VIP Nightlife Experiences in Cabo: Tables, Sunsets and the Late Bars

VIP nightlife in Cabo means two things, and it helps to know which one you are buying. The first is a reserved table with bottle service at one of the loud places, so your group has a home base and skips the line. The second is a quieter kind of VIP: the sunset table on the Corridor, the $$$$ dinner with live music, and a driver waiting outside. We do both, on different nights. Here is how a big night works here, with the hours and price levels from our listings.

How VIP works in Cabo

At the busy bars and clubs, VIP is a table. You pay a minimum for bottles and mixers, you get a dedicated server, and you get in without waiting. Our nightlife guide's local tip is to pick a place with an outdoor or rooftop section, since the view does half the work and the air is better. Book the table before you fly, especially November through April, when the town is full and tables go first to the groups who called ahead. Arrange your ride home at the same time. The best part of a VIP night is not thinking about taxis at 11pm.

Start at sunset

Sunset Monalisa

At km 6 on the Corridor, Sunset Monalisa is where a serious night begins. Fine dining, Mediterranean, $$$$, open 4pm to 10:30pm every day, with live music, a real wine list and rooftop seating over the water. It holds a 4.5 rating from over 2,100 reviews. Dress up a little. Book it a week or more ahead in high season and ask for a table on the terrace.

Edith's Restaurante

Edith's, on Av. del Pescador, is the other $$$$ room in town, and the one with the historic feel. Open 5pm to 10pm, live music, a great cocktail and wine list, and a 4.5 from around 1,170 reviews. This is the dinner for a birthday or a bachelor group that wants to feel looked after before the loud part starts.

The loud part: Medano and downtown

Cabo Wabo Cantina

On Vicente Guerrero downtown, Cabo Wabo is the most famous bar in Cabo San Lucas and the one with a proper dance floor, live music and live performances. $$, open 9am to 11pm daily, a 4.3 from more than 6,200 reviews. If you want a reserved spot for a group on a live-music night, call ahead.

Mango Deck

Mango Deck on Playa El Medano is the beach party: bar games, live music, dancing, late-night food and happy-hour drinks, open 8am to 10pm. $$, 4.4 from roughly 6,200 reviews. The VIP move here is a reserved table in the afternoon that turns into the evening.

The Office

On the same sand, The Office is the calmer, pricier option: $$$, tables on the beach, live music, a good wine list and rooftop seating, open 7am to 10pm. A 4.3 from over 5,300 reviews. Better for a long dinner with cocktails than for dancing.

Romeo & Julieta

On Blvd. Paseo de la Marina, Romeo & Julieta is Italian, upmarket, with rooftop seating, live music and late-night food, open 4pm to 11pm (2pm to 10pm on Sunday). $$, 4.6 from close to 1,400 reviews. It is one of the last kitchens going near the Marina, and a smart stop between dinner and whatever is next.

The San José del Cabo version

La Lupita Taco & Mezcal

If your group is staying on the San José side, La Lupita on José María Morelos is the night. Tacos, a long mezcal list, live music and a rooftop, open noon to 10:30pm, closed Monday. $$, 4.6 from around 2,200 reviews. Nights here end earlier, and that is the appeal.

Acre Restaurant

Acre, at Rincón de las Animas, is the upmarket farm restaurant with a bar that keeps serving late-night food, live music and cocktails. $$$, 4.6 from about 1,600 reviews, open 11:30am to 10pm most days. It is where a San José VIP night lands when nobody wants a club.

What a VIP night costs

Bottle service and table minimums are quoted per night, and they change with the season and the size of your group, so ask the venue for the current number when you book. For the rest of the night, our party budget guide puts a realistic daily figure at $100 to $300 or more per person for drinks, cover and late snacks. The $$$$ dinners at Sunset Monalisa and Edith's sit on top of that. Happy hours earlier in the evening at Cabo Wabo and Mango Deck take the edge off.

Before you go

• Book the table and the ride together. Confirm taxi prices before you get in, especially late.
• Peak season is November through April. March is the busiest, with spring break. Tables and terraces go a week or more out.
• Carry small pesos. Dollars work, but tips of 15 to 20 percent are easier in cash.
• Most places close by 11. Plan sunset at 6, dinner at 8, the loud part by 9:30.

Sunset on the Corridor, a table on Medano or downtown, and a driver waiting: that is the whole VIP formula. See every place we drink and eat on our Cabo restaurants page.