Downtown Cabo’s Pancho’s restaurant closed its doors on August 1st, announced partners Juan Calderoni and Alvaro Cota, who bought it from original owners John and Mary Bragg 10 years ago. John and Mary were a fixture in Cabo and Pancho’s was almost an instant success when it opened in 1989. John was the first tequila connoisseur in Los Cabos, boasting a collection of over 100 brands of the spirit, and Mary was the hostess par excellence and a great PR person. They both launched the Chili Cook Off annual events to benefit the Cabo San Lucas fire department and supported several other community-oriented organizations, until they sold Pancho’s and retired to Ajijic, in Central Mexico near Guadalajara where John passed away several years ago.
Another legend is gone. Sigh.
David, I have been visiting Cabo since 1980 via the highway and the airport from LA and Seattle. I was incredibly saddened to see that Pancho’s Restaurante closed its doors for good on August 1st. My wife and I have been dining at Pancho’s since 1995 when we were married in Seattle on Cinco de Mayo. We flew to Cabo the next morning and had dinner at Pancho’s. On some of our one week visits we would dine at Pancho’s every night because of the staff, excellent food and the funky ambiance. Our dear friend, Mario, who was the general manager for many years, passed on from Covid in 2021. I would be indebted to you if you could share any information about why Juan & Alvaro decided to close the restaurant. Thanks so much, David. BTW…. I read the Gringo Gazette on-line every time it comes out. Great job!!!