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Prepare yourself for a gourmand's delight. The competition, creativity, selection, and, yes, even the prices are utterly beyond comprehension. From elegant dining rooms to casual seafood cafés to simple taquerías, Los Cabos serves up anything from standard to thrilling fare.
Seafood is the true highlight here. Fresh catches that land on the menus include dorado (mahimahi), lenguado (halibut), cabrilla (sea bass), jurel (yellowtail), wahoo, and marlin. Local lobster, shrimp, and octopus are particularly good. Fish grilled over a mesquite wood fire is perhaps the most indigenous and tasty seafood dish, while the most popular may be the tacos de pescado (fish tacos): traditionally a deep-fried fillet wrapped in a handmade corn tortilla, served with shredded cabbage, cilantro, and salsas. Beef and pork—commonly served marinated and grilled—are also delicious. Many restaurants import their steak, lamb, duck, and quail from the state of Sonora, Mexico's prime pastureland, and also from the United States, though many of the high-end spots are only using local ingredients.
In San José, international chefs prepare excellent Continental, French, Asian, and Mexican dishes in lovely, intimate restaurants, and it's where the major portion of the area's explosion in new eateries has occurred. Following in the footsteps of Northern Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe, several restaurants on the outskirts of San José del Cabo are offering farm-to-table cuisine, as well as cooking courses and tours. This organic movement has spread from the Farmer’s Market in San José del Cabo to the luxury resorts along the coast that rely on the farms for their daily menu. The Corridor is the place to go for exceptional (and expensive) hotel restaurants, while intense competition for business in Los Cabos means many restaurants go through periodic remodels and reinvention, the Corridor restaurants included. With San José emerging as the hotbed of culinary activity, it’s fair to say that Cabos San Lucas lags somewhat behind. But Cabo has comfort food covered, with franchise eateries from McDonald's, Subway, Johnny Rocket’s, Domino's, and Ruth's Chris Steak House.
This cliffside restaurant offers the most spectacular view in Todos Santos—the excellent Mexican cuisine is an added bonus. Sunset is the most popular time to dine, so be sure to make a reservation in advance if you want seating. If you're looking for the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, like a birthday, anniversary, or simply "la vida," this is it.
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.
The tasting menu at NEMI, whose name means "give life" in the Indigenous Mexican language, Nahuatl, is beyond exquisite. Choose five- or nine courses, plus an optional (but recommended) wine pairing, and prepare to be blown away by the modern Mexican cuisine that is created by chef Alejandro Villagomez and his team. The server's descriptions of each course will excite you even more than the presentation (which—shocker—is very well done). A darkly-lit corner restaurant with fewer than 10 tables, the space is moody and intimate.
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.
One of the more upscale choices near Médano Beach, Edith's is the sister restaurant to popular The Office. The Caesar salad and bananas flambé are prepared tableside at this colorful and much-loved restaurant, while Wally's Special, a medley of lobster, shrimp, and fish, is one of the most ordered items on the menu. As good as the food is, the atmosphere is even better. Families dine in early evening, so come in later if you're looking for a less crowded experience.
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.
Chef Lalo Pino is one of the most interesting characters you'll meet in La Paz, and his food reflects that. Perhaps because both his menu of craft tacos and the concept of Hambrusia (which is slang for hungry, like "munchies") were inspired by growing up on the peninsula before there were supermarkets and accessible ingredients from the mainland. Order a variety to try, or put your fate in Pino's hands by going the omakase route and he'll bring out six of his personal favorites. The dishes are lightly Asian-inspired, simply because "umami goes really well with tacos."
After picking up somewhat of a cult following in San José del Cabo, La Lupita opened this location that's just as fun---there's a prominent stage overlooking the restaurant floor for bands to perform on and free-flowing cocktails. Just one block from Médano Beach, it feels less touristy than many of the neighboring establishments serving up gourmet tacos (the santo pastor is their specialty, but you'll want to try a variety), flights of mezcal, and an unbeatable ambience.
Come to Los Claros for seafood tacos galore! Fill your tortillas with a variety of fish and shrimp, served battered, grilled, or "crunchy." It's inexpensive, but cash-only.
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.
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.
Deliciously prepared chiles rellenos—stuffed with cheese, beef, fish, and vegetables—are the attraction at Miguel's; the signature version is made with shrimp. Look for the sign out front claiming these are the main attraction, as well as the faded but framed New York Times article, which proclaims them the best in all of Baja.
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.
Sample one or several of the more than 500 tequilas available and you'll surely appreciate the rainbow-color Oaxacan tablecloths, murals, painted chairs, and streamers even more than you did when you first arrived. Coat your stomach in the process with dishes from different states throughout Mexico: mole from Puebla, carne asada from Sonora, tamales from Oaxaca, and seafood from Baja are just some of the tasty items you can order. Note: though many souvenir shops advertise "complimentary" tequila tastings, this is the place to actually do it; they're available every evening with advanced reservation.
Rico Suave boasts an impressive selection of 100% natural juices and smoothies, freshly squeezing and blending almost every fruit (and vegetable) that you can imagine. You can order breakfast or lunch here, as well; tortas (street food--style sandwiches made on bolillo bread, a baguette-style roll) are popular.
Fish tacos for breakfast? It may take getting used to, but that's how things are done in La Paz. The type of fish that's battered up "Baja Style" changes daily with the fishermen's catch, but is usually grouper, mahimahi, or sea bass. Top it with cream, chipotle, and avocado sauce ... plus spicier flavors, if you're brave.
In need of refreshments after a magical day diving or snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo National Park? Stop by Tacos and Beer, and soak up the muy tranquilo vibes while you eat delicious seafood tacos and admire views so paradisiacal they look like the set of a Corona commerical. The mostly seafood-focused tacos here are served at umbrella-shaded picnic tables that look over the pristine beach and Sea of Cortez beyond. Cans of ice-cold Pacífico are the most popular of the limited pairing options (no Corona here), but first-time visitors should also check out the bottled Big-Eyed Jacks pilsner from local Cabo Pulmo Brewing.
Street eats aren't as ubiquitous in Todos Santos as they are in Cabo or La Paz, but if you're craving tacos and want something cheap, easy, and oh-so-good, go to George's. Choose between fish or shrimp; either will cost you just a few bucks cash (credit cards not excepted), with agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) as the available beverage.
Day or night (and especially at night), this traditional taqueria has you covered for all your taco needs. Asada (beef) and pastor (pork) are the most popular orders here, and even a single taco comes with a giant tray of complimentary salsas and toppings—guac included. This longtime local favorite spot recently added a second seating area to accommodate even more patrons, so don't worry about not being served; despite potential crowds, the service is fast and the tacos are good.
This popular taco joint is slowly taking over the area, with two locations in Cabo San Lucas plus outposts in San José, La Paz, and even Mazatlán. Their beef is 100% sirloin from the Mexican state of Sonora, and it can be ordered one of three ways: grilled, grilled without fat, or fried. The can't-miss menu item, however, is the "stuffed potato," a baked potato topped in cheese and your choice of meat (or for vegetarians, mushrooms and corn) that you then scoop into a tortilla to consume taco-style.
A favorite spot among the dwindling community of local Mexican residents, Tiki Santos can be a little difficult to find (the location shown on Google Maps is not correct), but if you persevere, you'll be rewarded with generous portions of classic Mexican seafood dishes at moderate prices. The decor is as basic as they come—plastic chairs on a dirt sand floor—but that's part of the charm. The food is just as good (if not better than) other restaurants in town charging double.
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