There are so many great restaurants in San Jose del Cabo. Whether you want great street tacos, a nice Mexican restaurant where you can sit and enjoy a few margaritas with your meal, or some international dishes there’s a little bit of everything in San Jose.
I’ve been living in San Jose del Cabo for the last two months eating and exploring as much as I possibly can.
You can check out all of the videos I’ve made about San Jose del Cabo and all the things we explored here.
If you are also considering a trip to Cabo San Lucas, don’t miss my guide for things to do in Cabo as well as the best restaurants in Cabo San Lucas.
While I believe the food scene is better here in San Jose, there are still some really great spots to check out in the neighboring Cabo.
San Jose del Cabo Restaurant Tours
If you are interested not only in visiting some of the best restaurants in San Jose del Cabo, but also having a guide help you choose authentic dishes and explain some of their origin, then taking a food tour while you are in town is a great option.
There are som fantastic local guides in the area that you can pre-book with through Get Your Guide. These are our personal favorites.
- Food Tour with Market Visit: This is a mid-morning tour that starts with a visit to the local San Jose del Cabo market. You can learn all about the different Mexican ingredients that you will find most often in traditional Mexican food. You will then head to a few different taco spots around town and be able to enjoy the food while learning about its origins as well. Book that food tour here.
- Evening Street Food Tour: If you want to sample some of the best restaurants in San Jose del Cabo by night, this is the tour for you. You will visit cool night markets, and awesome taco spots, and perhaps have a few cold beers or margaritas along the way as well. Book the night food tour here.
Best San Jose del Cabo Restaurants
There are countless restaurants in San Jose del Cabo, but like every tourist town around the world, not all are created equal.
I spent three months living in San Jose del Cabo and sampled many amazing restaurants there and a handful that were not that great and a few that were absolutely abysmal.
Only the absolute best places to eat in San Jose del Cabo have made the cut for this list!
1. La Lupita Tacos y Mezcal
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday noon-11pm, closed Mondays
La Lupita is without a doubt one of my favorite restaurants in San Jose del Cabo.
If you are looking for a place that does Mexican food in a slightly more elevated way, you will definitely want to make a reservation here. Just as the name suggests there are two main things on the menu: tacos and mezcal. But it’s no ordinary taco and the mezcal is small-batch artisanal and delicious.
Some of my favorite tacos on the menu are the barbacoa taco, the cheese crust pastor (the tortilla is made of CHEESE!), the pork belly taco, and the pork pibil taco. They have a few seafood options which I really enjoyed, but I thought the meat tacos were definitely the stars of the show here.
We sampled almost all of the tacos on the menu and absolutely all of them are delicious. They also have some vegetarian options including cactus, mushroom, and eggplant tacos.
We also ordered the mezcal sampler which came with three artisanal mezcals. Luke and I shared the sampler since the mezcals are strong. They also have a menu with cocktails and beers if mezcal isn’t your thing. But if you’ve never tried it before, this is a really great place to sample some fantastic mezcals.
The tacos and mezcal that we had along with all of the salsas at La Lupita.
2. Pezgallo
Hours: Wednesday-Monday 8am-3pm, closed Tuesdays
A great option for a healthy breakfast or just a really good coffee. It’s located in the main square, but as soon as you go inside you’ll feel like you’re having a coffee at a countryside cafe.
They have Mexican breakfast classics like chilaquiles, but they also have pancakes, fruit and yogurt bowls, sandwiches, and falafel. The coffee is one of the main reasons I come back most weekends and they even have bottles of cold brew that you can take home with you.
3. Los Tamarindos
Google Location (this is the original location, they also have one in the Centro Historico)
Hours: Daily noon-10pm
I know everyone raves about Flora Farms, and I’m sure it’s very good, but I haven’t been there.
I was drawn instead to Los Tamarindos, another farm-to-table restaurant in San Jose del Cabo that’s really making a splash.
We opted for Los Tamarindos because it’s Mexican-owned. The chef, Eduardo Silva, is from the state of Sonora and moved over to Cabo in the 90s. He trained under several chefs in Mexico before learning more in LA, Thailand, and France before returning to Mexico with a plan to showcase seasonal Mexican food.
It’s certainly one of the more expensive restaurants in San Jose, but it’s worth it if you are looking for a high-end experience with quality to match.
