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Baja Cantina
This is Cabo at its un-swanky best: outdoor seating over the marina, anglers downing margaritas over chips and salsa, great service, huge plates of tasty (though slightly Americanized) Mexican food, stiff drinks and relatively reasonable prices. No fluff here. Good breakfasts.
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Cabo Coffee Co
Organic Mexican coffees are roasted on the premises here, so the coffee drinks really rock. Great place to wake up to a light snack and a caffeine kick.
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El Michoacano
This open-air branch of the renowned carnitas (slow-roasted pork) chain serves up some of the best cheap eats in Cabo - which is why locals flock here, especially on weekends. Three people can fill up on a half-kilo of carnitas (unless you're famished). Orders are accompanied by chips, tortillas, chicharrones (pork cracklings), beans and salsa.
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El Oasis
Fresh squeezed fruit juices, big sandwiches and a hearty comida corrida make this clean, family-style joint the perfect alternative to the high-priced eateries flooding Cabo.
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El Pescador
The menu at this modest and friendly eatery is an oceanic treasure trove: shrimp, fish, oysters, snails, crab, octopus - you name it, it's served here. It's casual and prices are good.
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El Pollo de Oro
Scrumptious grilled chicken and delicious oven-cooked pork ribs are only part of the story. The rest: great prices. A quarter roast chicken goes for around US$3 , as do the huge breakfast plates of chilequiles (a traditional tortilla chip and chile-sauce dish) or huevos rancheros (ranch-style eggs). Patio seating; always busy.
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Huarachazo
Also known as the Burro Loco (crazy donkey), Huarachazo keeps its long menu of Mexican specialties authentic and fairly priced, and the place remains more popular with locals than with tourists. Try the enchiladas de pollo en mole (chicken enchiladas with mole sauce). There's also all-you-can-eat birria de res (a type of beef stew) and menudo (a traditional tripe and hominy soup). It's a very down-home place.
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La Europea
Big wholesome baguette sandwiches and salads make for healthy and affordable lunches, and marina-front tables make for good people-watching. Excellent selection of tequilas and Mexican wines.
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La Palapa The Gus
This longtime Cabo favorite draws big crowds for its good-value seafood dinners. Breakfasts are tasty, though prices have steepened just enough to make it borderline in value.
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La Pampa
As small as it is stylish, this Argentine-owned eatery serves up some of the best steaks around (as well as various other parts of the cow), grilled to juicy perfection. Argentine wine is available, too. Great spot.
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La Trattoria
Upscale, classic Italian restaurant. The menu is extensive, with numerous antipastos, soups, salads, two dozen pasta dishes and some great house specialties.
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Latitude 22+ Oceanview Roadhouse
Bring your sense of humor along with your appetite to this barbeque and burger joint northeast of town on the road to San José. Who knows where they pilfered all the maritime paraphernalia from, but it makes for great atmosphere. And the food? Wow! Appetizers include chicken wings, barbequed ribs, French onion soup and their delicious 'killa' burritos. Over a dozen burgers grace the menu along with mesquite grilled chicken, pork and beef ribs, roasted pork loin and grilled chops.
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Los Paisas
Renowned for its beef tacos and stuffed potatoes (both always served with a plate of grilled onions and a couple of greasy short ribs), Los Paisas is the spot for the late-night munchies.
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Mamá's Royal Café
Mexican decorations splash cheerful colors over the patio here, and breakfasts are the best reason to come. They're big and delicious and include several versions of eggs benedict, French toast and plenty of Mexican egg dishes.
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Margaritavilla
Famous for its gargantuan margaritas, roaming mariachis and hearty appetizers, Margaritavilla is an upscale, two-story Mexican restaurant catering to foreign palates. Plates are huge (but tend to be a bit bland) and prices are extortionate. Still, a marina-side table makes for great atmosphere to knock back a margarita.
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Mariscos Mazatlán
Local families fill the big dining room at Mariscos Mazatlán for the good prices and great seafood. Sunday afternoons are especially busy (and especially fun).
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Mariscos Mocambo
Touristy but renowned for its large portions of fresh fish and shellfish, Mariscos Mocambo is just the place for casual atmosphere and reasonably priced seafood. It's festive without pandering to the bring-out-the-sombreros-and-tequila crowd. Great.
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Mi Casa
In a flower-festooned patio across from Parque Amelia Wilkes, Mi Casa serves excellent dishes from around Mexico, complete with warm tortillas made freshly on the premises. Dishes range from jumbo shrimp with tamarind sauce or pulpo al ajillo (baby octopus sautéed in garlic and butter) to chile en nogada, a Puebla specialty of poblano chilies stuffed with meat and smothered in a walnut cream sauce. You can't go wrong here.
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O Mole Mío
With wrought-iron furniture, Mayan fertility figures adorning the walls and colorful lanterns for light, the décor is as creative as the food. Even standards like enchiladas and tamales are presented with a whole new twist. The seafood is outstanding. Lobster (around US$30 ) is the priciest thing on the menu.
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Pancho's
Offers 'all you want to know about tequila,' in a fun, festive Mexican atmosphere. Aromas from the open grill waft along with notes from the mariachi band. The pricey tequila tasting is like an intensive tequila class - but you can get drunk during the lecture instead of taking notes.
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Peacock's
Another Mecca for alta cocina (haute cuisine), Peacock's serves some of the tastiest food in town. The chef mixes Mediterranean and Latin flavors into dishes like filleted fish braided with strips of nopal cactus; braised duck in tamarind sauce, or (here's heavy) grilled flank stake rolled with cheese and poblano chilies. It's above Playa Médano near the road down to Hotel Meliá San Lucas.
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Restaurant Doña Lolita
This small eatery serves delicious home-style Mexican fare from an outdoor kitchen of wood-burning stoves and black iron pots. The daily changing menu usually features four main dishes and a soup.
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Solomon's Landing
When you just want a good ol' Cabo-style Mexican meal without all the hoopla of fine dining, head down to the marina and hit Solomon's Landing. It's been here for ages, and the prices are still fair. Fun place.
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Spencer's
Inside Hotel Mar de Cortez, this is one of the best breakfast values in town. US-style eggs and potato plates. Plenty more is on the menu, and it's all good.
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The Fish House
Although the airy dining room feels quite upscale, the prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality of the fare. The menu (which includes dishes from coconut shrimp to calamari in guajillo chile sauce) is imaginative yet straightforward, and emphasis is placed squarely on preparing good food.
