Acre Restaurant — Restaurant in Baja California Sur

Racist experience

My husband and I were really excited to visit Acre. We had tried to book a pottery making class but the system was glitchy. They requested my credit card information via email and unfortunately there was some miscommunication and our pottery class was not scheduled which left us there waiting with 2 hours prior to our dinner reservation.

Initially, they were very kind and gave us a complementary drink at the bar and said “treat Acre as home” and informed us we could walk around and explore the property. It was 90 degrees and their property is all outside. We tried to go in the pool and explained to pool staff our situation and ordered drinks and food. The pool was empty and there was one other couple sitting on lounge chairs.

For context, I am Mexican American/white presenting and speak English, my husband is brown and speaks both English and Spanish. While I was in the bathroom, my husband was approached by 3 staff members questioning why he was there and he communicated with them in Spanish in hopes of avoiding a miscommunication. Unfortunately, he felt like their communication with him was quite hostile and was made to feel very unwelcome. I returned from the bathroom and we were informed that the pool was for hotel guests only and were escorted from the pool back to the bar by a staff member.

For historical context, my Mexican American family lived in America during Jim Crow segregation and were not permitted to go in the same businesses as white people. There were only certain times black and brown people were allowed in the community pool which were the days they planned to drain the pool as brown and black people were felt to “dirty” the water.

While we absolutely understand there are rules, it is unfortunate that an experience we were really looking forward to and prepared to spend money on devolved into my husband wondering if he was singled out because he did not look like the rest of the American hotel guests. We were both so disturbed by the way we were treated and made to feel unwelcome that I spoke to the restaurant manager and asked to cancel our dinner reservation as I no longer felt comfortable giving them our business.

Cabo is a place where sadly, a lot of culture is lost and American tourists are very much catered to but if Acre is planning on catering to American tourists, I would encourage additional DEI (diversity equity and inclusion) training and service recovery training...

My wife and I go to Cabo often but we had never heard of Acre. We live in San Miguel de Allende, and a friend of ours from home recommended it.

It is a beautiful restaurant located in lush, tropical like gardens. It really was quite stunning walking up the path to this beautiful jungle oasis.

The service was phenomenal from the moment we arrived. Our server provided several suggestions, checked on us frequently throughout the meal, and had a kind and friendly attitude.

The menu was a little overwhelming. There were just too many amazing choices. We ordered the cheese biscuits (to die for) and the crispy rice bites (served with sashimi grade tuna and cavier) as appetizers. They were both incredible.

We decided to share the grilled Caesar salad after we saw people eating it at a nearby table. It was huge and more than enough for two to share. The dressing was superb.

For our main course we shared the branzino fish filet, which was accompanied by a potato puree, a small side salad, and served with a cold chili flake seasoning. It was a delicious dish and was also accompanied by fresh, homemade tortillas so we could enjoy our dinner as fish tacos.

For dessert we were at at impasse. Even though we were already full, we each wanted a different dessert, so we had to suffer and order two desserts. I had the chocolate tres leches (fantastic) and my wife enjoyed the strawberries and cream. We probably should have shared one dessert, but we forced ourselves to eat the whole thing.

This was an excellent dining experience. There were two things that prevented it from being perfect. They were both beyond the control of management and staff. The first was that when our fish arrived, we were literally overwhelmed with flies. The staff had put out a mini hibachi with rosemary and lemon which is supposed to keep critters away, but these flies merely laughed as they descended on our meal. The staff then brought out one of those small fans, but unfortunately I think the flies liked being cooled off. This was not the restaurant's fault, but it did take away from the enjoyment of an otherwise magnificent meal. The other issue was that it was quite warm. The restaurant had misting fans, but Cabo in September can be brutal. We will definitely be back to Acre (we will be back in November), but we will not come back to Cabo again...

Disappointed. After reading all the positive reviews, I was so excited for my dinner at Acre. I have been to lots of Michelin-recognized restaurants around the world, so I certainly had high expectations. And the price point really increased those expectations. Plus, if you are staying in Cabo San Lucas, this is a major drive to get to the location, a real commitment. The erratic service and undercooked food were a constant theme throughout the visit.

The highlight of the whole experience was the setting. It was a magical, warmly-lit tree house vibe, just as the description suggests. Honestly, if you decide to go, just go for a drink and enjoy the vibe. Nothing else is worth your time or money.

When we sat down, we were swarmed by wait staff. They came by minute by minute to take our drink order without even giving us the chance to review the menu and take in the ambiance. And the pacing of dish delivery was very off. They brought all the appetizers and salad at once. After we ordered, the wait staff was hardly to be seen again, of course, until it was time to pay.

Then the food...the cheddar biscuits were undercooked. The whipped honey-infused butter was a delight; however, a waiter tried to take it away before we were finished. The tuna crudo was the highlight of the evening - melt in your mouth. The beet salad was ok, but over-complicated.

The main dishes had some major flaws. We added shrimp to the pasta, and it was severely overcooked. We brought it up to every waiter we had, and nothing was done. The sauce didn't really have that earthy umami flavor truffles usually provide, and there was no citrus as described to speak of. The short rib was good, but the mashed potatoes were cold, and the greens were not cooked or even wilted. The rainbow carrots were so undercooked that we could have broken a tooth, and the brussels sprouts were beyond overcomplicated. You couldn't even taste the actual vegetable.

Again, we mentioned this to the waiter, and no response. So we paid and left. I would never go there again. Maybe they were having an off night, but with this many egregious errors in service and preparation, I wonder if the only reason Michilen recognized them is because they have a big organic garden. Or perhaps they were paid off. Who knows. I would save your money and go...