El Refugio — Restaurant in Baja California Sur

We had a varied reaction from our party. One who literally felt she was being poisoned. However, I'd say this is a fine place, IF you know what to expect.

The only dish worth mentioning was a leaf wrapped dorado. Very nicely done, perfectly cooked, nice flavors, yummy! Had I had the foresight to order this, instead of the pork, or worse, the quesadilla, I might feel differently.

Overall, I'd say if you like mezcal, this is the place for you. The party leaving our table when we arrived said "try the mezcal flight; we are running to our dinner reservations (elsewhere)"

On the upside, the service was wonderful, friendly and welcoming. Kudos to our server; he made us feel like regulars! And I believe this feeling was enjoyed throughout the restaurant, not just with our server. And my last comment is regarding the delicious water they provide. I may not know much about mezcal, but I do know something about great tasting water, and a restaurant that goes to the effort to properly filter and serve drinkable water is hard to...

We were so lucky to stumble upon this place on an unseasonably windy and pretty cold (for the area) night. There is no set menu, it changes daily - having worked extensively in the food and bev industry, this is always a good sign imo. Given the weather, we were so grateful they had pozole on the menu that night (option of chicken, pork, or veg). Our server was super kind and explained the concept of the menu to us and the daily offerings, as well as the Mezcal tasting. DO NOT SLEEP ON THE MEZCAL TASTING!!! The owners have gone through a lot of work to source these special mezcals from Oaxaca and Guerrero and the staff has collectively written some really great descriptions about them. While we waited for our food, the owner Noel was there - he is Native, having grown up in Guerrero and has some great stories to tell about his life. The food was so fresh, nourishing, and made with love. Of course we had to buy his cookbook, and were so sad we wouldn't be in town for his cooking class. We will definitely be...

My husband and I stay in a town 3 hours away for a week but we always make a special one-day trip each year to Todos Santos for two reasons--Playa de Palma (a beach) and El Refugio. El Refugio is consistently outstanding. I mean, it's our favorite restaurant outright. This family run place is not just another restaurant. The food is always top notch. Pork, chicken, fish, vegetarian dishes on a non-set menu. Everything is creative yet authentic for the Guerrero and Oaxaca region. We are never left wanting. Instead it just seems to get better. The owner Noel and his family are special people--warm and inviting in affect. The drink options are extensive. Mezcal is the focus and it's so fun but all drinks can be made with tequila too. And the mezcal selection is clearly carefully curated. This place is objectively the best, most interesting, most novel restaurant in Todos Santos. The food is consistently exquisite. It doesn't matter how fancy other places look. This place should be at the very top...