One-hundred-fifty-year-old walls and tropical foliage frame the courtyard dining area at La Panga Antigua, an enchanting restaurant in downtown San José del Cabo. Walking through the unassuming front door is like taking a step back in time; there’s an old-world charm that envelops La Panga Antigua (and the whole arts district, for that matter). The menu, however, demonstrates a distinctly contemporary sensibility, blending ancient Mexican recipes with a 21st-century commitment to locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Seafood comes from regional fishermen, vegetables from an organic farm in nearby Pescadero. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect items like scallop carpaccio, grilled rib eye, or the catch of the day, grilled with a pumpkin seed crust.
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Splurge for Seafood
Guests know they have found La Panga Antigua when they arrive at a set of wooden doors, above which is hung the object for which the restaurant is named: an old wooden boat. The rustic exterior is complemented by exposed brick walls inside the dining area, which are illuminated softly by pressed tin lamps hanging from the ceiling. The effect? Romantic. The kitchen delivers, too. Its specialties are surf and turf, with more emphasis on the former, as is befitting of a restaurant in a seaside town. The menu always features several catch of the day specials, dressed up with locally sourced herbs and vegetables.
