Best Family Friendly Restaurants in Cabo San Lucas

Wicked is perhaps the best of the downtown pizza parlors, and boasts an excellent late night location next to El Squid Roe, Cabo's liveliest nightspot. The name is a nod to the place's Boston heritage, and the pies are made East Coast Italian style with thin crusts, hand-tossed dough, and homemade tomato sauce. Wicked offers great specialty pizzas - including Hawaiian, Meat Lover, and Veggie options - and the house pie is topped with Italian sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni and roasted peppers. Flat-screen televisions showcase the latest Mexican and American sporting events, and this is the only pizza parlor in town with a full bar. Wicked also offers free delivery.

Everybody knows Mango Deck, the famed Médano Beach hot spot and unofficial headquarters for Spring Break visitors to Cabo San Lucas. Mango Cantina is managed by the same ownership group, and is located on the Marina near the charter fishing fleet. It's a sports-themed bar that draws big crowds for football, hockey, and soccer games, as well as fights and MMA cards. The menu features Mexican specialties, American comfort food favorites, and generous helpings of the fresh local seafood. As with most Marina based eateries, there is a "you hook it, we cook it" policy for visiting anglers. Upscale entrées like steak and lobster are served alongside burgers and burritos, and Mango Cantina has an excellent selection of cakes, ice creams and homemade brownies. Espresso drinks are also available.

Plaza de la Danza based restaurant Tio Guido's specializes in hoagies, cheesesteaks, reubens and other traditional deli style favorites. Seating is available indoors and out (although the al fresco options include only one table), and tipplers at nearby Tanga Tanga can order in without abandoning their beers. The rye bread is fresh, and all the meats are sourced from the U.S. Soups and salads are also on the menu, as are burgers, and Italian dinner favorites like spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine alfredo, cheese ravioli and baked penne. Kids and nostalgic types will appreciate the grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Catering services are available, as are boxed lunches for fishing trips.

El Pollo de Oro is the best comfort stood stop in Cabo San Lucas, and does a booming business with both locals and tourists. The place has been around forever, at least by Los Cabos standards, and long-time visitors may remember its previous incarnation on Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas. The present location features a spacious well-ventilated dining area, as well as a large entry area that accommodates scattered groups of cops, firemen and other locals who are hanging around waiting for takeout. Chicken platters are the specialty of the house, although Pollo de Oro also boasts the best pork ribs in town. The smart move is to order a combo platter with half a chicken and half an order or pork ribs, served with sides of macaroni salad and brown rice.

Tabasco doesn't get the same publicity as Mango Deck and The Office, but this is one of the most popular places to hang out on Médano Beach, with a sun deck boasting terrific views of Land's End and the local seaside scene, and a menu featuring unpretentious fare like omelets and burgers, as well as fresh local seafood served up in ceviches and shrimp cocktails. All the beachside tables are shaded by umbrellas during the day, and there are also plenty of ice-cooled beverages available for those looking to beat the Baja heat. Water-based rentals and activities can also be arranged at Tabasco's, from wave runners to parasailing trips.

Tim Galluzzo may as well be mayor of Calle Emiliano Zapata, with multiple restaurants located on one block of the downtown street: most notably Italian favorite Salvatore's, and popular comfort food purveyor Sammy G's. The latter is ostensibly a sports bar - with a few mounted televisions showcasing the latest games – but is more of a laid-back hangout for locals, who from barstool perches can watch the world go by outside the pull-up picture windows. The food is simple but satisfying, and includes a generous array of burgers, and pizzas, as well as the area's best pulled pork sandwiches, French fries and freshly made potato chips. Daily happy hour deals offer cheap beers and budget-friendly food specials.

Rodizio is not the only local showcase for Brazilian churrasco-style dining, but it is much cheaper than its competition despite offering comparable food quality and superior service. In fact, its $14 price for salad, vegetables, rice and garlic bread, plus a parade of choice meat cuts (arrachera, ribeye, New York, chorizo, chicken, etc.) and palate cleansing pineapple may be the best dinner deal in town. Only one block away from downtown Cabo San Lucas, Rodizio nonetheless feels a bit off-the-beaten-path, not least of all because of the eclectic block in which it is situated, which includes everything from restaurants and residential homes to a parking lot, strip club and law offices. It is family owned and operated, and the staff extend the warm family atmosphere to guests. Tables are set up on the sidewalk for aficionados of al fresco dining, but the colorful interior dining area, with its ceiling and wall-mounted fans, is preferable during the hot summer months.

Alexander is always a safe bet. Situated on the Cabo San Lucas Marina, the people watching and nautical backgrounds are hard to beat, and the huge and varied menu has something to please virtually every palate. Breakfast favorites include french toast, waffles and the signature house frittatas. Mexican standards like huevos rancheros and chilaquiles are also available, as are delicious shredded beef burritos with panela cheese. Fresh squeezed orange juice and fruit smoothies headline the list of morning refreshments, and if you're nursing a persistent tequila hangover, try chasing it away with one of the potent offerings from their menu of coffee cocktails. Kids menu highlights include linguine alfredo and flank steak with fries.

Ready for a not so tough day at The Office? This palapa-topped beachfront restaurant is the best dining option on Médano Beach – and has been for decades – whether beachgoers are seeking hearty breakfasts featuring omelets or waffles, brunch and lunch favorites like seafood cocktails or avocado with tuna salad, or dinnertime standards like grilled sea bass or coconut shrimp. Surf and turf combos with steak and lobster are also a specialty, as are Mexican dishes showcasing arrachera, chile rellenos, nachos, and fajitas. The Office boasts first-class live music and entertainment, too, most famously the Thursday night Gran Fiesta Mexicana with folkloric singing, dancing, fireworks and fun-filled contests.

What started as a taco stand is now a fixture of the Marina dining scene, with a corner location on the waterfront, just behind Tesoro Los Cabos Resort. Solomon's Landing is popular with both locals and tourists thanks to a combination of first-rate food, first-class service and affordable prices. The menu covers a lot of ground, but Chef Brian Solomon specializes in seafood. Like most area restaurants, there is a "you hook it, we'll cook it policy," and whether you've brought your own catch or are sampling from the menu offerings, the kitchen staff will prepare your choice of fish any way you like it, including a la Veracruz, Rockefeller, and many other styles. There is also an onsite sushi bar, and plenty of great happy hour deals from the island bar. Dedicated kids menu options include fish and chicken fingers, grilled cheese, burgers and fries.