The Mexican coast remains a prime destination for American travelers seeking a touch of warm, sunny R&R. Some come for the yard-long frozen drinks, some come for the beach or the golf, but few come for the food. Though if you think you’ll be relegated to crappy, all-inclusive eats backed by generic, big-box meal plans, think again.
Most people expect the food at their beach hotels to fall somewhere between frills-free fuel and safely satisfying. And the bulk of beach resorts in Mexico, even those of the high-end variety, fail to do more than that. But when eating well is a priority on your next trip, there are excellent options to consider.
There are Michelin-starred restaurants within hotels, fine-dining tasting menus, food programs run by renowned international chefs and more, as long as you know where to look and which properties are worth your time. Whether you’re planning to head to the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos or one of Mexico’s other alluring coastal resort hubs, use this guide to ensure your every craving is well satiated.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya: The Inclusive Michelin Star Experience
Each of the 539 rooms at the 206-acre Grand Velas Riviera Maya is actually a suite with features like private plunge pools, and they are spread across three distinct property ambiances, ranging from oceanfront to the lush surrounding jungles. On-property restaurant Cocina de Autor — a concept developed by chefs Bruno Oteiza and Mikel Alonso and run day-to-day by chef Nahum Velasco — holds a Michelin star. Not only is it located within the resort, but a reservation is included in your stay. That’s an all-inclusive, Michelin-starred dining experience, said to be the first of its kind in the world.
Storytelling is integral to each course of the tasting menu, providing guests with an understanding about ingredients and their backgrounds. From visual presentations on the plate to pound-for-pound flavor, a meal here is sure to impress. Cocina de Autor has held its star for two years running and has received further recognition, bringing home the 2025 Michelin Service Award for its outstanding hospitality.
Elsewhere, there are eight restaurants spread across the property. Chaka highlights Mayan flavors and traditions, while Frida serves modern Mexican in a space adorned with a mural of Frida Kahlo, tequila carts moving between tables and creative, high-end tacos. Daily poolfront breakfasts also become can’t miss affairs with their vibrant takes on traditional Mexican fare.
Four Seasons Cabo del Sol: Where Baja, Mediterranean and Nikkei Food Combine
At the new Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol, which opened in spring 2024, a stunning view is around every corner of its well-manicured grounds that are studded with cacti and palm trees. It’s a serene setting where accommodations include options like oceanfront casitas with plunge pools that offer walkout access to the beach from your back terrace.
Cayao, from acclaimed restaurateur Richard Sandoval, brings some of his favorite flavors to life in the form of Nikkei. This type of cuisine is centered on the combination of Peruvian and Japanese culinary influences, and here Sandoval also incorporates Chifa, the fusion of Chinese and Peruvian, and some Mexican inspiration, too. Cook up your own thin strips of Wagyu over a hot stone, sample signature CFC chicken or pick out a few orders of sashimi and rolls. Wash it all down with some pisco cocktails, of course.
Sandoval also helped develop the Baja Mexican restaurant Coraluz, though executive chef Miguel Baltazar is in charge of running the resort’s kitchens. Another dinner option is Palmeiro, billed as a love letter to the Mediterranean via Baja. And if you’re somehow still hungry for breakfast in the morning, a la carte entrees such as epic chilaquiles and huevos rotos await. The “epic” tagline is their own, but the portions and flavors live up to the description.
For anyone looking to experience both a memorable meal and a testament to the property’s almost-extreme level of service and hospitality, book a private beach dinner. With your toes in the sand, you’ll enjoy a tailored four-course dinner with your choice of wine pairings or cocktails, along with a s’mores box delivered at the end so you can continue the evening with a few DIY treats at the fire pit adjacent to your table.
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Etéreo: Riviera Maya: A Cultural, Culinary Immersion
At Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection, guest rooms are spread across a scattering of low-slung buildings hidden between the dense beachfront mangroves of Kanai. It’s a new resort development that’s also home to the St. Regis Kanai and the Riviera Maya Edition.
