast spots in Puebla:

1. Olivia

I adore this place and therefore it is on top of my list for my Puebla food guide. The vibe, the atmosphere, the healthy food and the fair prices. When I go I always get the „Dejalo Fluir“ Detox shot at Olivia, which is a mix of apple vinagre, himalayan salt, honey, cinnamon and cardamon. A perfect start into the day! The matcha pancakes, smoothies and Açai bowl are my top choices there. They have a good internet connection as well and I love to work from there every once in a while.

2. Mama Elena

I love this place because of the beautiful view onto the cathedral of Cholula. Its a super cute restaurant and they have a couple of healthy options. I unfortunately couldn’t make it there this year, but I remember from last year I loved their chia pudding and the fresh pressed juice is also really good. Check for special events there. Last year we went for a five course Valentines dinner with a view onto the cathedral. Mama Elena is really a magical place!

3. Tonico 12

This place is definitely on top of my food list here in Puebla. What ever you order will guarantee an explosion of color on your plate. Everything is homemade and super high quality ingredients are used. Tonico 12 has many vegan and vegetarian options and uses a lot of superfood for the dishes. I had characol pancakes and a characol smoothie which tasted amazing! What I also really liked was how they decorate the dishes. Tonico 12 is on my list for breakfast places, but I also recommend it for a healthy lunch or dinner option!

4. La Cupula

This is a restaurant downtown in the center of Puebla. Its a rooftop restaurant so you have an amazing 360 degree view over the entire city. We went there for breakfast which I can highly recommend. It is a buffet and only costs 150 pesos (like 8 euros) and you have a huge selection and can also get fresh Chilaquiles, Enchiladas and Omlettes from the kitchen. Highly recommend checking out la Cupula!

5. La Chula

This is a tiny little juice bar in Cholula. Everything is made right there in front of you. The ingredients are super fresh and the choice of healthy juices are amazing! They also offer a small breakfast menu including omlettes (which were incredible) and bowls (even better). We had the crazy monkey bowl which included peanut butter and banana!

6. Soul Vali

Tulum vibes coming right up with this one. A visit at Soul Vali feels like a short term vacation. The tropical and chill atmosphere makes eating there super enjoyable. It is situated in a little garden with beautiful white hammock chairs and wooden tables. They have a huge selection of healthy bowls and decorate them like top food bloggers! I think we spent like three hours there soaking in the atmosphere. Soul Vali also has Wifi so its a good place for a little work session as well.

Lunch & Dinner

7. Casona de los Sapos

I am putting this place first on my Puebla food guide regarding dinner & lunch choices. Out of all the places we went to it definitely impressed me the most with their dishes and quality of food. Casona de los Sapos is a small boutique hotel with only 19 super luxury rooms hosting three restaurants and one French bakery.

We had dinner at Osteria del Rospo and were stunned by professional service and haute cuisine sent from the kitchen. We treated ourself to a three course meal there and were so happy about all the healthy low carb options that can be found in the menu. The combination of flavor we found in all dishes were so well balanced, but also challenged your senses at the same time. This is really what I call a unique food experience. The next morning we had breakfast in their French restaurant. We were offered some of the fresh pastries from the bakery and ordered some main dishes. I rarely ate such a good salmon omelette.

8. Textileria

This place is simply so cool. Honestly I wish we had a restaurant like that in my city at home. The interior is super stylish and has a modern/vintage twist. The service is world class and the waiters make you feel like the most important person in the room. Although I consider Textileria quite fancy the prices are absolutely affordable for any European. As a starter they bring you this fantastic bread with different kinds of sauces to try. I was feeling a bit adventurous when we went there and ordered the grasshopper tacos. I also had salmon there one time which was incredible and needs to mentioned on my Puebla food guide.

9. Intro

This is probably one of the higher priced restaurants in Puebla and has made quite a name for itself. My host sister is managing the bar so I simply had to come and check it out and go for a drink there. After a super delicious non-alcoholic matcha cocktail at Intro we got some food there as well. I ordered the cauliflower with feta cheese, which was really yummy and my friends had octopus and ceviche. Expect to pay a bit more here than in other places, but also expect top class food and amazing service. When we sat down the chef send a little greeting fro the kitchen with was also super yummy! I loved the interior and classy style of the place.

10. La Berejena

You might not expect to find good pizza in Mexico, but la Berejena will prove you wrong. They have a super creative pizza menu, offering different combinations of flavors you have never tried before on a pizza. The place is usually packed, but after a short while waiting we got a table. The decoration of the restaurant is super hip & trendy. I ordered a salad because it just sounded so amazing. It was with caramelized pecans, goat cheese, apple slices and jamón serrano. I also shared a pizza with my boyfriend which was delicious.

