Eat and Drink

Best Restaurants in Cabo: The 10 I'd Go Back To

By Cabo Wander

Right after "where should we stay", the next thing friends ask me is where to eat. My answer tends to surprise them, because almost none of it comes with an ocean view.

It took me a lot of dinners to work this out, but in Cabo, what you pay for dinner mostly follows the view, and the cooking is a separate question. The best meals I've had here sit at the two ends of the price range, and most of them are nowhere near the water. I'm talking about a US$30 seafood lunch a few blocks behind the marina, a wood-fire dinner on a patio behind a beer store, and a farm table outside San José. The middle of the market is where I've paid the most for the least on the plate. That's the US$90 to $150 a head dinner on the marina, on the beach, or on the cliff with the famous sunset.

So my number one is Metate, a patio restaurant in a back street of Cabo San Lucas where dinner runs about US$60 to $90 a head. If you want a farm dinner, go to Acre. If you want one big splurge, go to El Farallón, and know the number before you sit down.

I ranked these by how good the food is for what it costs. After that I looked at whether the setting gives you something you can't get anywhere else. I also made sure the list has a cheap lunch, a breakfast, a taco spot and something in each of the three areas, because nobody eats tasting menus for a week. If you're still deciding which town to stay in, food is one of the things I weigh in Cabo San Lucas vs San José del Cabo. And if you already know your town, I go deeper on each one in the best restaurants in Cabo San Lucas and the best restaurants in San José del Cabo.

Check that a place is open the week you go, on its own website or with a phone call. A lot of independent kitchens here take their vacation in late summer, and the timing is in the best time to visit Cabo. A booking app will sometimes take a reservation for a restaurant that's shut.

So let's get into it.

1. Metate

Metate is the best cooking for the money in Los Cabos, and it's my answer whenever someone asks if there's anything really good in Cabo San Lucas that wasn't built for tourists. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand, which is its award for good food at a fair price, and I think they got it right.

It's in El Tezal, a residential area on the inland side of the highway just east of town. The landmark is a Modelorama beer store, and the restaurant is behind it. You eat on an open stone patio under trees and string lights, and nearly everything comes off a wood fire. The food is regional Mexican with a lot of Oaxaca in it, with small plates built on blue corn and then meat and fish from the grill.

The grilled bone marrow is the dish I'd send you for first. After that, get the Cochiloco, which is ceviche served with little fried pork tacos, and the mesquite-grilled octopus. There's also a seafood soup cooked in a stone bowl, and the tlayudas are good.

Most plates are somewhere between 250 and 600 pesos, and the menu is priced in pesos. With a beer or two, tax and tip, dinner comes out around US$60 to $80 a head, and closer to US$90 if you're drinking cocktails. To put that in perspective, the fee one sunset restaurant charges just for a front-row seat would buy you an appetizer here.

The cocktails are the weak spot, and they aren't cheap, so I skip them. It's all outdoors, which is lovely in winter and hot from about August to October. And some nights there's a live saxophonist, who I could take or leave.

My tips:

• Go for dinner, after dark. The patio is lit up and it's cooler.
• Don't show up at 5:30. Lunch ends at 5 and dinner starts at 7, and there's nothing in between.
• Take a car. You can't walk it from the marina. It's a short ride, around US$10 by taxi and less by Uber, and I compare the two in getting around Cabo.
• Check the map pin. Some booking sites file Metate under San José del Cabo. It's in Cabo San Lucas.
• Book ahead in high season. It's busy even on a slow weeknight.

Bottom line: if you only book one dinner in Cabo San Lucas, I'd make it this one.

2. Acre, and the Farm Restaurants

A farm dinner is the meal I'd build an evening around, and of the three farms outside San José, Acre is the one I'd book for dinner. It's the best night out of the three. If what's on the plate matters more to you than the evening around it, Los Tamarindos is the one to book.

All three are in the hills at Ánimas Bajas, 10 to 15 minutes from San José's center, and the last stretch is a dirt road. Acre is modern cooking that's hard to pin to one country, served outdoors on a working farm with a cocktail bar and treehouse rooms on the property. Michelin recommends it and gave it a Green Star, which is its sustainability award.

