Cabo San Lucas travel guide
Cabo in 48 Hours: Resort Dining vs. Street Food
We came to Cabo for 48 hours and made the trip a friendly competition between resort food and local street food. Marina Fiesta made it easy to keep eating, but the local stops delivered the moments we still talk about.
Where we ate.
Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa
Cabo San LucasResort stay
Get: A convenient base for two days of food and sightseeing
This was the resort where we stayed. We would not recommend it because the timeshare sales pitch was especially aggressive. They also tried to sell us on timeshares around the resort, so be prepared for that before you arrive.
Presto Italian
Marina Fiesta Resort & SpaAll-inclusive Italian restaurant
Get: Seafood pasta and lobster
Presto Italian was our all-inclusive Italian dinner at the resort. The lobster looked like it was judging us, but the seafood pasta and the novelty of an Italian meal included in a Cabo resort stay made it part of the experiment.
La Palapa
Marina Fiesta Resort & SpaAll-inclusive breakfast
Get: Breakfast with a resort view
La Palapa was one of our all-inclusive breakfast stops. It was an easy way to start the day before heading out to look for food beyond the resort.
Baja Lobster Co.
Marina Fiesta Resort & SpaAll-inclusive lunch
Get: Shrimp aguachile-style seafood and lunch plates
Baja Lobster Co. was the all-inclusive lunch stop that brought us closest to the seafood we wanted in Cabo. The bright, spicy shrimp dish was one of the better resort-side bites we tried.
Los Deseos
Marina Fiesta Resort & SpaAll-inclusive breakfast
Get: Mexican-style eggs, hash browns, tortillas, and breakfast plates
Los Deseos was another all-inclusive breakfast stop, with the Mexican-style eggs, hash browns, tortillas, and a very full plate that showed why resort breakfast can be hard to skip.
Alexander's
Cabo San LucasTableside Caesar salad
Get: A Caesar salad prepared at the table
Alexander's was the restaurant where we had the tableside Caesar salad. It was a fun Cabo food moment, especially after learning that the dressing included a local touch we did not expect.
Tacos Gardenias at Mercado Morelos
Mercado Morelos, Cabo San LucasStreet tacos
Get: Octopus tacos, battered fish tacos, tortillas, toppings, and sauces
The street tacos were at Tacos Gardenias in Mercado Morelos. We tried octopus and battered fish, then built them with our own toppings and sauces. The fluffy tortillas were the real winner, and the fish stayed flaky instead of getting fried to death.
Chicken tamal
Cabo San LucasLocal Mexican food
Get: A chicken tamal for 100 pesos
After a couple of mediocre tacos, we went looking for something more exciting and found the local bite that really delivered. The chicken tamal had thick masa and was not the prettiest thing in the room, but it was exactly the satisfying, spicy finish we wanted.
Good to know before you go
- We stayed at Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa and would not recommend it because the timeshare sales pitch was very aggressive.
- Once you leave the resort, expect people to call out to you to eat at their places. We also ran into people trying to pitch timeshares while we were out, so keep your guard up and do not feel pressured to stop.
- The 100-peso tamal and roughly $4 taco prices are historical snapshots from the trip, not current prices.
- The easiest version of this trip is a mix of resort convenience and local food exploration. Cabo works better when you make room for both.