Eat and Drink

Flora Farms vs Acre vs Los Tamarindos: Which One I'd Book

By Cabo Wander

Almost every friend staying near San José del Cabo asks me which farm restaurant to book, and the next question is usually "or should we just do all three?" You only need one. They're also three pretty different evenings, which surprises people, because every list files them together as "the farm restaurants."

Here's how I sort them. Flora Farms is the daytime outing, the one you can bring kids and your parents to. Acre is the grown-up dinner with very good cocktails. Los Tamarindos has the most Mexican cooking, the smallest check and the fewest other people. For my own one dinner out, I book Acre. If what's on the plate matters more to you than the night around it, I'd send you to Los Tamarindos. And if you want to see the famous one, go to Flora for brunch.

When friends want it even shorter, I tell them Flora is where you take your mom, Acre is where you take a date, and Los Tamarindos is where you go when it's all about the food.

What took me a while to see is that the cooking is the smallest difference between them. All three are good. The setting, the crowd, the check and even the ride home change a lot more from one farm to the next, so that's what I'd pick on.

The farms share a single entry in my list of the best restaurants in Cabo, and they deserve to be pulled apart. For the dinners in town on your other nights, see the best restaurants in San José del Cabo.

The Quick Version

Book Flora Farms if you have kids or parents along, it's your first time and you want to see the famous one, or you like a slow morning with a walk and some browsing. Go for brunch.

Book Acre if you want one dressed-up dinner with a proper drink first. It costs the most of the three.

Book Los Tamarindos if you came to Mexico to eat Mexican food, you'd like a quiet table, or you want a cooking class. It's the hardest one to find, so go in daylight.

Skip all three if you're staying in Cabo San Lucas without a car on a short trip. The ride takes too much out of the evening.

The Food

These are three different kinds of cooking, so this is the first thing I'd sort on.

Flora's is American and Italian. It's pizza from a wood oven, pasta, sandwiches, a pork chop, and bread baked on the property. It's good, and Michelin gave the kitchen a Bib Gourmand, its award for good cooking at a moderate price. Just know before you book that nothing on the table is Mexican. I go through it dish by dish in is Flora Farms worth it.

Acre is harder to pin to a country, and it's the most polished plate of the three. Everybody orders the cheddar biscuits first, and everybody is right. After that I'd get the crab cake or the tuna tartare, then the short rib, which is the house signature and comes over potato purée. The whole grilled fish is the one to share if there are a few of you. Finish with the key lime pie or the chocolate tres leches. Michelin lists Acre as a recommended restaurant, and the service is the best of the three farms. Nobody has ever hurried me through a meal here.

The cocktails are the other reason I pick it. They're built on herbs and fruit from the farm, and there's a house mezcal poured at a tiny cantina with twelve stools and hand-painted hummingbirds. My one note is that some of the drinks are subtle. If you like a cocktail that announces itself, a couple of these will taste a little quiet for what they cost.

Los Tamarindos is the Mexican one, with salads from the garden and pasta made in house alongside. Start with the coconut ceviche or the tiradito. Then get the mezcal shrimp, or the suckling pig from the wood oven, which comes with crisp skin. The pork shank in green mole is the plate I'd point you to if you want something you won't find at the other two, and the carrots with vanilla over hummus are a better starter than they sound. The fish is bought at the marina that day, and the farm raises its own hens and quail. To drink, there are seven margaritas on a list that rotates, with flavors like guava mint and hibiscus basil. Tamarind and rosemary is the one I'd order.

It was good, and for the food alone I'd put it ahead of Flora. What I'd want different is the length of the menu, which is short, and the pace. On a quiet night with four other tables in the room, I waited about fifteen minutes between everything. I'd also skip the clam pasta. Mine was very spicy and the clams were chewy.

Bottom line: for the whole dinner, Acre. For the plate by itself, Los Tamarindos.

The Setting

The places differ more than the plates do.

Flora Farms is a compound. There's a mango grove, ponds, a playground, a grocery, a wine shop and about ten stores around the restaurant, so it has by far the most to do in daylight. You can walk the grounds and the shops without a reservation, too.

