Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants: 16 superb options

The all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos resort has nine restaurants and seven bars. All-inclusive restaurants have a reputation for terrible food, so I had very low expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful most of the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants were.

Even if everything else about our stay sucked, the restaurants alone would draw us back.

Here’s a closer look at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants, including dress codes, menus and my opinion on the food:


Dress codes at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants

The dress code at most Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants was casual. During dinner, some of the restaurants will require you to wear long pants/dresses and closed-toed shoes. They didn’t seem to enforce this rule, but I’d go along with it anyway.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos All Inclusive Dining
Snack cart near the pool – a pretty common sight at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The menus at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants are fairly small but they definitely emphasize quality over quantity. You can order appetizers, an entree, and dessert without feeling like you’re overeating. I always felt like I got to sample everything I wanted without popping a button at the end of the meal.

If you’re a Hyatt Globalist or Explorist member, you can make reservations at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants, which I did almost every time. During busy periods, a reservation might be necessary.

There were hardly ever lines at the restaurants, but it’s still good to reserve a table in case a particularly large group invades the place. For the sake of a complete review, I visited every restaurant at the resort and made an effort to take photos of all the food our table ordered:

Coco Loco Snack Bar

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The Coco Loco Snack Bar is right next to the main pool, a short walk from the beach. The restaurant serves mostly snack-type foods: tacos, burritos, hot dogs, and ceviche. There’s also a walk-up bar, though I personally don’t drink.

You walk in, place your order on a piece of paper, hand it to the chef, and pick it up minutes later. If you’re lounging by the pool or in a cabana, the attendants will bring you the order sheet and deliver the food to you.

Coco Loco Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Interior
Coco Loco Interior

Coco Loco was a great place for lunch, and the food was always fresh and delicious. I could not get enough of the tuna tostadas! If I could have just eaten those for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I would have been very happy.

The shrimp ceviche was also good and my sister’s favorite. Throughout my stay, I also had their fish tacos, grilled octopus tostadas (delicious but not as great as the tuna), and chicken burrito.

Coco Loco Snack bar
A selection of delicious foods from Coco Loco, one of the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants

La Hacienda Steakhouse at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

La Hacienda really made things difficult for me because they had the most delicious lunch selection. This was a bad thing because it interfered with my Coco Loco tuna tostada addiction.

We went to La Hacienda three times: twice for lunch and once for dinner. I wouldn’t recommend coming here for dinner. There are more unique restaurants at this resort that are otherwise closed for lunch.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Hacienda Steak House
La Hacienda Steak House at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos – despite the line, we were seated within five minutes.

La Hacienda is an ideal lunch spot because it offers open-air seating with an ocean view, perfect for a sunny day. At lunch, you can also walk down to the beach and help yourself to a plate of paella from the massive pot they cook up every day.

Paella at La Hacienda Steakhouse Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Paella, cooked on the beach outside of La Hacienda (the Spanish restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos)

There’s also a very nice selection of fresh salads and side dishes. The octopus ceviche is insanely good here, so don’t skip it! 

La Hacienda Steakhouse - a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant
La Hacienda Steakhouse – a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant
La Hacienda Steakhouse Side Dishes at Lunch Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
A great selection of side dishes during lunch at La Hacienda Steak House
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Hacienda Steak House All Includsive
Chicken Tenders and Wings at La Hacienda, the beachside restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

At the grill, the attendant will cook up meats of your choice to your liking. I had some of the most delicious flank steak for lunch at La Hacienda and if it wasn’t for the side dishes that pretty much filled me up, I would have gone back for seconds.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Hacienda Steak House Grill
The grill at La Hacienda Steak House, a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant

La Hacienda Dinner Buffet

At dinner, the buffet is still available, but you are given a menu to order your meats, accompanying sauces, some side dishes, and dessert. The buffet selection, however, is pretty much identical.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Hacienda Steak House Dinner Menu
La Hacienda Steak House Dinner Menu

I had the lamb chops for dinner and wasn’t crazy about them. I much preferred the flank steak at lunch. It wasn’t terrible, just a bit dry and bland. In fairness, we are comparing apples and oranges (or lamb chops and flank steaks).

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Hacienda Steak House Lamb Chops
Lamb Chops from the dinner menu at La Hacienda Steak House

La Hacienda Steakhouse is great for lunch and possibly my favorite of all Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants. While it got crowded at times, the wait was never more than five minutes, even when we didn’t have a reservation.

That was a general theme at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants: Each one had tons of seating (and guests) but the staff was great about managing it so that guests didn’t spend too long waiting in line.

