Why Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar matters.
Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar is a celebrated farm-to-table restaurant where Ánimas Bajas' fertile desert foothills meet Cameron Watt and Stuart McPherson's transformation of agricultural land, contemporary Mexican gastronomy and an internationally recognized commitment to sustainable hospitality.
Set along Calle Rincón de las Ánimas in the foothills north of San José del Cabo, near the rural approach to Puerto Los Cabos and a short drive from the historic town center's Plaza Mijares, the restaurant occupies a lush agricultural estate surrounded by desert hills. Its open-air architecture incorporates timber, natural stone and shaded terraces beneath a dense canopy of palms, creating a tropical environment within the arid landscape of southern Baja California. The principal dining room rises above landscaped gardens, with overhead fans, suspended lighting and carefully arranged tables establishing an intimate connection between the restaurant and its cultivated surroundings. A substantial cocktail bar anchors the social atmosphere, with garden pathways leading toward additional gathering spaces and secluded areas for private dining. The result is a distinctive agricultural retreat whose dramatic vegetation, contemporary architecture and open-air hospitality establish an atmospheric setting for modern Mexican cooking.
What defines Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar.
Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar is best known for transforming a neglected agricultural property into one of Los Cabos' defining culinary destinations, connecting Canadian entrepreneurship with organic farming, architectural experimentation and environmental stewardship. Its founders, Cameron Watt and Stuart McPherson, developed their hospitality careers in Vancouver, where Watt became associated with The Keefer Bar, an influential cocktail establishment in the city's Chinatown district. Their interest in Baja California Sur developed during visits to Los Cabos, where they encountered a parcel of farmland distinguished by naturally occurring palms and its position within the foothills outside San José del Cabo. The partners acquired the 25-acre property 2012, envisioning an integrated hospitality destination organized around the cultivation of its landscape. Early development concentrated on establishing productive agricultural fields, introducing tropical plantings and constructing a restaurant whose design responded to the surrounding vegetation. Acre opened in early 2016, introducing a contemporary dining concept that combined ingredients harvested on the property with seafood and meat sourced from regional producers. Executive chefs Kevin Luzande and Oscar Torres directed the original kitchen, developing a menu that connected Mexican ingredients with international culinary techniques. Vancouver bartender Dani Tatarin established the opening beverage program, drawing upon her experience at The Keefer Bar to create cocktails incorporating local fruits, herbs and botanical ingredients. The property's subsequent development expanded beyond the restaurant, introducing a swimming pool, event facilities and an ambitious collection of elevated accommodations. In 2017, Acre received the Sexiest Hotel Design distinction at the LE Miami hospitality exhibition, recognizing an architectural approach developed through the founders' direct involvement and the use of locally sourced materials. Its first treehouse accommodations followed, establishing an unusual lodging concept that placed guest rooms among the palms and tropical vegetation of the estate. The agricultural property also became home to an animal sanctuary, where Cameron's daughter Rachael Watt began rescuing abandoned animals and developing a broader program devoted to rehabilitation and adoption. Acre Dogs subsequently expanded into a substantial rescue organization, placing more than 1,000 dogs with adoptive families and supporting sterilization initiatives throughout the Los Cabos community. Additional villas, haciendas and private-event facilities strengthened the property's position as a comprehensive hospitality destination. The restaurant received a MICHELIN Green Star in 2024, recognizing its integration of organic cultivation, responsible sourcing, waste reduction and environmental management. That distinction established Acre among Mexico's early internationally recognized examples of sustainable destination dining, extending the founders' original agricultural ambitions into a substantial culinary and hospitality enterprise.
