Coral Reef Restaurant, Cabo Pulmo

Cabo Pulmo is a tiny village on the East Cape, population around 114 according to the resort, next to a national marine park founded in 1995 to protect what the park describes as the oldest living coral reef in North America. There are only a few places to eat, and the Coral Reef Restaurant at Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort is the most dependable, because it's open every day from 8 AM to 9 PM with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The whole village is off the grid, running on solar power and well water, so don't expect anything fancy.

Order the Cazuelita Coral Reef, a seafood casserole served over rice. The mixed ceviche, a tuna tostada with the house Black Widow sauce (it's mild, despite the name), a seafood soup and Baja-style fish and chips are all solid choices after a morning in the water. Breakfast runs until 11 AM, with chilaquiles on the menu if you arrive early for a dive.

Bring cash. The resort says US dollars are accepted everywhere in Cabo Pulmo, but cards are only taken at the dive center and for rooms, so pay for lunch in pesos or dollars. There's no pharmacy or clinic in the village; the nearest medical services are in La Ribera, about 20 miles away. Late summer brings mosquitoes, so pack repellent.

Plan on about two and a half hours each way from Villa 1, via San José del Cabo and the inland highway. The coastal road north of La Laguna is partly sand and slow. That makes Cabo Pulmo a full day trip, not a lunch outing, and it's only worth it if you're coming to snorkel or dive the reef (see our Cabo Pulmo day trip guide for how to plan it). Nobody should drive this far for the food alone, but after a morning with the reef fish, a cold beer and a seafood cazuelita here is exactly right.