The East Cape Food Tour

Being a foodie is about much more than enjoying the taste of food. True culinarians know that eating is a full-spectrum experience. It includes things like ambiance, service, freshness, presentation and even the view from the dining establishment. If you consider yourself a true aficionado of great cuisine, you need look no further than East Cape food.

Whether you’re just visiting the area on vacation or are a new resident of the East Cape region, you’ll want to add the following restaurants to your East Cape Food Tour itinerary.

1. Nick-San Cabo

Nick-San Cabo offers a fusion of Japanese-Mexican cuisine. It features some of the best sashimi, nigiri and seafood in the region. Indulge in salmon yuzu, tuna tostadas, charred octopus, spicy scallops, curried sashimi salad and oysters. If you’re taking a meat-lover, opt for the beef medallions or teriyaki chicken.

2. Casa De Brasa

Staying at the Four Seasons Los Cabos at Costa Palmas while you look for your perfect piece of East Cape real estate? The poolside restaurant Casa De Brasa offers a unique opportunity to dine on the freshest catch of the day: YOURS.

With the “Catch Your Own” program, diners can board a fishing boat at the private marina and venture out onto the Sea of Cortez to catch their own marlin, snapper or sailfish. The chef then prepares your catch with your choice of signature sauces and sides.

While the poolside dining may feel relaxed and casual, the chopped salads, shrimp tacos and made-to-order guacamole are close enough to perfection to be served in any formal establishment.

3. Costa Palmas Beach & Yacht Club

If you bought East Cape real estate at Costa Palmas, you can count yourself among the elite few who belong to the Costa Palmas Beach & Yacht Club. The Club offers several dining options, including the main restaurant, the Beach Bar and The Nursery, among others.

While the Beach Bar is best known for its tacos, ceviche, beer and smoothies, the Nursery is all about the primal power of fire! You’ll dine via candlelight among native plants, trees and cacti. The chefs entertain by cooking over open flames and in an outdoor clay oven.

It features uber-fresh seafood, meats and pizzas. The cuisine is rivaled only by the stunning and earthy setting. Whichever establishment at Costa Palmas Beach & Yacht Club you choose, you’ll be savoring fresh ingredients grown and picked daily from the organic farm and orchard while you marvel at the views of the estuary and sea.

4. Flora’s Field Kitchen

Field-to-table doesn’t get any more literal than a restaurant set among its own 25-acre organic farm. In addition to permanent menu items, Flora’s Field Kitchen offers seasonal choices. All meats come from the nearby 150-acre ranch. At the ranch, animals are raised in humane conditions without hormones or antibiotics.

You’ll have plenty of choices whether you’re a carnivore, vegetarian, or vegan. Pick from fresh sea bass and mango-shrimp salad or farm-fresh eggs or 15 types of Neapolitan-style pizza cooked right in the wood-fire oven.

While you’re there, be sure to try the house-made sorbets and ice creams and order something from The Farm Bar. They serve a wide range of fruit- and vegetable-infused craft cocktails, such as the heirloom carrot Farmarita (a spin on the traditional Margarita).

5. Los Tamarindos

Located just one mile from the Sea of Cortez and San Jose Del Cabo’s estuary is Los Tamarindos. Los Tamarindos is an organic farm and restaurant located in a 19^th Century farmhouse. Alfresco dining adds to the rustic farm-to-table appeal. No dietary restrictions are too limited for the eclectic menu.

Ceviche, grilled octopus, fresh oyster, vegetarian chile rellenos and chickpea and turmeric hummus will please even the toughest culinary critics. Entrees draw from all things local: free-range organic chicken, pork shank in green mole, the catch of the day and Santa Rosa goat, among others.

6. Sunset Monalisa

Led by Chef Casiano Reyes, Sunset Monalisa offers world-class Mediterranean cuisine. They have some of the freshest seafood you’ll ever eat.

Appetizers range from a trio of oysters, tuna tartare and fresh mussels. Main courses run the gamut: braised lamb, duck leg confit, red snapper and surf and turf.

But it’s the three- and five-course tasting menu (with or without wine pairings) that allows you to sample the best of the region with a new culinary experience each time you visit.

7. Acre

With a tagline of “A taste of Baja’s bounty,” you know you’ll be savoring only the freshest local ingredients—even if the menu is quite global.

While breakfast, brunch, lunch and desserts make Acre worthy of a visit, it’s the dinner menu that steals the show. Sink your teeth into the chicken liver mousse, scallop ceviche or heirloom tomato gazpacho from the appetizer menu. Then opt for something to share; a whole roasted hen, a local suckling pig, a Tomahawk steak or the whole grilled catch of the day.

Rather keep your entrée to yourself? There’s nothing selfish about devouring the rack of lamb, seared Ahi tuna, New York strip or “porktopus” (crispy pork belly and seared octopus).

8. Estiatorio Milos

You don’t need to own East Cape real estate to enjoy the luxury lifestyle provided by world-class restaurants. At the Four Seasons Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, you can delight in the offerings of globally acclaimed chef Costas Spiliadis.

With culinary destinations in New York, London, Miami, Las Vegas, Montreal and Athens, Estiatorio Milos brings local ingredients to the limelight—including seafood straight from the Sea of Cortez—while still offering international flair.

Choose your catch from a 230-square-foot display of options set on crushed ice or indulge in the raw bar of whole-fish sashimi and tartare. With Chef Spiliadis’ Greek influences, you’ll need to indulge in the Milos Special at least once: crispy eggplant and zucchini over house-made tzatziki and Kefalograviera cheese.

Tourists and East Cape real estate owners should keep this list of must-visit restaurants handy to explore all the area has to offer.