7 Best Bars in Los Cabos and the Baja Peninsula, Mexico

This casual gastro pub is a colorful rooftop hot spot that shares the same stunning view of the famous Los Cabos Arch as its downstairs counterpart, Sunset Monalisa. With live jazz music every day and a selection of more than 140 wines and champagnes, this is the place to watch the sun set over light bites and cocktails.

For drinks with a view of El Arco, head to The Rooftop bar and lounge at The Cape hotel. The sleek setting boasts a beer garden, handcrafted cocktails, and live music at sunset. If it gets too breezy, move to their Glass Box boutique hotel bar specializing in tequilas and mezcals.

A chilled-out alternative to Cabo Wabo, you can listen to excellent live music play on an outdoor stage designed to look like a mound of sand. Sports games are also frequently broadcast. For a bite to accompany a beverage, try the sushi.

Easily the most famous bar in Los Cabos (if not Mexico as a whole), Cabo Wabo is worth a visit for the novelty alone. There's live music every afternoon and evening, and if you're lucky, you might just witness a jam session from owner Sammy Hagar and some of his legendary musician friends, who stop by a few times a year. The club's zany design—high cavernous ceilings, zebra stripes, and psychedelic neon patterns—are as fun as ever, even if the venue is now past its prime. (The energetic crowds once featured on MTV are largely a thing of the past, save for Hagar's annual Birthday Bash, which sells out instantly.) There's a steep markup on the menu's prices, but the house Cabo Wabo Tequila still merits a taste. Grabbing a bottle or a T-shirt from the on-site souvenir shop is a must for any Van Halen fan.

On most days, this restaurant at the boutique solar-powered VIDASOUL Hotel is a quiet place to enjoy a drink or meal overlooking gorgeous beachfront views of the Sea of Cortez. But on Friday and Saturday night in-season (November through May), live bands play, and it becomes the best of the scant nightlife options between Los Barriles and San José del Cabo. Locals and visitors alike party down, East Cape style, and the restaurant closes when the last guest goes to bed.

This noisy, friendly roadhouse always attracts those looking to down a shot of tequila, sip cold beer, and mingle with old or new friends. The menu features good, dependable, and mostly American fare. From October to June they host live music, ranging in style from pop to blues to country.

Named for the nearby surf break, beachfront Zipper's attracts a mixed crowd of surfers and nonsurfers alike. A good selection of beer, as well as ribs and burgers, is always on hand, with live music weekdays and Sunday.