For years it was hard to find a good restaurant on the East Cape. While Buzzards Bar and Grill in La Laguna and Zac’s Bar and Grill in Zacatitos provided great alternatives not far from San Jose del Cabo, there was not much past those restaurants until Crossroads Restaurant at Vida Soul Boutique Hotel in Vinoramas.
Then about three years ago, Zai Sushi Surf Bar opened on the arroyo in La Fortuna and The White Lodge opened just before 9 Palms. The latest addition to these restaurant choices is Shade on the hill leading down to the arroyo in La Fortuna.
This location had been a restaurant on and off run by a local family. But it had never been able to build a consistent offering for the location. Enter Marcus, originally for South Africa, a real estate entrepreneur who had restaurant experience, and had been coming to the East Cape for about 18 years.
Marcus became an investor and consultant for the family that owns the land in this location in La Fortuna. The result is a great family-run restaurant with a view of the surf break at La Fortuna. The family helped build out the new location, manage the restaurant, and cook and serve the food in this great addition to the East Cape.
The menu includes Mexican and American standards – hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta, salads, quesadillas, and burritos. With a specially built brick pizza oven, they also offer a great range of thin-crust pizzas.
Sitting in the restaurant, I was hearing the guests at the table behind me raving about the guacamole and the ceviche. I had heard about the pizza from a few people and decided to try it. Given my plant-based diet, I asked for a vegetarian pizza but without cheese. The thin crust was terrific. Marcus explained that he had perfected the crust over time and that they put into the oven before adding toppings, take it out to add the toppings, and then put it back into to cook. This guarantees a crispy crust. It was excellent.
Marcus introduced me to Jesus the manager of the restaurant and part of the family that owns the land. He went on to describe the future plans for Shade – more seating toward the beach, a beach club, and Friday movie nights. The movies were going to start with classic surf movies to celebrate the East Cape surf lifestyle.
We will definitely be back to try more items from the menu.
For more information on Shade visit their website at http://shadeatlafortuna.com/index.html