I'd order the cheddar biscuits first, and I'm not the only one, because they're on nearly every table. Then the crab cake and the short rib, which is the house signature. If there are a few of you, the whole grilled fish is the big-ticket plate to share. Save room for dessert.

Dinner runs about US$120 to $165 a head with drinks, tax and tip, so it's priced like a nice restaurant in a big city. Weekend brunch is a set menu and costs less, and kids under 12 are about half price.

I ride out around 5 so I see the place in daylight, have a drink at the bar, and eat under the lights. Wear flat shoes, because it's gravel and grass. The ride home is ten minutes of dirt road in the dark, so I sort out my car before dessert. Getting an Uber out there is easy. I wouldn't count on one turning up quickly for the ride back late at night.

As for the other two:

• Flora's Field Kitchen at Flora Farms is the famous one, and Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand. The cooking is American and Italian. The wood-oven pizza is the best thing they make, the beet salad is a close second, and at brunch I'd get the lemon ricotta pancakes. It's the most family-friendly of the high-end places here. The tables sit in the middle of a little village of shops, so go for brunch and the place itself, and don't expect Mexican food or a bargain.
• Los Tamarindos is the quiet one. The ceviche is the dish to get, and the mezcal shrimp and the suckling pig are both good. It serves dinner every night, which a lot of people don't realize. The menu is short. I'd put the food level with Flora's, with a lot less going on around it.

Hours can change in late summer, so check before you go between July and October. Book ahead in high season, weekend brunch especially.

If you're stuck between them, I go through all three in Flora Farms vs Acre vs Los Tamarindos, and the famous one gets its own post in is Flora Farms worth it.

3. Don Sanchez

Don Sanchez is the best dinner you can walk to in San José's old town. That's why it's number three, and it's the table I book on an Art Walk night.

It's on the main street that runs south from Plaza Mijares, a few minutes on foot from any hotel in the center. The food is modern Mexican, a lot of it cooked over a wood fire, and it's a dressed-up, grown-up night out.

The dishes I'd point you to are the wood-fired brisket, the lobster taco and the octopus ceviche. The Caesar salad made at your table is the thing everyone orders. It's good, it feeds several people, and it's expensive for a salad. If someone in your group is vegan, the options here are really good.

The catch is the check. This is San José's most expensive walkable dinner. Mains run from about 800 pesos to more than 1,200, and with drinks, tax and tip I'd plan on US$100 to $150 a head. I think the cooking holds up at that price. I also think you should decide to spend it before you sit down, so the total doesn't sting.

It's dinner only. On Thursdays from November through June the galleries stay open late and the whole town is out, so book ahead for those nights. I've got the evening planned out in my post on the San José Art Walk.

4. El Farallón

El Farallón is the one view restaurant in Cabo that I think earns its price, and I'd go once. How the menu works, which table to ask for and what the check really comes to are in is El Farallón worth it.

It's cut into the cliff above the Pacific at the Waldorf Astoria in Pedregal. You get there through the hotel's private tunnel from the marina side, and the tunnel mouth is about a ten-minute walk from the marina if you'd rather not take a cab. Then you're at a table on the rail with the surf right below you and a guitarist or a violinist playing most evenings. This side faces the open Pacific, so in the winter half of the year the sun goes down into the sea here. In summer, ask where it sets from the ledge before you book for it.

The food is seafood. The day's catch is laid out on ice, someone walks you through it, and it's grilled plainly over charcoal. A regular reservation gets you a four-course dinner, priced by the main you pick. There's also a set menu you pay for when you book, which is a mixed grill of things like bluefin tuna, red snapper and jumbo shrimp. I'd get the snapper and the bluefin, and the chocolate cake to finish. The service is very good.

The prepaid set menu is roughly US$200 to $220 a head before drinks. Tax and an 18% "admin fee" are already inside that number, which means about a third of what you're paying is add-ons. On a regular reservation the mains run about US$100 to $150 before tax and service, and lobster is a lot more. Either way, with wine, two people will spend US$450 to $600.

