Eating Your Way Through Puerto Vallarta Mexico

I tend to follow food and food follows me and it has always been that way ever since I first put foot on foreign soil. In other words, travel and food are close siblings in my world, not distant relatives.

On a recent trip to Puerto Vallarta , I had an opportunity to taste a variety of dishes from local food trucks and local restaurants. Let's start with my favorite presentation:

Cevicheria El Guero

Local Taco Stands

There's the ever so authentic TACOS EL CUNADO on Francisco Rodriguez which first opened in 1968.

Cesar's Coconut Stand

Tortilleria La Gloria

Gaby's

We did a fun tequila pairing here with their Green and Dark Mole, which is a popular dish in Mexico. Mole Verde is also common in Mexico, which is also known as "Pipian" or "Pipian Verde" in some places of Mexico, and it can be made with chicken or pork, and you can also add vegetables like green beans, chayotes, nopales, zucchini, and sometimes, even sweet peas. Many cooks add a small amount of corn masa to thicken the sauce. Below, Gaby's version of both green and dark mole prepared by chef Julio Cesar Castillón Pérez.

Some of the dishes they offer include Stuffed Avocado with shrimp,mix lettuce and creamy avocado dressing, Tortilla Soup with fresh cotija cheese, Aguachile Shrimp which is cooked in a spicy cucumber-chili lime sauce, Ceviche Vallarta which they serve with a pico de gallo sauce, Mussels Dona Concha, which is prepared menier sauce in a creamy chile chipotle sauce with rice and veggies,and Veracruz Style Plantain Empanadas, which they fill with black beans, sour cream and topped with both gouda and cotija cheese.

El Arrayan

For mains, we tried the Pork Tamale in a banana leaf wrapper with black beans and tomatillo zucchini, the Oaxacan Wedding Beef Stew with sweet fruit mole and steamed veggies and the Achiote Boneless fish filet with rice and stewed beans.

Xoco Divas Chocolates

Outdoor Dining & Tequila Tasting at the Local Marriott

We tasted a variety of things while we were there, but on our last night, we had a pre-fix menu which included Roasted Beet, field greens, orange segments, goat cheese and caramelized Macadamia Nuts, with a Citrus y Balsamic Vinaigrette to start, followed by a Roasted corn cream Caviar Cuilacoche (cake), followed by a Crab cake with mango sauce, red onions and a chilli sauce, with our main entree being a Filet Mignon with Marrow crushed caramelized onions, foam goat cheese in a demi glace.

They do tequila tasting at La Cava as well, starting with the Casa Magna Tequila Joven which was a young one year old tequila, which we paired with a mozzarella salad. Then came a seafood and avocado dish which we paired with the Casa Magna Tequila Reposado, which had been aged around 9 months in oak. We finished off with the Casa Magna Anejo (aged) tequila, which had been aged in an oak barrel for 4-5 years.

The Blue Shrimp

The Blue Shrimp was one of the first restaurants in Banderas Bay targeted toward families. It has a fun interior design and also a very mean coconut shrimp which they offered outside at a little food stand.

Aside from the designated stops you make, there are plenty of fun things to take in along the way -- food is everywhere on Puerto Vallarta streets, so foodies, beware!!!

Also check out my See, Do & Eat Travel Guide to Puerto Vallarta! Would love to hear about your experiences in Puerto Vallarta or other parts of Mexico in the comments below!