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July 30, 2021
Traveling to any destination should always include good food in one, or many, good restaurants. When wandering around the streets of Puerto Vallarta, along its Malecon, downtown and its surroundings, there’s always a perfect time to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In every area there’s delicious options to discover, which is the reason why we have divided our suggestions in five main areas where the best restaurants that you just have to visit are located: the Romantic Zone, Marina Vallarta, Versalles, Hotel Zone and Downtown. We know that more than one of them will be mouth-watering, so let’s get started!
With a family history since 1958, this emblematic restaurant is characterized by its elegant ambiance in its dining area or with your feet in the sand right at the beach. Its kind personnel and spectacular local cuisine make it a favorite amongst locals and tourists alike. During your visit make sure to try the tropical ceviche (with a variety of seafood), the adobado pacific shrimp, or the traditional and regional zarandeado fish fillet.
Fall in love with these scrumptious dishes from breakfast till dinner, accompanied by one of the most beautiful views in Puerto Vallarta.
A Puerto Vallarta favorite since the sixties. El Dorado brings the best of coastal cuisine with fresh seafood, catch of the day, ceviches and salads, and local dishes like the famous shrimp burritos. Make sure to try their cocktail and wine selection to pair with your meal. Their oceanfront location with your feet in the sand makes it a must.
Located in the Cuale River Island, this restaurant blends its elegant deco with the natural surroundings; so don’t be surprised if while you’re enjoying a lobster salad or a linguini frutti di mare you admire colorful birds or iguanas passing by. In its bar you can order an abbreviated tasting menu, some light snacks, a cocktail or a glass of wine.
Focusing their culinary experience in the Mexican traditional flavors, Makal seeks to perpetuate this country’s cuisine adding a modern touch to every dish in its menu, such as the beef cheek tacos with oyster emulsion, the grasshopper empanada with guacamole and requeson cheese, or escamoles (the Mexican caviar) with corn and cheese. Its cocktail menu includes Mexican distillates that you simply cannot miss.
This spectacular restaurant is the only in town considered as one of the Best 120 Restaurants in Mexico by Mexico Gastronomic Guide 2019. Its cuisine, which varies depending on the freshest products, will surprise your palate, while its mixology which is a reinterpretation of classic drinks, will surely embellish your dishes.
Sharing is enjoying together and better still with delicious appetizers that you can savor in this restaurant specialized in cuts. A scrumptious octopus rind can serve as a starter to a vast menu with beef as the main ingredient.
Delight in the chef’s artisanal creations, the way they name their cuts and how they excel at cooking a medium-rare steak in the center, enhancing textures and flavors.
Set in a retro industrial style, this place is the meeting point to enjoy live music in the evenings, and spend unforgettable nights. Its varied menu has delicious options for breakfast and lunch.
A Puerto Vallarta classic that you should definitely visit if you love fish and seafood. There is no match to their tostadas, and their menu also has delicious options like the Special Tuna Sashimi, the crab enchiladas, or the grilled octopus.
An elegant ambiance with modern decor and beautiful views of the Marina in Puerto Vallarta, this restaurant offering Italian cuisine has more than 25 years delighting palates. Their fresh pastas are a must, plus they have a very good wine selection. Make sure to try their exotic mixology in the lounge area.
If you love Japanese food, we suggest Mikado, located inside Marriott Hotel in Marina Vallarta, where you’ll enjoy the flavors of Japan in Puerto Vallarta. This restaurant has everything you need to feel in an oriental ambiance; its elegant décor, menu, and expert hands of the talented chefs that prepare dishes like teppanyaki directly on your table. They also have the option of preparing sushi just how you like it.
If you like Italo-Argentinian fusion cuisine, then this restaurant is for you. Opened just recently, it features dishes cooked in a wood fired oven. In its menu you can find pizzas, meats, traditional Argentinian empanadas, all made with unique recipes, deliciously blending Italian (inspired in Florence) and Argentine traditions (nationality of chef Miguel Valenzuela).
Found in both Versalles and downtown, both amazing.
Italian food is a favorite in this beach destination, the reason why we suggest visiting this restaurant inspired by this country. Directed by chef Gaetano Simonetti, its main dish is pasta, deliciously prepared, as well as the salmon ravioli. We also recommend its yummy desserts, like the Tiramisu, made just like in Tuscany, the perfect place to delight in Tuscan cuisine. Make sure to try their delicious and refreshing cocktails this summer.
In our restaurant selection we could not leave Greek food behind. At OPA Restaurant a fusion between products of the earth and the sea is made with a typical Mediterranean combination that you just have to try in Puerto Vallarta.
You have to pamper your palate with Chef Apostoli’s cuisine, and you’ll surely live a story filled with Greek flavor. A little piece of Greece in town!
