11 Cabo San Lucas Restaurants You Must Try on Your Next Vacation

The Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas has beautiful beaches that draw people from around the globe, and those people have to eat. Luckily, there's no shortage of restaurants in Cabo and some of them are exquisite enough to be worthy of a Michelin Star. One restaurant has already earned one!

The Michelin Guide has reviewed 11 restaurants in Cabo San Lucas, with one earning one star, one receiving a Bib Gourmand rating, and nine others being reviewed because they're worth a mention.

Michelin's anonymous inspectors review restaurants across the world, rating establishments based on criteria like consistency and technique. Their coveted stars are awarded as follows: 1 – "a very good restaurant in its category," 2 – "excellent cooking, worth a detour," 3 – "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

Cabo San Lucas, like any high-class vacation destination, has some delicious and elegant restaurants you don't want to miss, as evidenced by the Michelin reviews. Here are the 11 Michelin-reviewed restaurants, starting with the 1-star winner. (For more on international travel, here are the best all-inclusive resorts worldwide.)

Cocina de Autor Los Cabos is located inside the Grand Velas hotel, a plush oceanfront restaurant with a resort-formal dress code. Michelin gave this establishment one star and said the kitchen is not afraid to take risks, especially with flavor. They recommended the farm-raised sea scallop served under a miso butter with tom yum, and the tempura-fried shiso leaf. They called the beef tenderloin (pictured) a triumph of flavors.

Don't let the dirt road drive up to this place fool you. Michelin handed Metate a Bib Gourmand, meaning it's worth checking out. The review mentions Metate's tacos Baja, blue corn tortillas topped with morsels of flaky white fish encased in squid ink-tinted batter and topped with finely shredded pickled cabbage. Yelp reviewers were charmed by the ambiance.

Located in downtown Cabo, Los Tres Gallos serves traditional Mexican cuisine — and at generous portions, according to Michelin. "The pozole is a vivid broth enriched with roasted chiles and tomatoes. Stocked with plump kernels of toothsome hominy alongside chunks of braised pork, it is served with a host of embellishments," Michelin's review states. They also say to save room for the flan!

Chef Enrique Olvera's menu shines at Manta. His contemporary Mexican cuisine, which has Peruvian and Japanese influences, is offered as a tasting menu and à la carte. Michelin's review highlights a sweet potato with a tamarind and soy crust in an almond mole, as well as a "refreshing" melon salad.

Comal is located at Chileno Bay Resort, and just the stroll to this open-air restaurant lets you know you're in for a treat. Comal also serves contemporary Mexican cuisine, and Michelin mentioned the octopus kastakan, a ceviche-style dish made with thin coins of octopus tossed with crispy cubes of pork belly and crispy pork skin. "Served with warm plantain tortillas with slightly sweet notes, it's a brightly flavored dish," the review states.

Michelin inspectors seemed charmed by the atmosphere at CARBÓNCABRÓN. Chef Poncho Cadena's menu includes vegetables, seafood, and "black market" meats such as sweetbread (pictured). Michelin recommended the onion petals filled with habanero aïoli, coated in charcoal tempura batter, and fried; and the tail-on shrimp over a thick slice of pork belly.

Arbol's menu by executive chef Anand Singh is Indian-inspired, and Michelin recommended the Punjabi fish masala, "which is gently cooked in a zesty, moderately spiced tomato-based sauce enriched with ground cashews and flecked with herbs and spices," the review states. The dish is served with spice-tinted basmati pilaf and Indian-style pickled veggies. Michelin recommended you pair that with the butter-brushed naan.

If you're craving Mediterranean cuisine, Chef Alex Branch can get you there at Nao. Michelin praised the "high level of service and the exemplary dishes," and recommended you start with the roasted beets with pomegranate molasses. Main dishes to try include lechón and are made to share, which Michelin said "leaves plenty of room for yogurt gelato with crumbled baklava and macerated strawberries."

Lumbre describes itself as a "place full of vibrant and bold culinary experiences," and Michelin's review backs up that claim, citing chef Cesar Pita's creativity and originality. The open kitchen will allow you a peek as the magic happens. Michelin recommended starting with Lumbre's grilled bread (pictured) that's served with bone marrow butter, in the bone with hibiscus salt, then moving on to a chile relleno stuffed with "scallop chorizo" or the pork belly in a Recaudo Negro sauce.

Ruba's Bakery & Bistro in Cabo's Arts District is one of those places you'll return to again and again. Besides offering an array of coffees, pastries, and baked goods, you'll find cheese and charcuteries, salads, sandwiches, and coal-fired pizza. Michelin's review in particular mentions the chilaquiles, served in a skillet with crisp yellow corn tortilla chips soaked in a morita chile sauce, accompanied by diced bits of roasted lamb and a Valle de Guadalupe-style consommé.

Omakai has three menus to choose from, and Michelin's review says you can't go wrong no matter which you choose. The omakase menu offers "good quality," the review states, with flawless housemade pork belly gyoza. They also recommended the nigiri and seared salmon. Omakai also offers a teppanyaki tasting menu and a la carte items. (While none of these fine restaurants would ever, here are signs you're dining in a bad restaurant.)