10 Great Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta

Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta range from fantastic takeaways offering street food to elegant sit-down restaurants with fine-dining service and beyond. While this city is famed for its beaches and its arts and culture community, it’s also a foodie’s dream. Whether you want to try authentic street corn and tacos from a food truck on the corner or you’re looking for outstanding wine and tapas on a romantic date night, you’ll find it here.

In Puerto Vallarta, you’ll find fine dining, casual family eateries, fast food, and everything in between. From mall food courts to upscale eateries, check out 10 great restaurants in Puerto Vallarta and what to try.

1. La Palapa Restaurant

Try a Mexican-French-Asian fusion dish on the beach

Good for: Couples, Food

La Palapa Restaurant in Old Town on Los Muertos Beach offers open-air dining indoors and out and is the oldest restaurant on the beach serving Mexican tropical cuisine. This establishment is elegant and classy but also laid-back and casual and offers an unforgettable fusion of Mexican, French, and Asian food in one unique cuisine. Even the indoor dining is open-air thanks to the open walls on the sides. Among the menu highlights is the coconut shrimp with mango puree and potato cilantro puree.

Whether you’re looking for a unique dining experience with the sea air as a backdrop or you want a romantic table for 2, this is the place to find it. It’s about 25 minutes south of downtown.

Location: Púlpito 105-3, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 8.30 am to 11.30 pm

Phone: +52 322 222 5225

2. Fredy’s Tucan

Grab one of the best breakfasts around

Good for: Couples, Families, Food

Fredy’s Tucan is famed for offering some of the best breakfasts in town and offers up delicious dishes including U.S. and Mexican meals in a festive setting. The lines here can get quite long, especially on Sunday mornings, so plan to wait a while to get in. When you get your seat, however, the food is well worth it. You’ll choose from options like strawberries and cream pancakes, steak and eggs, and Mexican staples like chilaquiles. The restaurant serves up vegetarian-friendly salads and other options as well.

This is the place to come for quintessential Mexican breakfasts combined with U.S. staples. It’s about 22 minutes south of the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Location: Basilio Badillo 245, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48480 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 8 am to 2.45 pm

Phone: +52 322 223 0778

3. Sonora Prime - Puerto Vallarta

Dig into a savory, mouthwatering steak

Good for: Couples, Food

Sonora Prime in Puerto Vallarta is the place to go if you’re looking for a good old-fashioned steak with specialty cuts of meat grilled to perfection. This classic steakhouse offers a fun and lively atmosphere with 1980s hits blaring over the sound system, great energy, and comfortable seats where you’ll want to just relax all day. While all manner of cuts of steak are available on their menu, the porterhouse comes especially recommended, cooked however you like it.

The chefs here take great pride in how they prepare the cuts, and every bite is mouthwatering. The restaurant can be found just 11 minutes northwest of central downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Location: Av Paseo de la Marina 121, Marina Vallarta, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 1 pm to 12 am

Phone: +52 322 221 3124

4. Pancho’s Takos

Try tacos al pastor with atomic sweet salsa

Good for: Families, Food

Pancho’s Takos is a small but vibrant and popular restaurant offering specialty tacos al pastor served up on piping-hot corn tortillas with cilantro and roasted pineapple. The charcoal-roasted pork is sliced to order and is the star of the menu, but their quesadillas are also beloved, as is their queso fundido with chorizo or mushrooms. A full selection of house-made salsas is available to top your dishes, from mild to spicy to atomic-level hot and sweet. Getting a seat inside can be tricky, but sidewalk seating is available.

This place almost always has a line to get in, but it usually goes pretty quickly, and it’s a staple of Puerto Vallarta dining. It’s just 23 minutes south of downtown.

Location: Basilio Badillo 162, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Monday–Saturday from 4 pm to 12 am (closed Sunday)

Phone: +52 322 222 1693

5. Pepe’s Taco

Grab a late-night taco after hitting the local nightlife

Good for: Couples, Food, Nightlife

Pepe’s Taco is a quick-service indoor restaurant that’s open late into the night to satisfy your cravings after hitting up the local bars, clubs, and nightlife. The taco menu here is broad and serves up a variety of meat, vegetarian, and vegan options, so there’s something on the menu for just about everyone. They advertise themselves as having the best tacos in town, and most seem to agree that this is an excellent spot for late-night eats with a great atmosphere and a solid menu.

