Are you a lover of the music, food and lifestyle of the late 60s and early 70s? Then, Cool Beans Los Cabos is a restaurant that you may want to visit. Located on the corner of Ignacio Zaragoza (the down street) and Guerrero in the Art District in San Jose de Cabo, Cool Beans was created in small town Kansas by Angela Stoughton, who grew up influenced by her flower child mother, listening to her mother’s turntable constantly playing the music of the 60s and 70s. She learned to cook in her grandmother’s kitchen and ultimately opened the first Cool Beans in Sterling, Kansas.

These influences are clearly shown in the design of the restaurant (inside and outside) and the menu. Murals adorn the outside walls and windows of the great bands of this era. A rack of magazines like Life and Time are displayed in two magazines racks for people to explore the time period for themselves. There are statutes of Elvis, The Blues Brothers, and hippie chicks in the restaurant. The walls are covered with old posters of rock bands, and even at hooked rug of mushrooms. The furniture is classic 60s American diner with booths and tables in two-tone blue. There are even Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man video games in the main dining room. The rooftop dining, where live music is played has a large bar in the shape of an old VW bus.

The names of the dishes on the menu reflect the emotions, music and lifestyles of the period. The choices on the menu range from sandwiches, soups and salads with names like in-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Bliss, Elation, and Glass Onion. There are also some Feel Good Foods – meat loaf, Shepherd’s Pie – Hippie Meals – Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich, Grilled Cheese, and Psychedelic Sweets. Of course, there are also milkshakes and floats.

We decided to try some of the traditional meals. I started with the Shake a Tail Feather creamy chicken soup. It had large chunks of potato, carrots, and chicken in the creamy broth and was pretty good and filling. For the main course, Beth chose the American Pie – Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef and vegetables in a pastry crust – served with a side salad and corn on the cob. I ordered the I’D Do Anything For Love – Meatloaf with a slice of provolone cheese on top, served with corn on the cob. Both main courses came with a couple slices of bread. Beth ordered a chocolate milkshake to accompany her meal.

Overall, I would say that we more excited by the concept and design of the restaurant than by the food. The flavors were a little bland and did not meet the expectations created by the menu. The service was excellent. As the restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, we will give it another try after they have had a chance to work out some of the issues.