The Cabo San Lucas List
Five editorial picks, ranked by the only filter that matters: why you are dining.
El Farallón
Cabo's most photographed dining setting. A cliff-top sea-to-table dining room above the Pacific surf at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal.
Sunset Mona Lisa
Cabo's longest-running cliff-top sunset institution. Mediterranean-Mexican cooking with a stage-right view of the Land's End Arch.
Cocina de Autor
Two-Michelin-star Dutch chef Sidney Schutte's Grand Velas project. Cabo's most technically accomplished tasting-menu kitchen.
Manta
Enrique Olvera's Cabo project. The Pujol Mexico City chef's pan-Pacific concept at the cliff-top Cape Thompson hotel.
Edith's
Cabo's longest-running beachfront Mexican institution. Edith's family kitchen since 1989, with the most photographed Médano-beach terrace.
Best for First Date in Cabo San Lucas
Intimate, conversation-friendly rooms. Impressive without being intimidating. The tables where first impressions are made.
Manta
Enrique Olvera's Cabo project. The Pujol Mexico City chef's pan-Pacific concept at the cliff-top Cape Thompson hotel.
Edith's
Cabo's longest-running beachfront Mexican institution. Edith's family kitchen since 1989, with the most photographed Médano-beach terrace.
Best for Business Dinner in Cabo San Lucas
Power tables, private rooms, considered wine lists. Where the deal gets done.
El Farallón
Cabo's most photographed dining setting. A cliff-top sea-to-table dining room above the Pacific surf at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal.
Sunset Mona Lisa
Cabo's longest-running cliff-top sunset institution. Mediterranean-Mexican cooking with a stage-right view of the Land's End Arch.
The Top Five in Cabo San Lucas
Ranked against a single question: if you had one night in Cabo San Lucas, where would you go?
El Farallón
Cabo's most photographed dining setting. A cliff-top sea-to-table dining room above the Pacific surf at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal.
Sunset Mona Lisa
Cabo's longest-running cliff-top sunset institution. Mediterranean-Mexican cooking with a stage-right view of the Land's End Arch.
Cocina de Autor
Two-Michelin-star Dutch chef Sidney Schutte's Grand Velas project. Cabo's most technically accomplished tasting-menu kitchen.
Manta
Enrique Olvera's Cabo project. The Pujol Mexico City chef's pan-Pacific concept at the cliff-top Cape Thompson hotel.
Edith's
Cabo's longest-running beachfront Mexican institution. Edith's family kitchen since 1989, with the most photographed Médano-beach terrace.
The Cabo San Lucas Dining Guide
Cabo San Lucas sits at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula. Where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. And is the most luxury-resort-dense destination on the Mexican Pacific coast. The town has been the discreet luxury Mexican destination for the American film and finance set since the 1960s; the cluster of cliff-top luxury resorts (Waldorf Astoria Pedregal, One&Only Palmilla, The Cape Thompson, Grand Velas Los Cabos, Las Ventanas al Paraíso) is the most concentrated luxury-resort programme on the Pacific Rim.
The dining is correspondingly serious. El Farallón at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal. A sea-to-table cliff-top dining room above the Pacific surf. Is the headline reservation. Sunset Mona Lisa runs the village's most photographed sunset terrace. Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Los Cabos is held by two-Michelin-star Dutch chef Sidney Schutte; Manta at The Cape (Thompson) was launched by Enrique Olvera (the Pujol Mexico City chef); Edith's is the village's longest-running Mexican-traditional institution.
Neighbourhoods
Reservations & Practical Notes
El Farallón, Sunset Mona Lisa, and Cocina de Autor must be booked four to six weeks ahead in peak (American winter season, December to April); two to three weeks shoulder. Manta and Edith's book at three to four weeks. Most resort restaurants are accessible to non-guests but require advance booking. Dress is Mexican-resort-relaxed. Linen rather than tailored, sandals are acceptable everywhere except El Farallón which enforces smart-elegant. Tipping is American-style (15 to 18 per cent) for exceptional service.
For a deeper editorial read, see our ongoing Editorial coverage. Including pieces on the Impress Clients, Proposal and First Date occasion guides.