And is the food worth that? On its own, no. It's good fish, simply cooked, and for some people at my table it's been a little plain for the money. I'd say about half of the check is for the cliff. For one big night, an anniversary or a honeymoon, I think the whole evening is worth it. If the food is what you care about most, spend the money at Metate and Acre and you'll have plenty left over.

You get walked to the Champagne Terrace before you get walked to your table, and anything you order there is a second check. You can say no thanks. And dinner can be slow, even with a lot of staff around.

My tips:

• Book well in advance. This is the one reservation in Cabo I'd make as soon as the flights are booked, for any trip from December to April.
• Book for 45 minutes before sunset and ask for a table on the rail. It's a request, and they won't promise it.
• Bring a layer in winter. It's the windy side of the cape. In summer there are no fans, and a hot night is a hot night.
• Leave small kids at home. It's a lot of money for a meal they won't remember.

5. Mariscos Las Tres Islas

This is seafood done right at about a third of what the marina charges, and it's the lunch I'd send anyone to in Cabo San Lucas. It's a few blocks inland from the marina on Calle Revolución, and you can walk it from anywhere downtown.

Don't expect a quiet room. It's a big, loud seafood hall under a palapa roof, with about a hundred people and a band moving from table to table. I love it. It's a poor pick for a romantic dinner, though.

Start with the shrimp aguachile or a campechana, which is a mixed seafood cocktail. Then get the garlic shrimp or a whole fish, either fried or split open and grilled. For a group, the seafood platter covers fish, shrimp and octopus in one go. The margaritas come in something close to a fishbowl.

It's not perfect. A couple of the sauces have missed for me, and the chocolate clams have been great on one visit and so-so on another. Those are the big brown-shelled clams this part of Baja is known for, and they're named for the color of the shell. The plainly cooked fish and shrimp are what the kitchen does best, so that's what I stick to.

Mains are in the high twenties in dollars, and I spend US$25 to $35 a head with a drink. Four of us have eaten here for about US$100 total. Order the big seafood platter and a round of margaritas and it's closer to US$50 a head.

You don't need a reservation. When the band gets to your table, a song means a tip. Sunday lunch is family day and it's packed. Kids are welcome, and there are chicken tenders for the ones who won't touch fish. Pay in pesos.

The rest of downtown, and how to find your way around it, is in my Cabo San Lucas guide.

6. Carbón Cabrón

If you eat meat, this is your dinner. Everything at Carbón Cabrón is cooked over a wood fire, and you sit at long tables facing the grills, with firewood stacked up around you. Michelin recommends it, and it's the restaurant I hear locals bring up the most.

A lot of websites get the location wrong. It's on the highway near Palmilla, at the San José end of the Corridor, about ten minutes from San José's center. It's between the two towns and you can't walk to it, so you'll need a ride from wherever you're staying.

The short ribs are the main event. The surprise is the vegetables, and the fire-roasted onion is the best thing I've eaten here, which I didn't see coming at a grill house. I'd also order the prawns with pork belly and, if you're up for it, the beef tongue. There's a four-course chef's menu if you'd rather not choose.

I've had the prawns come out a little overcooked, the ribeye wasn't the best cut I've been served at this price, and one dessert missed. I'd order the short ribs and the vegetables over a steak.

Price-wise it's in the same range as Don Sanchez and Acre. Steak, sides and wine for two came to around US$300 for me. That's more than the price label on the booking sites suggests, so don't go by those.

It's dinner only, and you'll smell like wood smoke afterward, so don't wear anything precious. Book ahead in high season.

7. La Lupita Taco & Mezcal

La Lupita is the lively one, and it's my taco pick for a night out in San José. It's in the gallery district a few minutes' walk from the plaza, with a courtyard, live music and a long mezcal list, and it's one of the livelier rooms in town in the evening.

The tacos are a chef's take on the classics, and the good ones are really good. I'd get the duck with mole, the suckling pig pibil and the pastor with a crust of griddled cheese. The chipotle shrimp is the one to order if you don't eat meat. Add guacamole for the table.

