Because Los Cabos has become one of the country's major resort destinations, the area is now home to a diverse population, and there are numerous restaurants representing the culinary styles and traditional dishes from many regions of México.

At smaller, family-owned establishments, the bill of fare typically showcases specialties from the owner or family's place of origin (Acapulco or Mazatlán, for example). Larger restaurants, however, particularly those located in tourist areas or at local resorts, will often offer a representative sampling of regional specialty dishes from throughout the country.

Los Tres Gallos is a bit off the beaten tourist track, but this charming eatery in downtown Cabo San Lucasdefinitely falls into the latter category, offering visitors a delicious introduction to some of México's most beloved regional cuisine. It may be the best restaurant in Los Cabos, with the memorable meals complemented by terrific service and a lovely courtyard dining area.

Regional Mexican favorites are also featured at Baja Cantina Group standout María Corona, where the recipes were handed down by the owner’s grandmother, and date back to the days of the Mexican Revolution. Mi Casa’s colorfully decorated dining establishments in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo also excel at traditional Mexican cuisine, as does locals’ favorite María Jiménez.

GrupoMiCasaisresponsibleforsomeofthefinestrestaurantsinLosCabos,includingPeacock'sandCafé

CanelainCaboSanLucas,andLaPangaAntiguainSanJosédelCabo.ColorfulMexicandécorandtraditional

standardsareavailableatthegroup'seponymousrestaurantsineachofthecapecities,withcharming

locationsoverlookingthetownsquareinSanLucas,andnestledamidthehistoricArtDistrictinSanJosé.

StandoutsatbothMiCasarestaurantsincluderegionalMexicanfavoriteslikeChileenNogada,MolePoblano

andCochinitaPibil,aswellasBajastylefavoriteslikeAlmejasRellenas,queenclamsstuffedwithbacon,

cheeseandveggies.Domesticbeersandwinesarealsoavailable,includingsomeexcellentselectionsfrom

Baja'swinecountry,ValledeGuadalupe.RegionalspiritslikeDamianamakeanappearanceonthedessert

menu.

TheResortatPedregalrankswithOne&OnlyPalmillaasoneofLosCabos'mostexclusiveandluxurious

resorts,withahostoffirst-classamenitiesthatincludetwoofthearea'sbestrestaurants.ThecliffsideEl

Farallóniswell-regardedforitsstunningviewsandmarket-styleseafood,whiletheresort'ssignature

restaurantDonManuel'sboastsold-worldhaciendastyleatmosphere,andalargeopenkitchenthatdishes

outsuperbMexicanaccentedcuisine.DonManuel'sisafinediningestablishmentofdeservedrepute,yetthey

favoramorecomfortableandrelaxedapproachthanmostrestaurantsofthesamequality,withagracious

andwelcomingstaffaddingtothecharming,old-fashionedambiance.Themenuchangesdailytoreflectthe

freshestlocalingredients,butsomedishesareofferedconsistently,includingthedeliciousporkbellytamal.

ThereisasignvisibleasyouleaveLaLorenzawhichreads,"vuelvanpronto,"theSpanishequivalentof"y'all

comebacksoon."It'sanicetouch,buthardlynecessary.Onlyatacoloverofirondisciplinecouldresistthe

allureofreturninghere.Thetortillasarehandmade,andthebestintown.Thefishisfresh,themeatcooked

andseasonedtoperfectionoveracharcoalgrill.Thebeersareicecold,theservicewarmandfriendly.The

pricesarelow.Theonlydownsideisthelocation,whichisonlyablockoff-the-beaten-pathofAv.Lázaro

Cárdenas,butfarenoughthattouristseitherhaven'theardofit,ordon'tknowhowtofindit.That'sashame,

becausethisparticularblock-acrossfromCerritodelTimbre,theCasadelaCulturaandthecity'spicturesque

JardínBotánico-isnotonlyproximatetothetouristdistrict,butwellworththewalk.Startwithfishtacosor

alambresdearracheraatLaLorenza,thentakealeisurelystrollthroughthebotanicalgarden,orexperience

theFridaynightsalsadancingsceneacrossthestreetatElRoosterfish.

Thispopularstopfortraditionalcuisineislocatedneartwootherlocals'favorites,seafoodspecialistsMariscos

MazatlánandTresIslas.AllthreeofferauthenticMexicandiningatbudget-friendlyprices,butMaríaJiménez

isthepreferredstopforthoseseekingsignaturecomfortfoodstandardsliketacos,quesadillas,fajitas,chile

rellenosandenchiladas.Comboplattersfeaturingmultipleoptionsarefeatured,andthereisagoodselection

ofMexicanbeersandtequilasonhand,aswellassangríaandseveraldeliciousmargaritavarieties.Winesare

servedbytheglassorbottle,primarilyfromMéxicoandtheU.S.Fordessert,trythecaramelflan.

