This post is for my friend Westjet, who is currently in San Jose. I wanted to share my recommendations, as Cabo is just a short Uber ride away, and I’ll also include some alternatives in San Jose. Let’s listen to this post, “Float On” by Modest Mouse.

Once we landed in Cabo last December, Chew Steel and I immediately visited our favourite spot for fried shrimp tacos, La Gardenias. Some Americans complain that seafood tacos are expensive, about $3.50 US, but I find the price fair, as these puppies come loaded with jumbo shrimp. You get three to four pieces of crunchy shrimp with a batter that melts in your mouth.

We loaded each taco with shredded cabbage, a spicy green sauce, tiny chopped raw onions with cilantro, fresh tomato salsa, pickled onions and charred peppers. Then there’s the white sauce and guacamole to add.

The corn tortilla is homemade and has a softer, less starchy texture than their flour version. Despite the piling of toppings, the shrimp still stands out in each bite. Two is sufficient for lunch. Chew Steel always get an ice-cold bottle of Pacifico ($3 US), while I prefer lime margaritas ($6 US). The San Jose equivalent would be Tacos Rossy.

After we ate, we checked into our condo ($250 CAN), located right on the marina. The balcony was fantastic, with a clear view of the bay and the boats gliding by. My only qualm was I wished the kitchenette was cleaner and better equipped with paper towels and things like salt.

We walked around, stopped by the supermarket to pick up sparkling Topo Chico water and Pacifico, and hung out on our patio until supper. For dinner, I picked La Lupita, our top pick for live music and top-quality tacos. I’ve been at least six times before and tried almost everything on the menu. One of my favourite dishes is the second cheapest, the Gringo ($3.50 US) and the El Torero ($5 US). What can I say? I’m just a basic b.

This visit was the first time my tacos arrived cold. The whole place was slammed, and the staff were in overdrive, bringing free chips and frantically bringing huge trays of tacos to large parties. I recognized our favourite long-time bartender/manager, and he even helped run food for the masses.

Our server apologized, and we told him not to worry, as they were working their asses off trying to serve a packed restaurant. It didn’t bother us that the food was off that night, as the ambience and live music made up for it.

We returned a couple of nights later, and the food was on point. Each taco was hot, fresh, and loaded with top-quality ingredients, perfectly prepared. That night, the el Torero was on fire. The chicharron was crunchy, punctuating the hot, creamy chorizo filling. I washed three tacos with a well-crafted lime margarita ($12 US). There’s a second La Lupita location in San Jose, where I’ve also dined.

This was our first Christmas visit. We explored new restaurants that were open on Christmas Eve and Day. I won’t return to the ones we tried, despite their high reviews. We took an Uber to San Jose for the art walk, and Chew Steel booked me two 90-minute beachside massages. I also tried to book a farm visit, but both locations were fully booked since November.  

For lunch, we stopped by an old favourite of mine, El Paisa. I’ve recalled many nights dining on their sirloin, tripas, and al pastor tacos. Each taco is about $3 US. There’s another El Paisa location in San Jose as well.

This time around, I found the tripas pasty in texture and chalky. The sirloin was average, and the guacamole sauce was flavourless. The al pastor was tasty but disguised with a smear of red sauce that did little to elevate the flavour. I questioned Chew Steel about the quality, and he stated it was the same as in previous years, but this visit was the first time we came in the daytime without previously drinking. It was a sobering moment for me. Several other old haunts of ours disappointed us, which means we must seek out new places in future visits.

One place that blew us away again was Pezcabo. I discovered this gem last year, and man, do they deliver with the raw stuff, like clams, ceviche, and tostadas. The raw clams ($3 US) were sweet.

We ordered a seafood tower, Torres de Mariscos ($12 US) and wow, this was a treat. Octopus, raw shrimp, cooked shrimp, red tuna, avocado, tomatoes and onions piled high, sitting high on a layer of what looked like a soy-based sauce. Each piece of seafood was so fresh. We also shared a Sierra Instante tosado loaded with octopus, shrimp, avocado and tuna ($6 US). One of the best meals on our trip. A comparable place for Westjet to try out in San Jose would be El Toroguero or Lateral Crudo Y Asado

We revisited Los Claros, a seafood joint we hadn’t dined at in our past three visits. Our loss, as I’ve forgotten how good the fried fish tacos ($3 US) and seafood tostada ($5 US) are. While we were there, a food tour stopped by, and we overhead Los Claros, known for their smoked marlin tacos. And yes, there’s a second spot in San Jose as well.

Chew Steel and I come to Cabos so often that it’s become routine, but it keeps us returning for an easy, direct trip in the dead of winter. Westjet now offers direct flights to Mexico City, so we can change it next winter. Hopefully, my friend and her family can join us so I can show her some good places to eat in person.