The small village of El Pescadero lies just an hour north of Los Cabos, on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It’s a little off the beaten path and often gets missed by people heading from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz or Todos Santos.
But if you stop to explore, you’ll find El Pescadero has a great food scene with vibrant cafés, beach bars, and restaurants serving freshly caught seafood and farm to table options. Whether you’re looking for a quick bite between surf lessons or a relaxing meal while watching the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, El Pescadero has the perfect place.
What I absolutely love most about Pescadero (so much so that I bought a house there) is that it is so unassuming. You will be scratching your head wondering what you’re doing on a dusty dirt road full of potholes and then you stumble into an oasis of incredible, fresh food, upscale decor, and super friendly people. And it will happen just about everywhere you go. There is a magic to Pescadero that I haven’t found anywhere else, and it’s the kind of place that you have to experience yourself to really “get it.”
By the way, there are even more great options a few miles away in the cobblestone streets of downtown Todos Santos. These include places like Caffe Todos Santos, Los Adobes, La Copa bar, and Jazamango, where Javier Plascencia is the executive chef.
So, if you’re planning to visit Baja California Sur, here are the must-visit restaurants in El Pescadero, Mexico. Once you try these, go 15 minutes up the road and check out the best restaurants in Todos Santos.
Tips for Dining in El Pescadero
Check the opening times
Restaurants in El Pescadero tend to run on Baja hours, so you’ll often find they close for one or two days each week. I’ve listed the current opening hours below, but it’s best to check before you go. El Pescadero restaurants also tend to close earlier than you’re used to at home, so plan to eat early.
Make a reservation
El Pescadero is pretty laid-back, but the popular restaurants can get busy, especially in the high season. Check if you need reservations so you won’t be disappointed.
Card or cash?
Most El Pescadero restaurants take credit and debit cards. Some, like Lucky23, are cash only, so check before you go and take a little cash with you, just in case. When I say cash, I do mean Mexican pesos. If you need to grab some money, stop by one of the ATMs in the airport before you leave. Pescadero doesn’t have a consistently-working ATM, making the nearest one Todos Santos.
Breakfast/Brunch
Baja Beans Café
Baja Beans Café is a cute little coffee shop with a colorful tiled counter. As well as serving fantastic specialty coffee, Baja Beans is a great spot for breakfast or brunch in Pescadero.
They have delicious sweet pastries and a great avocado toast, but my favorite breakfast at Baja Beans is their amazing chilaquiles.
You can sip your coffee and enjoy live music with your breakfast, in a courtyard surrounded by swaying palm trees, little art galleries, and stalls selling handcrafted gifts and local produce.
Baja Beans Café is open 7 days a week, 7am to 3pm.
Lucky23
It’s easy to overlook Lucky23 because it’s an unassuming place hidden away in a little shopping plaza. But this is one of the hidden gems of the El Pescadero area and the food here is top notch!
The breakfast menu features standard American favorites like bagels, pancakes, and eggs. However, they also have chilaquiles and burritos made with local ingredients for an authentic Baja breakfast experience. The restaurant is also open for dinner in the evenings.
One important note to remember – Lucky23 doesn’t accept cards, so be sure to bring cash with you.
Lucky23 is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 12pm, and again for dinner from 2pm to 10pm.
Palmar Pescadero
Palmar Pescadero is a gorgeous spot for breakfast or brunch. The avocado toast is the best I’ve ever had, and the menu is large. Some of the kids in our group did struggle to find things they like (it’s very egg-based, so if you have an egg hater or egg allergy, it can be tricky). Absolutely worth a visit, though, and it’s located in a cute courtyard area of a small camper-type Airbnb community.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm, but hours vary seasonally.
Lunch
Agricole Cocina de Campo
Agricole Cocina de Campo is a restaurant attached to an upscale organic grocery store. The owners are committed to farm-to-table dining and slow living, so this is an earth-friendly place to eat.
The restaurant is gorgeous, very lush and natural, with a gravel floor and flowers on the tables. There’s plenty of shade to sit in or you can choose a table out in the sun, overlooking the beautiful garden.
A lot of the produce used at Cocina de Campo is grown organically on-site, from juicy heirloom tomatoes to the crisp salad leaves.The lunch menu features a lot of fresh and healthy options, including gorgeous salads and amazing sandwiches. I had some really tasty tacos here, and it’s just the perfect place for a laidback lunch.
Agricole Cocina de Campo is open 7 days, but hours vary.
Barracuda Cantina
If you’re at Playa Los Cerritos and want a quick option for lunch, Barracuda Cantina is the perfect spot. This open air beach bar and taco truck is right next to the sands of Los Cerritos beach, so you can just walk over – no shoes needed!
This is possibly El Pescadero’s best run cantina, and the food here is very casual. There’s a lot of super-fresh seafood, fish tacos, and ceviche to tantalize your taste buds. They also have quesadillas and burritos in homemade tortillas, cold beers, and craft cocktails. The service is friendly but runs at a slow pace, so be prepared to wait a little for your food.
Barracuda Cantina is open from 12pm to 8pm, every day except Wednesdays.
Shaka’s Cantina
Shaka’s Cantina is like an American sports bar with a Mexican beach bar twist. The decor is a typical beach bar with a sandy floor but the owner is American, there are TVs around the bar showing sports, and daily Happy Hour deals on cocktails.
The menu items here are pretty simple, and very kid-friendly. You can choose from local options like tacos and quesadillas or standard American bar food like burgers and nachos. The steak nachos are really tasty!
