Despite Loreto being a relatively small pueblo magico, there are a ton of fantastic restaurants in Loreto Mexico to eat at. As an expat hot spot, Loreto has a wide range of dining options for visitors to choose from. During our time there we had everything from traditional Mexican dishes to refreshing sweet treats, and international cuisine and were super impressed with it’s food scene!
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Loreto, Mexico here’s a list of the top 10 places to eat.
Things to know about restaurants in Loreto Mexico
Loreto is a popular destination for international tourism thanks to it’s nearby airport. The city is accustomed to having visitors and many weighters will speak English. Although, knowing basic Spanish relating to ordering food is definitely helpful.
Budding tourism means a lot of restaurants will accept credit cards or debit card for payment. However, you still need Mexican pesos. Many of the smaller restaurants will only accept cash (effectivo).
Itโs also recommended you leave a tip in effectivo, even when paying with credit card. Tipping for Mexican restaurants is usually between 10% to 15% or more depending on the quality of the service and type of restaurant.
If you want to see our favorite travel credit card we use when traveling out of our home country click here. We love that this card has no international fees and we earn miles for future travel!
Weโll share pricing expectations for restaurants in Loreto Mexico with the following icons.
$ = $3 – $10 USD per plate | $$ = $10 – $20 USD per plate
Lastly, Loreto is a fairly sleepy town that shuts down early. If you’re looking for a nice dinner, make sure to get to the restaurant before 8:30 pm, as most places will close their doors at 9:00 pm.
Without further adieu, let’s dive into the best restaurants in Loreto, Mexico right now.
Orlando’s
Google map the location | Price range: $$
Orlando’s is by far the most popular restaurant in Loreto, Mexico right now. This spot known for it’s fantastic breakfast, has become the go-to restaurant for dinner too. The menu includes common Mexican dishes like chile relleno, enchiladas, and chilaquiles. But something unique you can only find here, is their poblano sauce.
We went for brunch one weekend. I got the omelette in the poblano sauce (a top seller) which was delicious. However, I recommend getting the sauce with chilaquiles. The chilaquiles allowed the rich flavors of poblano sauce to shine through instead of competing with the other ingredients in the omelette.
Given its popularity, don’t be surprised if you have to wait to dine here. We saw lines for breakfast every weekend and the restaurant was packed most evenings. If you’re coming during peak season, consider reserving a spot in advance by calling the restaurant or going in earlier.
Asadero Super Burro
Google map the location | Price range: $
Asadero Super Burro is an open air restaurant known for their grilled meats and enormous burritos.
Burritos in Baja Mexico are different than in the United States. They don’t have a lot of the fillings rice, beans, guacamole, or salsa that we’re accustomed to. Instead, they are simple with your meat of choice and cheese. Don’t let their simplicity fool you. They are absolutely delicious!
The burro (burrito) at Asadero Super Burro was the best we had in the entire peninsula. They also have papa rellenos (stuffed potatoes) and a dish like fajitas if your appetite isn’t ready for a full-sized burrito.
El Rey del Taco
Google map the location | Price range: $ (cash only)
El Rey del Taco means the King of Tacos. This restaurant in Loreto, Mexico is loved by locals and a wonderful stop for a quick bite as you explore the city for the day.
Open in the morning until early afternoon, this unassuming taco spot is a great place for a fish taco. Just get there early. They close their doors when they sell out and aren’t open on the weekends.
Fish tacos are one of the most popular dishes to eat throughout the Baja California peninsula. While every taco stand cooks their tacos differently, most will come with fried or grilled fish or shrimp that you can load with your favorite toppings.
Gorditas Loreto
Google map the location | Price range: $ (cash only)
Gorditas are a typical dish eaten for breakfast across Mexico. Gorditas are made from masa, the same corn mixture that makes tortillas. They are much thicker than traditional tortillas and cut in the center to be stuffed with different fillings.
At Gordita’s Loreto you can choose from a wide selection of fillings like chicken in mole, pollo con salsa verde, puerco (pork) en salsa rojo, chicharron, and many others. Their gorditas are super reasonably priced and taste fantastic with one of their homemade agua frescas.
If you come on the weekend, be prepared to wait a while for your food. It’s a small operation and is popular with the locals. When we were there they were almost out of everything because we got there too late!
Mi Pequeรฑa Poblanita
Google map the location | Price range: $ (cash only)
Mi Pequeรฑa Poblanita is a small, unassuming restaurant off of the main strip. This restaurant is a popular place to eat with locals and has a very small but curated menu featuring foods from Puebla, Mexico.
