Enchanted Evenings: Top Most Romantic Restaurants in Los Cabos, Mexico

Los Cabos is one of the world's premier locations for destination weddings, honeymoons and renewal of vows ceremonies. And given that the region's natural advantages – golden sand beaches, year round sunshine, warm tropical breezes and the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortés – have in recent years been paired with an influx of talented young chefs, and an emergent, world-class cuisine featuring local ingredients with Mediterranean influences, it's small wonder that Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo are also among the world's best spots for romantic wining and dining.




Two of the area’s most celebrated resorts, The Resort at Pedregal and One&Only Palmilla, are also home to very romantic dining destinations. El Farallón at The Resort at Pedregal pairs fresh market style seafood with a magnificent cliffside setting perched above crashing Pacific Ocean waves. At Palmilla's Agua, Chef Larbi Dahrouch's "Mexiterranean" delights are accompanied by mood enhancing music and moonlight dancing on the Sea of Cortés.

Of course, Los Cabos' most romantic setting may belong to Sunset da Mona Lisa, a Tourist Corridor restaurant that looks westward across Cabo San Lucas Bay towards the natural rock formations at Land's End. Sunset dining at this Italian bistro and seafood eatery provides a feast for all five senses, and remains one of the region's most memorably romantic experiences.


10
Bar Esquina

Bar Esquina is one of the signature charms of the boutique Bahia Hotel & Beach Club, offering a hip, upscale atmosphere - including a gorgeous 17-seat marble bar - and some of the best food and drinks in Los Cabos. Chef Rogelio Garcia and his staff work in an open kitchen, so guests can watch their Mexican and Mediterranean style entrées being prepared as they sip custom crafted cocktails, or snack on the restaurant's excellent selection of gourmet pizzas. Live music is a dinnertime staple on the outdoor patio, with performers that range from contemporary American country stars to romantic Latin balladeers. The café area behind the kitchen is also a popular afternoon stop for guests and beachgoers, showcasing coffees sourced from beans in premier Mexican growing areas in Oaxaca and Chiapas. ((624) 143-1890)


09
Don Sánchez

Chef and restaurateur Tadd Chapman's signature downtown dining fixture in San José del Cabo, Don Sánchez, features a wine bar, an outdoor grill, and an enormous palapa-shaded courtyard dining area. The menu focus is on "contemporary Baja fusion," with daily tasting menus showcasing the freshest local and seasonal ingredients. Chapman sources organic produce from his own local farm, Sánchez Orgánico, and grass and grain-fed beef that are wet-aged and seasoned with natural un-iodized sea salt from Guerrero Negro. The wine program here is the best in Los Cabos, with sommelier Nizuniro Altamirano on hand for advice on pairing options from the list of 300 plus wines, or sales from the carry-out wine shop. Wine themed events are hosted on a monthly basis, and live entertainment is also a big draw, with the outdoor courtyard hosting a stage and spacious dance floor. ((624) 142 2444)


08
De Cortez Grill and Restaurant

Chef Manuel De Luca is responsible for the first-class cuisine at De Cortez Grill and Restaurant, one of the many excellent fine dining establishments at Sheraton's Hacienda Del Mar Golf & Spa Resort. De Cortez boasts all the candlelight romance and seaside ambiance one could ask for, with cool jazz, gently lapping waves and gorgeous Sea of Cortés views. The menu focus is on creative fusions of Mexican and Mediterranean elements, but De Cortez is perhaps best known as a mecca for visiting steak lovers. The restaurant has twice been awarded the prestigious Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. ((624) 145-8000)


07
Caborey

The 144' luxury catamaran Caborey is the premier tour ship in Los Cabos, best known for its perennially popular margarita and dinner cruises. The dinner cruise is one of the great local activities, particularly for those who are in town for a short time and want to get a feel for the local landscape, culture and cuisine. The scenic tour includes sunset views of Cabo San Lucas Bay, Médano and Lovers' Beaches, and the unique rock formations such as El Arco near Land's End. There are two belowdecks areas for dinner, depending upon your ticket preference. There is a buffet on the middle deck, and a sit-down dinner on the lower deck with a choice of entrées like beef tenderloin and grilled lobster. After the sit-down dinner, there is a rousing and romantic floor show featuring Mexican and Latin American singing and dancing. ((624) 143-8060)


