41 Best Restaurants in Los Cabos and the Baja Peninsula, Mexico

The intoxicating aroma of fresh coffee (and pastries, too!) lures locals and visitors alike into this spacious café just off of Plaza Amelia Wilkes. Claiming (with little backlash) to serve the best organic coffee in town, The Cabo Coffee Company sources their beans from a private grower in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Oaxaca then roasts them fresh daily here in Cabo San Lucas. Every type of drink you're used to ordering at bigger chains---from a classic cappuccino to flavorful frappes---can be found here, too, and chances are you'll like the taste of Cabo Coffee's version better.

Dining at Casamarte offers the quintessential La Paz experience: truly nothing can beat slurping back raw oysters and chocolate clams while people watching on the malecón at sunset. Though the menu is pretty diverse, the seafood (and the raw bar, especially) is what you come for.

Baja Californian chef Raul Soto delivers an elevated culinary experience at Cocina del Mar, the elegant restaurant in the exquisite Esperanza Resort. Using daily market ingredients and focusing on simple seafood, Soto presents inventive dishes such as charred octopus, grilled Kumiai oysters, or the zarandeado-style blue colossal shrimp. Comondu lamb chops are accompanied by salsa verde, pink guava, and ember-roasted onion. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the waiter delivers a mango and passion fruit sorbet that will leave you wanting for more. Opt for a table on the cliffs where waves crash so close, you can feel the spray.

This fabulous coffee roaster has three locations in La Paz, plus locations in Todos Santos and Cabo San Lucas. Named simply after the physical location of their first café (#1240), the brand is now synonymous with fresh coffee, great pastries, cute merch, and a welcoming atmosphere.

While the Waldorf Astoria's other restaurant, El Farallon, tends to gather universal acclaim from Cabo's visitors and residents, we'd like to boldly suggest that dining at Don Manuel's is an even better experience. Open for each meal of the day, the modern Mexican cuisine served is innovative and decadent. The tranquil sound of the rolling waves is well complemented by nightly live music, the exclusivity of the restaurant makes it feel as if both nature and the band are performing just for you. A postconsumption stroll along Pedregal's nearly private beach makes for a perfect dessert.

Ask any Cabo local where you should get dinner, and there's a good chance they'll suggest Los Tres Gallos. Fun, festive, and flavorful, it's a must-try for anyone seeking traditional Mexican cuisine. Set in a courtyard shaded by fruit trees, twinkle lights, and papel picado (colorful tissue paper flags), the menu is crafted from generations-old family recipes of classic heritage dishes such as cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork) and molcajetes (stone bowls) filled with flank steak, shrimp, chorizo, nopal, and panela cheese.

This trendy restaurant and lounge grows most of its vegetables and herbs on its rooftop garden, sourcing any remaining ingredients from its San Jose--based sister restaurant, Flora Farms. Whether you come just for drinks or a full-course meal (both are popular options), every bite and sip will taste impossibly fresh. Seating is dispersed between their dining room, chandelier patio, or rooftop terrace, each space offering a different vibe.

It's quite soothing to sit in this restaurant at the ocean's edge under the shade of a palapa while watching the surfers. For breakfast munch on their machaca con huevos (eggs scrambled with shredded beef) washed down with a fresh-fruit smoothie, but later in the day, grab some blue shrimp tacos or a grilled marinated octopus accompanied by a blueberry mojito. Burgers are piled high with jalapeños and caramelized onions. For something light, try the sashimi with Thai dressing. Drop in to watch the sunset and dine on wild sea bass with lemon butter. With a focus on healthy cuisine, the kitchen uses all local organic ingredients, cooks with olive oil (instead of butter), uses soybean oil for deep-frying, and will not serve marlin, mahimahi, or parrotfish due to commercial overfishing. Your entertainment is simple: a wonderful view that never stops changing.

It's well known that Las Ventanas is one of the best hotels in Mexico, and the on-site dining likewise does not disappoint. A diverse Mexican menu pays homage to Oaxaca, a southern Mexican state with an extraordinarily rich culinary tradition, and a focus on family recipes. Highlights include duck breast with mole negro, grilled octopus with huitlacoche and peanut sauce, and catch of the day with mole verde accompanied by zucchini blossom. For a social appetizer, start with the "Escamoles con Tuétano," a dish of Mexican caviar served with bone marrow and guacamole. If you haven't already blown through your dinner budget, order the fondant mezcal, guava sorbet, or Oaxacan chocolate. There's live music nightly, and private cooking demonstrations in the Rosewood herb garden (by reservation).

