Puerto Vallarta Trip Report June 2025

Mr_Happy · July 8, 2025, 6:05am

Hola chicos, I spent a few days at the end of June in beautiful Puerto Vallarta. It was my first visit. The weather was quite warm and humid during my stay, and I arrived around the beginning of the rainy season, which is the low season in terms of tourism. And it did rain a bit, but mostly late at night and in the early morning. Here’s a report of some of the places I visited.

But first, here’s a picture of the Playa de los Muertos from my hotel room.

Tacón de Marlin

My first stop in PV was at Tacón de Marlin, which is just outside the airport and across a street via a footbridge. Tacón de Marlin specializes in seafood burritos. In addition to this location near the airport, they have another one in the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood.

Outside

Inside

Some history - it started as a hamburger and hot dog stand.

The concise menu - in addition to the seafood burritos, there’s a fish “al pastor” option that looked interesting.

A bowl of limes and a salad of crunchy jicama, cucumber, and carrots, dressed in a creamy sauce, arrived after I ordered.

I had a Tacón Combinado ($165) with smoked marlin and shrimp. This was delicious. The soft flour tortilla was griddled on both sides and also on the cut part of the burrito. The marlin was meaty and a bit oily and a bit smoky, and the shrimp were nicely done and tender. There was also some melted cheese, lettuce, onions, and tomato, which made for a very juicy burrito. I put some of the spicy salsa from the table on it.

After paying (it’s cash only like many places in Vallarta - they even take US dollars) I took an Uber to the hotel I was staying at in the Zona Romantica. Uber conveniently had “Restaurant” as a pick up point option. FYI if you’re taking Uber from the airport this may be the closest point to pick up as I don’t believe they can pick people up from the airport itself.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WLVQz6rDns3ocswM7

Mr_Happy · July 8, 2025, 6:12am

Pancho’s Takos

After checking into my hotel, I walked over to Pancho’s Takos in Zona Romantica for dinner.

Pancho’s is very popular - just look at the line! They don’t do take out and are not a huge restaurant in terms of tables, which may contribute to the size of the line as well.

The line moved pretty quickly though. Since most of the parties ahead of me were 3 or more people, I was seated after a short wait at a two top.

Menu - you mark off what you want.

I ordered two tacos al pastor ($37 each) and a volcano ($52). A volcano is a crispy fried corn tortilla base with some melted cheese and al pastor on top. The guy saw me about to mark another taco and he said amigo, that’s a lot so I stopped there.

Salsas - the one on the left was a very hot habanero salsa.

To drink, I had a Pancho Margarita ($140), which was like a frozen margarita with a mini bottle of beer suspended in it upside down. It was very refreshing.

My order. They certainly don’t skimp on the toppings. The volcano is on the right but you can’t really tell as it is covered in a mountain of al pastor. The tacos and volcano were very good. The thinly sliced pastor was juicy and flavorful, and everything was topped with a lot of cilantro, onion, and grilled pineapple slices.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zU8iC76CqG4gGwZw9

Mr_Happy · July 8, 2025, 7:03am

Marisma Fish Taco

For lunch the next day I headed to the Zona Romantica location of Marisma Fish Taco for some fish tacos. Marisma is a taco stand with a counter and a covered area behind it with some chairs. I got a seat at the counter that surrounded the stand.

Menu

Condiments - avocado crema, a spicy chili salsa, salsa Mexicana, a squeeze bottle of a chipotle mayo, and a bottle of habanero hot sauce.

I had two deep fried fish tacos ($50 each), which were delicious! The tacos are made of large corn tortillas which are made by hand on site, and filled with some mahi mahi fish fingers that were fried very nicely and had a crispy slightly airy batter that I think had some beer or other effervescent liquid in it. There was some cabbage in there for crunch. The tacos are quite substantial, two were enough for lunch for me.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2wioCpBPVvCLYrKd7

PedroPero · July 8, 2025, 11:19am

Looks great! Can you share your hotel and do you recommend it?

GretchenS · July 8, 2025, 12:33pm

Hola amigo! That scenery shot at the top is stunning! And the fish tacos look amazing. I’m always so happy to see a new trip report from you.

Phoenikia · July 8, 2025, 1:08pm

I love your trip reports, @Mr_Happy

Mr_Happy · July 8, 2025, 8:29pm

Tintoque

For dinner, I had my sole fine dining meal of this trip at Tintoque, a restaurant from chef Joel Ornelas that is located next to the Cuale River in the Zona Romantica. Tintoque is named after a pre-Hispanic fishing village that was located in what is now Punta de Mita, north of Puerto Vallarta (thanks Google).

I sat inside, but they also have a covered terrace looking over the river.

The menus - there are a la carte options as well as a tasting menu. I opted for the tasting menu.

