Tulum: a Lehigh staple

Walter Diller and his two roommates’ 2002 graduation from Moravian University was fast approaching, and they knew they needed to come up with a plan. Inspired by their trips to Tulum, Mexico, the three college seniors decided to open a Mexican restaurant right across from Lehigh University.

“They were hippies who were obsessed with backpacking in Tulum,” said Andrea Nowell, Diller’s wife, who helps manage the restaurant. “They came up with this gimmick because it was time to be an adult. This place literally just started with three dudes.”

Diller and his buddies all chipped in to rent the storefront for Tulum. They crafted the unique menu and dubbed it “Beth-Mex,” a spin on the concept of Tex-Mex — a term to describe Americanized Mexican food.

The menu at Tulum hasn’t changed since it first opened its doors in 2003. 

“Kids will come back 15 years later and be shocked that the food still tastes the same,” Nowell said. “For some reason, my husband and his friends were smart enough not to make a huge menu that needed to be fixed.” 

The menu includes dishes such as the Wingarrito, a burrito covered in homemade wing sauce and blue cheese. Their breakfast burrito, the Midnight Sun, is named after a band that Diller used to play in.

Amber Parry began working at Tulum 13 years ago and is now one of the managers. 

“I really enjoy working here because of how everyday is so different,” Parry said. “It’s good for my ADHD to have such a dynamic job that requires me to serve, cook, talk to customers and run around all day.”

It can be a pain to keep up with making all of the food when it gets busy, Parry said, but she thinks that’s all part of the fun.

She said the food at Tulum is made from scratch in small batches with fresh ingredients. 

Nowell said they consider everything on their menu a project — they salt and lime each item, which is why it can take up to 45 minutes for take-out.

There are very few bad reviews of the food at Tulum, Nowell said. However, of the ones that exist, many criticize the restaurant for not serving authentic Mexican food.

“We have never advertised that we were making authentic Mexican food,” Nowell said. “These smart and funny guys came up with their own idea and created a clever menu.”

Nowell said they never expected the small restaurant to become as busy as it has. He said they have never considered moving to a bigger location — they enjoy being the “weird mom and pop” shop too much. 

Many restaurants struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Tulum thrived as one of the only restaurants on the South Side that remained open.

“We kept waiting for it to slow down, and it never did,” Nowell said. “Then when all the students finally came back, it was just psychotic.”

Sam Barton, ‘23, said he discovered Tulum during his junior year when he lived down the street from the restaurant, and he has frequented it ever since.

Barton said he admires the unusual menu and atmosphere and that Tulum has become his go-to burrito spot.

“I love the Wingarrito,” Barton said. “The wing sauce and blue cheese are such a unique spin on traditional burritos.”

Students grow attached to the comfort food at Tulum, Nowell said. She  recalled that 10 years ago, customers who had moved to Miami after graduating from Lehigh requested she ship them bottles of wing sauce. 

“Of course I agreed to do it for them,” Nowell said. “They used to always eat in here.”

Nowell said local people enjoy the restaurant as well, especially during the less hectic summer.

Diller and his friends were also involved in Bethlehem’s music scene. He said supporters of their music have also shown support for the restaurant.

“There are bands in Bethlehem that have known each other for a long time,” Parry said. “They started eating here because musicians started making burritos. Now they come in every week to feed their family.”

Nowell said the small staff at Tulum is like “one big modern family.” 

After a few years of success, Diller bought out both of his friends and bought the building. 

“He’s just so lucky that things worked out this way,” Nowell said. “It was just three dudes for five years, and look at it now.”