If you love coffee, be sure to check out Los Tamarindos Coffee Roasters located in the center of town. They make some seriously incredible brews and roast their own beans on-site.
Delicious fish tacos from Taqueria Rossy in San Jose del Cabo. The left one is grilled fish and the right one is smoked marlin!
4. Taqueria Rossy
Hours: Daily 8:30am-8pm
One of the things I’m always most excited about when I visit a new beach-town in Mexico is finding really great fish tacos.
Some of the best seafood tacos that we’ve had in San Jose del Cabo have been at Taqueria Rossy.
My personal favorite is the scallop taco, but they also make incredible fish tacos, great shrimp tacos, and a killer marlin taco. I usually opt for flour tortillas here in Baja because they tend to be fresher and go perfectly with seafood.
The tacos come simply with the tortilla and the meat inside. You can then take them to the salad bar where there are a few different spicy salsas, chiles, shredded cabbage, coleslaw, and roasted chiles.
The carne asada taco from El Paisa is truly delicious
5. Taqueria El Paisa
Hours: Daily 3pm-1am
This is a chain around Mexico, but the quality of the meat and cooking varies greatly (it may be a franchise). Whatever the situation, the one in San Jose del Cabo is probably the best El Paisa I’ve ever been to.
I usually order one of three things (or, let’s be honest, one of each of these things); carne asada tacos, pastor tacos, or a papa rellena with carne asada.
If you’ve never had a carne asada taco before, you should go to El Paisa and order one. It’s a baked potato that’s been wrapped in foil and heated to perfection on the barbecue. It is then topped with carne asada (or another meat of your choice) and topped with cheese and sometimes sour cream.
They serve the papa rellena with tortillas so you can make your own tacos. It’s decadent and delicious and top it with some spicy salsa to really get the full enjoyment.
An aguachile tostada from Claro Fish Jr
6. Aguachiles el Moky
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, closed Sundays
This is literally two tables at what appeats to be someone’s patio. Aren’t those the best restaurants?
Aguachiles el Moky is a family-run operation doing exactly as their name suggests, seriously great Aguachiles.
They serve them in a molcajete or a mortar and pestle style container, and they are the freshest shrimp you’ll ever taste.
Every year in Cabo there is a sashimi-style food contest and Aguachiles el Moky won the most recent one.
If you’ve never had aguachile before, it’s sort of like a ceviche, but it’s made with shrimp and usually lots of chile. If you don’t like too much spice, just be sure to say that you don’t want it too spicy.
7. Baja Brewing Company
Hours: Daily 11am-11pm
This is the home of craft beer in Baja. If you love IPAs like I do, you’ll definitely want to stop here for some draft beers. Alternatively, they have a shop at the front of the restaurant where you can buy bottles and cans of their beer and take them back to your hotel or Airbnb (or the beach!) to enjoy them.
While I prefer this place simply as a bar, they also have a really comprehensive menu and are a great option if you’re craving a good burger or pizza.
I particularly like their burgers and overall it’s probably one of the best beer-burger combinations in town. But I’m biased because I really like their beer.
The pizzas are big enough to share between two people and are relatively affordable.
More delicious fish tacos from Claro Fish Jr
8. Choriarte
Hours: Monday-Saturday 5-10pm, closed Sundays
Want to sample some South American Food? Choriarte is a sort of fusion restaurant with plates from Venezuela, Colombia, and Argentina.
You can sample delicious empenadas, arepas stuffed with totally different ingredients like falafel, choripan (chorizo with bread and chimichurri salsa), or just get something from the barbecue.
It’s one of the busier spots in town and has tons of outdoor seating, which is perfect on a warm dry Baja night.
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a simple, well-cooked shrimp taco. This one was from Sashimi y Mariscos El Burro.
9. Tacos de Birria Vallarta
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8am-1pm, closed Sundays
There’s a dish around town that I’ve only ever seen in Baja California Sur and it’s called a quesabirria. It’s really just a quesadilla with birria meat, but it’s so much more than that in flavor.
Of course, the quality of the birria matters immensely and the quality of the birria here is some of the best I’ve had.
It’s just a street stall that’s open for breakfast and lunch, but they grill up the quesabirria to utter perfection. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Be sure to order it with some of their consomme or the soup that is made from the meat juices. It’s one of the best things you’ll eat in San Jose.
