The Best Spots to Dine Seaside in Mexico

The walk to arrive at Comal – through the lobby of the exquisite Chileno Bay Resort (Two MICHELIN Keys) and downhill on a footpath – is beautiful. The view from the tables is even better. The azure Sea of Cortez laps calmly all around you in a protected bay, with only a tasteful pergola and desert landscaping coloring the vista. To eat, a contemporary Mexican menu is inventive with a clear personality. Try the octopus kastakan made ceviche-style and a Pavlova with strawberry-basil sorbet for dessert.

Round the tip of the Baja California Peninsula a bit to arrive at Manta from Enrique Olvera, the chef behind the Mexico City fine dining favorite Pujol (Two MICHELIN Stars). Set inside the The Cape, a Thompson Hotel (One MICHELIN Key), the vantage from a balcony table here is unparalleled: the rocky outcropping jutting out from Los Cabos’s edge, with its iconic arch. The food, as can be expected with Olvera, is bold and inventive, with a contemporary Mexican menu studded with Peruvian and Japanese influences. Highlights include a refreshing melon salad and tamarind and soy-crusted sweet potato in a simple and elegant almond mole.

What pairs well with the best wine Mexico has to offer? A view of the Pacific Ocean from the dramatic glass-walled dining room of Restaurante Punta Morro in Ensenada, the country's finest wine region. The menu here is classic Baja Med, with house-made pastas, grilled steaks, and the freshest local seafood. But a creative streak runs through the kitchen. Empanadas Baja, stuffed with a lobster chorizo, are delicately crisped, and the grilled quail from Valle de Guadalupe is simply grilled and accompanied by a luscious sun-dried chili and beer sauce.

The white tablecloths at Cocina de Autor Riviera Maya are a perfect color complement to the glistening Caribbean Sea outside this prix fixe experience in Playa del Carmen’s opulent Grand Velas resort. The menu changes regularly here but count on sophisticated and modern courses that emphasize novel flavor combinations and compelling textures. On a recent visit, the early spider crab dish was followed by a cleverly decorated roasted pork and finished with dessert made from the property’s own beehive.

The smell of sea spray mingles with wood smoke from the live fire here, where local seafood and steaks from Oklahoma are perfectly grilled for dinner. Richly colored tiles and a latilla-roofed pergola round out the ambience at this charming seaside spot in the Maroma hotel (Two MICHELIN Keys). From Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, whose restaurant Gwen in Los Angeles has One MICHELIN Star, the menu also features sides that are tasty enough to stand on their own, like a crunchy potato pavé and buttery Parisian gnocchi.

For a more casual turn, kick your sandals off as you dine in the sand at Posada Margherita, a shabby chic local favorite hidden among the crowds of Tulum. The owners of this hotel restaurant built their menu with Italian favorites from their hometown of Genoa, offering handmade pastas, fresh seafood, and pizzas that are prepared with both local and imported ingredients. Everything is straightforwardly delicious.