Dinner began with a glass of tuba, which is a drink made from coconut palm sap. There were some small chunks of apple mixed in. This was nice and refreshing, and tasted of coconut.

BAHIA DE BANDERAS ($350)
Raicilla Atarraya (Guadalupe Garcia), Piña, Axiote.
To drink, I had a Bahia de Banderas cocktail. Its base is raicilla, which is a spirit similar to tequila and mezcal - all distilled from agave and all originating from the state of Jalisco, of which Vallarta is within. My waiter explained it was stronger than tequila but not as smoky as typical mezcal. It also had pineapple and achiote. It was very nice and tropical and had a spicy chili rim.

NANCI VALLARTA ($390)
Raicilla (Adrián Rodriguez), Nanci, Limón
Later on I had a Nanci Vallarta cocktail, which also has raicilla, along with lemon juice and Licor de Nance, a Mexican liquor made from fruits from the Yucatán. This was also quite good.

Bites
Come back to life
The first bites arrived. This bite had an interesting name of “come back to life,” and was like a hangover cure. There was a cool mango sorbet, scallops, and I believe some chili and maybe some tamarind. I was instructed to mix it all up and take it like a shot. It had an interesting kind of funky flavor, very nice.

Fish crackling flute + dried shrimp
This was a crunchy fried fish skin filled with mashed potato and a crispy dried shrimp. This had a striking presentation - looks like it was plated in a fish maw. You eat it in one bite, and it was crispy on the outside with a soft potato interior.

Bean Taco + Anchovy
The last bite was a taco with hoja santa herb, pureed black beans, and a fried Spanish boquerone on top of a very good tortilla. Delicious.

Coconut Soup
Heart of palm + Mongo-lka + Mint
The next course was a chilled savory soup. The liquid was poured into the bowl at the table. The liquid tasted of coconut and had a bit of acidic zing, maybe a bit like a cool Thai tom kha. There were some hearts of palm slices and mongo ika, which is a type of cuttlefish. There was a nice play between the hearts of palm and the similarly textured cuttlefish.

Tomato
Ovni Cheese + Tamarind vinaigrette + Mint
The next dish was described as one of the more popular dishes on the menu. Beautifully presented - it looked like a flower bouquet. There was toast - brioche I think, Ovni cheese from Querétaro, a long cooked tomato, a tangy tamarind sauce, mint, and little pearls of I think finger lime. This was very good. The tomato was very sweet, balanced by the savory cheese and sour tamarind and lime.

Green Mole
Strained Dough + Crackling
This was a little tamal with pipián (pumpkin seed) mole, with escamoles / ant larvae. This was great. The mole was very nice and savory and enhanced with crunchy pumpkin seeds and the meaty escamole.

Beef birria
Pizza bread + Roasted Tomato + Caramelized onion
Next, a delicious birria “torta” which had a mini bun, birria made from some of the neck meat of the cow, Oaxacan cheese, a grilled onion, and avocado. Juicy and delicious!

Eel
Tamanashiki + Truffle + Foie
The last savory course of dinner was an Asian inspired eel dish. There was unagi on top of an arancini-like panko breaded rice ball, crispy fried nori, and a sweet and sour sauce that had truffles in it. This was very good.

Lychee
Coconut water sorbet + Coconut panna cotta + Keffir lime
The first dessert was a refreshing palate cleansing layered dish of coconut panna cotta, coconut sorbet, lychee, and a coconut disk on top.

Vanilla flan
Veracruz vanilla + Beef marrow cajeta + Foie
The second dessert was a delicious sweet and savory flan with foie gras and a cajeta flavored with beef marrow. There was a crispy sugar disc on top. It was very rich.

Petit Four
Coconut Cuala
Finally, a mignardise - a sweet coconut flavored tamal.

Opened up.

This was a delicious dinner at Tintoque. I liked how many of the dishes featured local ingredients and flavors. The service was also very friendly. And at $2,200 (about $120 USD at current rates) for the tasting menu before drinks and tip, it was a very good deal as well.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GLi6v7mFrYomRUZZ7

Mr_Happy · July 8, 2025, 8:39pm

Sure, I stayed at the Hotel Tropicana in Zona Romantica and I do recommend it, especially at the rate I got, which was well under $100 USD a night - this may have been because it was the low season. I did luck out in getting a room with a balcony that faced the beach and Banderas Bay - the hotel is right next to the Playa de los Muertos. My room was a little dated but it was pretty clean and the AC and wifi worked well. They also have a pool and a section of the beach with umbrellas if you just want to hang out in the sun.

Thanks! I was lucky to get a room with a view.

Thanks!

