How to Eat Healthy and Delicious on a Cabo Vacation: Where We Go and What We Order

Vacation eating in Cabo usually means tacos at noon and a second margarita by four, and we are not here to talk you out of that. But if you want to fly home feeling as good as you left, the kitchens here are already on your side. Fresh fish comes off the boats every morning, two of the best restaurants in Los Cabos grow their own produce, and even the beach bars keep a salad bar going. Here is how we eat well here without feeling like we are on a diet.

Start with the farms in San José del Cabo

Flora Farms

Out at Las Ánimas Bajas, Km 30 on the Transpeninsular, Flora Farms is the easiest healthy meal in Los Cabos because the vegetables were in the ground that morning. Organic dishes, vegan and vegetarian options, a real tea list and good coffee. It is $$$, holds a 4.7 from close to 3,400 reviews, and runs breakfast 9 to 10:30am, lunch 11am to 1:30pm and dinner 5:30 to 9pm Tuesday through Saturday, with a 10am to 2pm Sunday service. Closed Monday.

Acre Restaurant

Also in the San José countryside, on Rincón de las Animas, Acre is the other farm-to-table room and the one we pick for dinner. Organic dishes, vegan and vegetarian plates, and a fireplace for cooler nights. $$$, a 4.6 from around 1,600 reviews. Open 11:30am to 10pm Monday through Friday, with a 10am to 2pm brunch and 5 to 10pm dinner on the weekend.

Downtown Cabo San Lucas

Outpost

On Blvd. Paseo de la Marina, Outpost is our answer for a healthy lunch in town. Salad bar, organic dishes, vegan and vegetarian options, and it opens at 8am and runs to 1am, so it covers breakfast through a late supper. $$, a 4.6 from about 1,140 reviews.

Daikoku

Sushi is one of the cleanest ways to eat on vacation, and Daikoku in Plaza Nautica on the Marina does it well, with vegan and vegetarian options alongside the fish. $$$, a 4.5 from over a thousand reviews, open 1pm to 11pm daily.

Salvatore G's

Italian sounds like the opposite of light, but Salvatore G's on Vicente Guerrero carries vegan and vegetarian options and the kind of simple plates that sit well in the heat. $$$, a 4.8 from close to 2,000 reviews. Open 11am to 10:30pm, from 4pm on Sunday.

Medano Beach, without the hangover

The Office

The Office opens at 7am on Playa El Medano and has a salad bar, organic dishes and vegetarian options on the menu, which is more than most sand-in-your-toes places can say. $$$, a 4.3 from over 5,300 reviews.

SUR Beach Club

SUR is the calmer end of the beach. Salad bar, organic dishes, vegetarian options, open 8:30am to 10:30pm. $$, a 4.6 from around 1,070 reviews. Take a daybed and order the fish.

San José del Cabo and the day trip north

Jazmin's Restaurant

On José María Morelos in the art district, Jazmin's is a Mexican kitchen with a salad bar and vegan options, open 8am to 11pm every day. $$, a 4.5 from around 1,900 reviews. It also has a private dining room if your group wants a quiet table.

La Lupita Taco & Mezcal

Tacos can be a healthy meal when the fillings are fresh. La Lupita, also on Morelos, has vegetarian options and a rooftop, opens at noon and closes at 10:30pm, closed Monday. $$, a 4.6 from around 2,200 reviews.

Jazamango

If you drive up to Todos Santos, Jazamango on Los Naranjos is farm-to-table with organic, vegan and vegetarian plates. $$, a 4.5 from about 1,140 reviews, open 1 to 9pm, closed Tuesday.

How we keep it healthy

• Order the catch. Every one of these kitchens has fish from that morning. Ask what came in and have it grilled.
• Eat early. The farms serve breakfast and lunch when the produce is freshest, and the beach is quieter before 10.
• Look for the salad bar. The Office, SUR, Outpost and Jazmin's all have one, which makes a light lunch simple.
• Drink water between rounds. The sun here is stronger than it feels.

Fresh fish, two farms and a salad bar on the beach: eating healthy on vacation here is mostly a matter of ordering. See more of where we eat on our Cabo restaurants page.