David Fajardo's culinary direction develops contemporary Mexican cooking through a direct relationship between the restaurant's agricultural production and the seafood, meat and culinary traditions of Baja California Sur. The working farm supplies more than 60 organic products, including citrus, tomatoes, peppers, root vegetables and herbs, allowing the kitchen to organize its preparations around ingredients harvested at different stages of the growing season. That agricultural foundation supports a menu whose international influences emerge through specific relationships between Mexican produce and established Asian and European techniques. Kampachi linguine demonstrates the approach through locally sourced fish and a pesto prepared from garden greens, connecting the freshness of the harvest with the structure of an Italian pasta preparation. Ceviche introduces a different expression of the region's coastal ingredients, combining seafood with mango and leche de tigre to develop a balance of sweetness, acidity and marine salinity. Grilled octopus and al pastor suckling pig extend the kitchen's repertoire through controlled cooking techniques and concentrated seasonings associated with Mexican culinary traditions. The restaurant's guacamole emphasizes the quality of ripe avocado, with edible flowers introducing a visual connection to the surrounding gardens. These preparations draw upon a sourcing system that incorporates regional fishermen and livestock producers, extending the kitchen's agricultural relationships beyond the estate. Acre's environmental program reinforces that connection through composting, regenerative cultivation and careful management of water resources, particularly consequential within the peninsula's arid climate. The kitchen incorporates produce of irregular appearance into its preparations, reducing agricultural waste and preserving the value of ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. The cocktail program applies the same principles through seasonal infusions, botanical ingredients and techniques designed to minimize waste. Guava leaves, dried citrus and aromatic herbs contribute distinctive flavors, connecting the bar's preparations with the plants cultivated throughout the property. The restaurant's signature mezcal, La Tierra de Acre, extends its Mexican character through partnerships with traditional producers whose methods reflect the regional heritage of agave distillation. Colibrí Cantina provides a dedicated setting for exploring that spirit, introducing a more intimate dimension to the property's beverage culture. Acre's culinary distinction rests on the integration of productive agriculture, internationally informed Mexican cooking and a beverage program whose ingredients and techniques emerge directly from the surrounding landscape.
How Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar fits.
Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar works as the culinary culmination of an outing connecting San José del Cabo's colonial history, its nineteenth-century civic development and the contemporary artistic community that has revitalized the historic town center.
Begin at Misión de San José del Cabo Añuití, the religious institution founded by Jesuit missionaries Nicolás Tamaral and José de Echeverría on April 8, 1730. The mission occupied territory associated with the Indigenous Pericú people, establishing a Spanish colonial settlement near an important freshwater source. The Pericú rebellion of 1734 destroyed the original mission and resulted in Tamaral's death, becoming a consequential episode of Indigenous resistance in southern Baja California. Subsequent rebuilding and relocation reflected the challenges of maintaining a permanent colonial settlement amid environmental pressures and conflict. The present church, completed in 1940, preserves the site's religious significance through its twin bell towers and a façade mosaic depicting Tamaral's death. Continue to Plaza Mijares, the principal civic square commemorating José Antonio Mijares, a Mexican military officer who participated in the defense of San José del Cabo during the Mexican-American War. On November 19, 1847, Mijares led an attack against American forces occupying the town, suffering wounds that caused his death the following day. His resistance became an important element of the community's historical memory, connecting the square's commemorative character with the peninsula's nineteenth-century political struggles. The surrounding municipal buildings preserve architectural elements associated with the town's subsequent civic development, including a clock tower introduced in 1904. Shaded walkways, public seating and the adjoining commercial streets establish the plaza as the principal gathering place of the historic center. Conclude at San José del Cabo Art District, the downtown cultural neighborhood whose galleries and independent businesses have transformed traditional commercial streets into a center for contemporary artistic activity. Restored buildings accommodate exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography and mixed-media work by Mexican and international artists. The district's development strengthened San José del Cabo's reputation as a destination for collecting regional art, connecting established Mexican creative traditions with an expanding international audience. Its seasonal Thursday evening Art Walk brings participating galleries together for extended opening hours and opportunities to engage directly with artists. Independent boutiques and intimate exhibition spaces sustain a pedestrian-oriented cultural environment closely connected to the surrounding historic architecture. The progression moves from the founding of the colonial settlement through the town's struggle for political sovereignty and concludes in the contemporary artistic community that defines much of San José del Cabo's cultural life.
Where your story begins.
Foresyte Travel reveals places that feel extraordinary long before you arrive.
Enjoy editorial crafted for luxury travelers.
Foresyte may earn a commission when you book.