PedroPero · July 8, 2025, 8:55pm

Thanks!

linguafood · July 8, 2025, 8:56pm

PedroPero · July 8, 2025, 8:59pm

R.I.P George

PedroPero · July 8, 2025, 9:18pm

Would you recommend PV for a quick winter getaway if the price was right? I’m not interested in “all inclusive” or mega resorts, I’d do pretty much what you did and eat local.

TheLibrarian28 · July 8, 2025, 9:56pm

Love your posts. Thank you for taking us along.

Mr_Happy · July 9, 2025, 5:59am

I would definitely recommend a visit, especially if you like beaches and beautiful vistas. It’s a beautiful town with lots of good food. I’m not much of an outdoors person myself but I enjoyed walking around the beach, the Malecón, and the old town / Zona Romantica with its cobblestone streets. I believe the weather is quite a bit nicer in the winter too. Coming from the always mild weather of the SF Bay Area I admit I was wilting a bit at times in the summer heat and humidity

In Mexico I’ve only visited Mexico City before a couple times, and Vallarta is of course quite different. It’s much more touristy and more of a beach resort town catering to tourists, though the vibe of the city overall (from my brief experience there anyway) still feels like what I would imagine a “real” town in Mexico feels like, if that makes sense. I haven’t been to other resort cities in Mexico like Cancun or Cabo San Lucas to compare though.

Thanks!

Mr_Happy · July 9, 2025, 8:46am

Birrieria y Taqueria “Liz”

I ventured to the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood the next day for lunch at Birrieria Liz. Jalisco is the birthplace of birria and I definitely wanted to try some in Vallarta. Birrieria Liz is a small restaurant with a few picnic table like benches inside and a cooking area and table outside.

The menu is printed on a a wall.

I had wanted to try birria de chivo (goat) but they had run out that day, drat, so I had a medium sized bowl of the beef birria ($100) instead. It was a delicious bowl of birria. The consommé was beefy and a little spicy, very flavorful. The beef pieces within were super tender. I added some shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, and hot chili oil / salsa macha to my bowl and dipped some of the soft hand made corn tortillas provided into the broth.

Condiments - cilantro, shredded cabbage, and white onions

More condiments - oregano, limes, and pickled onions

A big bowl of salsa macha chili oil

Tortillas

Birria

Great birria and friendly people. I wish that I had gotten there earlier to try the goat!

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gUKT8Cpro832KB3o8

Pepe’s Taco

I had a second lunch one street over at Pepe’s Taco, another popular taqueria. They open very late, until 6 in the morning. At around 3 in the afternoon though it wasn’t that busy.

The English menu.

Salsas

I had a drink to cool off a bit - a Margarita ($140) on the rocks.

I was a little full after the birria so I just had two tacos al pastor ($28 each). They were good tacos. The pastor was quite flavorful and had a very nice crispy crust on the edges.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wPvakVEVCVS5gFB17

I walked off lunch a bit by taking a stroll down the Malecón.

erica1 · July 9, 2025, 3:55pm

So happy to read this!
I’m in the very early stages of planning a visit–but this MIGHT be in July. Looking at those super-looking taquerias you sampled, my only concern is that the heat might kill my appetite!

Very confusing trying to find a place to rent, as there are so many different neighborhoods, but UBER sounds as if it works great in PV.

Thanks very much for posting!! Tengo hambre!!

Mr_Happy · July 10, 2025, 5:28am

It will definitely be warm in July if its anything like the end of June. I think though the humidity was more of a factor than the heat for me. I don’t think it affected my appetite though

Uber was pretty inexpensive in the few times I took it - not dirt cheap but cheaper than in the US for sure. I stayed in the Zona Romantica and it was very walkable as well.

Mr_Happy · July 10, 2025, 5:32am

Tuna Azul

Next, I had a seafood dinner at Tuna Azul. I went to the one in Zona Romantica, they also have a location in Versalles.

Tuna Azul is on the second floor. The windows were covered with plastic sheets and there was AC.

Menus - lots of seafood options.

To drink, I had a passion fruit flavored raicillita ($190), which is like a margarita but with raicilla instead of tequila. It was tart and refreshing.

Hot sauce, chipotle dressing, and cilantro dressing.

AHÍ TUNA ($255)
Fresh tuna served on a avocado bed, red onion and coriander / 200 gr of protein
Lettuce mix topping / house dressing / citrus ponzu / cilantro / sesame
I started with an ahí tuna montadito, which had cubed raw tuna that was lightly dressed in a ponzu sauce, on top of a bed of mashed avocado. It came with some square corn tostada shells and saltine crackers. This was delicious. The tuna was very fresh and meaty and was nicely seasoned with the dressing, and it was great with the rich avocado underneath. I used it as a dip for the tostada shells. It was quite a large portion.

