Ruba's Bakery & Bistro

A small 1940s house on Calle Morelos holds Ruba's, a bakery and all-day bistro in the art district of San José del Cabo. Tables sit under umbrellas on a street hung with papel picado, and it's open every day from 8 AM to 10 PM. MICHELIN inspectors picked it for the guide and flagged it as one of their favorites, which tells you something: this isn't a fancy restaurant, it's a place that does simple things very well.

Come in the morning. The pastries and bread are the base of everything, and reviewers keep mentioning the corn pancakes and the avocado toast. The dish to plan around is the weekend chilaquiles, served Friday to Sunday only, in a morita chile sauce with roasted lamb, a cup of consommé and a fresh bolillo roll; it's the kind of breakfast that takes care of lunch too. Later in the day the menu turns bistro, with wood-fired pizza, charcuterie, a Cubano, a cheesesteak, a double cheeseburger and heartier plates like mole rosa and braised short rib.

Prices are fair for the quality. MICHELIN rates it at two dollar signs, and on the current menu the sandwiches and burger sit around MX$390 to MX$410, with the short rib at the top near MX$870. It's small and popular, so weekends get a line; book on OpenTable if you're more than two or four people. If you're staying on the La Playita side, the owners also run Rubitas, a smaller spin-off in Plaza Newport that opens at 6 AM.

It's 35 to 40 minutes by car from Villa 1, too far for pastries on an ordinary morning, but a weekend breakfast at Ruba's followed by the galleries, the mission church and the Saturday organic market is one of the best easy mornings in Los Cabos. Grab bread to take back to the villa while you're there.