From the themes of my most recent blog posts, you’d think all I’ve done for the past few weeks is eat. Which is pretty true, if you’ve been following my instagram stories! A few weekends ago in Cabo, Mexico, my friend and I went to stay at an all-inclusive resort for two nights. On the 3rd night before we flew out, we moved to a hotel in San Jose del Cabo. So we had to search for our own food that night. The hotel receptionist recommended that we head next door to Lugareno Cocina for Mexican food- and we’re so glad we took the rec!
Lugareno Cocina (January 2017)
Address: Villa Valentina Plaza, Carretera Transpenisular Km. 31.5. San Jose del Cabo
Hours: 8am – 3pm (breakfast & lunch), 5pm – 10pm
Price range: $15-40USD (really depends on how much you eat!)
Reservations: https://www.facebook.com/cocinadelugar/
The wonderful part of escaping from Chicago’s winter is that almost anywhere seems warm in comparison. Having eaten a simple McDonald’s for lunch, we headed to the restaurant around 5:30pm for dinner. We managed to catch sunset, watching as the beautifully designed space transform from a sun-soaked Mexican courtyard to a well lit dining environment over 1.5 hours.
Lugareno Cocina is considered “new” in San Jose del Cabo – I think it re-opened sometime at the end of 2016 with new ownership. Most of the other places near our hotel (Hyatt Place) appeared to be steak houses, seafood, fast food, etc. Good for tourists who don’t read Spanish, the staff and menu both provide English services!
Our food: Slow-cooked lamb (with pickled cactus!), octopus beet salad, grilled fish of the day, and a dessert that was very interesting (i.e. I have no clue what it is except the ice cream and sweet potato something)
Our drinks: Classic margarita, glass of Mexican wine
The food is Mexican, but almost fancy Mexican? Everything is presented beautifully, and the flavors are rich. The dining environment is also lovely, and the restaurant doesn’t seem super busy. If I’m ever back in Cabo, I will definitely stop in! They also serve breakfast and lunch, which I’d love to try.