It's a sit-down restaurant that happens to serve tacos, and it's priced like one. If you walk in expecting to pay what a taqueria charges, the check will be a shock. I think it's worth it for the evening as much as the food. For a cheap taco lunch, though, I'd go somewhere else, and my list for that is in the best tacos in Cabo.

It gets loud as the night goes on, so bring kids early or leave them at home. On Art Walk Thursdays you'll need a reservation. On other nights you can usually walk in if you go early in the evening.

8. Lolita Café

Lolita is my breakfast pick, and it's the reason I get up early in San José. It's a block from the mission church, in a courtyard under mango trees, with fans going.

What sets it apart is the baking. The buns for the breakfast sandwiches are made in house, and so are the cinnamon rolls and the conchas. Every table gets three house salsas and pickles, and the coffee is good.

Order the chilaquiles divorciados, which come half in red sauce and half in green, with a fried egg and pork on top. The green side is my favorite. The other one I'd get is the Abreojos, a sandwich of poached eggs and pulled pork shoulder. If you like something sweet with your coffee, the Lolita Especial is an espresso and chocolate drink, and it's a good excuse to add a cinnamon roll.

The prices are fair for food this good, and I've never left feeling like I overpaid.

The catch is the schedule. It's closed on Mondays and it shuts in the early afternoon, so it's breakfast or an early lunch only. You can't book, so I'd go early on a weekend. If you get there on a Monday, Ruba's Bakery is also in the old town, in a 1940s house, with sourdough, croissants and conchas, and it does breakfast every day.

The rest of the old town is in my San José del Cabo guide.

9. Nicksan

Nicksan is the marina restaurant that's much better than where it is would make you think. It's been serving Japanese food with Mexican ingredients since the 1990s, a few steps off the boardwalk, and it has regulars who've been coming for twenty years.

The dish I'd start with is the tuna tostada, which is raw tuna on a rice cracker with avocado and a habanero and serrano sauce. Then get the sashimi serranito, scallop or fish dressed with serrano oil. If you love fatty tuna, the toro is worth the splurge. There's an omakase if you want the kitchen to choose, and it's creative.

The fish is very fresh, and the cooking has never been my complaint here. The check is. Plan on US$90 to $150 a head, and when five of us went it came to about US$700. That's big-city sushi money. You're also indoors with no view, which feels a little odd in a fishing port.

It's for anyone staying near the marina who wants one really good dinner without getting in a car. Book a day or two ahead, more in high season. There's a second Nicksan at the Shoppes at Palmilla if you're staying toward San José.

10. Manta

Manta is the best of the Corridor hotel restaurants that someone who isn't staying there can easily book. It's at The Cape, about ten minutes east of Cabo San Lucas, with the Arch right there in the window.

The menu is by Enrique Olvera, one of the best-known chefs in Mexico. Just so you know, his name is on the menu and he isn't in the kitchen. The food is Mexican with a lot of Peru and Japan in it, so there's raw fish, hand rolls and grilled fish. I'd order the tuna sashimi, the grouper, and the fish tacos with miso cabbage on flour tortillas. For dessert, the tres leches comes with black cherry ice cream. You can also do a five-course chef's menu or a seven-course run of hand rolls.

I've been split on it. I've had a dinner here I really liked, and one that fell flat for what it cost. The room is dark and the service can drift. It's a hotel restaurant at hotel prices, so plan on roughly US$170 to $230 a head with drinks.

Book for before sunset so you get the view of Land's End while it's light, and go up to the hotel's rooftop bar afterward. And ask the restaurant where your ride can pick you up. At a lot of resorts on this highway an Uber has to meet you at the gate.

If you're staying on the west end of the Corridor, this is your nice dinner out. I wouldn't cross town for it from San José. There's more on the area in my Tourist Corridor guide.

The Ones That Didn't Make It

None of these are bad. A few are very good, and they're just the wrong thing for most people or the wrong price for what they are.

