My favorite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta

Sometimes you go on vacation. And you take a lot of pictures. And then technology happens. And you lose all of your pictures. Case and point. I spent an entire week in Old Town, Puerto Vallarta and only have a handful of pictures to show for it. I spent hours taking hundreds of beautiful photos and now they are gone.
Oh well. ~Life goes on.

Regardless of my above sad truth. If you are planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta, do yourself a favor and head to Old Town. This was our third time to PV and we love love love Old Town.

Alright, enough with the intro. We are here because we are hungry.
Here are my favorite food places that PV has to offer.

My favorite Puerto Vallarta Restaurants

La Palapa

     A great place for lunch! La Palapa is located at Playa Los Muertos, and essentially the closest you can get to the ocean while enjoying your meal. You can even opt for a seat on the beach if you want to wiggle your toes in the sand. This place has been around since 1957, aka it’s an established place that you can trust will be amazing.

To Drink

• Tropical Passion. AKA Mango Margarita. This is my #1 drink. Every trip to PV, we land, we check in to the hotel, then we come to La Palapa for a mango margarita in the bar. Their Tropical Passion gets my vacation started.

To Eat

• Coconut Shrimp.
• Braised Adobado Octopus.
• Shrimp Tacos.
• Beef Arrachera Tacos.
  *They also have a killer breakfast selection

Joe Jack’s Fish Shack

     Joe Jack’s is my #1 choice for dinner. We have been coming here for years and it just keeps getting better. Joe Jack; owner, executive chef. A Jack of all trades if you must. Originally from San Francisco, he moved down here over 10 years ago to open this place up and I am so glad he did.

To Drink

• Mojito. Your flavor choice of classic, strawberry, ginger or pineapple. YUM.
• Margarita. Classic or Passion Fruit. YUM x2.

To Eat

• Peel and Eat Shrimp Bucket. Appetizer. My mouth is watering thinking about it.
• Whole Pacific Red Snapper. Main. Literally an entire red snapper. I eat the entire thing every time, head to tail. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have had dreams about this meal. Heavy on the garlic, heavy on the flavor. Do it.
• Garlic Shrimp in Mojo De Ajo. Main. If you didn’t get your fill of shrimp from the appetizer, then go ahead and get this for your main course. A pile of rice, green beans, and garlic shrimp. Done deal.

Hacienda San Angel

     If you are down here celebrating a special occasion, then Hacienda San Angel is the place to be. One Word: Rooftop. Rooftops are all the craze right now, but this place figured it out first, opening their rooftop up for dining in 2006.

     Getting here is no easy task, through bumpy and steep cobblestone streets. But as soon as you arrive, it is well worth it. An open-air lobby and lush courtyard welcome you. Trickling water fountains are around every corner. Welcome yourself into a cool piece of history. Richard Burton actually purchased this beauty as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, while filming The Night of The Iguana in the mid 60’s. Wow! And now people like you and me are lucky enough to stay in the hotel and/ or dine on the rooftop. Neat-O.

     Live music, gorgeous greenery, historic decor all enjoyed while you eat an amazing meal with your loved ones. What an experience.

De Cantaro

     De Cantaro is one of those places that you go, just for funsies. An open-air concept dining room and bar. I cannot vouch for the food, as I have never eaten here. But, we do take our guests here to show them a good time. And by good time, I mean, let them taste some quality Mezcal with a shot of scorpion on the side. Say whaaaa? Yes, I said scorpion. The presentation is on point.

The Scorpion How To:

• Step 1: Grab the scorpion by the tail, chew and make sure to swallow.
• Step 2: Take that shot of Mezcal and let the smoky flavor sooth that scorpion down.
• Step 3: Orange it up. No bites of lime here. Orange slices for all.
• If that’s not your thing, I’m sure they have other drinks you can enjoy.

Lix

     Lix offers chocolate-covered AND filled bananas. TBH, I don’t even really like chocolate covered bananas. But when you’re in Mexico, they are also filled with yum. Filling choices include Nutella, peanut butter, salted caramel or cherry. Simple. So Simple. But SO good.

Honorable mentions: Barcelonas Tapas, Salud Superfoods, Tre Piatti

 And of course, to end the day in Puerto Vallarta, the only thing you have to do is watch the sunset. Always.