SHRIMP GOBERNADOR 70GR ($175)
Gouda cheese crust / chili oil/ tomato / onion / peppers / chili dressing / cilantro corn tortilla / and butter
I also had the tacos “gobernador,” which are fried corn tortillas with a shrimp and cheese filling. This was also delicious. The tortilla shell was crispy but still a bit pliable. It was stuffed with little shrimp pieces that were nicely cooked, peppers, tomato, and melted cheese. There was some chipotle mayo squiggled on top of it.

Inside a taco.

I enjoyed my dinner at Tuna Azul very much, and it was also very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity, it was a lot of food.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YrjZw7yeSutqtXEP9

Mr_Happy · July 11, 2025, 2:19am

Mariscos el Güero

I had some more seafood for lunch the next day, at Mariscos el Güero in the ZR.

Menu

I had a bunch of tostadas - from right clockwise: Aguachile Tostada 135gr ($59), Fish Ceviche 80gr ($22), Shrimp 100gr ($59). I like how some places put the weight in the description. All of the tostadas were good. The aguachile and shrimp ceviche tostadas were quite similar, with the aguachile being more spicy and lacking avocados and instead onions and cucumber. The shrimp was very fresh in both. The fish ceviche tostada was less substantial and had finely chopped fish, almost like a fish salad, with avocado.

I also had a Chile Jalapeño Stuffed with Marlin Taco ($39). This came with two small tortillas, and I made a couple tacos out of it by splitting the jalapeño in half. It was very good - the filling was a large mild jalapeño that had been breaded and fried crispy, stuffed with smoked marlin.

Cash only!

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jixXXurAVhFKivoW9

Mr_Happy · July 11, 2025, 7:59pm

La Mucca Taquería

I went on a bit of a taco crawl for dinner. My first stop was at La Mucca Taquería, a more casual restaurant from chef Joel Ornelas, of Tintoque where I had dinner a few nights prior, and chef Alejandro Castellano.

La Mucca is in a semi-covered courtyard between buildings.

Menu

EL TROPICAL ($175 with Raicilla)
Maracuyá / cardamomo / miel de jamaica
Passion fruit / cardamom / hibiscus honey
I had a cocktail - an El Tropical. You have the option of tequila, mezcal, or raicilla as a base spirit. There’s also a zero proof version. I had one with raicilla. It was refreshing and indeed tropical, tasted a bit like Jamaica with passion fruit.

Salsas and limes.

VEGETALES EN ESCABECHE CON CUERITOS ($90)
Pickled vegetables and pork skin
To start, I had a dish that was a bit like an aguachile with pork skin, served warm in a molcajete. This was great! The citrus-y sauce was acidic and zingy, and there were large chunks of pork skin with attached meat along with onions and pickles. There were also two crispy tostadas with which I made cuerito tostadas.

LA MUCCA ($175 for the Arriero)
Carne ANGUS, chorizo Tintoque y papatinas
Angus beef, Tintoque chorizo and potato chips
I also had an arriero “La Mucca.” An arriero is a hearty taco from Vallarta which has the works - beef, chorizo, and beans, topped with a mound of little shoestring french fries. This one was on a large blue corn tortilla that was made in-house. It was good, and substantial.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P6TuJDSx2hxemefdA

Tacos de Cabeza el Chulo

My next stop was at Tacos de Cabeza el Chulo a short walk away. Tacos de Cabeza el Chulo specializes in tacos al vapor (steamed tacos) filled with various cuts from cabeza de res, including the lips / labio, and tongue / lengua.

I just had two cabeza tacos, which I believe are made from the beef cheek. These were great tacos! I added some lime and hot sauce. The beef was super tender and beefy with some gelatinous fatty bits. The corn tortillas of the tacos - I think there were 2 or 3 tortillas per taco - had been steamed, so they were very soft. The whole taco kind of melted in your mouth. Delicious! These were probably my favorite tacos of this mini taco crawl.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UpXmCPpHTsXrHAvQ8

Taquería El Moreno

I took a brief break from tacos with a couple of beers from Monzón Brewing. I had a Lupita IPA and a Kia Ora NZ Pilsner. Both were pretty good.

To soak up some of the beer, I had another taco at Taquería El Moreno, a small taco stand on a corner across from Mariscos El Güero.

I had a Taco Grande de Asada ($50), a large size taco with grilled beef. I saw that they make their corn tortillas to order with masa harina. This was a very good taco, and large with a generous amount of beef and also pinto beans. The freshly made tortilla was very nice.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FWMu6Z6QrVNNhg6p8

The Churros Guy

For dessert I had some churros at a stall close to Tacos de Cabeza el Chulo. I don’t think it actually has a name, it’s just listed as “The Churros Guy / El señor de los Churros” on Google Maps I had three churros for a whopping 9 pesos. What a deal. The churros were covered with cinnamon sugar and were skinny, crispy, and warm.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/R4Wd48miz6pF6Cn58