Cabo San Lucas' restaurant row is on Calle Miguel Hidalgo and runs from the town square, Plaza Amelia Wilkes, to Marina Boulevard, with a succession of excellent eateries lining both sides of the street, offering everything from Mexican and Spanish specialties to pasta, pizzas, and sushi. One of the best new additions to this eclectic mix of international cuisines is Los Barriles Restaurant & Bar, a recently opened dining establishment featuring creative Asian fusions and generous helpings of great local seafood.
A colorful mural featuring Los Barriles' namesake barrels — Photo courtesy of Chris Sands
Los Barriles has quickly developed a following due to its warm hospitality and creative cuisine. As guests enter the restaurant, a bell is rung and seated diners give a round of welcoming applause to the new arrivals. It is one of many charming touches at Los Barriles. Some of the touches may seem a bit old-fashioned, but they are effective nonetheless, and foster an easygoing familiarity between patrons. The ambience is as warm as the hospitality, with wooden furnishings, colorful murals and mariachis strolling and strumming beneath festive lanterns. The restaurant offers fine dining, but in very comfortable surroundings. Many dishes are prepared table-side, which imparts a slightly theatrical air to dinner service.
A view of the dining area in Los Barriles Restaurant & Bar — Photo courtesy of Chris Sands
The menu at Los Barriles is rich in creative Asian fusions that also make effective use of the superb local seafood as well as many traditional Mexican ingredients. The Cevichimi Barril Style provides a good example of this inclusive approach; it's a delicious appetizer of thinly sliced tuna seasoned with lemon soy sauce and topped with fresh Serrano chiles, onions and avocado. For romantic diners, steak and seafood aficionados and those without budgetary restraints, the VIP Combination For Two is the restaurant's most impressive entree option, with dual portions of filet mignon, lobster tail, shrimp, octopus and sea bass.