Eat and Drink

Sunset Monalisa in Cabo: Is It Worth It? For a Drink, Yes

By Cabo Wander

When a friend asks me about Sunset Monalisa, the question usually comes out as "is it a tourist trap, or should we go?" My answer is go, once, and for most of you that means a drink at sunset and then dinner somewhere else. That costs two people about US$60 to $130, and you get the same cliff, the same view of the Arch and the same sunset as the tables below you.

The answer flips for a proposal, an anniversary or a honeymoon. Then I'd book the three-course dinner on the front row, plan on about US$400 to $470 for two, and call it money well spent.

Here's how I think about it. The same sunset is for sale here at several prices, and the price depends on where you sit. The cooking is decent and it isn't the reason anyone comes. So pick the seat that matches the evening you want, and book it for about an hour before the sun goes down. A table after dark throws away the one thing you're paying for.

This is the close-up on a restaurant I leave out of the ten in where to eat in Cabo San Lucas, and it gets the same "drink, then dinner elsewhere" line in my bigger list of the best restaurants in Cabo. You deserve the full reasoning, so here it is.

The View, and the Few Minutes Everyone Remembers

The setting is the real thing. The restaurant is a series of stepped terraces down a cliff on the Corridor, about four miles east of the marina, and the whole place faces back across the bay toward Land's End. You're looking at the Arch from a distance, with the bay in between. If you want to stand next to it, that's a boat ride, and I cover it in El Arco and Lover's Beach.

Then the sun gets low and the best part happens. The waiters stop what they're doing, somebody blows a conch shell, there's a drum, and the whole terrace claps when the sun is gone. It lasts a few minutes. I know how that sounds written down. In person it's lovely, and it's what I remember from every visit, more than anything I ate.

I'd also say the place is run very well. It's been here since 1991, it's big (a full buyout seats close to 500 people), and the staff have this evening down. On a good night the service has been warm and quick. When a dish was too spicy for someone at my table, it was swapped right away. When the temperature dropped, blankets came out before I asked.

One correction, because nearly every photo caption gets it wrong. The sun doesn't set behind the Arch here, and it doesn't drop into the sea. In winter it goes down to the right of the Arch, behind the ridge at Land's End, and that's the famous silhouette. In summer it sets farther around, over the town and the hills, and what you watch is the light on the rock and the bay. That's my read from the terrace in different seasons. If one exact photo matters to you, check a sun-position app for your date before you book.

It's a view with a kitchen attached, the same way Flora Farms is a garden with a restaurant in the middle. Go for the view and you'll have a great evening.

One Cliff, Five Places to Sit

This is the part that makes the whole decision easy, so I'll go from the least expensive seat to the most.

The lounge. This is my pick for most people. It's a covered palapa above the dining terraces with drinks and a short appetizer menu, and it takes one to eight people. You book it by name, as the Monalisa Lounge, and it's 500 pesos a person (a little under US$30), which comes off what you order. A signature cocktail uses up about all of that, so think of it as a one-drink minimum. You're under a roof and set back from the rail, so it isn't the front-row photo. You can hear the conch from there, and you can leave the minute the sun is gone.

Jazz on the Rocks. This is a jazz club on the roof of the same building, with the same owners and the same driveway, and its own name and its own booking. The terrace is 200 pesos a person, about US$12, paid up front. You don't get that back and it doesn't count toward your food or drinks. There's wood-oven pizza and pasta, the tables on the terrace are bar height, and there's live jazz from 7 until a little after 9 every night. I'd send a group of six or eight here for pizza and a bottle. Go in knowing the food is so-so for the price. The truffle pizza is the thing I'd order.

The Upper Terrace. This is the main dining terrace, where you order off the regular menu, for parties of up to eight. Booking it takes a card and a guarantee of about US$20 a person, which is only charged if you cancel late or don't show up. Turn up and it costs you nothing. Read the terms on the booking page, because later tables are handled differently.