Bon Vivant French Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

On our first night, we had dinner at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos’ French restaurant, Bon Vivant. I was glad I made a reservation because this place seemed in demand. While the restaurant had lots of seating, it was mostly empty, and guests spent a lot of time waiting for a seat.

For example, a Japanese couple got there at the same time as we did. But they didn’t get seated at the empty table across from ours until 30 minutes later. The speed at Bon Vivant was excruciatingly slow – each course took forever to serve.

Dinner menu Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos French Restaurant
Dinner menu at Bon Vivant – the French restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

That being said, the food at Bon Vivant was really high quality and well prepared. For appetizers, we ordered scallops, mussels, and salads. The scallops get rave reviews from other guests, but I wasn’t crazy about them.

I loved the mussels and would highly recommend them as an appetizer. My sister had the goat cheese & foie gras appetizer, to my chagrin. While I am a carnivore, I can’t, in good conscience, eat an animal that’s essentially been tortured throughout its life for my enjoyment.

Appetizers

The foie gras portion was small but she seemed to enjoy it. We weren’t speaking to each other at this point in the trip, so I’m basing this on observations.

Scallop appetizer at Bon Vivant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Scallop appetizer at Bon Vivant
Mussels appetizer at Bon Vivant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Mussels appetizer at Bon Vivant

Filet mignon

For the main course, I had the filet mignon. Initially I was worried because I’d read the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants do a poor job of cooking steaks. I was pleasantly surprised because my filet mignon was perfectly cooked.

Filet mignon at Bon Vivant
Filet mignon at Bon Vivant, the French Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Lamb and fish

My parents had the lamb and catch of the day (can’t remember what kind of fish) and both enjoyed their entrees.

Lamb Chops Bon Vivant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Lamb chops at Bon Vivant, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
French Restaurant Fish Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Fish dish at Bon Vivant, a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant

Dessert

Next up was dessert. The Bon Vivant menu displayed five choices:

Dessert Menu at Bon Vivant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Dessert Menu at Bon Vivant, a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant

I chose the chocolate cake while my parents split an almond cake. I thought the chocolate cake was delicious—perfectly moist and rich.

My dad didn’t like the almond cake, but my mom, who is the family’s dessert expert, loved it. That’s pretty high praise from someone who is highly critical of any dessert made outside of her kitchen.

Chocolate Cake Dessert Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos French Restaurant
Chocolate Cake at Bon Vivant
Financier cake Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos French Restaurant
Almond Cake at Bon Vivant, a Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurant

El Cortijo Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

We ate at El Cortijo, the Spanish restaurant, on our third night. I thought it was a great dining spot with a nice atmosphere and the most polished staff.

Our server, Enrique, was funny, courteous and professional. He constantly came by to check on us, replace silverware, and move things in place without being invasive.

El Cortijo Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
The entryway of El Cortijo, the Spanish restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

At El Cortijo, more than anywhere else, I felt like the staff really wanted to take care of guests. They extended the same sense of hospitality you’d expect when visiting someone’s home.

At one point, the hostess noticed my mom’s shawl and brought over a coat hanger to our table so she could hang it there. She was perfectly content hanging her shawl on her chair, so it was an unexpected yet thoughtful gesture. Overall, we were very well taken care of.

Menu at El Cortijo Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Menu at El Cortijo – the Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

We ordered some tapas, which were good all around. 

Meatball appetizers

I’d heard great things about the meatball appetizer, but it was the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. The meatballs had a strange, unusually rough, and dry texture. The bread and cheese it came with were delicious, though!

Meatball appetizer Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Meatball appetizer at El Cortijo – the Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Seafood paella

The seafood paella at El Cortijo was delicious. It was very flavorful and the portion was perfect.

Paella El Cortijo Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Paella El Cortijo, the Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Lamb chops and fish

We also ordered the lamb chops and the catch of the day (I believe it was salmon). My parents loved both dishes.

Lamb chops Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Lamb chops at El Cortijo, the Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Salmon at El Cortijo Ziva Los Cabos
Salmon (?) at El Cortijo, the Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The pace at El Cortijo is a bit faster than at Bon Vivante. I appreciated the speed because I prefer to get dinner done and over with in less than two hours.

Since things were moving at a reasonable pace this time around, we ordered dessert without worrying about falling asleep before it arrived.

El Cortijo Dessert Menu Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
El Cortijo Dessert Menu

Dessert

The Pijami, which is a caramel custard, was pretty good but I personally liked the Santiago almond tart better.

