Baja Brewing Co. San José del Cabo

Baja Brewing Co. opened its first cantina on Calle Morelos in San José del Cabo on December 5, 2007, and calls itself the first brewery in Los Cabos. You may already know the rooftop bar on Médano Beach, a few minutes' walk from Villa 1; this is the original, and it has a different feel. Instead of a view of El Arco you get a garden courtyard with fire pits and water features, live music, and the brewery itself beside the bar. It opens daily at noon and runs late.

The beer is the reason to come. The core list includes the Blonde Ale, the Pelirroja red, Baja Razz (a raspberry beer that is more popular than it has any right to be), the Black Ale, Baja Stout and two IPAs. Order a flight if you can't decide. The food is solid brewpub fare with a Mexican lean: reviewers mostly talk about the wood-fired pizzas, the fish burrito and the wings. Nobody drives from Cabo San Lucas for the food alone, and they shouldn't.

It's in the middle of the San José del Cabo art district, so the best time to go is a Thursday evening from November to June, when the galleries stay open for the Art Walk. Start with a beer in the garden, walk the gallery streets, and come back for pizza. Reservations are by phone only, and they're only really needed for bigger groups on Art Walk nights. Look for the statue of San Lucas inside; the brewery points out he's the patron saint of brewers.

Worth 35 to 40 minutes by car or taxi from Médano Beach? On its own, no, because you can drink the same beer at the rooftop down the beach from the villa. As part of an evening in San José with the Art Walk or dinner at Jazmin's around the corner, yes, and the garden is a more relaxed place to sit than most bars in Cabo San Lucas.