Baja California Sur (BCS) is a beautiful state in the northwest Mexico Baja California Peninsula. It’s home to pristine sandy beaches, vibrant night life, rich history, and, most importantly, delectable food. Food was one of our major draws as we were finalizing Los Cabos as our vacation destination.
The twin towns of Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, and San José del Cabo are known for their unique and diverse food scene. Both offer a blend of traditional Mexican flavors, fresh local ingredients, and international culinary influences, making it a hot destination for foodies, from local cuisines like Baja Med to street food staples like Elotes, Tacos, and Tamales.
In this blog post, I’ll share a list of dishes and places where you can eat in Los Cabos that we discovered and loved while exploring the two cities and highly recommend trying them! You can also check out my Los Cabos Budget Guide that will help you plan your ultimate vacation.
Los Cabos Top Restaurants
Starting with the crowd favorites, these spots draw long queues and cheerful faces, a testament to their enduring popularity.
Flora Farms
Flora Farms is a seasonal farm-to-table style dining with some controversial opinions on the internet. Ranging from being “an Americana style Italian food serving rip-off of a restaurant” to a “must-visit spot in Cabos”. So, we decided to try it ourselves, and both of us concluded (after our visit) that this place definitely deserves a visit.
We did the 30-minute Free Farm Tour, which was informative and gave us insights about the farm and its owners. We also made dinner reservations a week before (to be safe) to align perfectly with our Farm Tour. For dinner, we indulged in a Rosemary Ham & Egg Pizza, and it turned out to be one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had! Every bite was a delight—the dough was perfectly soft, topped with fresh marinara sauce, flavorful slices of ham, and a sunny side up egg. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, making it a truly memorable meal.
Although this was one of our priciest meals in Cabos, we felt it was worth it. There is something really uplifting about having a meal amidst the sights, scents, and sounds of a fully functional farm.
We also did a Mezcal tasting, which came in 3 varieties light, aromatic, and strong. For leathery tasting notes, the drinks were served with citrus fruits and some fried grasshoppers. Yes, you heard that right! This was our first time having Mezcal, and both of us liked the taste a lot.
Location: San José del Cabo
Cost for two: $75.05 (including drinks)
Baja Brewing
Baja Brewing is an award-winning premier brewery of Baja California Sur. It has won several awards at various national and international levels and is popular among both locals and tourists.
We ordered the 6 beer sampler and our mutual favorites were the La Surfa (awarded the Best International Lager), which was very lemony and refreshing, and the Baja Razz, a fruity raspberry ale. The other drinks we tried included Peyote IPA, a hoppy drink that packed a solid West Coast IPA punch without being overly bitter, the Arena Mead, which is their gluten-free honey mead, an Amber Ale, and a Blonde Ale.
We also got the Sampler Food Platter, which had some really good chips and chicken wings with tamarind sauce, fried mozzarella bites, and onion rings.
Location: San José del Cabo Downtown
Cost for two: $32.47
Tacos Gardenias
Tacos Gardenias, a local favorite, is a no-frill restaurant offering delicious tacos and drinks. We got the shrimp tacos and the octopus tacos, both were delicious. Although not as good as Lateral (see Hidden Gems below) but definitely ranked among our top 3 favorite taco spots in Los Cabos.
Location: Medano Beach, Cabo San Lucas
Cost for two: $9.02
Los Cabos Hidden Gems
Here are our top favorite discoveries, stumbled upon during our adventures. These hidden gems in Los Cabos are underrated treasures, offering the most delicious and affordable food around.
Chik & Doo
Operated by Fabrice, a French chef who used to run Michelin-star restaurants and has now returned to the simpler roots of San Jose del Cabo. Chik & Doo specializes in gourmet slow-roasted chicken dishes that are one of the best in town! We ordered peri peri chicken and baked potatoes. The chicken was marinated for hours and slow cooked resulting in one of the juiciest and most tender chicken we have ever had. We also got the baby roasted potatoes that came with an amazing dip.
Location: San José del Cabo
Cost for two: $30
Lateral Crudo y Asado
We had a whole bunch of tacos during our trip, but nothing beat the tacos we had at Lateral Crudo y Asado. Hidden away behind the San Jose del Cabo’s popular grocery store, La Comer, this unassuming spot has a large sign made up of bulbs that simply says ‘T A C O S’.
For starters, we ordered a Guac and Chips Platter that featured a variety of taco chips and tostadas served with a generous helping of delicious guacamole and creamy queso. This was followed by an assortment of four tacos: Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Pesto, Pastor Pork, Baja Shrimp, and Battered Cauliflower. Each taco was packed with flavor, but the cauliflower taco stood out as the star of the meal—I highly recommend trying it!
Location: Hotel Zone, San José del Cabo
Cost for two: $32
Los Tamarindos Coffee bar
If you love trying out local coffee, Los Tamarindos is a must-visit place. This coffee bar is run by David, a true coffee geek who sources several kinds of beans from all over Mexico, particularly Veracruz, and roasts them onsite.
He made an amazing pour-over for us using Geisha beans, one of the most prized coffee beans in the world, known for its complex almost tea-like flavor profile. We also had an iced latte that had a blend of Honey and Natural beans. Once we finished our coffees, we enjoyed geeking out with him on coffee-growing altitudes, roast types, and flavor profiles. We also got a bag of Garnica beans for us to enjoy back home in Seattle.
Location: Plaza Mijares, San José del Cabo
Cost for two: $10
Guy Who Sells Tamales in Front of MILANO
While strolling through downtown on Morelos y Pavón Street, we stumbled upon a sidewalk vendor with two gigantic pots brimming with freshly made tamales. It was an unexpected and delightful find! We had tried tamales before, but nothing came close to these soft, moist, pillowy, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of deliciousness. The masa he used was extremely moist and the chicken filling was very tasty.
Location: opposite Milano, Cabo San Lucas
Cost for two: $5
Birria de res Uribe
We stumbled upon this spot on the Didi app while ordering grocery. From the Google reviews, this spot seemed like an underrated hole-in-the-wall takeout spot that’s quite popular among locals. Hence, we decided to order a few of their top rated dishes for lunch.
We tried the Quesabirrias (Birria Tacos with cheese) that came with a side of consomme, Quesadillas, and the cheese crust taco. We also got a separate 1 liter tub of consomme that we relished. This turned out to be an amazing decision because it was extremely flavorful and light.
Location: San José del Cabo
Cost for two: $15
Let me know in the comments your favorite eatery in Los Cabos and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel for latest travel inspiration.
