The smell of recently-breaded fish, freshly-squeezed lime juice and the tanginess of “secret sauce” filled my nose as I took my first bite of a fish taco from Tulum Fresh Mexican Grill. Many of my friends had recommended it to me, and they said that I had to try the original Tulum fish tacos. As I savored the crunch of the taco’s warm corn tortilla shell, I immediately knew that my friends were right about how delicious they were. The fish tacos are only one of many of the meals that I enjoy. Other favorites are the Caribe quesadilla and the surf and turf fajitas.
My first experience at Tulum was at the restaurant’s original location in midtown Jackson, which was a small building with little seating and decorated with a few rusty license plates from places like the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Yucatán Peninsula. At the time, it was Tulum’s only branch, but the restaurant’s popularity grew throughout the Jackson community. Their increasing success led the owners to open a second location in north Jackson by Union University. Being so close to campus, many students love being able to go to Tulum.
“I think Tulum is a great place to go and hang out with friends and enjoy some excellent food,” said John Mayer, senior double-engineering major. “Plus, they have a pretty solid student discount.”
This new location only added to the excitement of the Tulum experience. Not only do they have delicious food, but they also have a great aesthetic. In the middle of the restaurant, there are string lights and a large cabana made of palm leaves that hover over many of the tables. The music they play consists of fun, upbeat tunes like the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet. On the walls are pictures of white, sandy beaches, palm trees, maps of faraway islands and TVs that show clips of exotic island coastlines and lagoons. All of these things contribute to transporting a customer from a small town in Tennessee to a tropical paradise in the Caribbean. That is what makes Tulum so special: it creatively uses food and an appealing setting as a way to allow its customers to have a fun escape to somewhere new and exciting.
“I love it,” said Olivia Netland, freshman journalism major. “It’s a fun and friendly atmosphere when you walk in, and it’s laid back, which I really like! The food came pretty fast when I went there, so that was nice too. I’d never been to a Tulum, but it was a great experience.”
If you want to have your own Tulum experience, visit their midtown branch at 71 Carriage House Dr. or their north branch at 1319 Union University Dr.
