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
- Coco Loco Snack Bar
- La Hacienda Steakhouse at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- Bon Vivant French Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- El Cortijo Spanish Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- DoZo Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- Zaffiro Italian Restaurant at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- La Plaza & El Molino buffet restaurants at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- Coffee House at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- 24-hour Deli Cactus Lounge at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- Room services at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- My favorite Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos restaurants
- Other Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos stories
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dessert
Next up was dessert. The Bon Vivant menu displayed five choices:
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.
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.
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.
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!
Seafood paella
The seafood paella at El Cortijo was delicious. It was very flavorful and the portion was perfect.
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.
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.
Dessert
The Pijami, which is a caramel custard, was pretty good but I personally liked the Santiago almond tart better.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
The rice was served up first and it was delicious.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The desserts didn’t disappoint and helped fill us up.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Deli Cactus has several semi-private seating areas and a computer station. People just used the computers and left, leaving the food untouched.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Comprehensive review, to say the least. Thanks!
Sure thing!
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?
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!
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.
I agree – I loved being able to sample different foods without feeling guilty. They definitely have portion sizes down pat.
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)
Glad you think so! The resort is amazing, so I’m sure you’ll love it as much as the Zilara Montego Bay (which is on my list, so I’m glad to hear positive things).
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.