11 Best Restaurants in Mexico

One of Sayulita's pioneer restaurants has really gotten spiffy, beautifying its terrace restaurant with mosaic tile accents. BLTs and burgers, omelets and bagels, chicken with rice, and chai tea are some of what you'll find here, along with a good selection of vegetarian dishes. Service isn't fast, in keeping with laid-back Sayulita's surfer attitude. This perennial favorite across from the main square is almost always full of people eating and loafing. 

This alfresco dining experience is built right in the center of the self-sustaining Flora Farms. It's a charming oasis featuring a farm-to-table restaurant, spa, gift shop, cooking school, organic market, and culinary cottages (private homes), all under the Flora Farms brand. Meals are homemade including produce and meat (chicken and pork) grown on the property and bread baked on-site. Wholly organic meals include favorites like fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, massive pork chops fired in the wood-burning oven, butternut squash ravioli, and a selection of pizzas and seasonal salads. Even the sausages served with sweet potato chips are homemade. The adjacent Farm Bar serves unique takes on classic cocktails delivered in Mason jars, like the "Farmarita" with heirloom carrot infusion or the "Pelo de Perro" (Dog's Hair), a Bloody Mary featuring heirloom tomato water. Flora's is a wonderful learning experience for families by day and a romantic spot for couples by night. There's live music events and movie nights scheduled throughout the year, and cooking classes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 to 2 pm (cost from $2,465 MX includes cocktail and lunch).

Although many have been drinking rather than eating at this local hangout for years, the restaurant serves dependable cuisine (fajitas, burgers, fries), with daily lunch specials and nightly drink specials. The bar has a friendly atmosphere; the interior is cool, dark, and informal. Service is generally attentive, although that doesn't mean the food will arrive promptly. This spot is party-hearty later in the evening, by 10 pm or so.

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.

Baja's popular brewery is right in the middle of San José del Cabo's Art District. Fun and upbeat, this brewpub has great music and serves filling pub meals. Craft burgers, mixed greens, and mesquite-fired pizzas—and more elegant entrées such as tuna tartare and shrimp tacos—should be accompanied with a pint of any of 12 special San José cervezas, along with seasonal offerings, all brewed within sight of the bar and restaurant. Another branch of the brewery is located on the rooftop of the Cabovillas Resort in Cabo San Lucas.

Hardly a dive bar, this place's name refers to Cozumel's great diving experience. Rub elbows with friendly expats and locals alike while you dine on burritos, shrimp bruschetta, and burgers. The atmosphere is fun and the drinks are always cold. There are a couple of TVs to catch a game. Live bands play on weekend evenings and frequently on weeknights, too.

There’s nothing fancy about one of Isla’s most popular restaurants—think plastic tables and chairs with bright tablecloths and furnishings—but Javi’s captures that island informality perfectly. Seafood is the specialty here, with cilantro-chile-lime shrimp, grilled octopus, or Alfredo lobster among the don't-miss dishes. Top it all off with a brownie or flan from the dessert menu. The place looks tiny, but dining spills over into the back courtyard on warm nights.

Juanito's has had American owners for four decades, and the evidence is obvious everywhere from the menu (which includes burgers, milk shakes, fries, barbecued ribs, and fried chicken) to the quick service to the U.S. sporting events on the big-screen TV. But the place has been enthusiastically embraced by the locals, who crowd in every morning for breakfast and stay late into the evening to watch telenovelas (Mexican soaps) when there's no game on. The menu features a full range of Mexican food, too, and there are Internet computers for your use. A smaller branch in a modern building near the port (Blvd. Miguel de la Madrid 426,Tel.314/114–0318) dishes up the same great food.

With 12 kinds of pancakes—including the "Oh Henry," with chocolate bits and peanut butter—and eight kinds of waffles, your child (or inner child) will certainly find something to like. The large dining room is filled with local families on weekends and homesick travelers. The draped back patio is pretty, but it's like a greenhouse when the day heats up. 

The delicious scent of grilling meats will entrance you from blocks away. Latin music blares from the jukebox inside, so after sundown most clients dine at the white plastic tables on the grassy front yard. The charcoal-grilled burgers, which are made of top sirloin, and the french fries, deep-fried zucchini, and baked potatoes are true-to-the-source American treats, but with a twist. The burgers are topped with cabbage, and delicious with the Benton's chipotle sauce that you'll find next to the mustard and ketchup. Try the corn soup served with a generous dollop of sour cream. For dessert there are grilled bananas glazed with cinnamon and sugar and served with fresh cream.

Popular with the surfing crowd, this palapa-covered joint is right on Costa Azul beach, just south of San José del Cabo. Though their burger is the reason to come, the aroma of grilling lobster and tacos, and a soundtrack of surf tunes are why many return. The crowd can get downright rowdy. There's no question that owner "Big Tony" feeds you well for your pesos. With half-pound burgers, slabs of prime rib, or steak and lobster for two at under $30, you'll leave the beach a glutton, albeit a jolly one. Bring the kids in the daytime; they'll enjoy running from the dining table to the sand between every couple of bites. Sporting events sometimes blare on the TV, and live music is offered nightly.