Along the Western coast of Mexico, restaurants honor the land, sea, and local community. They are not trying to impress anyone; it's simply how they live.
From Valle de Guadalupe to Los Cabos, these visionary restaurants are pioneering the next era of sustainable dining in Mexico.
Conchas De Piedra (One Star), Ensenada
Deckman’s en el Mogor, Valle de Guadalupe
Chef Drew Deckman
“One day in 100 years, this restaurant is not gonna exist anymore. So what's the footprint that you're leaving in this space?”
For chef Drew Deckman, sustainable principles guide every restaurant decision. His philosophy focuses on footprint minimization, hyperlocal sourcing, and effective waste management. His restaurants have their own water filtration machine (no single use bottles), thirteen different types of compost, wood-fired grills (no gas), and hay bales (instead of walls) that move seasonally to frame the restaurant.
For produce, “it's three words: ingredient, ingredient ingredient.” With multiple dedicated farms and six growing seasons, harvests determine what’s on the menu. His culinary expertise helps minimize waste, drawing on techniques like fermenting, drying, pickling, roasting and pureeing to make the most of ingredients.
At his farms, Deckman implements Allan Savory’s holistic livestock management to help regenerate land. For the sea, he has changed the culture for local fishermen, welcoming whatever they catch, no matter how difficult it is to cook. “It's a really broad offering out there in the ocean, and it's all edible,” he explains. “I'm going to buy what you catch. It's my job to make it taste good.”
Lunario, Valle de Guadalupe
Chef Sheyla Alvarado
”It’s feminine. It’s kind of pink. And it's my home,” says chef Sheyla Alvarado.
Traditional music by Mexican women accompanies Alvarado cooking magically in her open kitchen. She loves seeing diners “having fun, laughing and being happy around food.” Immersed under glass ceilings and hanging plants, guests sample homemade dairy products (butter, labneh, Camembert) and frescas con cremas (strawberries with cream) with sweet peas.
Growing up in the Sonoran Desert with a lack of fresh produce, Alvarado treats sustainability as her way of life. She focuses on recycling, making compost, treasuring local seafood, and honoring the produce from her farm.
Lunario changes its menu monthly based on what its farm produces. Alvarado explains, “Sometimes [people] think that great dishes are made with perfect products. Nature is not always perfect. We have to adapt.” Recently, after waiting four months for cauliflower that didn’t grow, she crafted a delicious dish featuring only its stems and leaves. Alvarado continues, “as cooks, we have to make peace with not always having the product. What we have around is enough.”
Flora’s Field Kitchen (Bib Gourmand), San José del Cabo
Gloria and Patrick Greene
Calling Los Cabos home for over 35 years, Gloria and Patrick Greene have been pioneers of sustainability in the region.
With a familial spirit, Flora’s Field Kitchen gives guests a delicious taste of its farm, from pork chops to roasted beets to fresh pasta. Gloria explains, “we raise our own breed of pigs, heirloom vegetables and chickens. We have our own eggs, dairy cows for cheese and rescue hives for honey. We have our own butcher shop, bakery. We are very self contained!”
The local community benefits from the kitchen’s zero waste mentality. “We use everything we can and waste as little as we can. We give leftovers to farmers, we support nonprofits that use our baked goods and produce,” explains Gloria. “I love seeing our extra produce and baked goods go to where it is needed most. We all need to remember that our community needs us and we all need to do what we can to support others.”
Acre, San José del Cabo
Cameron Watt and Stuart McPherson
Being in a desert climate, Acre takes sustainability seriously. Owner Cameron Watt says, “our farm team is committed to carefully managing water use, composting to enrich our soil, and daily harvesting with love and passion.”
On its 30 acre farm, Acre grows organic herbs, fruits and vegetables (not throwing away “ugly” produce), as well as thousands of palms, citrus trees, cacti and agave plants. In addition to what the farm grows, the menu features Baja seafood and grass-fed prime meats from local fishermen and farmers.
Watt describes Acre’s cuisine as “a fusion between Mexican culture and American taste preferences.” Chef Arturo Rivero serves up soft shell crab tacos, bluefin tuna tiradito (Peruvian sashimi), zarandeado catch of the day (grilled fish), and a roasted mixed beet salad. Fresh tortillas are handmade daily by Graciela from Oaxaca.
Core to every decision, Acre’s sustainability mindset focuses on a “commitment to the community, minimizing the human footprint on the planet.”
Hero image: Celia Martinez / Lunario
