Tropicana, Cocina de las Californias

Anyone who visited San José del Cabo years ago may remember the Tropicana Bar & Grill, a long-time fixture of Boulevard Mijares. The restaurant belongs to Hotel Tropicana, next to Plaza Mijares, and it has since been renovated and renamed Tropicana, Cocina de las Californias. The building is historic and the seating spills outside toward the plaza, so it's a good place to watch the town wake up.

Breakfast is where it shines. Reviews keep coming back to the red chilaquiles, the huevos rancheros and the shrimp or lobster omelets, and those are what we'd order. Later in the day there's barbacoa and a menu the owners describe as the cooking of the Californias, meaning Baja and Baja California Sur, with Mediterranean touches. The mango margarita gets a lot of mentions if you're there in the afternoon. The kitchen runs three services: breakfast from 7:30 AM to noon, lunch from 12:30 PM to 5 PM and dinner from 5:30 PM to 10 PM.

It's a mid-priced sit-down place, far more relaxed than Don Sanchez across the street, and a good way to start a day in San José before the galleries open or before driving up to the farms in Ánimas Bajas. Some evenings bring live music, which reviewers mention as mariachi or flamenco, but we couldn't confirm a schedule, so don't plan around it.

We wouldn't drive 35 to 40 minutes from Villa 1 just for breakfast, since there are good options on Médano Beach itself, but if you're spending the day in San José, eating on the plaza is part of the experience. Call ahead if you're a big group: the restaurant doesn't have a working website at the moment, and the phone number on its review listings is the easiest way to reach it.