Tacos can be ordered individually or by the set with grilled or charcoal-barbecued meat. It’s located just to the north end of Old Town, about 23 minutes from the heart of downtown.

Location: C. Honduras 145C, 5 de Diciembre, 48350 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 1 pm to 6 am

Phone: +52 322 223 1703

6. Margarita Grill

Enjoy homemade salsa with fire-roasted tomatoes

Good for: Couples, Families, Food

Margarita Grill hearkens back to Puerto Vallarta’s days as a fishing village driven by the pearl trade, offering delicious traditional food, live music, and culture in the Romantic Zone. Chips and salsa are standard and complimentary, and the salsa is handmade tableside by the server with hand-fire-roasted tomatoes. Other menu highlights include Aztec soup, also called tortilla soup, with a tomato base and fresh cream, the shrimp Caesar salad, and the Margarita Grill salad, the house specialty. The food here is exemplary no matter what you order, and the bill is exceptionally affordable.

The restaurant also has a selection of craft cocktails and beer. It’s located about 25 minutes south of downtown along the coast.

Location: Pino Suárez 321, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 11 am to 1 am

Phone: +52 322 222 9755

7. Café des Artistes

Try Mexican-French fusion with craft cocktails

Good for: Couples, Families, Food

Café des Artistes offers creative dining in a Mexican-French fusion style with only fresh local ingredients, a wide menu, and a great selection of craft cocktails. It’s in a stunning hundred-year-old house 20 minutes south of downtown. Some of the menu mainstays here are duck confit with mole, pork belly in a hibiscus merlot sauce, and a wide range of dishes that change with each season and feature fresh ingredients. You’ll also find a curated wine list from regions across Mexico as well as 10 countries. Their cocktail menu is populated by fresh fruit and regional spirits.

This is a highly popular restaurant, especially for outdoor seating during the winter months. Reservations are highly recommended. Children over 8 are welcome.

Location: C. Guadalupe Sánchez 740, Centro, 48300 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 5.30 pm to 12 am (closed Monday)

Phone: +52 322 226 7200

8. La Leche

Relax in an upscale yet casual and hip restaurant

Good for: Couples, Food, Luxury

La Leche offers an upscale yet casual dining experience with exceptional food, a hip crowd, dramatic white decor, and a menu that changes every day. The chefs here take great pride in using the plate as a canvas for the display of culinary art based on seasonal, locally sourced produce and ingredients. This means that anytime you come here, the menu could be totally different but equally outstanding. The waitstaff is friendly and bilingual, and you can complement your food with a wide selection of craft cocktails.

La Leche is a popular bar, so it never hurts to call ahead. It’s in the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Location: Km 2.5, Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio, Las Glorias, 48333 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 6 pm to 2 am

Phone: +52 322 293 0901

9. Pipis

Grab a taco and international pastries

Good for: Families, Food

Pipis Restaurant is an international bakery and pastry shop with delicious breads and sweets made fresh every day and offering something a little different for dessert. This bakery offers up a wide range of sweets and pastries from all over the world, with Bienenstich cake from Germany, pastel fraisier from France, torta alla gianduia from Italy, Gáteau Mille Crépes from Japan (yes, Japan), and others. It’s not all about dessert here, however. You can also enjoy traditional Mexican tacos with a wide range of freshly sourced ingredients and filled with delicious red rice.

Pipis is a casual eatery that’s great for a stop for the entire family. It’s just 17 minutes south of downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Location: C. Guadalupe Sánchez 804, Centro, 48304 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 1 pm to 10 pm

Phone: +52 322 223 2767

10. Merida Grill comida yucateca

Have a taste of authentic Yucatan cuisine

Good for: Families, Food

Merida Grill comida yucateca offers Yucatan-inspired cuisine in a dramatic open area surrounding a courtyard and rising 2 stories in the air with a gigantic tree growing through the roof. If the atmosphere isn’t enough, the brick-lined cooking pit in the center of the courtyard delivers mouthwatering aromas that get you going as soon as you arrive. The star of the menu here is their slow-cooked pork with onion, oregano, cumin, and achiote seeds in orange sauce, called cochinita pibil.

This is the place to go if you want to experience authentic, traditional Yucatan cooking along the Bay of Banderas. It’s only 22 minutes south of downtown right along the coast.

Location: Venustiano Carranza 210, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Open: Daily from 3 pm to 12 am

Phone: +52 322 222 7211

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