El Camello Jr, named after his owner’s nickname (actually, his father’s), is the top place to enjoy seafood mexican style: cebiches, fresh fish, shrimp and octopus cocktails and sea food tacos.
In a corner in the south of town on the main street, just before getting to the police control point you will find El Camello Jr on your left side. It is easy to spot, it is always crowded with locals, tourists and people passing by in the road Chetumal-Cancún. And no wonder it is always crowded, its sea food is amazing!
El Camello Jr’s secret is in the ingredients: fresh fish is caught daily by people like El Camello’s father and some other traditional fishermen in Tulum. The best of the best ends up at El Camello. It also supplies fresh fish if you have a place to cook, while having lunch you can see locals, expatriates and people renting houses and condos for their vacation buying snappers, shrimp, octopus and bass to cook at home. Actually other restaurant owners complain they just keep the best fishermen can get in Tulum…And fishing is in their family dna, I was lucky enough to meet El Camello’s brother, Toto, who runs the El Faro fishing shop nearby and be invited to fish with them at the Boca Paila bridge (they got beautiful sea basses, a huge mackerel while I just lost 4 lines and got punished by a moskito army).
El Camello Jr is not a fancy place, it is a true one. The best place to seat are the outside tables, a little less hot than the tables inside, pressed down by the low ceiling in a place packed with hungry customers. The service is attentive, but you need to prevail over the voices of other 20 guys screaming “gimme another ceviche(beer) please!”.
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