Acre is a palm grove. You walk in on a sandy path under the trees to the bar, the dining room is open on the sides, and the treehouse rooms sit up in the palms around you. It's the best-looking of the three after dark, and it feels like a night out from the minute you arrive.

By day Acre also has the animals, which is the thing people expect at Flora and don't find there. It runs a dog rescue that has sent more than a thousand dogs to new homes, and you can take one for a walk on a leash with a caretaker. There are goats, burros, peacocks and chickens too. That area keeps daytime hours and shuts by mid-afternoon, so I'd be there before 3. If you arrive at 6 for dinner, you've missed all of it. The pools are for people staying overnight, and I've never found a day pass, so don't pack a swimsuit for brunch.

Los Tamarindos is the plain one, and I mean that as praise. The entrance is a simple archway that I nearly drove past. Behind it is an old brick farmhouse on what used to be a sugar cane plantation, with a palapa roof, string lights and a terrace that looks out over the fields your dinner came from. There are no shops and nothing to buy, which for some of us is the whole appeal.

None of the three has an ocean view or a sunset worth timing a table around. What you're timing is daylight on the grounds, and then the lights coming on.

What It Costs

Los Tamarindos is the least expensive, Acre is the most, and the gap between them is around US$50 a person at dinner. Flora sits in the middle.

These are my own rough numbers, per person, with a couple of drinks and the tip:

• Los Tamarindos, dinner: about US$75 to $110. Lunch is cheaper still.
• Flora Farms, brunch: about US$55 to $80
• Flora Farms, dinner: about US$90 to $140
• Acre, weekend brunch tasting menu: about US$110 to $120 with drinks
• Acre, dinner: about US$120 to $165, and closer to US$200 if you order the whole fish or a steak

At Acre the drinks do a lot of that. Cocktails run US$22 to $28 and a glass of wine is about US$25, so two rounds is a real line on the check. Mains start around US$40 for the chicken or a pasta and the short rib is in the mid 50s. The whole fish and the steaks are US$85 to $90, and sides are extra at about US$16 each. One night a family table with a steak to split, a kid's meal, a side, wine and drinks came to about US$600 for us. For a special dinner for two, I think it's worth it. For a family of four on an ordinary night, I'd think hard.

I'd also be careful with the weekly specials at Acre, and check that they're running when you go. Taco Tuesday sounds like the cheap night, and mine came to about US$145 a head, with fish tacos that were a letdown. Wednesday has been all-you-can-eat ribs for about 1,000 pesos, which is the better deal of the two, though with two drinks you're back at the bottom of the regular dinner range.

At Los Tamarindos, a margarita is about 300 pesos, around US$17. Starters run about US$15 to $30 and most mains are US$25 to $40. The suckling pig and the lamb cost more than that. It's the only one of the three where I've looked at the check and thought it matched what I ate.

Whichever you pick, read the check before you tip, because a service line may already be on it, and pay in pesos if the check is in pesos. The rest of the trip budget is in how much Cabo costs. And if you're on a meal plan at your resort and wondering whether a dinner out is worth paying for twice, I do that math in whether a Cabo all-inclusive is worth it.

Brunch or Dinner?

Each farm has one meal it's best at, and they aren't the same meal.

• Flora Farms: brunch. It costs less than dinner and you see the whole place in daylight. Brunch runs Tuesday through Sunday. Monday is dinner only, and the kitchen is closed in the middle of the afternoon every day.
• Acre: dinner. Get there half an hour early for a drink at the bar. The weekend brunch is the other good way to do it, and it's the easiest way to see the animals and eat on the same visit. The tasting menu is the one to order, and it's served at an easy pace.
• Los Tamarindos: an early dinner, or a cooking class that ends in lunch. I'd get there around 5:30, with light still on the fields. It also solves the problem of finding the place in the dark.

On hours, Acre does lunch and dinner on weekdays, and brunch and then dinner on weekends, but I've seen its own listings disagree with each other, so check the times when you book. Los Tamarindos serves dinner every night, which a lot of people don't realize, plus lunch and a weekend brunch. Confirm those when you book as well.