Place you visit, place you need to try the local drinks and spirits, like Raicilla, from our beloved Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta of course. Spirit made with agave, not as strong as Tequila, perfect to pair your relaxing afternoons at the Versailles neighborhood. At Lulú, you’ll find the ideal spot to try a great variety of distillates. Check out their social media and take advantage of the promo of the week; they regularly have a DJ or live music.
One of the best spots to eat without a doubt is where passion blends with the right ingredients to prepare amazing dishes. Such is Barrio Bistro, where Vallartan chef Memo Wulff creates his recipes using local ingredients. He has a long culinary history, so in the menu you can find all the essentials to delight your palate; soups, salads, beef, duck, chicken, just to name a few. The menu changes every week, so you’ll find something new every time you visit.
With an extraordinarily fresh and comfortable ambiance, we suggest trying Cha’, a perfect place for breakfast or brunch in Puerto Vallarta. The chef Mario Borja makes delicious creations to the eye and the palate, such as the original chilaquiles made with shrimp during lent, or a Chá waffle. By the way, their name is the abbreviation of CHA'AK'AB', a Mayan word that means: freedom, letting go, release, making them a “free kitchen”.
Winner of Best New Restaurant by Food & Travel and Travelers’ Choice Award, this restaurant takes its name from the Huichol word for “maize”. Its culinary proposal seeks to reinvent traditional dishes from Mexican cuisine and add a Mexican touch to dishes from other regions. The menu a la carte includes dishes such as beef birria or seafood risotto, and they also have a 5 to 9–course tasting menu. The wine list offers only domestic wines to support local produce.
A referent for haute-cuisine in Puerto Vallarta; this restaurant has a minimalist decor in white monochromatic, where you and the chef’s creative dishes play the starring roles, offering an experience which combines innovation and exquisiteness. You can enjoy good drinks and entertainment in its bar, La Nata, located on the second floor.
Its contemporary urban cuisine concept showcases home recipes from every corner of Mexico right to your table. Traditional flavors, textures, and aromas come together in their menu, with options such as the rib eye huarache with escamoles, the stone-roasted New York steak, or the black aguachile with scallops. Their cocktails bear the name Mexología (Mexology) because traditional cocktails are prepared with a Mexican touch; make sure to try them!
This restaurant showcases the best in Mexican and international cuisine, featuring Sterling Silver and Prime cuts. Its enjoyable atmosphere is accompanied by house music.
The most emblematic recipes from Japanese cuisine are available in this restaurant’s menu that has a modern and elegant ambiance. With a great variety of options for everyone’s taste, you can find starters, poke bowls, temakis, soups, sashimi, and of course sushi and ramen. If you follow a vegetarian diet you’ll be surprised with all the delicious options.
If you’re looking for an elegant dining option, Café des Artistes is definitely the right choice. This restaurant has set the standard in Puerto Vallarta for over 30 years, thanks to the creative spirit, passion, and unique style of Thierry Blouet, chef and founder. You can savor the 5-course tasting menu, on its own or with suggested wine pairing, or order from their delicious menu the suckling pig confit taco, the shrimp au garlic and ginger, or the broiled potato and bacon terrine, just to name a few. To pair, you can choose wines from 10 different countries.
Considered one of the most romantic restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. Cappella offers an Italian menu to delight you whilst you admire the tower of the iconic Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. To liven up your evening, enjoy the violin ensemble and a creative house mixology that uses local fruits, herbs, and spices to create a unique selection.
You’ll find this restaurant right in the heart of Puerto Vallarta; contemporary Mexican cuisine with a great view of town and outdoor areas to enjoy the breeze and the fountains in its patios. You will find delicacies in the menu such as the Poblano pepper in puff pastry, the grilled salmon, or the diablo shrimp. If you’re looking for a place to spend the evening, their Tequila bar serves a variety of tequilas and mezcals.
Another long-established restaurant in Puerto Vallarta; Trio welcomes you to their small garden with a stone quarry fountain, tropical plants, and permanent exhibition of artwork by local artists. Its menu offers appetizers like the foie gras terrine, or the Cabo Corrientes oysters au gratin, as well as pastas, fish, and a delicious variety of desserts. Make sure to try the chef’s special menu, with options such as Pacific lobster tail on pappardelle, the shrimp ravioli with red curry, or the veal fillet grilled with fine herbs.
One of the best views in town, where the Pacific can be admired from every table; its cuisine specializes in Spanish dishes with a homemade taste, with some wood-cooked options. Live music sets the atmosphere at Barcelona Tapas, and its menu features paellas cooked to order, cold tapas like the alioli potato salad or the chicken cannelloni, and warm dishes like the traditional Spanish tortilla or the Mediterranean-style squid.
See you soon to enjoy an exceptional gastronomic tour in Puerto Vallarta.
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