Sunset Monalisa. It has the best-known view in Cabo, looking across the bay at the Arch, and it's a lovely place to be at sunset. I just wouldn't have dinner there. The tables are sold by row. The upper terrace takes a card guarantee of about US$20 a person, which is only charged if you cancel late or don't show up. The front row charges a seat fee of about US$25 a person that doesn't come off anything, and you have to order the tasting menu. The Ocean Terrace is around US$175 a person, paid ahead, before drinks. The food hasn't matched those prices for me. My tip is to book the lounge instead. It's about 500 pesos a person, and that amount is credited to what you order. You get the same view with a cocktail in your hand. If you're bringing kids, ask what the children's menu costs first.

Cocina de Autor. This is the tasting menu restaurant inside Grand Velas on the Corridor, and it holds the only Michelin star in the state. If a long tasting menu is your idea of a great night, it belongs at the top of your list. I left it out of the ranking because the hotel doesn't publish what dinner costs if you aren't staying there, so I can't tell you whether it's worth it. Ask when you call. What I can tell you is that it's adults only. There's a real dress code, which for men means a collared shirt, long pants and closed shoes. Outside guests pay a per-person deposit that you lose if you don't show up.

Los Tres Gallos. It's traditional Mexican food in a pretty brick courtyard downtown, a 10 to 15 minute walk from the marina, and it's the easy, safe choice for a dinner on foot in Cabo San Lucas. Get the pork shank carnitas or the pozole. It runs US$50 to $80 a head, which is a lot for what it is, and the mariachi is part of the deal whether you want it or not.

Tacos Gardenias. The battered fish and shrimp tacos are still good, and I like that the toppings come to your table on a tray. It's no longer the bargain the old blog posts describe. One check came to me in dollars when the menu was in pesos, so say you're paying in pesos when you order.

El Huerto. It's a farm restaurant in El Tezal, on the Cabo San Lucas side, and people who know it rave about the breakfast. I don't know it well enough yet to rank it. Its address is literally a street with no name, so drop a pin before you get in the car.

Jazmín's. It's a cheerful old-town restaurant in San José with a good cheap breakfast. At dinner the mariachi is very loud and the food has been up and down for me. There are better dinners within two blocks.

Comal. The terrace at Chileno Bay is lovely, and if you're staying on that part of the Corridor you should go. I've had one great dinner there and one with small portions and slow service. Getting an Uber to pick you up at the resort gate is a hassle, so I wouldn't take a 25 minute ride from town for it.

El Toro Güero. This is San José's local seafood spot. I had shrimp ceviche, a grilled red snapper and four beers for two of us for under US$60, and it was a good lunch. It's less consistent than Las Tres Islas. Order the whole grilled fish and skip the tuna.

Claro Fish Jr. It's a seafood taqueria in San José, and the smoked marlin taco is the one to get. Smoked marlin is one of the really local things to eat down here. Go at lunch and look over your check.

The Office and Edith's. You'll see both on every list. They're long-standing names on Médano Beach, and both close for a stretch every year in late summer, so check before you walk over. If a day on that sand is the plan, I rank the places with loungers in the best beach clubs in Cabo.

How the Check Works in Cabo

Tax. Sales tax is 16%. At local places it's already in the menu price. At hotel restaurants and the very top end, it may be added on top, sometimes with a service charge. I can't tell you which restaurants do which, so look at the bottom of the menu or ask.

Service. A lot of restaurants in the tourist areas print a tip on the check for you. It shows up as "propina sugerida", "servicio" or "cargo por servicio", and it's anywhere from 10% to 18%. Then the server hands you the card terminal, already open on the "add a tip?" screen. If you tap 20% there, you've tipped twice. So read the check before you touch the terminal. The tax line is tax. A propina or servicio line is the tip.

Tipping. 15% is normal and 20% is for really good service. If service is already printed, you don't need to add anything. A tip is voluntary here, and you can ask to have it changed if the service didn't earn it. At a taqueria, 10% or your small change is fine. Tip in pesos if you can, because your server loses part of a dollar tip changing it.

Dollars or pesos. Almost everywhere takes dollars and cards. Pay in pesos anyway. If you pay a peso check with dollar bills, you get the restaurant's own exchange rate. If the card terminal offers to charge you in dollars, say no and pick pesos, because then the rate is the machine's. The terminal comes to your table, so there's no reason for your card to leave your sight.

