Omakai

Only a handful of places in San José del Cabo made the MICHELIN Guide, and Omakai, a small Japanese restaurant on Calle Zaragoza in the historic center, is one of them. The room is quiet and pared back, what MICHELIN calls Mexican minimalist, with air conditioning and a terrace. You can order à la carte, sit for an omakase, or go for the teppanyaki tasting. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 3 PM to 11 PM and closes on Mondays.

The fish comes from La Paz and Ensenada, which is the point: this is Japanese technique applied to Baja seafood. The dishes MICHELIN singles out are the house-made pork belly gyoza, a run of nigiri that builds in richness as it goes, seared salmon with truffle sauce, and a dessert of vanilla ice cream over coffee jelly. Reviewers also rave about the udon with scallops. If it's your first visit and you're two or four people, the omakase is the best way to see what the kitchen can do; bigger groups from the villa may find à la carte easier to share.

It's expensive. MICHELIN puts it in its top price band, and omakase for a family adds up quickly, so decide beforehand whether that's the night you want to spend big. For comparison, Nobu on the Pacific side is flashier and more of a scene; Omakai is more personal and more focused on the fish. We'd pick Omakai for a couple's dinner and Nobu for a group celebration.

Book by phone, since there's no working online booking at the moment. The drive from Villa 1 is 35 to 40 minutes by car or taxi, so go early enough to walk the gallery district first, especially on a Thursday during the Art Walk season. It pairs well with a drink afterwards at the Baja Brewing garden a few blocks away.