Casa Nomad Brings Tulum Cuisine and Tropical Cocktails to the Heights Next Week

A new restaurant inspired by the super fresh, artfully-prepared cuisine and creative tropical cocktails of Tulum is set to open next week at M-K-T in the Heights.

Casa Nomad, which opens Thursday, September 23, at 600 North Shepherd Drive, is the latest project from the minds behind Wicklow Heights, the dog-friendly cocktail bar set in a Shady Acres bungalow.

Whereas Wicklow Heights hosts occasional steak and burger nights, Casa Nomad, an intimate 30-seat space, will take a full focus on food, specifically the cuisine of Tulum, Mexico. The resort town has become well-known in recent years for its food, in which locally-sourced fish and produce are prepared and cooked with techniques passed down from the Mayans.

At Casa Nomad, that includes dishes like tuna tostadas with truffle crema, roasted bone marrow with guajillo marmalade, and, for dessert, a coconut panna cotta with charred pineapple. The menu will also include a number of tropical-tinged cocktails, like the El Cenote, made with green chartreuse, elote liqueur, and pineapple juice, and the Jungle Disco, with tequila, pineapple, serrano syrup and carrot juice. Casa Nomad will also have an extensive list of tequilas and mezcals.

This isn’t the first Houston spot to take inspiration from the Yucatán paradise. In February, a Tulum-inspired bar called White Rhino opened in the Second Ward, serving tropical cocktails with a focus on sustainability. It’s also not the only new project in the works from the Wicklow Heights folks — they’re opening a cocktail bar called Highline Park in the M-K-T development sometime later this year.

• New Second Ward Bar Serves Tulum Vibes and Drinking Water Made With Houston Humidity [EHOU]
• TikTok’s ‘Corn Ribs’ Are Infiltrating Restaurant Menus Everywhere and I Just Don’t Get It [Eater]
• The 21 Essential Tulum Restaurants [Eater]