Puerto Vallarta Restaurants & Dining Guide
Dining is a treat in Puerto Vallarta, as there are several hundred restaurants featuring an array of cuisines. From authentic Mexican dishes to Spanish cooking, Puerto Vallarta has many influences and options from which to choose. Most restaurants in Puerto Vallarta accept major credit cards.
Visit our Puerto Vallarta restaurant listings below for our favorite picks:
Wine
Puerto Vallarta has an excellent selection of local and imported wines. The best spots for wine purchases:
Café des Artistes’s Wine Boutique
Located at Guadalupe Sanchez #735 (near the restaurant). They also carry fine wine glassware and other items. Closed Sundays. Phone: (322) 223-3524 or (322) 223-3525.
Downtown (North of River)
Agave Grill
Located at 589 Morelos (corner of Aldama). Chef Oscar Galvan, who studied at Ambrosia, one of Mexico’s superb culinary academies, is pleased to delight guests with his modern gastronomic treasure, “La Gran Comida.”
Si Senor
Delicious menu items that come from all over Mexico. Great atmosphere and service. Located next to Café des Artistes, on Guadalupe Sanchez and Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez #274 Centro.
El Arrayan
The Arrayan tree sits just outside the open kitchen of this hacienda-styled restaurant that serves up traditional Mexican cuisine. You can't miss the pink facade with the large bell at the entry!
Cafe des Artistes
Puerto Vallarta’s most famous gourmet restaurant actually contains 3 restaurants. Beautiful presentation by French chef Thierry Blouet. Reservations are important, as the garden seating is popular. Live dinner music adds a nice ambiance.
The River Cafe
Enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner in this beautiful garden setting. Mexican and international menu items. Located at the Rio Cuale island below the lower bridge on Ignacio Vallarta.
Trio
Trio serves up a creative menu and excellent food. The rotating art collection, by well know local artists, is a feast for the eyes. Open for lunch and dinner. Air conditioned, but feels like an outside garden setting. Reservations recommended.
North Side (Hotel Row)
Vista Grill
Nestled high on the hillside of Colonia Alta Vista, Vista Grill is one of the most popular restaurants because of its unparalleled panoramas of Banderas Bay. Vista Grill's menu features the finest beef, poultry, and seafood creatively accented with regional flavors. Located at Pulpito 377 in Puerto Vallarta's Colonia Alta Vista.
Cafe Maximilian's
European-style sidewalk café setting, offers air-conditioned interior dining room. Excellent food, especially the traditional Austrian dishes. Closed Sundays.
Dauquiri DIick's
Located right on Los Muertos Beach, this American-owned restaurant offers great atmosphere and food. The menu highlights seafood dishes, with daily specials. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dinner reservations recommended.
Memo's Pancake House
One of the best breakfast places in Vallarta. Everything is good, including the service.
El Brujo
Try El Brujo for the best shrimp and fish in the Puerto Vallarta area. Located at Carranza 510 Emiliano Zapata.
Marina Area
Los Palomas Doradas
This restaurant, which overlooks the harbor, is an offshoot of the old town El Dorado. A pleasant place to have lunch or dinner. Good Margaritas and great avocado soup. Located in front of Club de Tenis Puesta del Sol on the Malecon at the Marina.
Porto Bello
Porto Bello is a great spot to enjoy delicious Italian food while viewing the yachts. Enjoy the air-conditioned salon or dine on the comfortable patio. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Located at Marina Sol #7, on the Malecon (boardwalk) at the Marina.
Outside of Downtown
El Dorado
This restaurant is approximately 25 miles from town, on the beach at Punta Mita. A perfect place to spend a day lounging on the sand. Arrive around 11:30 a.m. to grab a chair under the Palapas on the beach. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres served all day long. The pulpo (octopus) cocktail is outstanding, as are the lobster and shrimp. Take highway 200 north to the turn off for Punta Mita, then left for 10 miles to Anclote Beach.
Las Amampas
A restaurant for the adventureous that specializes in iquana, wild boar, opossum, rabbit, and deer. Reasonable prices and served family style. Open for lunch and dinner. Located about 3 miles short of El Dorado at Punta Mita.
Mark's Bar & Grill
The menu is built around local seafood and seasonal produce, but the pizzas and flatbreads are fabulous. Frequent live music in the evenings. About 12 minutes from the airport, at Lazaro Cardenas #56 in Bucerias, Nayarit.
Non-Local Restaurants
Many American restaurants are available in Puerto Vallarta, if you want the comforts of home: Hard Rock Cafe, Outback Steakhouse, Hooters, McDonald's, Dominos, Burger King, and Baskin-Robbins.