Tamarindos — Restaurant in Baja California Sur

We took the recommendation of some of the folks staying at our resort to try Tamarindo's and we were glad we did. This was a fantastic farm to table restaurant located on the outskirts of San Jose del Cabo and on the site of a 19th century sugar plantation.

The Uber ride out to the restaurant/farm was interesting to say the least. The restaurant is located in a rural area near the estuary and it appears that recent rains made the road barely passable. Our driver did a great job getting us there.

The grounds of the farm were beautiful. We arrived about 30 minutes before our reservation so we had the oppy to walk around and explore the farm. Raised terraces had beds of herbs and spices that are used in the restaurant. Vintage farm equipment dotted the landscape.

Once we were seated our server Natali took our drink order and gave us our menus. Natali was friendly and professional and spoke excellent English.

We decided to share a Greek salad as an appetizer. It had plenty of feta cheese and you could actually tell the ingredients were farm fresh, everything was delicious with just the right amount of dressing and Greek seasonings.

For our main courses Stacy ordered the mezcal fired blue shrimp. These shrimp were enormous (Stacy had to bring two of them home) and were covered with a delicious mezcal citrus sauce. The shrimp were accompanied by black beans and fried sweet plantains. Coming from South Florida we are somewhat spoiled when it comes to sweet plantains (it's a Cuban thing), but Stacy remarked these were the best sweet plantains she has had since we moved to Mexico two years ago.

I ordered the lamb, which was served barbacoa style. The lamb was a huge serving which was tender and juicy. It was served with pureed sweet potatoes and grilled vegetables. The dish came with two dipping sauces, a habanero sauce and a macha sauce. Both were very spicy, but delicious. The lamb was accompanied by plenty of fresh, homemade, corn tortillas. This was a fabulous dish.

We were pretty full but we wanted to at least try a dessert. We decided to split the flan and it didn't disappoint. It had a lot of vanilla with a very creamy texture. Delicious!

We try to get to Cabo 2-3 times a year and from now on we will definitely be dining at Tamarindo's on our future visits. The atmosphere, service, and food were...

We had an incredible time at Tamarindos. After eating at all three of the big San José del Cabo farm-to-table restaurants (Flora Farms & Acre), Tamarindos was by far the best experience.

The food at Tamarindos is hyperlocal and hyper-seasonal. The dishes are also authentic and without frills. Some of the reviews on here point out how simple the food is: that’s where the magic of this restaurant is. Yes, the octopus comes unadorned on a bed of arugula, but if you take the time to try the arugula underneath, you’ll discover a burst of peppery freshness that only comes from arugula freshly harvested hours before. The caprese salad was a true caprese with tomatoes as the star—fresh cherry tomatoes picked from the garden sprinkled with fresh purple basil that grows 20 feet from where you sit. The pesto is made with ingredients that are local to the area, including sunflower seeds in place of pine nuts, to add that locavore touch. Pastas are made fresh daily and are perfectly chewy and flavorful. The Cornish hens are raised at the farm and prepared whole, stuffed with more fresh herbs from the garden.

Beyond the food, the environment is what really seals the deal. You’ll sit on an open-air terrace with incredible views of the surrounding hills and the farm below you. There’s no tacky live band, no American pop music blaring in the background—just the sounds of the valley below you. This is unlike the experience we had at the other farm-to-table restaurants that felt more like tourist traps than fine dining.

Another thing to be conscious of: unlike in the United States, where the time you spend sitting at a table is measured in dollars, the staff at Tamarindos will let you enjoy your time at your table experiencing the surroundings and spending time with your companions. They will not rush over with the check as soon as you place your napkin on the table. It is up to you to communicate that you are ready for the check, as is customary in most restaurants in Mexico. We saw quite a few American guests growing annoyed that they hadn’t received their checks yet when they hadn’t requested them— just make eye contact with a waiter, smile, and raise your hand in a wave and someone will come running...

In the realm of culinary misadventures, our evening at this Cabo establishment was nothing short of legendary. This place, touted as a gastronomic haven, managed to redefine the boundaries of mediocrity. A pretentious tourist trap, it masquerades as a dining experience with a lame menu that seems to have taken inspiration from a culinary black hole.

The tasteless trio of chicken, prawns, and sucking pig left our taste buds on vacation, presumably in search of flavor. The only organic element in this gastronomic disaster was the fact that the food was set in what they boldly claimed to be a herb garden—more like an herb graveyard, if you ask me.

Embarking on the Margarita journey, we were presented with glasses of disappointment. At a staggering sixteen dollars each, they managed to achieve the impressive feat of being both watered down and overpriced. I suppose the price tag included a premium for the art of deception.

As we braved the agonizingly slow service, it became apparent that their true talent lay not in culinary prowess but in the art of pushing cocktails. We entered the restaurant with the eagerness of hungry patrons, only to be served our dinner a mere 90 minutes later, peppered with persistent attempts to upsell us on more liquid regret.

The location, as it turns out, is strategically situated in the middle of nowhere—a fact that seems to elude the restaurant's marketing strategy. The trek to this culinary abyss is, regrettably, not compensated by the lackluster offerings within. Not to mention the delightful surprise of a botched reservation, resolved only after a series of calls that would have made a seasoned mediator proud. Alas, apologies from the manager were as elusive as a decent meal.

In the grand tapestry of dining experiences, this one stands out as a cautionary tale. We won't be returning for an encore performance, and we strongly advise against anyone mistaking this culinary misfire for a detour worth taking. Save your taste buds and your sanity, and head to the art walk in San Jose del Cabo, where creativity and quality are not just promised but...