The 10 Best Restaurants on Médano Beach in Cabo San Lucas

Tabasco doesn't get the same publicity as Mango Deck and The Office, but this is one of the most popular places to hang out on Médano Beach, with a sun deck boasting terrific views of Land's End and the local seaside scene, and a menu featuring unpretentious fare like omelets and burgers, as well as fresh local seafood served up in ceviches and shrimp cocktails. All the beachside tables are shaded by umbrellas during the day, and there are also plenty of ice-cooled beverages available for those looking to beat the Baja heat. Water-based rentals and activities can also be arranged at Tabasco's, from wave runners to parasailing trips.

Long-time fine dining fixture Peacock's received a facelift a couple of years ago. The results? The Grupo Mi Casa managed restaurant looks better than ever, with a gorgeous courtyard dining area fringed with palm trees and festooned with colorful lights; a chic indoor lounge, an artsy bar area; and an open kitchen that provides excellent views of Chef Emmanuel Prieto and his talented staff. The chef's new look menu showcases excellent seafood, steaks, pastas and gourmet Tuscan-style pizzas, and the service staff is first-rate. Sample entrée highlights like the delicious duck breast in a blue agave honey with yellow curry sauce, or the tender red wine cardamon reduction baked beef ribs. After dinner, kick off your shoes, and take a stroll down nearby Médano Beach.

Every day feels like Spring Break at Mango Deck. Looking for a place with bikini contests? Sex position contests? Banana eating contests? A mustachioed Pancho Villa lookalike named Big Johnson who carries holsters filled with tequila bottles, and crisscrossed bandoliers packed with shot glasses? Check, check, check and check. Order a bucket of ice cold Coronas and settle in for a memorable visit at Cabo's most iconic beachfront party spot. Heck, you can even rent a wave runner here, although most are content to work on their tans, with occasional “beer ballast” from the full restaurant menu. The fare is mostly Mexican, but the kitchen dishes up everything from pastas and fresh local seafood to bbq, burgers and other typical pub grub.

Baja California Sur's first brewery has two locations — the original in San José del Cabo, and a rooftop aerie at Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa — both of which have proved exceedingly popular with tourists and locals alike. Fine food is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menu options ranging from hamburgers and gourmet pizzas to New York Strip steak and other entrées. The beers are excellent, either in a bottle or on tap, and you can order flights of the draft beer for a sudsy overview of their offerings. If you can only visit one of their locations, check out the rooftop brew pub at Corazón Cabo, which offers gorgeous views of Playa El Médano and the granite monuments at Land's End.

Ready for a not so tough day at The Office? This palapa-topped beachfront restaurant is the best dining option on Médano Beach — and has been for decades — whether beachgoers are seeking hearty breakfasts featuring omelets or waffles, brunch and lunch favorites like seafood cocktails or avocado with tuna salad, or dinnertime standards like grilled sea bass or coconut shrimp. Surf and turf combos with steak and lobster are also a specialty, as are Mexican dishes showcasing arrachera, chile rellenos, nachos, and fajitas. The Office boasts first-class live music and entertainment, too, most famously the Thursday night Gran Fiesta Mexicana with folkloric singing, dancing, fireworks and fun-filled contests.

This Argentine steakhouse opened early in 2012, and has garnered rave reviews for its enormous portions of delicious mesquite grilled steaks. Chamuyo features a casual courtyard setting, a generous selection of international wines, and a minimalist menu that is meant to evoke the feeling of a traditional restaurant experience in Buenos Aires. The signature entrée is a 22 oz. slab of beef ribs, but flank, hangar and rib-eye cuts are also menu standards. Salads are served with the steak dishes, and combos for two and four persons are available. The most popular appetizer is fried empanadas stuffed with corn and bell peppers. Desserts options include alfajores, panqueques, and a bread pudding lathered in caramel.

Hotel Hacienda was the first hotel ever to open in Cabo San Lucas in 1963, although there's a world of difference between that modest property, built by pioneer developer Rod Rodriguez (of Palmilla fame), and the luxurious Hacienda Beach Club & Residences developed on the same magnificent site — at the juncture of the Marina and Médano Beach — by another pioneer developer, Don Koll, in the early 2000s. The latter is among the most exclusive, expensive and spectacular properties in the region, although anyone who is either curious or hungry is welcome to dine at the superb onsite restaurant, Hacienda Cocina y Cantina. Traditional Mexican cuisine and an elegant barefoot-friendly setting distinguish the beachfront eatery, which looks out across the bay to Land's End. Tortilla soup, chicken mole, and shrimp chile rellenos are among the many house specialties.

Although it may not look like much from the street — taxidermy stuffed, wall-mounted gamefish are about the only decorative touches in a modest space with a dozen or so tables — Tacos Gardenias is a treasure trove of delicious Mexican comfort food specialties. The place has been around for what seems like forever (it opened in 1980, when the marina was still being dredged) and it remains one of the Land's End city's signature taquerías, with a convenient location a few blocks from Playa El Médano. Fresh fish and shrimp are included in almost every menu item; not only in tacos but in quesadillas, ceviches, salads and soups. Meat lovers needn't worry, however. The Yucatán style cochinita pibil is excellent, as are the barbacoa and chicharrón tacos. Beer and wines are also available.

One of the signature charms of the boutique Bahia Hotel & Beach Club, Bar Esquina offers a hip, upscale atmosphere - including a gorgeous 17-seat marble bar - and some of the best food and drinks in Los Cabos. Chef Rogelio Garcia and his staff work in an open kitchen, so guests can watch their Mexican and Mediterranean style entrées being prepared as they sip custom crafted cocktails, or snack on the restaurant's excellent selection of gourmet pizzas. Live music is a dinnertime staple in the outdoor dining area, with performers that range from contemporary American country stars to romantic Latin balladeers. The café area behind the kitchen is also a popular afternoon stop for guests and beachgoers, showcasing coffees sourced from beans in premier Mexican growing areas in Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Owner Edith Jiménez is originally from the state of Guerrero, but she's been a leader in the emergent Los Cabos dining scene for decades, not only at her namesake eatery, but at restaurants like The Office, La Pintada, and most recently, Don Sanchez in San José del Cabo. But Edith's was the first, and remains her must-try restaurant for first-time visitors. Set half a block from Médano Beach, Edith's offers one of the most reliablly enjoying and invariablly satsifying dining experience in Cabo San Lucas, thanks to a menu rich in Mexican cuisine and fresh local seafood … both enhanced by flavors from the magical mesquite grill. Time-honored offerings here include the Coqueta salad; the "Wally Special '' with grilled lobster, garlic shrimp, and mesquite grilled catch of the day; and the Pancho Villa with grilled chicken breast, stuffed poblano pepper and chicken enchilada. Al fresco seating beneath the enormous palapa is preferred during the high season, but the air-conditioned wine cellar is an excellent alternative during the hot summer months.