The Premium terraces. These are the lower rows on the cliff, the ones in the photos, and they're tasting menu only. For a table booked before sunset there's a seat fee of about US$25 a person. It does NOT come off your check. People mix it up with the Upper Terrace number all the time, because the two look alike and work in opposite ways. I've seen the fee described as coming with a glass of Prosecco, and I can't promise that, so ask when you book and read the terms on the booking page.

The Ocean Terrace. A table for two to four at the bottom, by the water, with its own fire pit. It's about US$175 a person, paid in full when you book, for four courses and a welcome glass of sparkling wine. Other drinks are extra.

So the same sunset costs anywhere from a US$12 cover to a US$350 prepayment, depending on which staircase you take. I don't mean that as a complaint. It means you can go on almost any budget, as long as you know the doors are there.

So How's the Food?

It's decent. Some plates are really good, some have let me down, and at these prices I notice the ones that let me down.

The kitchen is Italian and Mediterranean, and the pasta is where it's most dependable. The truffle fettuccine is the dish I'd tell you to get. The grilled octopus has been good every time, the short rib is a safe main, and the chocolate and hazelnut dessert is the right way to finish. If the bone marrow with tuna tartare is on the menu, I'd order that too.

Now what I'd want different. The fish and the steaks are where it's gone wrong for me. I've had sea bass that was overcooked, a filet that came out dry and tough, and a wagyu steak that didn't taste like what it cost. The scallops have been lovely on one visit and rubbery on another.

The portions are small, and the menu tells you so itself. It prints the weight of every dish. The sea bass is about eight ounces if you order it on its own and about three and a half on the five-course menu. On the three-course menu a few dishes are marked "additional cost" with no number next to them, including everything from the grill. One night the wagyu added about US$30. Ask the price of anything with that note before you order it.

The pace is slow. Twenty minutes or more between courses is normal on a busy night, and dinner takes two to two and a half hours. One of mine ran three and a half. Before sunset I don't mind at all, because there's plenty to look at. After dark, when it's cold and I'm waiting on a main, I mind.

Bottom line: I'd call it a fine dinner in a spectacular place. If you judge restaurants on the plate, you'll feel the gap between the food and the check, and I'd rather you spent that money at Metate.

What Two People Actually Spend

The food menus on the restaurant's site don't print a single price, and I wish they did. The drinks list prints every one of them. So here are my round numbers for two, with tax and a 15% tip.

• The lounge, one drink each: about US$60 to $90
• The lounge, two drinks each and something to share: about US$110 to $160
• Jazz on the Rocks, a pizza and a drink each: roughly US$100 to $150, and I'm less sure of that one
• Premium row, three courses, a cocktail and a glass of wine each: about US$400 to $470
• Premium row, five courses with the wine pairing: about US$570 to $620
• Ocean Terrace with a modest bottle: about US$500 to $600

On top of any of those, add the ride. A taxi from town and back is another US$40 to $80.

I can't give you a number I trust for the Upper Terrace, because those menu prices aren't published anywhere I can point to. It's probably the least expensive way to eat a full dinner here. Ask the restaurant to send the menu with prices when you book.

For the tasting menus, plan on about US$100 a person for three courses, with tax already inside it. The five-course menu has been about US$130 to $140 when I've asked, and the longest one about US$165. Those move around, so check when you book.

Drinks are where the check grows. This is what the list looks like:

• Signature cocktails: about US$27 to $42. They're named after the seven deadly sins, and yes, Pride is the most expensive one. Gluttony and Sloth are the bargains.
• A margarita: you pay for the tequila, from about US$18, plus about US$4 to have it made into a margarita. So about US$22.
• Beer: about US$11
• Wine by the glass: from about US$20
• Wine by the bottle: from about US$80, and the list climbs to a bottle just under US$5,000
• A large bottle of water: about US$12 to $14

Water is the one that stings, so ask whether it's included before you nod at the server.