PIjami dessert at Spanish Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Pijami dessert at El Cortijo
Santiago Almond Tarte Dessert at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Spanish Restaurant
Santiago Almond Tarte at El Cortijo

DoZo Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Dozo, the Japanese restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, was our favorite. If everything else about our stay had sucked, the hibachi experience at Dozo would have made up for it.

DoZo Japanese Restaurant Cabo
The entrance to DoZo, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos’ Japanese Restaurant

If you’re making a reservation at Dozo, it’s important to specify whether you want to sit at the hibachi grill, the sushi bar, or the main dining room. There’s obviously more of a wait for the hibachi grill, so it’s worth calling ahead for.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Japanese Restaurant
Main dining area at Dozo, the Japanese restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Dozo Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Interior
The main dining area at Dozo, as seen from the entrance
Dozo Sushi Bar at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Dozo sushi bar

I’ve been to tons of hibachi places and while the performances are fun to watch, the food always turns out dry and flavorless. Not the case at Dozo!

Hibachi Grill at Dozo Hyatt Ziva Los Cabo

When we sat down, two waiters showed up and took our orders for drinks, soups, and sushi – they tell you what the options are rather than giving you a menu.

Hyatt Los Cabos DoZo Miso Soup
Miso soup and snap peas served at DoZo

Next, the hibachi guy shows up and if you’re lucky, it will be Jose. He asked if anyone had any food allergies and pointed to specific ingredients he’d be using, asking if anyone objected to them.

Then the show started, spatulas were tossed, food thrown around (don’t worry, Teresa Guidice wasn’t around). In between the utensil throwing, we were served food.

Sushi

I enjoyed the miso soup and thought the sushi roll was fresh and a notch above grocery store sushi.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Japanese Restaurant
Sushi at DoZo – the Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
More sushi at DoZo

The rice was served up first and it was delicious.

Fried Rice at Dozo Japanese Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Delicious fried rice off the hibachi grill at Dozo Japanese Restaurant

Steak

The steak ruined all steaks for me. In fact, I went to Ruth Chris a few weeks later and felt like I was eating off the McDonald’s $1 menu in comparison.

The steak at Dozo was the most succulent, juicy and delicious steak I’ve ever had.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Dozo Hibachi Grill Steak
Delicious steak at the Dozo Hibachi Grill
Dozo Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Shrimp and calamari
Shrimp and calamari fresh of the hibachi grill at Dozo

Seafood and chicken

The seafood and chicken were also good but nothing was as good as the steak. Dessert was served up next, a great end to a delicious meal.

I had the custard while my dad had the almond cake and my mom and sister split a deep fried ice cream (which they raved about).

Dozo Japanese Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Dessert
Almond cake and custard at Doze Japanese Restaurant
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Deep fried ice cream at Dozo Japanese Restaurant
Deep fried ice cream at Dozo, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Zaffiro Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Zaffiro, the beachfront Italian restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, was probably our least favorite. While the ambiance and service were great, the food was a letdown. 

Italian Restaurant Zafiro at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Zaffiro, the Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

We ordered a variety of dishes and there just wasn’t anything special (or Italian) about it. I’m someone who loves Italian food and I was disappointed at Zafiro.

We came here for dinner after making a reservation and while I knew it was going to be more Olive Garden than authentic Italian, my low standards weren’t met.

Menu Zaffiro Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Zaffiro dinner menu

Margherita pizza

We started off with a margherita pizza to share, which I personally thought was the best part of the meal. Everyone else at the table didn’t, mainly because they all like their pizza burned to a crisp.

Margherita Pizza at Zaffiro Italian Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Margherita Pizza at Zaffiro

Seafood frittata

I chose the seafood frittata for my appetizer and liked it – as someone who loves cheese, it really fulfilled that criteria for me.

Italian Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Frittata
Frittata appetizer at Zaffiro, the Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Main course

For the main course, I was torn between the risotto, gnocchi, and ravioli. I ultimately decided on the ravioli, which I found to be a bit bland. My sister had the chicken cacciatore, which I thought was better.

Zaffiro Restaurant Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Ravioli
Ravioli at Zaffiro – the Italian restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

My mom once again went with the catch of the day while my dad had the cannelloni with lamb ragout. He’s not supposed to be eating dairy these days, so he picked at the ragout which we both thought was delicious. The fish dish was lacking flavor.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Zaffiro Italian Restaurant Cannelloni
Cannelloni at Zaffiro
Fish dinner at Zaffiro Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Fish dish at Zaffiro, the Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Dessert

Most of us didn’t finish our food so there was plenty of room for dessert. I ordered the panna cotta while my mom and sister split the tiramisu.

Dessert Menu at Zaffiro
Dessert Menu at Zaffiro

The desserts didn’t disappoint and helped fill us up.

