Off the Beaten Path in Mexico…
OK, flying into Puerto Vallarta isn’t exactly “off the beaten path”, but heading to La Cruz, La Lancha, Punta Negra, and a few other places north of PV certainly qualify
But, arriving in PV, I was met by my daughter, son-in-law, and NEW granddaughter. We went to La Tia, a restaurant definitely off the main tourist area, very local, and a great place for his entire family to join us for lunch.
Street art in Puerto Vallarta
Beautiful day for a beach stroll in PV
We then headed to La Cruz, a beautiful, small village about 45 minutes north past Nuevo Nyarit, Bucerias. We got great weather, a little beach time, a little pool time, but did a lot of socializing over meals. El Ring in the village has great smoothies and we enjoyed breakfasts of chilaquiles with the locals
Another breakfast in Punta Mita at El Cafelito featured a bacon and avocado burrito along with coffees and smoothies
Chef inspired tacos at Makai
Chilaquiles for breakfast in La Cruz
Breakfast with the fam at El Ring
Lunch at Makai in La Lancha is always a must. Owned by a very talented chef, always a nice break after visiting the beach. The street tacos are chef inspired, very unique. Named after a Hawaiian word that means “towards the ocean”.
He also has a place in Punta Negra. Down the dirt road, it’s called Mauka, which in Hawaiian means “towards the mountains”. The names of both reflect the menus. Had a beautiful octopus plate and shrimp meatballs. Yes, meatballs made of shrimp. Very unique, quite tasty. All washed down with some local Sans Blas beers.
Interior at Mauka Restaurant in Punta Negra
Check out the rib eye steak taco at La Negra
Meatballs made of shrimp at Mauka
To go really local, we had traditional meals at Cenafuria, which literally means “place that serves dinner”. Can’t tell you where it is, where we were, but if you’re ever interested, let me know. I’ll have my son-in-law tell you.
In Bucerias, we dined at La Negra. A local, upbeat casual place where I enjoyed rib eye steak tacos that were beyond delicious.
Finally, a day in PV where we enjoyed a beach front lunch, a walk through the arts district where we appreciated fabulous street art and other artisans. Then on to MargaritavillePV.
A great culinary tour of one of my favorite areas of Mexico. If you ever decide to visit the area, let me know. I can give you a few hints.
