How Mango Deck became the most iconic beachfront bar and restaurant in Los Cabos

Mango Deck is unquestionably 1 of the bars and restaurants astir associated with Los Cabos tourism. Centrally located connected Playa El Médano, the biggest and astir fashionable formation successful Cabo San Lucas, Mango Deck is enormously popular, albeit best-known arsenic a “daylife” alternatively than a nightlife destination (it’s unfastened regular from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.).

However, contempt its estimation for free-flowing drinks, peculiarly during Spring Break, Mango Deck has ever been some a barroom and a restaurant, offering immoderate of the champion nutrient connected the beach. Plus, it’s an activities center, meaning you tin not lone bask caller seafood, ice-cold cervezas and cocktails present but also, for example, rent a waverunner oregon bask different water-based activities. It’s a benignant of all-in-one abrogation experience.

Much of the enduring popularity of Mango Deck is owed to its hard-working and fun-loving staff. (Mango Deck Cabo)

To delve deeper into the past and improvement of Mango Deck, I went to the astir knowledgeable sources: proprietor Ricardo Araoz Gamiño and his son, Garrit Araoz Wilkes, who serves arsenic wide manager. Here’s what they had to say.

When was Mango Deck archetypal opened? Whose thought was it?

Mango Deck opened successful 1998. It was Ricardo’s idea, on with his friends Luis, Jesús, Gabriel, David and José.

Did the beachfront onshore travel from an ejido, oregon was it via support from [Profepa] oregon immoderate different authorities agency? 

The beachfront determination was requested from Zofemat, which is the bureau successful complaint of these areas. (Zofemat, oregon Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre, manages Mexico’s seashore up to 20 meters from the precocious tide line. It has exclusive entree to assistance licenses, permits and concessions wrong these areas.)

I remember, Garrit, you erstwhile told maine astir Médano Beach erstwhile you were a kid, and however determination were antithetic names for antithetic parts of the beach. Can you supply our readers with immoderate humanities discourse connected what Playa El Médano looked similar earlier the opening of Mango Deck?

The country was ever known arsenic El Médano. The names of the beaches were much to place wherever precisely you were. There was Hacienda Beach, formerly successful beforehand of the Parr family’s Hacienda Hotel — the first edifice successful Cabo San Lucas, opened by Abelardo “Rod” Rodriguez successful 1963 and subsequently sold to chap Los Cabos edifice pioneer William Matt “Bud” Parr successful 1977. 

Rafa Beach was what we called the country successful beforehand of Rafa Sandoval’s house, which is present the entree constituent betwixt Hacienda [Beach Club and Residences] and Corazón [Cabo Resort and Spa]. There was besides Brujita Beach, formerly located wherever Andromeda Divers is now; Planta oregon Empacadora Beach, the tiny bay successful beforehand of what remains of the aged cannery, bordered by the aged pier that [Hurricane] Odile [in 2014] demolished; and Sanai Beach, the formation connected the different broadside of the pier.

Mango Deck has go incredibly fashionable for respective reasons. One of them is arsenic a destination for students connected Spring Break. When did that Spring Break popularity statesman to happen, on with the contests, shots from Big Johnson, and different amusive activities?

The popularity with students began astir 2003, erstwhile the Spring Break Cabo institution approached america with an connection to bring them there, including a nutrient and beverage package. In the beginning, determination was nary Big Johnson [a mustachioed, bandolier-wearing big who dispenses tequila shots], nor immoderate host. 

Much of our improvement has been done proceedings and error. The amusement started with Batucas, a manager who brought a microphone to trial the caller instrumentality and began greeting radical and telling jokes. Big Johnson was created by Carlos Peralta. The contests were started by Jonathan, Víctor and Raúl, immoderate of the archetypal MCs we had.

Speaking of activities, Mango Deck is simply a benignant of a abrogation all-in-one, successful that it’s a bar, edifice and an activities center. Was it ever similar that, oregon has it evolved implicit the decades?

It started arsenic a restaurant-bar, with little than fractional of what it is now, a fewer tables nether the roof, a fewer much connected the formation and, astatine most, 20 lounge chairs connected the beach. We had 2 enactment rental locations nearby, and we thought, “Why not effort it?” And that’s how, astatine the time, we ended up with Mango Deck waverunners.

How has the paper astatine the edifice changed done the years, and however would you picture your nutrient enactment now?

We started with a reasonably basal menu. It was chiefly comfortableness options — burgers, chickenhearted fingers, chickenhearted wings and sandwiches. With the tastes of our customers, ideas from Cristina, our chef, and feedback from staff, we person grown, and contiguous we person much determination flavors with a homestyle touch.

What’s the location specialty?

Our signature paper items are the sole sandwich, the Mango Deck roll, the molcajete and the Mango cowboy burger.

What percent of radical bid nutrient versus those who conscionable travel for drinks?

We could accidental it’s 40% connected 1 side, 60% connected the other. Most of our guests bid thing to devour with their drinks.

Do you person a signature cocktail, oregon are cubetas of ice-cold brew the staple?

Although Mango Deck is our signature drink, we instrumentality it upon ourselves to marque buckets of brew famous. Our margarita is astonishing too. 

What benignant of activities tin radical put astatine Mango Deck?

All of them! We person an activities squad that is up-to-date connected everything the destination has to connection for activities.

A uncommon quiescent infinitesimal astatine Mango Deck, earlier the crowds amusement up. (Los Cabos Tourism Board

I retrieve aft Category-4 Hurricane Odile successful 2014 that Mango Deck, similar galore places locally, was precise hard hit. What was that betterment like, and would you accidental it made the concern stronger successful the agelong run?

Like everyone else, the interaction was precise strong. It destroyed fractional of the restaurant, the full platform area, similar the full town. We were without energy for 15 days, with the vantage that we had a generator, but we could lone usage it occasionally owed to the substance shortage. All of america who worked determination took shifts to cleanable the edifice and support everything clean. We had 3 shifts due to the fact that immoderate stayed overnight to work. We ate luncheon and meal here. The squad itself acceptable a regularisation that nary one, not adjacent the managers, broke. If you arrived astatine lunchtime, you had to bash thing to beryllium astatine the table. That squad of men, women — young and not-so-young — made Mango Deck overmuch stronger than it already was. In 10 days, we had everything acceptable to reopen, but the licence arrived astir 15–20 days later.

The popularity of Mango Deck is beauteous staggering. You person implicit 100,000 followers connected Facebook, for example.  Why bash you deliberation radical emotion Mango Deck truthful much, and wherefore has it been truthful enduringly popular?

It’s ever been a spot wherever you tin permission your accent and worries astatine the door, wherever everything is good, radical cognize you, cognize your sanction and we’re ever blessed to person you back. Where you consciousness amended than astatine home.

Any existent promotions oregon peculiar events coming up?

We person our Deckpechado night each 2 weeks and — already connected the mode — our New Year’s Eve party. As with the bucket of beers, we instrumentality work for making taxable parties travel backmost strong.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.