Tucked away behind Tulum Centro’s Parque Dos Aguas, you can find a little slice of traditional Yucatecan cooking, served with a healthy portion of family pride. Don Taco served their first tamales at this location in April of 1995, from recipes handed down to Doña Hermelinda Peniche, wife of the original Don Taco himself, Señor Izmael Núñez. Now run by the next generation of the Núñez clan, Don Taco has expanded to three Tulum locations, but the tamales are still made to the original recipes using traditional cooking techniques. All their tamales are cooked at the original location, in the seasoned ovens that have served both locals and intrepid tourists so well for over 24 years. Around 600 tamales are prepared each morning, and the 6 hours of cooking time require an early start.

There’s a reason Don Taco has thrived - the food is fresh, authentic, and delicious. Contrary to the name, Don Taco serves only tamales, soft drinks, and a variety of freshly made Aguas de Frutas. These are Yucatan style tamales, larger than the familiar corn husk wrapped variety you can find in the US, and wrapped in banana leaves. They’re closer in size to such one-hand-meals as the Cornish Pasty from England or the Aussie Meat Pie. Imagine a stack of three iPhone 10s, but much tastier.

We sampled three of the eight varieties on the menu on our recent visit. The #1 seller is the Tamale Colado de Pollo - an amazingly light, pillowy maize envelope stuffed with shredded chicken. A generous spoonful of fresh tomato habanero salsa provided a perfectly spicy counterpoint to the creamy corn and savory chicken.