Drinks. This is where a mid-priced dinner turns into an expensive one. Cocktails are US$12 to $18 and the fancy margaritas go past $20. I've had two rounds cost more than the food. At a beach restaurant, ask the price of shots or a bottle before you order them.

Here's roughly what dinner costs per person, with a drink, tax and tip:

• Tacos and a beer: US$10 to $20
• A local seafood restaurant: US$25 to $40
• A good independent dinner: US$50 to $90
• The marina, Médano or a resort: US$90 to $150
• The cliff and the tasting menus: US$200 to $300

The rest of the trip budget is in how much Cabo costs.

The Marina Pattern to Walk Past

A few restaurants around the marina are good. The ones to walk past are easy to spot. There's a host out on the boardwalk with a laminated photo menu, an offer of two-for-one margaritas or a free tequila shot, prices in dollars only, a lobster and steak combo, and a mariachi making the rounds.

The food at these is fine. It's also US$90 to $150 a head for a dinner you won't remember. Cross the street and walk two or three blocks inland, and you're among the local places that cost a third of that. Las Tres Islas is one of them.

I've been handed a dollar menu at a local spot that also had a cheaper one in pesos, so if the menu you get is in dollars, ask if there's a peso one.

The Verdict

Eat at the cheap end and the top end, and be picky about everything in between. Whenever a dinner comes with a view, ask yourself whether you're paying for the view or the food, and be happy with your answer before you book.

If you only have time for one, go to Metate.

Here's what I'd pick for you:

• A special dinner: El Farallón for the setting, booked for sunset, once. If the food matters more to you than the cliff, Acre.
• A cheap, great lunch: Mariscos Las Tres Islas. Garlic shrimp or a whole fish, and pay in pesos.
• Breakfast: Lolita Café, any day but Monday.
• Staying in Cabo San Lucas: Metate for dinner, Las Tres Islas for lunch, and Nicksan if you want to walk.
• Staying in San José: Don Sanchez on foot and Acre by car, with La Lupita for the fun night.
• Staying on the Corridor: Manta if you're at the west end, Carbón Cabrón if you're at the east end.
• With kids: Las Tres Islas, and brunch at Flora Farms.
• For a sunset drink with a view on a budget: the lounge at Sunset Monalisa.

If you're staying in Cabo San Lucas and want dinner in San José, an Uber is about 600 pesos each way and the ride is 35 to 45 minutes. The bus stops running around 10pm, so plan your ride home before you order dessert. And if dinner is the main reason for your trip, pick a base where you can walk to it. I go area by area in where to stay in Cabo, and everything to do between meals is in my list of things to do in Cabo. If you're heading up the Pacific coast for the day, lunch is covered in where to eat in Todos Santos.

Have dinner at Metate, behind the beer store, and go after dark. Tres Islas for lunch. Lolita for breakfast. One farm night at Acre. Farallón if it's an anniversary... and have a drink at Monalisa, but eat somewhere else. Read the check before you tip, and pay in pesos when the menu is in pesos.

Quick Answers

What is the best restaurant in Cabo? For the money, Metate in Cabo San Lucas, where dinner is about US$60 to $90 a head. For the setting, El Farallón, and for a farm dinner, Acre.

Is San José or Cabo San Lucas better for food? San José, if food is the point of the trip, because you can walk between several good dinners and the farms are close. Cabo San Lucas is better for cheap seafood and tacos, and it has Metate.

Is Sunset Monalisa worth it? For the view and a drink, yes. For dinner I'd say no at those prices, so book the lounge, where what you pay to get in is credited to your order. The longer answer is in is Sunset Monalisa worth it.

How much is dinner in Cabo? Tacos and a beer are US$10 to $20, a local seafood dinner is US$25 to $40, and a good independent restaurant is US$50 to $90. Marina and resort dinners run US$90 to $150, and the cliff and the tasting menus are US$200 to $300, all per person with a drink, tax and tip.

Do I tip, and is service already on the check? 15% is normal and 20% is for great service. Read the check first, because a lot of places print a propina or servicio line, and if it's there you don't need to add more on the card terminal.