Zuma, the contemporary Japanese restaurant brand with locations from London to Dubai to Miami, is bringing its first Mexico outpost to Los Cabos. Zuma Cabo opens November 5 at Cabo Del Sol in Cabo San Lucas, inside Anima Village, a newer dining and retail enclave built around high-end boutiques and ocean views near the Four Seasons Hotel in Cabo Del Sol.
Gringo Gazette was invited to preview Zuma Cabo’s menu ahead of the opening, at a tasting held at the recently launched Zuma San Diego. The food lived up to the brand’s reputation. Every plate showed an obvious attention to detail, and the quality of the ingredients, particularly the seafood, was the kind you don’t come across often, even in a destination as spoiled for fresh fish as Los Cabos.
What’s Opening and Where
Zuma Cabo will occupy a large indoor-outdoor footprint at Anima Village, with open-air terraces, a bar, and a dedicated event space that can hold up to 400 guests standing or 200 seated. The layout is designed to shift from a relaxed sunset drink at the bar into a livelier dinner scene later in the evening, framed by both mountain and ocean views. The restaurant sits near other recent additions to the area, part of a broader wave of upscale dining moving into the Cabo Del Sol corridor.
We Tried the Dishes Made Just for Cabo
At the San Diego tasting, chefs walked guests through several of the dishes created specifically for the Baja location rather than imported from Zuma’s standard global menu. A Lobster Shimofuri came with shiso chili dashi and crispy ginger, balancing heat and brightness without overwhelming the lobster itself. A Crispy Nori Grouper arrived with a tomato jalapeño relish and wasabi mayo, a clear nod to Baja flavors layered onto Zuma’s izakaya style. Dessert, a Robata Corn and Milk Caramel Flan finished with husk chantilly and mochi, closed the meal on a note that felt distinctly Mexican despite the Japanese technique behind it.
A First for Zuma in Mexico
Zuma was founded in London in 2002 by Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney and has since expanded into luxury markets including Hong Kong, Istanbul, Rome, Madrid, and most recently Vail and San Diego. Cabo marks the brand’s first location in Mexico and its next step in a growing North American presence.
“Opening our first Zuma in Mexico marks an exciting milestone for us, particularly as we continue to introduce the brand to new destinations and audiences,” said Sven Koch, chief executive officer of Azumi Restaurant Group, which operates Zuma. “Cabo offers an incredible setting for us to build on that philosophy, embracing the destination’s energetic lifestyle and striking natural landscape, while delivering the dining experience that has become synonymous with Zuma worldwide.”
Design Blends Japanese Wabi-Sabi With Baja Craftsmanship
Zuma’s in-house design team describes the Cabo project as the brand’s first expression of “barefoot luxury,” pairing the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi with Mexico’s tradition of hecho a mano, or handmade craft. The space uses locally sourced tropical teak and Parota wood, hand-carved mango wood totems, ceramic pillars by artist Maria Pizarro, and a four-meter tree trunk built into the DJ counter. Native Baja flora, including Torote trees, runs through the landscaping alongside Zuma’s signature paper lanterns.
Reservations and What’s Next
Zuma Cabo opens to the public on November 5. Those hoping to snag an early table can book directly through Zuma’s reservation page, and more details on the menu and event space are posted on the official Zuma Cabo site. With a 400-person event capacity and a location inside one of the area’s higher-end developments, Zuma is likely to become a fixture for both destination dinners and private events in Cabo San Lucas going forward.