All things culinary and gourmet come to the forefront at Etéreo, where your guía, a personal concierge and butler, will ensure you’re well fed and well catered to throughout your stay. The most challenging aspect will be finding the time to engage with as many of the activities as you’d like, as there’s a deep lineup to consider. These are in-depth, hands-on and immersive experiences, such as a ceviche workshop, comal cooking class, cacao ceremony and an educational chili journey that lets you taste through all manners of salsa and chili-recipes. There’s a Mexican Wine Club, as well as educational spirits tastings that include not only the expected agave but additional made-in-Mexico spirits including sotol and rum.
Then there’s a full series of bookable Feasts of Flavors dinners. You better come hungry for these bespoke, experiential meals, with options such as the Cena de la Abuela, a Mexican grandmother-style heritage feast, a Tacology meal with an incredible array of riffs, or the Shawarma to Pastor, a loaded dinner uniting regions across the world by way of their best grilled specialties.
Etéreo’s signature restaurants are notable diversions on their own. At Che Che, enjoy oceanfront Japanese Mexican, and at Itzam, find innovative Mexican fare focused on the Yucatán from chef Carlos Segura. As you walk into the restaurant, you’ll see a made-from-scratch tortilla station, and if you’re like me, you’ll be so starstruck that you’ll have a hard time diverting your eyes or allowing the host to see you at a table. Order standout dishes such as construct-your-own bone marrow tacos with those tantalizing handmade tortillas, or sample whatever the catch of the day is. An a la carte menu is available, but chef Segura’s highlights are offered up in a curated tasting menu dinner that will be hard to pass on.
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Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort is a super swanky property within a property adjacent to the Four Seasons Punta Mita. It’s unlike anything else you’re bound to find in Mexico, instead more akin to a luxe safari experience, with guest accommodations consisting of just 15 tented villas, each of which boasts wonderful ocean views and enormous private pools from secluded, one-of-one settings.
The resort is all-inclusive, and a signature part of the experience is the dining program run through its Copal Cocina restaurant. Chef Sofía Mojica has full reins to work with the freshest ingredients and whatever inspiration strikes her for the day or the week. Therefore, there’s no set menu but rather a daily list of featured specials. Guests can also skip the recommendations and order as they please: If you just want another round of kick-ass tacos, you can do that.
Add to your experience with activities ranging from coffee roasting to tepache making, flights of Mexican wine or agave spirits, or tastes of the resort’s own raicilla. Beach picnics, garden grotto meals, pool-front dining and deliveries right to your villa are all on offer as well. It’s an anytime, anyplace, anything goes mentality to food service, and it makes for an unforgettable and delicious stay.
Conrad Tulum: International Popups With In-House Teppanyaki and Sushi Restaurants
Guests at the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya will at once be immersed in trendy Tulum — a Netflix show was being filmed on-site during my visit — but can just as easily be transported to a far-off locale. That’s thanks to a full fleet of restaurants available at the property, including sushi and sake from Ukai and teppanyaki from Kengai. You can pay-as-you-go at the hotel or opt into their Flavors of Tulum package, a mostly all-inclusive experience with a few exceptions.
At Kengai, choose from a four- or six-course hibachi menu and be sure to snag one of the counter seats for a front-row view of the interactive experience. While this won’t make you cancel that trip to Japan for a teppan tour du force, it’s a novel change of pace and diversion in the world of Mexican beach resorts. The property is also aiming to elevate its culinary reputation with an ongoing series of guest chef popups. Earlier this year, for instance, chef Sebastián Jiménez of Ræst (located in the Faroe Islands, it’s one of the world’s most sought-after yet remote fine-dining restaurants) came in for a multi-night stint. The popups take place in conjunction with signature restaurant Autor, where chef Dante Osmani serves up contemporary Mexican tasting menus and carte meals from an open kitchen where counter seats at the chef’s table make for coveted reservations.
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