The wine pairing is the thing I'd skip. The pours are small, about two and a half ounces each, so the top pairing on five courses is around US$165 a person for half a bottle of wine in total. Two of you will do better with one bottle from the middle of the list at US$110 to $150. If you just want a decent glass, the house label is the floor.

Here's my tip, and it's the reverse of the usual Cabo advice. The drinks list shows dollars and pesos side by side, and the peso prices work out cheaper. Pay in pesos, by card, and say no when the terminal offers to convert it for you. Ask whether the tasting menu can go on the check in pesos too. I couldn't pin that down.

On tipping, the listed prices include tax. I didn't see a service charge added, so read the check and tip as you normally would. Enter the tip yourself. One night the choices on the card terminal started at 20%, and I had to key in my own number. I go through tipping and the rest of a trip budget in how much Cabo costs.

One more thing to budget for, or decline. A photographer comes around soon after you sit down, and the photo package is about US$80. You can say no.

Book the Clock First

The time on your reservation matters more than anything you order. Look up the sunset for your date, subtract an hour, and book that.

Sunset here moves by an hour and a half across the year, from about 5:35 in December to a little after 7 in June. The restaurant opens at 4:30. So a 6:00 table is perfect in June and completely dark in December. Here's the round guide:

• December and January: book the 4:30 opening
• February: about 5:00
• March and October: 5:15 to 5:30
• April: about 5:45
• May to July: 6:00 to 6:15

In winter the first seating IS the sunset seating, and there are only so many of those tables. That's why December through March is the hard time to book.

There are two seatings, and they're different evenings. The first gets the sunset and the conch. The second gets a live Cuban band, on selected nights only, after dark. The band is fun. I still wouldn't pay view prices for a table that can't see the view. The seat fee on the front rows only applies before sunset, which tells you what the restaurant thinks is being sold.

The same clock catches people upstairs. The jazz starts at 7, and in December the sun has been gone for well over an hour by then. In winter you go up there for the sunset and pizza. In summer the sunset and the first set overlap, and that's the season I like it best.

Winter has the best sun position and the coldest, windiest evenings. August and September are hot and still on the terraces until the sun goes, and they're the easy months to get a table. It's an exposed cliff, so in storm season I'd re-confirm before heading out. The months are compared in the best time to visit Cabo.

Cruise ships are the last thing to know about. From about October to April they anchor in the bay, right in the middle of your photo. Some have sailed by sunset and some haven't, and I can't tell you which it'll be on your night.

Getting a Table, and the Terms

You need a reservation for sunset, and every kind of table takes a card. I wouldn't plan on walking in.

The catch is that online booking only opens 30 days ahead. For a place people plan an anniversary around months in advance, that's short. For a front-row sunset table between mid-December and March, I book the day the window opens. If you need it locked in sooner, email reservaciones@sunsetmonalisa.com and ask. In late summer it's much easier.

The rows are sold in two different places, which confused me the first time. The Upper Terrace and the lounge are on OpenTable. The Premium terraces and the Ocean Terrace are on Tock. The jazz club is its own listing. Check which one you're on before you pay.

The terms are firm:

• Cancel 48 hours or more ahead and you get everything back.
• Inside 48 hours you get nothing back. You can ask to move the date, if they have room.
• A no-show loses the money and can't reschedule.
• The jazz terrace cover isn't refundable from the moment you pay it.
• The same day, call before 4pm.
• Eight or more people, contact the restaurant directly.

That 48-hour line is enforced. I know of a table canceled a day and a half out for a family illness that was still charged per person. So if your plans are shaky, book the Upper Terrace or the lounge, where less is on the line.

Paying for a Premium table doesn't guarantee a clear view. I've sat on a paid row looking past the couple in front of me, and I've seen a table whose view was mostly a bush. Email the restaurant after you book, ask for a table on the rail, say what the occasion is, and ask again at the host stand.