In winter it's dark early and the evenings are cool, so bring a layer to any of them. From July to October it's the opposite problem. These are open-air rooms with fans and no air conditioning, and a dinner can be a hot one.

You'll also read that the farms shut down in September. Flora and Acre stay open through late summer. I'm less sure about Los Tamarindos, so call before you go. With all three, check the hours any time from July to October, and after a big storm give the dirt roads a day or two.

From November through June, Thursday is gallery night in town, and farm tables on those evenings are the first to go. A farm dinner and the San José Art Walk cover the same hours, so pick one for the night. Where a farm meal fits around the beach days is in my 5-day Cabo itinerary.

Reservations and the Fine Print

Flora is the hardest table to get, Acre is next, and Los Tamarindos is easy. All three take bookings online, and two of them will charge you for not showing up.

• Flora Farms. A card holds the table. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead or it's about 925 pesos a person, around US$50. They hold the table ten minutes, and your whole party has to be there to be seated. In high season I'd book as soon as your dates are firm.
• Acre. A card holds this one too, and you need to cancel two days ahead, which is longer than most people expect. A no-show is about US$50 a person. The table is held fifteen minutes. For a weekend brunch or a prime dinner hour in winter I'd book two to three weeks out, and about a week ahead for a midweek night.
• Los Tamarindos. A few days ahead is usually plenty, and longer for a class. It doesn't publish its cancellation terms, so ask what they are when you book, and assume a card can be charged for a table you don't use.

For Christmas week and Easter, book any of them the moment you have dates. In summer, a few days is fine everywhere.

All three are also wedding and private event venues, so I re-confirm my table the week before.

If a class is why you're going, Los Tamarindos is the one I'd pick. It runs every day at 10am and 3pm, takes about four hours, and you walk the beds, cook four courses and then sit down to eat them. It's about 2,900 pesos a person with tax included, roughly US$160, and you book it by email. Flora's class costs about the same and is bigger and more polished. This one is smaller and more down to earth, and the recipes are more involved.

The Crowd and the Noise

This is the difference I'd weigh most if you're picky about atmosphere.

Flora is big and lively. It's families, three-generation tables, birthday groups and first-timers, with live music going, and almost everyone there is on vacation. I like the energy at brunch. It's the wrong room for a quiet talk.

Acre is couples, wedding guests and groups who dressed for the evening. People put in a little more effort here, and you'll feel fine doing the same, as long as your shoes are flat. You'll read older write-ups that call it a party with a DJ, and I haven't run into that. What I have noticed is the fans, which are big and loud enough that I've had to lean in. And the mosquitoes come out in the evening, especially from August to October, so bring repellent.

Los Tamarindos is quiet, with couples, people on their third or fourth trip, and people who like to cook. On nights when the other two were full, I've sat here with a handful of tables around me.

The one exception is a cruise shore excursion that comes to Los Tamarindos, so on a day with ships in the bay at Cabo San Lucas there can be a group in at lunch. Dinner is the calm meal.

If the whole farm scene sounds like more fuss than you want, there are good dinners you can walk to in town, and they're in my San José del Cabo guide.

Bringing Kids

Flora is the easy answer. It has a playground, turtles and koi to look at, pizza, and a staff that's used to families. Go at brunch.

Acre is more of a mixed answer than people think. You'll see it described as adults-only, and that's only true of the treehouse rooms. Kids are welcome in the restaurant, and the weekend brunch has a child's price for under-twelves at about half. A weekend morning with the dogs and the goats and then brunch is a good family outing. Dinner is a long, expensive, dressed-up meal aimed at adults, and I'd get a sitter.

Los Tamarindos is fine with kids, and there's nothing laid on for them beyond a bocce court. Families do take the cooking class, and the school suggests booking a private one if you're bringing children.

Getting There and Back

All three are in Ánimas Bajas, a farming area 10 to 15 minutes from San José's plaza. You cross the bridge over the estuary toward Puerto Los Cabos, and the last stretch to each is a bumpy dirt road with no lights. Flora and Acre are neighbors, a couple of minutes apart by car. Los Tamarindos is on a different lane in the same area.

