9 Best Restaurants in Los Cabos Side Trips, Los Cabos and the Baja Peninsula

This cliffside restaurant offers the most spectacular view in Todos Santos—the excellent Mexican cuisine is an added bonus. Sunset is the most popular time to dine, so be sure to make a reservation in advance if you want seating. If you're looking for the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, like a birthday, anniversary, or simply "la vida," this is it.

The tasting menu at NEMI, whose name means "give life" in the Indigenous Mexican language, Nahuatl, is beyond exquisite. Choose five- or nine courses, plus an optional (but recommended) wine pairing, and prepare to be blown away by the modern Mexican cuisine that is created by chef Alejandro Villagomez and his team. The server's descriptions of each course will excite you even more than the presentation (which—shocker—is very well done). A darkly-lit corner restaurant with fewer than 10 tables, the space is moody and intimate.

The dinner menu is forever changing at this family-owned and -run restaurant, and that's a good thing. Whether you order soup and salad, steak, or fresh catch of the day prepared any way you like it, this is a one-of-a-kind dining experience with amazing sea views. Patio dining is de rigeur during most of the year, but during the hot summer months, guests may prefer air-conditioned indoor dining room seating.

Chef Lalo Pino is one of the most interesting characters you'll meet in La Paz, and his food reflects that. Perhaps because both his menu of craft tacos and the concept of Hambrusia (which is slang for hungry, like "munchies") were inspired by growing up on the peninsula before there were supermarkets and accessible ingredients from the mainland. Order a variety to try, or put your fate in Pino's hands by going the omakase route and he'll bring out six of his personal favorites. The dishes are lightly Asian-inspired, simply because "umami goes really well with tacos."

Deliciously prepared chiles rellenos—stuffed with cheese, beef, fish, and vegetables—are the attraction at Miguel's; the signature version is made with shrimp. Look for the sign out front claiming these are the main attraction, as well as the faded but framed New York Times article, which proclaims them the best in all of Baja.

Fish tacos for breakfast? It may take getting used to, but that's how things are done in La Paz. The type of fish that's battered up "Baja Style" changes daily with the fishermen's catch, but is usually grouper, mahimahi, or sea bass. Top it with cream, chipotle, and avocado sauce ... plus spicier flavors, if you're brave.

In need of refreshments after a magical day diving or snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo National Park? Stop by Tacos and Beer, and soak up the muy tranquilo vibes while you eat delicious seafood tacos and admire views so paradisiacal they look like the set of a Corona commerical. The mostly seafood-focused tacos here are served at umbrella-shaded picnic tables that look over the pristine beach and Sea of Cortez beyond. Cans of ice-cold Pacífico are the most popular of the limited pairing options (no Corona here), but first-time visitors should also check out the bottled Big-Eyed Jacks pilsner from local Cabo Pulmo Brewing.

Street eats aren't as ubiquitous in Todos Santos as they are in Cabo or La Paz, but if you're craving tacos and want something cheap, easy, and oh-so-good, go to George's. Choose between fish or shrimp; either will cost you just a few bucks cash (credit cards not excepted), with agua de jamaica (hibiscus water) as the available beverage.

A favorite spot among the dwindling community of local Mexican residents, Tiki Santos can be a little difficult to find (the location shown on Google Maps is not correct), but if you persevere, you'll be rewarded with generous portions of classic Mexican seafood dishes at moderate prices. The decor is as basic as they come—plastic chairs on a dirt sand floor—but that's part of the charm. The food is just as good (if not better than) other restaurants in town charging double.