If you are a tourist in Puerto Vallarta, eating can get a bit confusing. Either you get cramped in a ’supposedly’ authentic Mexican restaurant with a bunch of other cruise ship / sun burned / wristband-tan-line tourists, or you end up in a giant lineup for the ’supposedly’ new hottest spot in town (possibly translating to mega expensive). How to find your balance and experience the best of both worlds? Where to find authentic and delicious food, while keeping your sanity?

We are foodies. We love food. One of the most important things during our travels is food. We are not Puerto Vallarta locals but we have visited PV couple times with the guidance of some amazing ex-pats. Here are our picks of delicious food in PV.

High End Delicious without the Pretentious

Trio

$$$-$$$$
We had our Christmas dinner here in 2008. This place definitely is more towards the higher price and high end food. Not exactly Mexican food but definitely the freshest local ingredients. Food is amazing and great selection of wine.

Good Value for Good Food

El Barracuda

$$-$$$
El Barracuda is right on the beach. If you get there before 9pm you can enjoy the beautiful fireworks happening at Banderas bay. The seafood here is amazing. The Dynamite Seafood appetizer is a must have - creamy baked seafood in delicious sauce. (Read another in-depth review at Banderas News) Don’t forget to ask if there’s a special of the day, you might get a surprisingly delicious treat.

El Arrayan

$$-$$$
Delicate Mexican restaurant. The El Arrayan Margarita is delicious. This place also has amazing art on the wall. Some say that the art is the most expensive part of the restaurant.

Joe Jack’s Fish Shack

$$$
This place is famous for its fish ‘n chips. It has since expanded it’s menu, and now it has a wide selection of mexican-infused sea food. The waiters/watiresses are very friendly. We really enjoyed the cheviche here.

Feeling Adventurous?

Puerto Vallarta Municipal Market aka the flea market

$
Want to eat where the locals eat?? You’ll find the best food here! The seoncd floor of the market has a small food court. It has the most authentic Mexican food you can find in PV. Most of the places have an English menu, but it’s even more fun when you don’t quite know what you’re ordering. You won’t find many tourists here. Order a plate of something that you can’t pronounce that’s stewing over the fire, it’s guaranteed to be good.

The Taco Stand by the church in the Old Town

1/2$
This place gets a 1/2$ rating on price. Perhaps it can even be 1/3$. It’s cheap. so cheap. It’s our favorite taco stand in PV. We tried many places in PV and we were the most satisfied with this place. It is always crowded at night with tons of locals. You can sit on the plastic chairs on the street and enjoy yourself a delicious taco. (Here is the google maps for the place, good luck finding it!)

Have more suggestions for authentic places to eat in PV? let us know in the comment section!