If you plan to stay in a resort community to the immediate west of Cabo San Lucas (like Quivira, Diamante, or Rancho San Lucas), then Anica needs to be on your radar. Named after the first indigenous settlement in Baja California Sur, the menu—inspired by ancient tribal cooking techniques—is a delicious blend of traditional and contemporary. Oenophiles will be particularly delighted with the sommelier's top notch local wine tastings and pairings.

Though the architecture looks a little strange from the street, this five-story rooftop restaurant is sexy as hell. Bring your bathing suit, because select counter seating comes with a private plunge pool, along with a cheeky-chic, golden framed button that instructs you to "Press for Champagne." With expansive ocean views, this is a great spot to take a date or meet up with friends. Food is served from 8 am until 10:30 pm.

This long-loved Pescadero roaster, known to produce some of the area's best gourmet coffee drinks using beans from the Sierra Norte mountains, has finally opened a location in downtown Todos Santos! The owners, committed to giving back to their community, have pledged to donate a significant portion of their profits from the new café to local charities. The original location (Highway 19 at Km 63 in El Pescadero) is still worth a visit on Sunday, when they serve brunch with a farmer's market and live music.

A branch of the established San José del Cabo microbrewery, this rooftop cantina has eight styles of beer on tap plus whichever additional seasonal brews are available—order a sampler to try a taste of each. A menu of classic pub fare is available for dining, with special emphasis on their "famous" beer pizzas; the dough is made daily from spent barley, yeast, and beer. The marlin empanadas are also a great snack or appetizer. Whether you're a beer fan or not, the open-air venue and excellent view make this a place worth stopping by.

At a restaurant known colloquially as "La Pergola" due to its lovely location under one in Baja Club's garden, executive chef Panagiotis Vounos prepares Mediterranean cuisine inspired by his native Greece with a touch of French flair (it's where he received his training and worked before moving to La Paz). When it comes to beverages, however, that's all Mexico: the wine is sourced exclusively from Valle de Guadalupe, and Baja Club was the first establishment to officially collaborate with GUAYCURA Damiana Liqueur to create hyperlocal craft cocktail recipes.

Located right at Playa Punta Lobos, this is a brilliant place to grab an elegant, beachside bite. Recently recognized by Michelin Guide, Benno serves a mix of Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine, with every dish crafted from local ingredients. The sommelier is among the most friendly and knowledgeable in town, providing great pairing recommendations with an emphasis on organic and biodynamic wines. The drive out here (down a barren, unlit dirt road) can feel a little hairy after dark, so while it's a lovely place to see the sunset, plan accordingly.

A few blocks away from downtown Cabo's heavy foot traffic and named after the town's zip code, this is an adorable place to grab breakfast or spend an afternoon co-working. Their slogan is "Coffee made by locals, for locals," and their beans are sourced from the Mexican state of Chiapas and are available for sale to take home with you.

This cute and casual eatery was the first in Todos Santos to open with tourists intentionally in mind, back in 1993. The building is over a century old, and was a house in the late 1800s; the flooring is original from 1933. The chairs and wall decor are colorfully quirky and very Mexican, with the menu mixing traditional cuisine with international favorites.

The go-to place for brunch outside of the big resort restaurants, this European-style café and bakery is the perfect stop for a quick coffee, pastry, or a slice of pizza. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available, as well as nonalcoholic cocktails. 

Sandwiches are a surprisingly uncommon treat in Mexico, prompting local couple Nicole and Robert Ellingwood to meet the need with their gourmet food truck. Located in the Buenos Aires Food Park along with a few other businesses-on-wheels, you can enjoy your “sando” in their shaded yard (stocked with fun yard games for kids young and old) or easily take it to-go.

