1 & Only Taco — Restaurant in El Medano Ejidal

2024 Update - No No No No - What a complete and utter disappointment! This place was our #1 pick for great hidden places to eat in Cabo, but now it is dead LAST! When we arrived we sat down at one of the little tables out front and were completely ignored for about 10 minutes. Maybe we were supposed to go inside to order, but I do not know; there was no sign or other indication for that. When the dude finally did come out with his order pad, he simply said "I have fish, shrimp and marlin." We asked about a margarita, he said "no" and offered nothing else to drink, despite that the sign in the window still said "Cocktails and Drinks". I asked about a beer, he said "Only Tecate or Tecate Light", so I ordered a Tecate (never got it). I asked the wife then if she wanted anything to drink, and she replied that she didn't want a beer, and we both looked at him to see what else he had. but he said nothing at all. So after she just shook her head in disgust, I ordered "one of each" and she wanted nothing. He went back inside and started working.

After about another 5 or 10 minutes he brought out a tiny little bowl with SIX tortilla chips and a little hot red salsa. Finally after another 10 minutes or so, he brought out a plate with 3 small tacos. These were mostly terrible. The fish was mushy and totally flavorless, the shrimp was almost OK, but not enough to want another, and the marlin was passable. For this he wanted $10 US. No reason to ever go back here.

2022 - This little hole in the wall is a real gem; nothing fancy here, but the food is delicious and the prices really are some of the best in the area. The limited menus are right under the plastic table covers, but they show no prices. We came here with no expectations and left delighted. All the prices listed below are estimates (and probably a little high) because the hand written bill was in US dollars. The entire meal with drinks was shown as $36.00 US or $685.00 MN.

There are only about three or four little tables, and a very limited selection of foods, but the service and attention is top rate. When I turned my nose up at the single brand of beer they had, the waiter ran to the local mini-mart to buy one that I had asked for (NO extra charge for that either). The individual tacos were about 40 pesos each ($2), a huge serving of guacamole 140 pesos, and beers were 50 pesos. I ordered one of their Special Tacos with smoked marlin and shrimp, 120 pesos, and it was to die for. I am not a big fan of tempura shrimp (normally it seems quite bland and boring), but these folks know how to add some amazing magic to those! That big taco was worth ordering just to pull those shrimp out and eat separately, but I think the smoked marlin was the star.

When we finished eating we relaxed with a couple of absolutely fabulous margaritas for 120 pesos each - some of the best we have found in the area. If you want some wonderful food and don't need a fancy atmosphere, this is the...

Fred is the owner and chef of this hiden local gem. His small menu and connection with the local fisherman, as well as his understanding of the palette and how flavors are supposed to work with each other, put him at another must try level! Not only that, but the location, just away from the mainstream expensive south beach wannabes, make it THE place to eat well on a budget!

The service at 1 & Only Taco is second to none, and it shows how much your business is appreciated in this new world that businesses act like you're lucky to be eating there and you're treated that way.

I had the freshest sea bass baja fish taco and the steak taco. The tortillas are homemade, the several selections of sauces are homemade, and even the margarita mix is homemade.

This is one of those places you leave promising yourself. You'll come back to Cabo even if it's just to revisit Fred at 1 & Only Taco.

He saw how much I enjoyed his service and cooking and had to show off his smoked marlin fish taco to me. I've eaten a large selection of fish cooked in a variety of manners, but the way he put this taco together let's you know that there is still more to explore in the culinary world. The smokiness, the acidity, the sweetness, and overall flavor and texture, get your mind and palette working hard on new ways to express the joy and satisfaction of the masterpiece you've just consumed.

I gave 5 stars on the atmosphere, not because of the view or the fancy design of the place, which it definitely doesn't have the view, and it is definitely not fancy. I gave it 5 stars because of the way you feel after eating there. The service, the sense of appreciation, and the quality of the food and its preparation.

The attached photos will...

Sometimes you got to venture out a little from the tourist spots to get a good taste of Cabo. 1 & Only Taco is this small "stall" (there wasn't any indoor seating) with only a couple of tables and simple menu under a clear plastic table cloth.

The gentleman serving us was very attentive: brought us an extra chair for our backpacks, asked if we want him to speak only English (my friend knows Spanish), and made sure we were comfortable and cool.

We ended up ordering: 2 beers, guacamole and chips, 6 tacos (of variety). I ordered a pescado, smoked marlin, and carne asada. Everything is made to order so expect a small wait, and boy that wait was worth it!

Each taco came out hot and fresh. The smoked marlin was good (I forgot how indifferent I am about smoked fish), the carne asada was on point, and the star of the show was the pescado. The guacamole and chips were by far one of the best I've had from an establishment. Wish I could have ate more but was on a time crunch to get to my next destination.

The total of all of this came out to be $25 USD/$450 MXN, this excluded tip. That is a third of what I was about to pay for at a restaurant by the beach. Glad I decided to take a path less traveled and go for a hole-in-the wall. So if you're trying to find flavorful Cabo tacos without breaking the bank go try 1 & Only...