Manta at The Cape

Manta is the main restaurant at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, on the cliffs at Km 5 of the highway between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. It was conceived by Enrique Olvera, the chef behind Pujol in Mexico City, and the dining room was designed to keep attention on the view across the bay to Land's End and the Arch. The kitchen is run day to day by Chef de Cuisine Abisai Sánchez, and the restaurant is listed in the MICHELIN Guide.

Think contemporary Mexican pulled toward Peru and Japan. Raw fish comes with ají amarillo, there's a Peruvian cebiche, tempura fish tacos, octopus anticucho, and a whole fish grilled a la talla. Order à la carte or take the chef's menu. Separately, a handroll bar runs a short omakase-style sequence of nori rolls. Expect top-bracket Cabo prices: the menu is in US dollars with 16% tax included, and a 15% service charge goes on top.

Of all the destination restaurants, this is one of the easiest from the villa, roughly 10 minutes by taxi along the corridor. The terrace looks southwest toward the Arch. Time your booking for about 45 minutes before sunset (around 5:40 PM in December, after 7 PM in early summer). OpenTable handles reservations, and the MICHELIN listing notes valet parking at the hotel.