Nobu Los Cabos

Set on the Pacific coast inside the gated Diamante Cabo San Lucas community, Nobu Los Cabos is the flagship dining room of the first Nobu Hotel in Latin America — a property co-owned by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper. The room flows from a sleek indoor sushi-bar setting out to oceanfront terraces where the surf is part of the soundtrack. Here the globally recognized Matsuhisa signature menu — that Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) language Nobu invented decades ago in Lima and Los Angeles — is layered with Mexican accents and Baja produce, giving Cabo a version of Nobu that exists nowhere else. It is, unapologetically, a special-occasion restaurant: dressy, scene-y, sunset-timed, and built around long, slow tasting menus rather than a quick bite.

What to order. If it is your first visit, lean into the four dishes that put Nobu on the world map. The Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño is the one most people remember — paper-thin hamachi, a slice of fresh chili, yuzu soy — and it is arguably even more at home in Baja than it is in Manhattan. The Black Cod with Den Miso, marinated for days until the flesh turns into something between custard and caramel, is the dish that taught the world what miso could do. Rock Shrimp Tempura tossed in the creamy spicy sauce is the crowd-pleaser at the table. And the Tuna Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa's signature warm onion-soy dressing is the quiet sleeper hit that sushi obsessives always order. Build around those, add a couple of nigiri, and let the kitchen send out whatever local Baja catch came in that morning.

The chef. The signature menu is the work of Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa, the Tokyo-trained chef who pioneered Nikkei cuisine and built one of the most influential restaurant groups in the world alongside De Niro and Teper. On the ground in Cabo, the kitchen is run by Executive Chef Diego Sobrino, who adapts the Matsuhisa playbook to local Baja seafood, chilies and citrus.

Best for. Special-occasion dinners, date nights, anniversaries and milestone birthdays. Sunset dining on the Pacific side — the orientation here is West, not Sea of Cortez, so the light show is real. Sushi and omakase lovers who want the full Matsuhisa canon executed properly. Guests staying at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos who want to walk to dinner. And, frankly, anyone in the mood for a glossy, celebrity-style scene — the room delivers on that promise.

Getting there. Nobu Los Cabos sits inside Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, on the Pacific coast within the gated Diamante Cabo San Lucas community, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes by car from downtown Cabo San Lucas depending on traffic at the Diamante gate. Non-hotel guests are welcome with a reservation; you will need to give the restaurant's name at the security checkpoint, so leave a few extra minutes. Valet parking is available at the hotel entrance.

Recognition. The parent property, Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, holds a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating and an AAA Four Diamond designation — hotel-level awards that speak to the standard of service and setting around the restaurant rather than a separate rating for the dining room itself.

Reservations. The Dining Room serves nightly from 6:00pm to 10:00pm, with the Lounge and Bar open 5:00pm to 11:00pm. Reservations are essential, especially in high season and around sunset. Call +52 624 689 0160 or book through the hotel concierge. The address is Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, Polígono 1, Fracción D, Fracc. Diamante, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23473.

Reviewed by the What's in Cabo editorial team