Panna Cotta Dessert at Zaffiro Italian Restaurant Los Cabos
Panna Cotta at Zaffiro Italian Restaurant Ziva Los Cabos
Tiramisu Dessert at Zaffiro Italian Restaurant Hyatt Los Cabos
Tiramisu at Zaffiro

The great thing about an all-inclusive resort like the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is that if the sit-down restaurants isn’t to your liking, you can always walk over to the buffet where you’re sure to find something that tastes better. Plus, you won’t have to wait for your food to arrive…

La Plaza & El Molino buffet restaurants at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos has two buffet restaurants: La Plaza and El Molino, which are connected. You can easily walk between the two spaces.

La Plaza and El Molino Buffet Restaurants at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
La Plaza and El Molino buffet restaurants at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

I have to give it to Hyatt Ziva on this one: Their buffet is one of the best I’ve ever been to and easily knocks every Vegas buffet I’ve been to out of the park.

Not only was there a huge variety of food to choose from (seriously, the photos in this post don’t properly convey how massive the buffet really is), but it was also high quality.

La Plaza Buffet Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
The La Plaza Buffet Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Breakfast buffet

We had breakfast at La Plaza every morning and there was something for everyone: Multiple omelette stations, a huge selection of fruits, yogurts, and juices, and endless bread.

My favorite breakfast item was their french toast. After the attendant brought it out, she proceeded to dip each piece in enough brown sugar to put you into a sugar coma. I had at least one piece every morning. 

La Plaza Buffet at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Juice station
Juice station at La Plaza Buffet

Lunch buffet

As someone who expected to be eating bland food throughout my stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, I was totally surprised by the endless variety of flavorful dishes. Especially at lunch.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Plaza Buffet
Steak, burgers, and chicken served up at the grill
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Plaza Buffet Seafood Station
Seafood station at La Plaza Buffet, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
La Plaza Lunch Buffet at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
La Plaza Lunch Buffet
Bread Station La Plaza Buffet Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Bread Station La Plaza Buffet Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos La Plaza Buffet Fruit and Salad station
Fruit and salad for days…

I was pretty annoyed at myself for having a big breakfast, a tuna tostada “snack” and for making an early dinner reservation. Otherwise I would have gone to town on that spicy shrimp.

This is one of the major dilemmas you’ll encounter during your stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos: Which restaurant to go to and which delicious food to gorge on.

Coffee House at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The Coffee House at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos was well stocked with sandwiches, pastries, and snacks throughout the day. Guests could also order smoothies and various coffee drinks off the menu.

I came here daily for a coffee fix and the cappuccino frappes easily put Starbucks’ frappuccinos to shame (or my second favorite, the Annihilator at Dutch Bros Coffee).

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Coffee House
The coffee shop at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The coffee shop was decorated in a rustic style, with comfortable couches and seating strewn about. This is the type of place where you want to hang out and read on days you call in sick.

I wouldn’t mind drinking terrible coffee at Starbucks every day if the place looked like this.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Coffee Shop
Lots of comfortable seating at Hyatt Ziva’s Coffee House

The food selection is pretty extensive. During our stay, there were always plenty of sandwiches available (though really, you should be saving your appetite for one of the other great restaurants on site).

There was always a pile of cupcakes at the counter and lots of cakes and other desserts to choose from.

Desserts at the Coffee House Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Desserts at the Coffee House

The Coffee House also has two computers and a printer for guests to use. This is ideal if you need to check in for your flight or print something and the computer station at the 24-hour deli is occupied.

Computer station at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Coffee House
Computer station at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Coffee House

Despite being such a great place to relax or grab a snack, The Coffee House was fairly deserted most of the time. In the morning you’d see a few people pick up smoothies on their way to (or from?) the gym and in the evenings, kids would rush in for a sugary snack. Other than this, it was pretty quiet.

Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Coffee Shop
The Coffee House during a typical afternoon

24-hour Deli Cactus Lounge at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

The 24 Hour Deli Cactus is located on the lobby level, around the corner from the Piano Bar. It’s sort of a club lounge, open 24 hours a day, serving up sandwiches and snacks from the Coffee house, which closes at 10 PM.

24 Hour Deli Cactus Hyatt Los Cabos
24 Hour Deli Cactus Lounge at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Deli Cactus has several semi-private seating areas and a computer station. People just used the computers and left, leaving the food untouched.

Computer station at 24 Hour Deli Cactus Hyatt Los Cabos
Computer station at 24 Hour Deli Cactus

That’s probably because guests at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos can order room service through 6 AM, which is much more preferable because the food is fresher than the sandwiches that may have been sitting out all day.

