When I have done reviews of Italian, Chinese, and American-style restaurants in Los Cabos, there are frequent comments that visitors have come for good Mexican food from local restaurants. So, today’s column features some new and some original Mexican restaurants in the region. All of them have full menus of Mexican dishes, with lots of fresh seafood offered, and of course, great prices.
San Jose del Cabo Mariscos El Tiburon de San Carlos
There is a new seafood restaurant in San Jose del Cabo located behind the stadium at the corner of Copa Mexico 70 and Idelfonso Green – Mariscos El Tiburon De San Carlos. This is at the end of the block off Centenario to the north of Mariscos El Toro Guero. Open for just under eight months, this restaurant is under a large palapa with pea gravel floors and wooden tables and Puerto Vallarta chairs. Large flat-screen TVs play videos of Mexican music. The menu is extensive with appetizers, cold seafood specialties, seafood cocktails, aguachiles, ceviche, oysters and clams in the shell, tostadas, tacos, grilled octopus, lobster, shrimp, and fish filets. There are even meat and chicken choices for non-seafood lovers and a kid’s menu.
My server brought a large basket of tostadas, crackers, and a chipotle sauce as a starter for the table, which also had a basket of every hot sauce you could imagine. I decided to start with a half-order of shrimp cocktail followed by an order of Baja Fish tacos. The shrimp cocktail was big enough for two – and it was only a half order. The milkshake glass was filled with shrimp, avocado, onions, and celery in a cocktail sauce. It was delicious and so big that I took more than half of it home. I was to find the portion size had a trend in El Tiberon. The Baja fish tacos order had three large tacos in flour tortillas, each with three large pieces of battered fish in them. The plate also had Pico de Gallo, Coleslaw, guacamole, and another green salsa. This would have easily been enough for two people to share. They were delicious, and once again, I took one taco and a few extra pieces of fish home.
This is a great new hidden gem. The menus are available in both English and Spanish. My server was perfectly fluent. The overall restaurant is extremely well organized – numbered tables, servers with electronic iPads for ordering, and a large serving staff. So, the service was also excellent. The prices were very reasonable, especially given the portion size. My total bill, with a soda, was $400 mx or about $20.00. The tacos were only $140 mx. I will be going back and highly recommend the experience.
https://www.facebook.com/eltiburonsucsjc
Cabo San Lucas: Gardenias Shrimp and Fish Tacos
Located on Calle Paseo de la Marina (the one-way by McDonald’s in Cabo San Lucas), Gardenias Shrimp & Fish Tacos has been in Los Cabos since 1980. The menu offers all the traditional Mexican dishes — tacos, quesadillas, burritos, molcajetes, seafood plates, and soup and salads. The large restaurant has its own parking with lots of tables in the dining room. I had seen it often when visiting La Vaca Tinta on the second floor of the building next door but had never stopped there.
I stopped for lunch and decided to try several different items from the menu. My server brought out a carousel that included two types of onions, Pico de Gallo, and salsa. There was also a separate bowl of sliced cabbage, limes, and another salsa. I began with the tortilla soup, which had lots of tortilla strips, chunks of avocado, cheese, and chicken. It was very tasty. I then ordered both a natural quesadilla (cheese on a large flour tortilla) and a deep-fried fish taco on a flour tortilla. Each of these was completed with all the condiments on the table. The flavors were good. My only concern was the fish taco was only one piece of fish, which for the price was less of a value than many other places.
Overall, the service was good, the flavor of the food was very good, and the atmosphere was neutral. However, it was clear that it was a popular place, as the large dining room had lots of customers.
https://www.tacosgardenias.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TacosGardenias
Cerritos Beach: Barracuda Cantina Los Cerritos
On my way back from Todos Santos to San Jose del Cabo, I decided to try someplace in Cerritos for lunch. I had seen a few posts related to live music at Barracuda Cantina and decided to stop there. The restaurant is about a block from the beach and is under a large palapa. The kitchens are two food trucks parked on the side of the lot. The outdoor dining space is comfortable and there is both a bar and a small shop selling Barracuda Cantina souvenirs — t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more.
The lunch menu had ceviche, tacos, burritos and quesadillas from which to choose. I decided to try both a quesadilla (plain without the added fish, shrimp or smoked fish). But, given the seafood orientation, I ordered a battered fish taco, which is served on a corn tortilla with guacamole, Pico de Gallo, shredded lettuce and pickled onions. I decided to have a Modelo Especial to drink, which came in a can, along with a house water with ice.
The food was good, the service fast and the prices reasonable.