Just a word of warning – my husband had a problem here with gluten cross-contamination, so take care if you have a serious food allergy.
But Shaka’s Cantina is a great place to enjoy a quick, relaxed lunch in El Pescadero while you watch American football!
Shaka’s Cantina opens every day of the week until 11pm.
Drinks/Snacks
Cravings at The Cove
If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a drink and some small bites, you must try Cravings bar in the Cove private community.
This tiny bar offers fine wine and tequila tastings paired with tapas like local cheese and olives. The bar’s patio seats around five people and has stunning views over the Pacific Ocean. You might even be able to spot whales go by as you sip your drink.
I have learned so much about Mexican wines from the super knowledgable and friendly proprietresses. They stock excellent artisan tequilas as well and can educate you on how to tell good tequila from bad.
Cravings bar is open seasonally, and opening times vary, so check before you visit. Note: I’ve been unable to figure out if Cravings is still open as of the winter 2024/2025 season…I went by a few times but they were always closed. It would be a huge loss if they have closed for good!
Dinner
Kahal
Kahal is one of my favorite places to watch the sun setting over El Pescadero, and we visit this restaurant pretty often. It’s a gorgeous seafood restaurant attached to the Mas Olas resort, right on Playa San Pedrito (San Pedrito beach). You can enjoy dinner on the terrace with ocean views, and they even offer you a blanket if the evening’s a little chilly.
The food at Kahal is absolutely phenomenal and the drinks menu features some interesting Mexican wines and a selection of cocktails infused with house-made essences.
I love the tuna tartare appetizer, and the tostadas topped with seafood and watermelon are spectacular. The entrees include a delicious prawn risotto and great steaks that my kids always love. They also have a fantastic seafood medley for two people to share.
Basically, everything we’ve had at Kahal has been amazing, and the chef knocks it out of the park every time. I highly recommend a visit!
Kahal is open Wednesday to Saturday, 4pm to 8.30pm.
Hierbabuena
Hierbabuena is one of our favorite El Pescadero restaurants. It’s located right in the middle of a beautiful farm, and serves amazing farm to table meals. You walk into the open-air restaurant right through the organic garden, where they grow the produce they use in the kitchen.
Starters at Hierbabuena include soup of the day, chips with homemade hummus or guacamole, and incredible house salads. The menu’s entrees focus heavily on local produce and seasonal dining, including fresh fish, grilled steaks, and enchiladas. I’ve also had the calzone, which was cooked in the wood oven and really delicious.
Hierbabuena doesn’t take reservations and operates on a walk-in basis only. It gets busy here, so you need to plan ahead.
Open 3pm to 9pm, closed on Tuesdays and throughout September.
El Coyote
El Coyote used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Pescadero, as you can see in my full review of El Coyote. The last time I visited, in November 2023, the food was still excellent, but the service was a lot slower and the drinks weren’t up to their usual standard. I think it’s still worth a visit, though.
The restaurant is part of El Perdido Hotel, less than 1km from San Pedrito beach. It’s a fun dining experience with a very laid-back vibe, like a desert oasis. You walk down steps carved out of rock into an open-air space filled with cacti, shade trees, water features, and atmospheric lighting.
The food at El Coyote is prepared in an Airstream trailer converted into a food truck. It’s a Mexican fusion menu with great burgers and gourmet tacos. They also have wood-fired pizzas with toppings from the classic house margarita pizza to more imaginative toppings like artichoke and shrimp.
Unfortunately, the pizza oven has been out of order each time we’ve visited, so I don’t know how good their pizzas are.
The restaurant is open from 1pm to 5.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm. There’s also a small bar area, which is open from 1pm to 10pm.
Siempre Viva
Siempre Viva is a farm to table restaurant that has a big wood fired oven at its heart. The setting feels very rustic, with a secluded seating area hidden under a massive archway of foliage.
Siempre Viva serves a variety of healthy, delicious meals using produce grown on its organic farm in El Pescadero.
The menu features a small selection of wood-fired pizzas, tacos, and tamales. The seafood is freshly caught by local fishermen, and their ‘ceviche of the day’ is worth trying. There’s also a delicious range of premium salads.
Siempre Viva is open Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm to 9pm.
Terramar Cantina
My parents recommended Terramar Cantina, which is a pretty new restaurant right next to Baja Beans Café. It’s a laid-back cantina with a ‘farm and sea to table’ ethos. They source their produce, chicken, and seafood locally, and most of their beers and wines also come from Baja.
Terramar Cantina offers a range of traditional Mexican food including shrimp tacos, tostadas, tlayuda and quesadillas. They also serve good pasta and wood-fired pizzas, including gluten-free options, which is excellent if you have allergies to consider.
Terramar Cantina is open Tuesday to Saturday, 1pm to 9pm. They are also open for Sunday brunch and lunch from 9am to 3pm.
Lucky23
As well as being one of my favorite places for breakfast in Pescadero, Lucky23 is also a great choice for dinner.
The evening menu has a lot of Italian influences. There’s plenty of fresh seafood, salads, and pasta to choose from, and all of their pasta and bread is homemade.
I was really impressed with how they handled my husband’s allergies, as he can’t eat gluten. The chef came out in person to ask my husband what he felt like eating, then made him a really tasty dish that wasn’t even on the menu. Such great service!
Lucky23 is open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday, 2pm to 10pm. The restaurant doesn’t accept cards, so remember to take cash.
Those are some of my favorite restaurants in El Pescadero, Mexico – did your favorite spot make the list?