This was by far the best restaurant in Loreto, Mexico we ate at during our trip. We loved it so much we went there three times! We came for breakfast and twice for dinner and everything we had was absolutely incredible.
We highly recommend getting their enmoladas. Enmoladas are a traditional Puebloan dish made from hand formed tortillas folded over and filled with chicken or cheese. It’s then smothered in a rich mole sauce and topped with onion, crema, and cilantro.
Their mole sauce here was to die for and blew every other mole we tried out of the water. We also loved that their prices were super affordable. Prices for their tacos, enchiladas, and other dishes were around half the price of restaurants in the popular tourist areas of the city.
El Zopilote Brewery & Cocina
Google map the location | Price range: $$
If you’re looking for a taste of home, El Zopilote Brewery & Cocina is a great restaurant to eat at. Located in the main plaza of the city, this brewery and restaurant is known for their pizzas, burgers, tacos, and of course – beers!
Pizza can be hit or miss in Mexico. We’ve had some fantastic pizzas but more often than not, they’re not the style of pizza we’re accustomed to in the United States.
But Zopilote’s pizzas were awesome! Super crispy, with the right amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Highly recommend their machaca pizza with jalapeรฑos. It had the perfect amount of spice and super tasty flavor from the dried meat (machaca).
Their beers were also really good. I personally loved the Imperial stout while Dennis enjoyed one of their IPAs. They also have a selection of lighter beers (more common in Mexico) and a amber ales.
This is a popular spot for expats and gets very busy on the weekends. If you want a spot, make a reservation or come early.
Fun fact: Zopilote means buzzard in Spanish. You’ll notice the logo of this brewery is the iconic Zopilote resting on a Cardon cactus.
Mi Loreto
Google map the location | Price range: $$
Mi Loreto is one of the only restaurants on this list we haven’t personally eaten at. However, our friends who we traveled back up the peninsula with visited Mi Loreto and they said they really enjoyed their meal here. It’s also a spot with hundreds of positive Google reviews making it one of the best restaurants in Loreto, Mexico.
Recommended dishes to try are they chile relleno and the mole enchiladas. While I can’t personally say how the mole compares to La Pequeรฑa Poblanita (our favorite) reviews claim it’s the best in Loreto.
La Michoacana
Google map the location | Price range: $
La Michoacana is a paleta (popsicle) shop you can find throughout the Baja California Peninsula. Although one of its largest and highest reviewed shops can be found right here in Loreto.
La Michoacana has close to one hundred different popsicle flavors to choose from. There’s common flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and oreo. But you can also find super creative and super Mexican flavors like tuna (the fruit that grows on cactus), tres leches, mango and tajin, and so many others.
We don’t have a big sweet tooth, but these paletas are worth trying. We both loved our popsicles and wish we had come back for more.
Canipole
Google map the location | Price range: $$$+
Canipole in Loreto, Mexico isn’t exactly a restaurant. It’s more of a dining and cooking experience in one. Visitors can enjoy a home cooked meal at Canipole that they helped prepare. The former restaurant now offers cooking classes where guests can make up to 10 dishes to enjoy in their Mexican kitchen.
We didn’t do the full cooking class but did come here on our walking history tour of Loreto. We got to make homemade blue corn tortillas and tried some of their mole made in the class the day prior and we were blown away! If this is any indication of how tasty the food would be, then you’re guaranteed to have a good meal.
Buena Vida
Google map the location | Price range: $$
Chocolate Clams are a regional specialty for Baja California Sur. These brown colored clams (which give them the name chocolate clams) can only be found in the Gulf of California. They have a typical aroma and flavor of clams you may have tried elsewhere, but are typically larger in size.
You will find Chocolate Clams on menus all throughout Baja California Sur and Loreto. But one of the top places to try them are at Buena Vida. This open air restaurant is right along the inlet of Loreto, giving you water views as you eat al fresco.
We tried baked Chocolate Clams topped with butter and cheese. They were fantastic! Chocolate Clams aren’t the only things to order at Buena Vida. Their seafood dishes are made from fish caught by local fisherman daily.
We absolutely loved our time in Loreto, Mexico and were happy to discover the wonderful dining options in the city. If you’ve tried any of these restaurants in Loreto, Mexico (or have a favorite of your own) let us know in the comments below.