At this glorified food court, more than 20 culinary offerings are at your disposal, ranging from Mexican and Greek to Spanish and Italian. Savor wine, cheese, or tapas while the little ones dig into gourmet hot dogs, creamy gelato, or treats from the candy shop. In this two-story industrial-style building, grab what you want and converge back at the table with the meal of your choice; sushi, barbecue, and Oaxacan cuisine are top picks. The organic market is great for meals-to-go, and the assortment of tacos and regional dishes explore the best of Mexico’s gastronomy in a unique environment.

The dinner menu is forever changing at this family-owned and -run restaurant, and that's a good thing. Whether you order soup and salad, steak, or fresh catch of the day prepared any way you like it, this is a one-of-a-kind dining experience with amazing sea views. Patio dining is de rigeur during most of the year, but during the hot summer months, guests may prefer air-conditioned indoor dining room seating.

At "The Golden Chicken," it's best to order ... well, chicken! You can try it roasted, grilled, fried, or baked, in fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, soup ... a menu worthy of Forrest Gump's narration. Their pork ribs are also quite popular.

From its chateaubriand bouquetière to the savory chicken cooked in prune sauce, this classy French restaurant has been family-owned since 1947. Louis XIV–style furnishings and an attentive staff make it both comfortable and elegant. In addition, the restaurant pays tribute to its heritage with family photographs that line the hallways, starting with a portrait of founder Doña Pepita. As the oldest French restaurant in Mexico, it's also considered one of the top of the pack with more than 10 Five Diamond Awards. Impressive preparations of Caesar salad, crepes Suzette, and café flambé create a show at your table. For larger parties, request one of the three private rooms modeled after Paris and the Palace of Versailles. The sidewalk tables are a perfect place to dine and people-watch. The small café in the front sells pastries that are made on the premises.

This food-cart stall off Ensenada's bustling Calle Primera is the place where locals get a solid helping of the region's seafood. Established in 1960, La Guerrerense has been featured on international shows like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Popularity has led to the opening of a neighboring restaurant by the same name, but it's the original cart that keeps crowds ogling a small army of cooks cracking clams, shucking oysters, and piling the freshest fish onto tostadas. After you choose from the day's catch—shrimp, uni, clams, tuna, cod, lobster, octopus—stand back and wait while your dish is prepared. Once it's ready, make your way through the throng of hungry patrons, and dress your plate from the selection of bottled salsas and condiments on display, which are also for sale. Most-loved is the salsa made with toasted peanuts, oil, garlic, and fresh chilies. Owned by Sabina and Luis Eduardo Oviedo, the spot is a mainstay on the Ensenada food scene, and not to be missed.

Las Tunas is a residential neighborhood north of downtown that's almost exclusively filled with vacation homes, short-term rentals and inns, and construction sites building the two. Amid all of that, however, is a coffee shop and bakery with perhaps the best breakfast in all of Todos Santos. If you have a rental car, it is absolutely worth making the drive up to start your morning here.

This casual, open-air spot advertises themselves as "probably the best breakfast restaurant in the whole country," and they're not wrong. Everything on the menu is good (if you return multiple times on the same trip, you'll be in good company), but their claim to fame is the decadent French toast stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and ricotta topped with fresh fruit, pecans, and flambéed orange liqueur.

Want to go where the locals eat lunch? El Tigre is a bit out of the way, in a residential neighborhood (take an Uber rather than walk), but it has the some of the absolute freshest seafood in town. The chocolate clams are obligatory, but get the aguachiles, too, to order like a Mexican.

Maxico is the main spot in town for coffee and coworking. The menu features healthy options like avocado toast, omelets, wraps, and smoothies, as well as numerous vegetarian and vegan options.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better Mexican restaurant in the area than this stylish establishment. Modern gastronomic techniques and sophisticated dishes highlight organic ingredients from local farmers. Chef Odin Rocha has put together a string of fantastic menus filled with Mexican classics, but you should try the nine-course tasting menu with Mexican wine pairing to get the full Mezcal experience.

Based on seating availability alone, this is, without question, the most popular restaurant in Cabo San Lucas. Day and night, the place is packed, thanks to its well-prepared and well-portioned seafood-based menu and drinks, as well as its history of being the first-ever palapa to grace Médano Beach's sandy shore. It's a bit touristy, for sure, but the near-perfect views of El Arco and the merry atmosphere make up for it.