Tulum Flavors of Mexico is open in the Exchange at eTown in southern Duval County.
The 4,620-square-foot restaurant opened April 1 at 11025 eTown Parkway, Suite 206, east of Florida 9B and Interstate 295.
It has outdoor seating including a covered patio with a bar top and roll-up window.
It seats 150 inside and 76 on the patio. It initially was called Mr. Chuy Taqueria and Cantina.
Tulum is part of the Añejo Cocina Mexicana and Salsas Mexican Restaurant JV Restaurant Group, owned by Jesus and Blanca Valencia.
According to the Añejo Cocina Mexicana website, it has seven locations in Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, Riverside, St. Johns, Winter Park, Daytona Beach and Yulee. The are six area Salsas Mexican Restaurants.
Tulum cost more than $1 million to build-out and furnish. It employs 35 workers to start, Blanca Valencia said.
Known for its walled Mayan ruins, Tulum is a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula about 40 miles south of Playa del Carmen.
The restaurant’s cuisine offers more than typical Mexican fare. Mostly Mayan in origin, it features barbecued pork.
The Valencias have traveled extensively through Mexico and found that Tulum cuisine was missing in this area.
“We wanted to make something different than the flavor we already have,” Valencia said.
It was important to have “Tulum” in the name to let customers know this is something other than the usual Mexican-American fare, she said.
The Exchange at eTown owners are familiar with the Valencias and offered them the spot to open another Salsas. Instead, they saw the opportunity to try something new.
The menu goal is to bring authentic Mexican dishes to Northeast Florida, she said.
Lunch items are $12-$18 and entrees are $18.50-$33 with a market-priced tomahawk steak.
The Tulum Flavors of Mexico menu includes pork, lamb chops, chicken and steak offerings. It has a variety of ceviche and other seafood.
“The lamb has been very popular. We weren’t expecting that,” Valencia said.
The restaurant has a full bar with 11 margarita recipes and a deep list of tequila and mescal. It has both Mexican and domestic beer on tap and by the bottle.
Several of the margarita recipes have been created by the restaurant staff and call for top-shelf tequila and mescal.
The tequila and mescal selections have piqued customer interest. The restaurant uses a variety of liquor distributors to build a varied, hard-to-get collection.
“People ask for a shot of something different and they are very happy. They want to know where they can get it,” she said.
Tulum Flavors of Mexico is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are accepted.
A weekend brunch may be offered in the coming weeks, she said.
Exchange at eTown was developed by a partnership of The PARC Group and Skinner Bros. Realty.