In 2007, two friends arrived from Argentina in search of a change of life. Tulum was a very small and rustic town, but with a distinct magic.
To make a living, they made jams in the kitchen of the little house they rented in town and went out in search of a ride to the hotel area to offer their products to the few restaurants and hotels that existed. One of them was a small and simple restaurant that had stood since 1998, called Casa Banana.
On successive visits to the place and in the midst of the swine fever crisis, they were told that Casa Banana was about to go bankrupt, but they sensed the potential that was there. So they volunteered to do a night of fire kitchen, grilling some cuts of meat and recreating what for them was the experience of eating an asado with their families, just as they had experienced it at home when they were children.
People would drive by, see the fire and slow down. And so, the immediate success made them gradually add more nights until they built a real Argentinean Parrilla, and used fire, smoke and wood as the soul of all their dishes. Argentinean cuts of excellence, local fish and seafood and many vegetarian options were part of the proposal, they wanted to bring their culture to the place where they dreamed of staying.
Tulum and Casa Banana grew together hand in hand. The growth happened very fast and they had to follow this kind of huge explosion that took place in this corner of the world with a lot of effort and sacrifice to be able to cope with the circumstances.
A lot happened in between. Like a rock band, success comes together with conflicts and differences among its members, and at some point a break-up occurs. This prevented them from continuing in the original location, and so everyone went their own way. It wasn’t easy, but they all learned a lot. “Sometimes so much fire ends up burning you and then you have to be reborn from the ashes”.
One of them decided to double the bet. From scratch, he rebuilt Casa Banana a few metres away from the previous location, where today it maintains its success and is recognised as a must stop for every visitor of the place.
With the support and assistance of a distinguished team, the restaurant continues maintaining its essence, creating an atmosphere that takes us back to the beginnings of Tulum. Faithful to the significance of flavours, they have enhanced the proposal even further, making it one of the most popular and prestigious places in the area.
