Mexico is famous for its food: the versatile tortillas, the marinaded meats, and the variety of salsas. However, like any tourist centre, Los Cabos can sometimes lose quality and affordability the closer to tourist centres you go. In Cabo San Lucas, we definitely noticed a difference in the prices as we got closer to the marina. Our hotel was tucked into the downtown area, about 10 blocks from the marina, which made it easier to find quieter, more authentic restaurants.
Note: If you want to try to find less touristy restaurants, you’ll likely need to have a basic proficiency in Spanish.
If you’re planning a trip to the Los Cabos area, be sure to check out my other post detailing where to stay and what to do in Los Cabos!
Pricing scale: (without alcoholic beverages)
$ – <$140 pesos per person (<$10 CAD)
$$ – $140-$280 pesos per person ($10-$20 CAD)
$$$ -$280-$490 pesos per person ($20-$35 CAD)
$$$$ – >$490 pesos per person (>$35 CAD)
Top Must-Eat at Restaurants in Los Cabos
La Lupita Taco & Mezcal – $$$
Location: Both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
Vegetarian options? Yes
La Lupita was recommended by a friend of mine. The menu includes many artisanal interpretions of Mexican dishes, with a focus on tacos. Expect to spend somewhere between $270-$420 pesos on tacos per person and more if you want to try their mezcal or any appetizers.
We were treated to live music and great service here, I’d definitely recommend it!
Cabo San Lucas
Breakfast/Brunch
Casa Bonita – $$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
This brunch restaurant was recommended by a social media influencer who was in Los Cabos about a month before we were. It was delicious and affordable, I’d highly recommend stopping by. The staff didn’t speak English, so keep that in mind!
Casasola Cafe – $$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
We tried this brunch spot on our second last day in Los Cabos, and it was so good we had to go back the next day. We tried the greek toast, the chilaquiles, the french toast and one of the breakfast plates. Our favourites were the french toast and the chilaquiles (con salsa verde)! All the staff were super kind and they have a great coffee selection.
Lunch/Dinner
Mother Flower – $$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? No
This tiny restaurant was a Google Maps find. It had great reviews. I decided to adopt a pescatarian diet at this meal since there are no vegetarian choices. I had the baja fish taco and the shrimp taco, while my partner tried the shrimp, pollo asado, and carne asada tacos.
The ambience of the reataurant was lots of fun, with the open kitchen allowing you to see your food being prepared. We sat by the bar due to limited space, so you may want to book a reservation if you want a table.
Marina Corona – $$$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas.
Vegetarian options? No
This restaurant is definitely luxurious. It was recommend by the same friend as above, but a little out of our price range. If you are looking for fine dining, you should definitely check it out.
All Meals
San Lucero – $$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
Since San Lucero was connected to our hotel, we received a guest discount. We ate here once for dinner and twice for breakfast. We tried the huevos rancheros, pancakes, bakery items, coffee, and fish tacos with guacamole and salad. Our favourite items were the breakfast foods and the coffee.
San José del Cabo
La Mexicana Restaurant y Cantina– $$
Location: San José del Cabo
Vegetarian options? Yes
La Mexicana was an accidental stop in San José del Cabo. After walking along the beach at Costa Azul, we realized we were starving. La Mexicana is very close to the Public Beach access, only about a 5-minute walk. We found La Mexicana on Google Maps and were drawn in by the affordable options.
The restaurant is along a shopping street across from many of the large hotels in San José del Cabo. Since we were eating at an awkward time between lunch and dinner, we were the only ones in the restaurant. We each planned to order two quesadillas – a snack between meals – but I ended up trying the costras instead. They provided free totopos (corn chips) and salsa. I got the mushroom costras and my partner ordered the quesadillas al pastor. This little place really caught us off guard, with delicious food for less than $10 per person. As well, the staff were very friendly and gave us directions to the bus stop to get back to Cabo San Lucas.
Baja Brewing – $$-$$$
Location: San José del Cabo
Vegetarian options? Yes
Although we only ordered drinks, Baja Brewing is a cute, trendy restaurant with what I might describe as a Mexican take on American pub food. They have a wood fire oven for pizzas, as well as serving tacos and burgers. They have live music in the evenings certain days a week as well.
Don Sanchez – $$$
Location: San José del Cabo
Vegetarian options? Yes
Don Sanchez was another recommendation from my friend. Unfortunately, we were not in San José del Cabo over dinner time, so we didn’t get the opportunity to try it. This place is also highly rated on Google Maps, so check it out if you’re staying in San José.
Honourable Mentions
Cafés
Doce Cuarenta Cabo – $-$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
We stopped at Doce Cuarenta to get dessert after a meal elsewhere and were surprised at how busy it was. While cafés in Canada usually close by 5 pm or earlier, Mexican cafés are usually open from the morning until around 10 pm.
The Cabo Coffee Company – $-$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
Similarly to Doce Cuarenta, The Cabo Coffee Company is open all day. They serve similar drinks to other North America coffee shops, with the addition of Mayan mocha (cocoa and cayenne). I ordered their spiced chai (as a non-coffee drinker) and thought it was a lot better than Canada’s standard boxed chai mixes. We had breakfast here twice, just grabbing drinks and pastries.
Restaurants
La Poblanita II – $$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
La Poblanita II is a small restaurant with maybe 6 tables. While we were there, we saw 4 other tables, one of tourists and two of locals. The food was simple, classic fare with affordable prices. They had many vegetarian options, which surprised me a little as smaller restaurants often don’t. I ordered cheese enchiladas with salsa verde and my partner ordered the chorizo quesadillas. It was useful to be able to speak Spanish here, as our server understood a little English, but not enough to communicate dietary restrictions with confidence.
Outpost – $$$
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Vegetarian options? Yes
This restaurant was recommended by the same influencer that lead us to Casa Bonita. While we didn’t end up stopping here for food, we passed the plant covered building frequently. This place looks trendy, with a focus on artisanal and organic food. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, this might be the spot.
Map of Where to Eat in Los Cabos
Check out the map below or visit the link to save these restaurants to your own Google Maps account.
Discover more from Immersive Traveller
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.