Food Spread at 24 Hour Deli Cactus Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Food Spread at 24 Hour Deli Cactus
24 Hour Deli Cactus Drinks Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
24 Hour Deli Cactus Drink station Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Room services at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Room service at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is available pretty much all day and night, completely free. Like the free minibar, we didn’t make much use of this benefit. On occasion, we’d order a fruit platter, which would arrive in 20 minutes or less.

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Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos room service fruit platter
Room service fruit platter

I ordered the chicken tortilla soup one evening and got it in under 20 minutes. The presentation was great, but the soup itself wasn’t. It was a bit too heavy on the tomato, which ruined the flavor.

Chicken tortilla soup Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Chicken tortilla soup

I would highly recommend the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos to anyone who wants a nice relaxing all-inclusive vacation without giving up food quality.

My favorite Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants

My favorite restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos was probably La Hacienda Steakhouse and the coffee shop. I loved hanging out at the coffee shop every morning to work, have my caffeine fix and occasionally enjoy a cupcake. The flank steak at La Hacienda was possibly one of the best things I ever ate at a hotel restaurant.

I also enjoyed the taco cart by the pool, which offered delicious foods that were made to order.

The Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants offer plenty of excellent food options. With so much variety, there is bound to be something for even the pickiest eater.

The buffet was also shockingly good, with high-quality and appetizing foods during every meal. All-inclusive resorts have a bad reputation for offering subpar food, but that was not the case at this one. Every restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos that I tried was excellent.

Other Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos stories

If you’re interested in staying at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, be sure to check out my other stories about the resort:

9 thoughts on “Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants: 16 superb options”

  1. I’m staying at the Hyatt Zilara in Cancun this summer. I’ve never been to an all-inclusive resort so I’m not really sure how this works. Are all the meals free at the restaurants? Did you leave tips?

    1. Yes, all the meals are free. Everyone wears a bracelet, which is how they know you’re a guest at the resort (and entitled to the endless array of free food). Tips are technically included in the price, but it’s still nice to leave a couple of dollars for good service. I always tipped the housekeepers and most of our waiters (until I ran out of cash). I noticed not many people did not tip, but I still think its a nice thing to do. Enjoy Zilara and let me know what you think!

  2. We didn’t get a chance to try out every restaurant while we were at the Hyatt Ziva, but I really enjoyed the steakhouse and my wife, Anna, loved the sushi at the Japanese restaurant. They brought here an entire plate full of sushi… it was sushi heaven for her! The best thing is that you can sample each restaurant and not feel guilty for not eating everything on your plate.

  3. Deliciously sumptuous post, Ariana, again! We’ll likely be there in two weeks, and what a super nice advance preview…. This post should be a keeper, a promo and a advantage dinner strategy planner for all who come.

    Your pics reminds me of lot of the Hyatt Zilara in Montego Bay…. It too off the charts — and yes, the buffets options there (lots of them – if you count the neighboring Hyatt ziva) were all wonderful…. Our favorite restaurant there also was the magnificent French restaurant…. (and perhaps with less wait…. depends I think on the company)

  4. Finishing up my first trip there right now….my 5th AI but 1st Hyatt Ziva. Agree that the buffet is well done…the salad bar alone was quite impressive, along with the healthy selection of dried fruits and nuts, compotes and the aray of salsas. While the specialty dining restaurants were indeed better than any other AI we’ve been to, they generally are still a step below the quality and taste of the buffet…which you wouldn’t think would be the case. The Italian was like you said, bland and Olive Garden quality. We had a pizza, risotto and gnocchi and could not finish any one of them. The steak house did give decent BBQ ribs and lamb chops, but the flank steak had a funny texture and was way over cooked. 2 (of the 3) sauces that we got were poorly prepared as well. While the buffet portion of the Mexican restaurant was fine, the 2 steak dishes we ordered off the menu were bland, not properly cooked and had too many sauces muddling up the dish. Spanish place was decent expect that the grilled calamari was not grilled at all (looked/tasted sautéed) and the rizzoto was clearly cooked rice with the seafood placed on top and not cooked altogether. Sashimi in the Asian was good and recommended but the maki rolls had soft and mushy seaweed and the sushi rice used (in the nigiri and rolls) was bland, cold and not proper sushi rice.

    Agree that portions were all fine. Again, it wasn’t horrible (and we’ve had food in the specialty restaurants that resemble hotel banquet dining), it just didn’t stand out on a positive note. Overall, much better quality than any other place. But if you live in a major metro area and have access to decent ethnic restaurants, than you won’t be getting anything special here.

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