If it's a proposal, they do a LOT of them and they're good at it. They can set up a photographer, flowers, candles and a cake. The package prices aren't published, so get the number in writing first. The one quote I've seen was close to US$400, and I think that's a lot on top of dinner. A ring and a rail table do the job.

The venue also hosts weddings and full buyouts, so I re-confirm the week before. Christmas and New Year's Eve run as set-menu nights with their own prices, and you'll need to ask what those are.

Getting There and Getting Home

It gets filed under Cabo San Lucas, and it's about four miles out on the highway, so you're going by car. There's no sidewalk on that stretch, and nobody walks it. The bus runs along the highway, but the stop is at the top of the side road, and I wouldn't walk back up to it in the dark. What you can reach on foot in town is in my Cabo San Lucas guide.

The drive from the marina or Médano is 10 to 15 minutes outside the evening rush. You turn off the highway toward the water and go down a short side road that's been bumpy every time I've been on it, to a valet stand. The turn is easy to miss after dark.

I don't have a taxi fare I'd swear to. Roughly US$20 to $40 each way from town is the band I'd expect, for the whole car, and I'd agree on it before getting in. Uber gets you there for about half that.

Getting home is the part to sort out before you sit down. You'll be on a dark side road at 9 or 9:30, and I wouldn't count on an Uber coming back out for you. Either set a pickup time with the driver who brought you, or ask the host to call a taxi while you're still on dessert. The rest of the options are in getting around Cabo.

From a Corridor resort it depends on how far east you are, and I go stretch by stretch in my Tourist Corridor guide. From San José it's 30 to 40 minutes and about US$50 to $70 each way by taxi, or around 550 to 650 pesos by Uber. For a drink, I'd only do that if I were already on this side for the day.

This is also why I like the lounge so much. In winter you're done by 6:15, you can be at Metate in El Tezal in 10 to 15 minutes, and you're eating the best dinner in town by 7. Or you head back to the marina with the whole evening still in front of you, and what to do with it is in my guide to Cabo nightlife.

What to Wear, and Leaving the Kids at the Hotel

The dress code is easy. The restaurant's own rule is no beachwear, and smart casual covers it. You'll read that men need a collared shirt, and I've never seen that written down or enforced.

The real dress code is a jacket. This is an open cliff, and once the sun goes it gets cold and windy fast. I've been wrapped in blankets here in June, which I did not see coming. There are heaters, and blankets on the chairs, and the fact that they're always out tells you how often they're needed. Bring a real layer in every month except the hottest part of summer.

Two more things to pack. Sunglasses, because for the half hour before sunset the sun is straight in your eyes. And flat shoes, because the terraces are stepped and the best tables are at the bottom. If stairs are hard for anyone in your group, ask the restaurant about access before you book. I can't tell you there's a step-free way down.

On kids, I'll be plain. Children are allowed and there are highchairs, and I still don't think this is a place for them. There's no children's menu, dinner runs past two hours, the plates are priced for adults and the table next to you is probably celebrating something. If you bring them anyway, ask what a child's plate costs before you order. A plain pasta can come in far higher than you'd guess. For family dinners that work, see Cabo with kids.

Sunset Monalisa or El Farallón?

These are the two famous sunset tables in Cabo, and people ask me to pick one.

They're different evenings. El Farallón is on the Pacific side, on a ledge with the surf breaking under the rail, and in winter the sun goes down into the water in front of you. Sunset Monalisa is on the bay side, calmer, and has the Arch.

On price, Monalisa is the less expensive dinner, which surprises people. The front row with three courses is about US$400 to $470 for two. El Farallón is US$450 to $600. Monalisa also has the cheap doors. A drink in the lounge is a real way to do it for under US$100, and El Farallón has nothing quite like that.