Chooseamongalfrescodiningontheterrazzo,openairindoordiningortheeverpopular"tablesinthesand"

atthiscasualyetstylishbarandrestaurantatMédanoBeachluxurylodgingHaciendaBeachCluband

Residences.HighlightsatHaciendaCocinayCantinaincludestunningviewsoftheiconicrockformationsof

Land'sEnd,aswellasanexcellenttraditionalMexicanmenucreatedbyfamedChefAndreaBlancoand

executedbyChefUzielTorres.Startwithmargaritasormojitosatthescenicbar,thenprogresstoverdestyle

ceviche,crabflautaswithmangobajaslawandhibiscussauce,andOaxacanstylebeefmedallionswithred

molesauce.Plattersservedfamily-styleforthewholetablearealsoavailable,withchoicessuchasmarinated

grilledskirtsteak,slowroastedporkorseabasswithplantainsandpicodegallo.

ThemostrecentadditiontotheBajaCantinaGroupofrestaurantsopenedin2009,andspecializesin

traditionalMexicancuisine.Alltherecipeswerepasseddownfromtheowner'sgrandmother,andharkback

tothedaysoftheMexicanRevolution.Thecookingandprepmethodsarelikewiseold-fashioned,fromhand

rolledtortillastoguacamolespreparedtableside.Menuhighlightsincludetortillasoup,panelafondue,

Mayan-styleCochinitaPibil,andtheMaríaCoronaplatterwithchorizopackedchilesrellenos,andchicken

smotheredinmolesauce.Thecharmingpatiodiningareareinforcestheold-fashionedimage,withcolorful

lightshangingfromtrees,andmusiciansLosPríncipesperformingtraditionalMexicanballadsnightly.Air-

conditioningisavailableintheindoordiningarea,andcookingclassesarealsooffered.

TheTowers,theresort-within-a-resortconceptatPuebloBonito'sspectacularPacificaproperty,sportsoneof

theregion'snewestandmostimpressiverestaurants:Península.NamedforitscommitmenttoregionalBaja

stylecuisineandingredients,Penínsulashowcasesallthefreshlocalseafoodandorganicproduceonewould

expect,fromSanCarlossourcedshrimpandPuertoNuevostylelobstertocabrilla(grouper)fromnearbyLa

Playita,andasuperbsplitcarrotsoupwhoseheadlinerhailsfromthelocalfarmingcommunityofMiraflores.

Chocolateclams,atraditionalBajaSurspecialty,arealsorepresented,asisthepopularperico,orparrotfish.

TherestaurantishelmedbychefOctavioHernández,whowillbefamiliartolong-timevisitorsforhisstintat

HaciendaCocinayCantina.Thedesignbeliesthedownhomeregionalcuisine,withchicdécorfeaturingsleek

accentsandagorgeousentrancehighlightedbystonewalkwaysandawatergarden.Stunningviewsofthe

PacificOceanareanaddedbonus.

OwnerEdithJiménezisoriginallyfromthestateofGuerrero,andherrestaurantservesupamixtureofBaja

andGuerrerancuisines,aswellasgeneroushelpingsoffreshlocalseafood.Therestaurantislocatedjusta

blockfromMédanoBeach,whereithasbeenafinediningfixtureforovertwodecades.Themesquitegrilland

upscaleMexicanambianceareprimeattractions,withtheair-conditionedwinecellardrawingconsiderable

interestduringthehotsummermonths.SignatureofferingsincludetheCoquetasalad;the"WallySpecial"

withgrilledlobster,garlicshrimp,andmesquitegrilledcatchoftheday;andthePanchoVillawithgrilled

chickenbreast,stuffedpoblanopepperandchickenenchilada.

ThesignaturerestaurantatthenewlyopenedChilenoBayResort&Residencesiscertainlyafeastfortheeyes,

withchicdécorfromahigh-profileLosAngeles-baseddesigner,andapicturesqueperchoverlookingtheSea

ofCortés.Thesensemostlikelytobegratified,however,istaste,thankstoitstwotoptalents:ChefYvan

Mucharraz,formerlyDirectorofFoodandBeverageatTheResortatPedregal;andBeverageManagerOsvaldo

Vazquez,freshoffanotablestintcreatingtheinnovativecocktailmenuatTheCape.Althoughbroadlybilledas

acelebrationofLatinAmericancuisine,whatComaldoesbestistooffercontemporarytwistsontraditional

Mexicanfavorites,fromcevichesandchilpacholebrothtoduckcarnitasandchicharrón.Agenerouswinelist

offersplentyofpairingoptions-includingmanyfromBajaCalifornia'sValledeGuadalupe-andVazquez

unveilsfreshlymintedcocktailrecipesonaregularbasis.

NamedforthreelegendaryactorsfromthegoldenageofMexicancinema-PedroInfante,JorgeNegreteand

JavierSolíswerecollectivelyknownasLosTresGallos(TheThreeRoosters)-thischarmingandunpretentious

downtowndiningspotmaybethebestrestaurantinCaboSanLucas.Alltheentréeoptionsaredelicious,but

themoledishes,inparticular,arespectacular.Tablesaresetinaromanticcourtyarddiningareashadedby

tangerine,mango,andotherfruittrees,andtheservice,likethefoodandatmosphere,isabsolutelyfirst-class.

Bestofall,TresGallosisveryaffordable,witheverythingonthemenusaveafewAmericanstylesteakspriced

atlessthan$25.Anewsatellitelocation,LosTresGallosTacoBar,hasrecentlyopenedatPlazadelSol.