06
Hacienda Cocina y Cantina

Choose among al fresco dining on the terraza, open air indoor dining or the ever popular "tables in the sand" at this casual yet stylish bar and restaurant at Médano Beach luxury lodging Hacienda Beach Club and Residences. Highlights at Hacienda Cocina y Cantina include stunning views of the iconic rock formations of Land's End, as well as an excellent traditional Mexican menu created by famed Chef Andrea Blanco and executed by Chef Octavio Hernández. Start with margaritas or mojitos at the scenic bar, then progress to verde style ceviche, crab flautas with mango baja slaw and hibiscus sauce, and Oaxaca style beef medallions with ancho chile and peanut mole. Platters served family-style for the whole table are also available, with choices such as marinated grilled skirt steak, slow roasted pork or sea bass with garlic-chile sauce. (624-163-3144, 415-259-4170)


05
Flora's Field Kitchen

Flora's Field Kitchen takes farm to table dining to another level. The restaurant is set next to a 10-acre organic field at Flora Farms, and you can almost reach out and touch the food you'll soon be eating. Well, actually the meat is sourced from a nearby ranch, but you get the picture. This is fine dining at its most intimate. And it is fine dining. The food is superb, and ranges from gourmet pizzas to heartier fare like farm-raised pork or handcrafted pastas. Sunday brunch is particularly popular, although reservations are recommended for any visit to the restaurant. The adjacent Farm Bar serves up fresh fruit juices, wine, craft beer and cocktails. In addition to the onsite bar, bakery and organic grocery, the property also includes shops and some newly constructed culinary cottages. ((624) 355-4564)


04
Agua by Larbi

Although the restaurant recently received a redesign as part of the ultra-luxury One&Only Palmilla resort's renovation post Hurricane Odile, Agua by Larbi is still one of the finest restaurants in Los Cabos, distinguished by its superb food, impeccable service, and romantic candle and moonlit views of the Sea of Cortés. Chef Larbi Dahrouch's focus continues to be on Mexican cuisine with Mediterranean influences, with menus changing seasonally - some dishes are changed daily - to reflect the finest available ingredients. Many specialties are made tableside, including handmade tortillas, guacamoles, ceviches and moles. Start at the bar for sunset cocktails. ((624) 146-7000)


03
Manta at The Cape

The signature dining option at new luxury property The Cape: A Thompson Hotel, Manta is helmed by acclaimed chef Enrique Olvera, whose México City based Pujol is currently rated one of the 20 best restaurants in the world. The hotel enjoys a superb location on legendary surf beach Playa Monumentos, and Manta showcases spectacular views - particularly at sunset - of the granite rock formations at Land's End in Cabo San Lucas. Olvera's rotating menu focuses on Pacific Rim cuisine and fresh local seafood, with 15 - 18 dishes available on a nightly basis. Multi-course tasting menus are the preferred dinner option, with excellent pairing advice provided courtesy of the onsite sommelier, whose generous wine list includes numerous options from Baja's wine country, Valle de Guadalupe. ((624) 163-0000)


02
El Farallón

El Farallón features a spectacular cliffside setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the exclusive Resort at Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas. The restaurant pairs fresh local seafood with its romantic atmosphere, adding decorative touches like lanterns and beautifully crafted wicker chairs, fine linen and polished silver. The fish is fresh daily, and diners pick their dinner market style, choosing from a selection of sea bass, red snapper, striped bass, shrimp, tuna, dorado, clams and lobster. The fish is then weighed and taken to the chef to be grilled with an array of fresh chilies. Soups and salads are included with all entrées, and rib-eye steaks are available for those who want the views without the seafood. This ranks with Sunset Da Mona Lisa as one of the most romantic dining experiences in all of Los Cabos, and the addition of a new Champagne terrace only enhances the romance factor. ((624) 163-4350)


01
Sunset da Mona Lisa

This is one of the most romantic restaurants you will find anywhere, with tables perched seemingly atop the Sea of Cortés and breathtaking views of Land's End. Pastas and fresh local seafood are the specialties - the place has its own fishing boats, and will cook up your catch for dinner - but there is also an upstairs bar and pizza lounge, and a newly installed Taittinger Terrace Champagne and Oyster Bar. Considering the magnificence of the setting, it is perhaps not surprising that they have wedding services available. Both the food and the service here are outstanding, but it is the romantic and awe-inspiring atmosphere that makes dinner at Sunset da Mona Lisa such an incredible experience. Reservations are recommended year round, and are an absolute necessity for sunset dining during the tourist season (Oct. - May.). (624-145-8160, 624-145-8166)


By Chris Sands | 10 Best