On the plate, I'd give it to El Farallón. Neither one is a bargain for the cooking, but the grilled fish over there has been right for me more often than the mains here have.

So if I'm buying one view dinner on a trip, it's El Farallón, and the full rundown is in whether El Farallón is worth it. If the Arch is the point, because that's the proposal photo or the anniversary you had in mind, the front row here is a fair buy and I wouldn't talk you out of it. Honeymooners choosing a hotel around evenings like this should look at the best Cabo honeymoon resorts.

Other Ways to See the Same Sunset

The sunset itself is free. What's for sale here is the seat, the ceremony and somebody else taking the pictures. If that isn't worth it to you, here's where else I'd go.

The rooftop bar at The Cape is one headland west, with fire pits and the same Arch and bay. I didn't find a cover charge. It's a hotel bar, so call first and ask whether they're taking outside guests that evening.

Hacienda Cocina on Médano looks at Land's End from sea level, with your feet in the sand, for roughly US$130 to $200 for two at dinner.

A small sunset sail takes you right past the Arch and then out to where the sun does go into the Pacific. It's about US$190 to $290 for two all in, there's swell, and there's no dinner. I compare the boats in Cabo sunset cruise.

Metate has no view at all and is the dinner I'd pair with a lounge drink. It's about US$120 to $180 for two.

The Verdict

Sunset Monalisa is worth going to once, for the place and for those few minutes at sunset. It isn't worth it for the cooking. So buy the evening at the price that fits what you want, and book it by the clock.

Here's who I'd send, and where I'd seat them:

• A proposal, an anniversary or a honeymoon: yes. Premium terrace, three courses, an hour before sunset, rail table requested by email. About US$400 to $470 for two.
• A first-timer who's seen the photos and wants to see the place: yes, as a drink. The lounge at sunset, then dinner at Metate.
• A group of six to eight who want a view and a laugh: Jazz on the Rocks, pizza and a bottle.
• Wine people: the list is long and marked up hard. Start at the house label.

And who I'd send somewhere else:

• You get one splurge and you care about the food: El Farallón for a cliff, Metate for cooking.
• You have children with you: another night, another table.
• You're on a tight budget: one cocktail on the rooftop at The Cape, or watch it from the beach for nothing.
• You're staying in San José: only if you're already on this side that day.
• You feel the cold: summer, or somewhere with walls.

What I wouldn't buy at any price is a table that starts after sunset, or the long tasting menu with the top wine pairing.

I'd go back for the drink. I'd go back for the dinner only if someone at my table had a ring in their pocket.

Here's how I'd text it to a friend: Monalisa, yes, once, for a drink. Book the lounge an hour before sunset, 500 pesos each and it comes off your tab. Bring a jacket, seriously. Pay in pesos. Sort your ride home before you sit down, then go eat at Metate. If it's the anniversary, front row, three courses, about $450 for two, email and ask for the rail... and don't book anything after dark.

Quick Answers

Is Sunset Monalisa worth it? Yes, once, for the setting and the sunset, and for most people as a drink in the lounge. As a dinner judged on the food, it isn't worth the price unless the occasion is the point.

How much is dinner at Sunset Monalisa? About US$100 a person for three courses with tax included, plus a seat fee of about US$25 each on the front rows before sunset. With a cocktail and a glass of wine each, water and a tip, two people spend about US$400 to $470.

Can you just go for drinks at Sunset Monalisa? Yes. Book the Monalisa Lounge at 500 pesos a person, which is credited to what you order, or the terrace at Jazz on the Rocks upstairs for about 200 pesos a person, which isn't.

What time should I book for sunset? About an hour before sunset on your date. That's the 4:30 opening in December and January, around 5:15 to 5:30 in March and October, and 6:00 to 6:15 from May to July.

How do you get to Sunset Monalisa? By car. It's about four miles east of the marina on the Corridor, roughly US$20 to $40 each way by taxi, and you should arrange the ride back before you sit down.