Getting out there is the easy half. An Uber will take you to any of them. An ordinary rental car handles the road if you go slowly, and all three have parking. Flora has signs after the bridge. Los Tamarindos is the one that's hard to find. Use the map pin, look for the archway, and make your first visit in daylight. One night I drove around for half an hour looking for it and gave up.

The ride home is where they differ, and I'd sort it out before you order dessert.

• Flora Farms has a taxi stand right next door. Ask the fare before you get in.
• Acre and Los Tamarindos don't have one that I've found. Ask the host to call you a taxi, and ask early in the meal. I've had a wait for a ride out of Los Tamarindos.

Uber is worth trying from any of them. I just can't promise how fast a car shows up on a dirt road late in the evening, so I count on the taxi, and if an Uber comes, great. You can also ask the driver who brought you to come back at a set time. I don't have a taxi fare from San José that I trust, so agree on the price first. Every ride on this coast is compared in getting around Cabo.

Since Flora and Acre are so close, there's a combination I like if you can't choose. Walk Flora's grounds and shops in the late afternoon, which doesn't need a reservation, and then ride two minutes to Acre for dinner.

If you're staying in Cabo San Lucas, any of the three is the best part of an hour each way, and the taxi quotes I've heard for the round trip run about US$150 to $180. That's a LOT to add to a dinner that already costs what these do. If there are four to six of you, a driver who waits is about US$275 to $300 for a four-hour block in a Suburban, which beats two taxis and settles the ride home. Otherwise I'd come over for a daytime meal as part of a day in San José, or skip it. El Huerto in El Tezal is the farm restaurant on that side, though I don't know it well enough yet to rank it. And if you're driving up the Pacific coast for the day, Cocina de Campo in Pescadero is the farm lunch on that road, which I cover in my Todos Santos day trip post.

If a farm table ten minutes away sounds like your kind of week, that's a point for staying in San José, and I go area by area in where to stay in Cabo. You can also sleep at two of the farms. Acre has its treehouses and some villas, and Los Tamarindos has a few bungalows, which is the one sure way to skip the ride home.

The Verdict

Pick one, and pick it by the kind of day you want. For dinner, my order is Acre, then Los Tamarindos, then Flora. For a daytime visit it flips to Flora, then Acre's weekend brunch, then Los Tamarindos with a class. For value it's Los Tamarindos, then Flora, then Acre.

I'd go back to all three. Acre for my own big dinner, Flora for brunch when I'm with someone who hasn't seen it, and Los Tamarindos when I want to eat well without getting dressed up for it. What I wouldn't do is book two full meals at two farms on the same trip, unless food is the reason you came. There's too much else to fit in, and my list of things to do in Cabo is where I'd spend the other evening.

Boiled all the way down, you only need one farm. Date night, Acre, get there early for a drink, bring bug spray, cancel two days out or they charge you. Kids or your mom, Flora for brunch, not Monday. Just want great Mexican food and no scene, Los Tamarindos, go before dark and use the map pin. At Acre and Tamarindos ask them to call your taxi before dessert... and if you're staying in San Lucas, do it as a daytime trip or don't do it.

Quick Answers

Flora Farms or Acre? Flora for brunch, families, live music and pizza. Acre for dinner, cocktails and a table that feels like a night out.

Which of the three farm restaurants is cheapest? Los Tamarindos. Dinner there runs about US$75 to $110 a person with drinks and tip, compared to about US$90 to $140 at Flora and US$120 to $165 at Acre.

What about Los Tamarindos? It has the most Mexican menu, the quietest room and the best cooking class of the three, in an old brick farmhouse. It's the hardest to find, so go in daylight the first time.

Can you do Flora Farms and Acre on the same day? Yes. They're a couple of minutes apart by car, so walking around Flora and then having dinner at Acre works well. Two full meals means two big checks.

Are the farm restaurants open in September? Flora and Acre stay open in late summer. Call Los Tamarindos before you go, and check the hours at all three any time from July to October.