10. Claro Fish Jr
Hours: Daily 8:30am-8pm
This is another of the best restaurants in San Jose del Cabo for seafood tacos. The best thing about Clar Fish Jr is how close it is to the downtown and to the beach.
While I love Rossy, it’s a bit of a walk to get to if you’re staying by the beach. Claro Fish Jr is on the road that runs between the beach and the Centro Historico area of town and is easily walkable. There’s also a huge parking lot if you’re getting around with a rental car.
My favorite taco at Claro Fish Jr is the smoked marlin taco. It is utterly delicious and they have a huge salad bar with salsas, different coleslaws, and different pickled onions. They also make one of my favorite Baja-style fish tacos (battered and fried fish).
A sampling of the different ceviches and seafood salads on tostadas at Mariscos el Chino – I particularly loved the tuna sashimi!
11. Mariscos el Chino, Abby’s Place
Hours: Daily 9am-7pm
This is another great local spot for seafood tacos. I came here initially on a food tour to have the Baja-style fish tacos which were incredible. I also really love their smoked marlin tacos.
However, this is really one of the best spots for their raw seafood too. They make huge plates of aguachile to share as well as really fantastic ceviches. I really loved their ceviche.
They recently renovated the restaurant and there’s now a huge upstairs seating area which is like a terrace rooftop area. The staff are really friendly and the beers are icy cold.
12. Taqueria El Fogón
Hours: Daily 8am-2am
For some of the best grilled meat tacos of your life, you won’t want to skip a meal at Taqueria el Fogón.
A little streetside spot with lots of seating, we knew we were in a good place when the local police pulled in to have dinner there.
My favorite thing on the menu here is the carne asada. They grill it to perfection, a slight char on the outside but nice and juicy on the inside. You can have it in a flour tortilla, a corn tortilla, or in a burrito.
Besides the carne asada, I also really love the cecina here. If you’ve never tried cecina before, it’s a lightly cured beef that is then grilled on the barbecue.
They also have bowls of pozole soup on Thursdays and Saturdays that are absolutely delicious. Just come early if you want the soup, because it sells out by early afternoon.
The menu at El Fogon has so many delicious options to choose from.
13. El Ahorcado
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 4pm-midnight
A solid mixture between bar and restaurant, I was first drawn to El Ahorcado for the menu. They have an extensive list of unique tacos that I haven’t seen elsewhere in San Jose del Cabo.
The lengua taco (cow tongue) is cooked in a rich sauce and the texture is absolutely perfect. The meat is tender and the salsa is tomato-based and rich.
We tried several of their tacos including the cochinita pibil, the Spanish-style chicken, and the Cantonese-style ribs and they were all really delicious.
Beers are cold and cheap and the atmosphere is fun on a Friday night.
The birria taco I made along with the consomme at El Jalisciense Birrieria to dip it!
14. El Jalisciense Birrieria
Hours: Daily 7:30am-3:30pm
For another really incredibly birria spot, get yourself to El Jalisciense Birrieria. They make birria with beef as well as the traditional way, with goat (chivo). You have to get here early on a weekend if you want to have the goat because it sells out fast, but both are really incredible.
Birria is a slow cooked meat that has been stewed for hours in its own juices as well as with dried chiles and tomatoes. It’s traditionally from the state of Jalisco, hence the name of the restaurant.
I highly recommend ordering it seca (dried) or dorado (golden aka grilled). The meat will come out separate from the consomme or soup. You can make tacos with the meat, add all of the salsas and onions you want and then DIP IT into the consomme. It’s a true thing of beauty.
15. Mariscos El Toro Güero
Hours: Daily 9am-9pm
This is one of, if not the, most popular restaurants in San Jose del Cabo. Speak to anyone, locals and frequent tourists, hotel staff, or taxis and they’ll all sing the praises of El Toro Güero.
They have a few locations around Baja California Sur, I’m a particular fan of the La Paz location, but this one is also exceptional.
This is the place to head for platters of fresh seafood. They have everything from shrimp to clams, whole fried fish to ceviche, and shrimp cocktails. It’s particularly busy on weekends when families drive in from all over the area to have lunch, micheladas, and to enjoy the live music that’s usually there.
The courtyard in Mi Casa is such a nice place to enjoy your meal (and a few margaritas, too!)