11. The Ocho30

Another hipster food spot in Puebla that needs to be mentioned in my Puebla food guide. There are a couple Ocho30 restaurants in Puebla, each one specializing in one specific meal (paninis, pizza,…) What I really love about 80.30 is the interior decoration. It is just so cool! My two favorite ones are in Cholula and in Lomas de Angelopolis. I ate lasagne there last time, which was great. The prices are super affordable, but don’t expect huge portions. Perfect for not gaining weight though 😉

12. Sushi-iito

Okay I simply had to put this one on my Puebla food guide list because I went there so many times. This is not the traditional high end restaurant you would expect. It is a pretty basic sushi chain with an AMAZING offer I simply was not able to resist. So, I absolutely love sushi and Sushi-iito has this offer from Monday to Thursday where you order one roll and get the second one for free! Whaaat?! Yes you heard correctly!

The best thing, one roll costs like 100 pesos (4 euros) and it is actually really good sushi. Totally recommend you to check it out when you are here. We loved going to the one in Lomas de Angelopolis because it has a nice atmosphere as well. Oh and by the way don’t go to Shirushi. OMG I absolutely hated that place. That was my worst food experience in Puebla. So if you are on the lookout for sushi go to Sushi-iito instead!

Top chefs in Puebla

Since I studied here for half a year in the field of gastronomy & mixology I was also able to get to know a lot of people working in this area here. Many of my friends are top chefs and bartenders here who are also being flown around internationally to cook in different countries. The Puebla food guide would not be complete if you didn’t get to know some of the chefs behind the scenes. Here I would like to present two of my favorite talents of the city.

Elena Centeno

This sweet girl is actually my host sister. Elena has an incredible talent for creating the most amazing cocktails and is head of bar at Intro, one of the finest restaurants in the city. She has entered various mixology competitions and impressed the judges more than once!
Since I don’t really drink alcohol she made me a super special „healthy“ matcha cocktail. I was really impressed by the taste and creativity of the drink.
Her signature drink Green Velvet is also super healthy. Its with avocado, egg white and matcha! Sounds like a pure fitness drink, right?!

Daniel Nantes

This guy has some real skills! Daniel is of the uprising stars in Pueblas gastronomy world who was just recently flown to Russia to cook for the Mexican embassy in Moscow! His skill to innovate new dishes and combine all kinds of ingredients into a firework of flavors is unique. During the time I was here I was lucky enough to have tasted a three course meal he and Elena put together (they are dating by the way – what a power couple in the kitchen).

Make sure to check out their Insta for some real high class food inspo!

My love for Puebla

I hope you enjoyed this Puebla food guide and will check some of these places out if you ever get to the city! I promise you will be stunned the by the high quality and unique restaurants & cafés you find in the city. If you are looking for more food tips in Mexico I recommend you check out my Tulum food guide.

I honestly really love Puebla and I have a close connection to this city because I lived here for quite a while and have made tons of friends here. It has such a charm and besides the food there are also so many things to see and do. They have this super cool VIP and 4Dx cinema that makes every movie experience so memorable. Also visiting the markets, taking a spin on the Estrella de Puebla and shopping at some of their fancy malls is a ton of fun.

Let me know if you still have any questions and I am happy to answer them in the comments!

xoxo,

After having been to Tulum two times and having sampled my way through all kinds of different restaurants, bars and healthy places I feel like I simply need to share my favorite food spots with you. Here you find a Tulum restaurant guide so you can have the best experience possible in this wonderful town!

Why I love Tulum

Tulum just has this incredible vibe you have to experience for yourself. Everything in Tulum is so artsy and unique. All the hotels, restaurants and bars kind of follow the same style guide. You will find a lot of wood, candles and palm leaf roofs. Some hotels adapt a digital detox concept and don’t have wifi or electricity. They have a concept of creating true sustainability, thats why they take care of all the details from the materials of the constructions to the ingredients of the food prepared in the restaurants.

Tulum is a unique place and much different than any other part of Mexico. Forget the posh and shiny hotel resorts you find in Cancun and expect a more down to earth, eco nature vibe. This is also reflected by the cuisine you find there. Tulum is packed with raw and vegan cafes and fancy designer food. I had so much fun eating and sampling my way through the food places and will tell you about my favorite spots in my Tulum restaurant guide now.

Raw Love

Raw love is a super cute beach bar that will make your heart beat faster if you are even remotely interested in nice cream bowls. I had to include Raw love in my Tulum restaurant guide for its incredible selection of superfood bowls that will convert any non vegan into a nice cream lover. They are served beautifully in coconut bowls and you can even add protein (vanilla, chocolate or hemp) to any of the yummy treats. Enjoy the bowls right by the beach and crystal clear blue water. They also have the option of turning your bowl into a smoothie for take away. What I loved is the idea of their Pharmacy shots, which are super high dosed superfood shots. Pure life elixir for your body.

