Mariscos El Toro Güero

Mariscos El Toro Güero is a Mazatlán-style seafood restaurant in downtown San José del Cabo, on Idelfonso Green in Colonia Centro, just off Avenida Centenario. This page covers the downtown branch only; the family also runs its original palapa, the Matriz, in San Bernabé, and a branch in La Paz, each with its own hours. The menu, shared with the Matriz, runs from cócteles, aguachiles, ceviches and tostadas to marlin tacos, fish fillets, shrimp in more than thirty sauces and molcajetes. Most cócteles and hot plates cost 260 to 500 pesos, tostadas start at 115, and El Financiero put the average bill at about 450 pesos per person in 2025.

The story starts in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, where the family opened a seafood cart in colonia Reforma in 1990. In April 2008 they opened a small palapa in La Loma, San José del Cabo, which is still the Matriz; La Paz followed in 2012, when the siblings joined forces, and the downtown branch opened on 6 June 2013. El Financiero names the founder as Juan Carlos Garate Zatarain and reports that former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador ate at El Toro Güero on a 2019 trip to Los Cabos and recommended it at a press conference. Beyond the raw bar there are bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp, whole fish by the kilo, lobster, seafood platters for two and for four, arrachera, chicken and a children's menu. Drinks include aguas frescas, Mexican beers, margaritas, tequila and mezcal.

Why Mariscos El Toro Güero Stands Out

Mazatlán roots — a family business that began as a seafood cart in Mazatlán in 1990 and has served Mazatlán-style mariscos in San José del Cabo since 2008.

Cócteles and molcajetes — a long list of cócteles, campechanas and molcajetes, from a shrimp cóctel at 260 pesos to La Super Macho, the house specialty, at 400.

Open all day, every day — the downtown branch serves from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.

Room for the whole table — shrimp and beef burgers, chicken fingers and cheese fingers for children, plus beef and chicken plates for guests who skip seafood.

Must-Try Dishes

Tacos Gobernador — tacos gobernador with your choice of shrimp, marlin, fish or a mix, one of four taco styles on the house menu, 260 pesos.

La Super Macho — the house specialty: cooked and raw shrimp, callo de hacha, oyster or clam, octopus and sea snail in salsas negras, 400 pesos.

Campechana Veracruz — a seafood cóctel of shrimp, octopus, clam, sea snail, cilantro, avocado, clamato, tomato and salsas negras, 270 pesos.

Molcajete Toro — shrimp, cambray onions, nopal cactus and grilled cheese in a salsa borracha, brought to the table in a molcajete, 380 pesos.

Camarones Zarandeados — shrimp cooked over the coals and dressed with chimichurri, tomato, onion and green bell pepper, 360 pesos.

Ostiones Rockefeller — oysters with béchamel and spinach, finished under the grill and topped with crisp fried bacon, 420 pesos.

Hours & Reservations

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM at the downtown branch. Confirm the closing time when you book.

Reservations: Request a table through the contact form on the official website, choosing the Centro branch and your party size, or call +52 624 130 7818.

Good to know: Prices are in Mexican pesos, and the menu is the same one served at the original Matriz palapa in San Bernabé.

Best time: Midday. The restaurant's own posts pitch it for la hora de la comida, the main midday meal in Mexico.

Reviewed by What's In Cabo Editorial Team, 2026-09-28. Sources: eltoroguero.com (history, branches, current Centro and Matriz menu and prices, reservation form, phone, map location, photos, logo), official Facebook page of the Centro branch (address, postal code, daily hours), El Financiero (17 September 2025: founder, 2019 visit by former president López Obrador, average spend).