16. Mi Casa
Hours: Daily 4-11pm
This little blue building in the center of town is one of the most beautiful places for lunch or dinner in San Jose del Cabo.
Through the front door, you’ll follow the front of house out to a colorful courtyard. There is tons of space out there and plenty of quiet tables to choose from.
Be sure to try their margaritas. The simple lime margarita is one of the best I’ve had in town and their tacos are seriously incredible. My personal favorite is their cochinita pibil.
Cochinita pibil is a traditional Maya pork dish that comes from the Yucatan region of Mexico. They use a special paste called achiote to make it and it is cooked low and slow for hours until you get a Mexican-style pulled pork that is served in a freshly-made corn tortilla and topped with pickled red onions.
If you like spice, have it with their house-made habanero salsa which is not as spicy as it sounds, but packed with flavor.
The buñuelos dessert at Mark’s Grill is SO good!
17. Mark’s Grill
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 9am-9pm
This is a family-run restaurant by some of the nicest people I’ve met in San Jose del Cabo.
Why is it called Mark’s Grill you ask? Well, Meme, the owner, used to have a business partner from Brazil. The two of them always dreamed of opening a restaurant in Mexico. Unfortunately, his partner left Mexico before their dream could be realized.
Meme promised him that if he ever opened that restaurant, he would name it after him. His business partner’s name was Mark.
Mark’s Grill does seriously good habanero margaritas, the best sope I’ve ever had, and extravagant desserts that will have you rolling yourself out the door at the end of your meal (or maybe that’s the margaritas?).
A sope is a thick tortilla that is usually topped with meat, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa. It’s a simple dish, but when done right, is truly delicious.
The sope at Mark’s Grill is exactly that. The tortilla is crunchy on the bottom from the grill, but so light and fluffy when you bite into it. The balance of meat (I had a chicken sope) with the freshly made refried beans and all of the other toppings (especially the fresh cheese!) is something I won’t soon forget.
Be sure to try their buñuelos for dessert. Buñuelos are a sort of Mexican donut. They are lightly fried dough that is then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Theirs is paired with seasonal fruit that has been cooked and coated in honey. There is even a very small amount of chile on there (but it’s not spicy).
It’s served with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and even just thinking about it now makes me want to go back and order it again. I could have happily licked that plate clean.
The cabeza and tripe tacos that we tried at Adelitas. I’ll definitely be going back to have more of their tacos!
18. Adelitas
Hours: Daily 9am-8pm
An unassuming family-run restaurant in San Jose del Cabo. Adelitas is sort of tucked down away from the main strip, but it is entirely worth straying from the strip for these tacos.
You’ll spot it first because of the stunning mural on the outside of the restaurant. There are even more beautiful paintings inside as well. But you’ll come back again and again for the food.
Most of the meat is grilled and you can find classics like a good arrachera steak or ribs. However, I highly recommend trying some of their “more exotic” tacos if you’re feeling brave.
They do a cabeza taco, which is a cow head taco, with beautifully stewed meat that is so tender and juicy. They also make tripe tacos, which are from the lining of the cow’s stomach. Be sure to ask for it nice and crispy and top with some spicy salsa and lime.
The tuna tacos at El Burro were some of the most memorable and delicious tacos that I’ve had in San Jose del Cabo.
19. Sashimi y Mariscos El Burro
Hours: Thursday-Tuesday 11am-7pm, closed Wednesdays
A little bit out of the center of town, it is well-worth grabbing an Uber or parking your rental car up outside of this little local restaurant.
While the name suggests that they have great raw dishes (and they do), I come back again and again because of all of the tuna options. They have fried tuna, seared tuna, smoked tuna, and even tuna with barbecue sauce. And all of the tuna tacos are seriously good. It’s fresh, well-cooked, and fun and different.
My personal favorite is the “chicharron” style tuna taco. Lightly floured and then fried, each bite made me hope and wish that the taco would never end.
See What Some of the Plates of Food Looked and Tasted Like!
Steve
Sunday 7th of May 2023
We had great food and an awesome time at Habenaro’s. A bottle of beer was under 3.50 US. Service was great even with a wedding rehearsal dinner being held while we were there.
Cameron Hood
Monday 13th of February 2023
Some prices would be nice. Or just an indication of $,$$, or $$$