Matcha Mama

Top Instagram food spot you need to go to when you are in Tulum. It is a must to take a photo with your healthy superfood smoothie on the cute white swings outside the little street stand. Even our short visit at Matcha Mama made me so happy because it is the perfect place to soak up these tropical beach vacation vibes. Fresh fruit everywhere around the shop, happy people and friendly staff. They even had wifi there which is perfect to upload that quick swing boomerang 😉
The drink menu is quite extensive and you can decide if you want either a smoothie or a bowl. I had the Mamacita smoothie which included matcha, almond milk, banana, mango and peanut butter. The smoothies are for Mexican standards pretty expensive, but definitely worth it! A smoothie is around 150 pesos (7$) and the bowls 200 pesos (10$). A definite highlight on my Tulum restaurant guide.

Ahau

Ahau is a hotel with a beach club and restaurant on the main hotel street in Tulum. After a morning workout in the jungle gym which is very close, we headed over to Ahau for breakfast. They have a generous menu of different breakfast choices ranging from Mexican to super healthy vegan food. I ordered the chocolate chia pudding in coconut milk with strawberries, banana, roasted almonds and cacao nibs. Alberto got the huevos rancheros, which is a very traditional Mexican breakfast dish and sooo delicious. They atmosphere is so chill and you have a direct view onto the beach. Certainly, my favorite breakfast location of this trip.

Gitano

This place is another world and on top of my Tulum restaurant guide list. I don’t think I have ever been to a more beautiful restaurant. We went for dinner and there were little lanterns, lights and candles everywhere. The atmosphere, style and setting was simply breath taking. The food was one of the best I had in Mexico and the waiters super nice. My Mexican room mate recommended me Gitano and we actually already wanted to go last year, but then a huge rain shower came and we stayed at home. So happy we went this time. They have such healthy options on the menu. We had sweet potato, hummus, asparagus, tuna carpaccio and pulled beef tacos. It’s not cheap for Mexican standards, but still absolutely affordable for us Europeans.

https://nesttulum.com/ — Atmosphere at Gitano

Burrito Amor

In Avenida Tulum you find the super cute Burrito Amor restaurant. It has a super laid back and chill atmosphere. We went there for lunch. The boys ordered burritos and us girls had a smoothie and a salad. Honestly I would not recommend the salad – it was super sour and small, but everything else was really good. The owners of Burrito Amor introduced a clean eating concept and thats why you will find a lot of healthy options on the menu. It is a great place if you are in or out of the city to grab a quick snack. Portions aren’t super big, but the atmosphere definitely has its charms and the vanilla bread is the best sweet bread I have ever tried.

Nü Tulum

NÜ’s goal is to make you discover the richness of the modern Mexican cuisine through flavorful and original recipes. We only walked by it several times and I admired its simplistic setting. It is quite pricy, but the dishes on their Insta and Homepage look super exquisit. NÜ is run by 7 talented Chefs and this restaurant was on top of my list. Unfortunately, not enough time to try them all. Therefore, I would highly recommend you going there and tell me if the food really was as delicious as I imagined it to be. Since we didn’t go there I also unfortunately don’t have a photo of this place.

Batey

This is a Tulum restaurant guide recommendation from the first time I visited Tulum. We went twice to this bar because we loved it so much. Batey has life music and each cocktail comes with a real sugar cane that you can nibble on. They also have this super cool old Volkswagen parked out side and spraypainted, as well as a sugar cane machine in the bar where they make fresh syrup. Again I really liked the setting an atmosphere there. It is in Tulum downtown so pretty far away from the beach & hotel area. Depending on where you stay you might need to catch a cab there. Was trying to find a picture I took last year, but unfortunately couldn’t find one – you simply have to trust me on this one 😉

Last but not least – my little sad Taco al Pastor story

When I was in Tulum last year I fell in love with this super local Pastor place. We came back so many times because the super local tacos al pastor were so good. You can imagine how excited I was to go back there this year. Literally days before getting to Tulum I was dreaming of those Tacos. Well, long story short – we spend half an hour driving up and down Tulum main street trying to find the place. We were certain we still knew perfectly well where it was located. After a while and passing the same street multiple times we could make out the building of the Pastor place. Empty, deserted. We found out the had closed the place down. You have no idea how disappointed I was for the next 15 minutes. I had been looking forward to this place for week by then. Sad story, but luckily still so much other amazing food around to make up for the loss. 😉

Tulum restaurant guide and Insta photo spots

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you ever go and visit you might find this Tulum restaurant guide helpful. If I had to choose one place out of all the ones I mentioned about I would strongly urge you to go and have dinner at Gitano. It is one of the most magical restaurants I have ever been to.

Regarding the best photo spots you need to take a picture at Matcha Mama on the cute swings. When you walk up that same street a bit in the direction of Tulum downtown you will find a sign that says „Follow that dream“ which is also perfect for photos. Besides that any of the stylish hotels offer plenty of photo spots (Be Tulum, Azulik, the Nest) and the Jungle Gym is also a great opportunity to get some workout photos.

Make sure to also check the blog post on the Riviera Maya photo spots and travel places sharing my entire travel route.

xoxo,