 DINING
It's easy to find a place to satiate your appetite in Puerto Vallarta as the
number of dining places grows alongside the number of tourists. The market
traditionally offers the cheapest food around. Otherwise, there are plenty
of mid-range restaurants serving a variety of international cuisine. For
easy Tex Mex dishes, try Cafe de Olla, Archie's Burger, Fredy's Tucan, Abadio
or Cafe Bohemia. There is even Hooter's here! Famous
seafood restaurants serving their great specialties are El Palomar de los
Gonzales, The Blue Shrimp, Garibaldi's, and Mariscos 8 Tostada which
is particularly very famous among the locals. Archie's Wok serves
Filipino, Chinese and Thai dishes and is reputed to be one of the best Asian
restaurants in the Americas. Pizza, Pasta and other fine Italian
delicacies can be ordered at La Dolce Vita and Mezza Luna, whereas
the more exotic Austrian dishes are served at Kaiser Maximilian. Want
to try some Mediterranean food? Karpathos Taverna is perhaps your
best answer. The Pancake House is famous for what its name stands for as
well as for waffles, blintzes and decent, all-you-can-drink coffee. But be
sure to explore around as you may end up jotting your own favorites list.
SHOPPING
Shopping for souvenir can never be difficult in this city with throngs of
markets and shops bulging with traditional products around. You can
spend hours inside La Tienda browsing crystal pieces, housewares, and
even wedding items. The Municipal Market is a big market and a
place to go for a fun, bargainable shopping for leather products, Mexican
silver, pottery and woven items. If you happen to be a tree-hugger, you
may be delighted to know that all sales of products from Sierra Madre go
to ecological preservation. For upscale boutique clothes and other
brandname commodities, head to Plaza Caracol, LANS Tienda Departamental or
Paradise Plaza Shopping Center. Or, if you happen to be next to the
beach, then try Plaza Marina or Plaza Neptuno.
NIGHTLIFE
A good stomping ground for nocturnal entertainment is along the stretch of
the malecon where the bars and clubs are closely-knitted together.
Depending on the night and season, some places require around US$5-15 cover
charge whereas some other places don't. Club Roxy is often a
favorite pick due to its happy, jolly atmosphere and great live music.
Puerto Vallarta's first true nightclub, Carlos O' Brians, is jammed every
night by mostly young crowd. The Christine Discotheque is perfect
for a wild party atmosphere complete with hi-tech laser lighting and heavy-beat
music, and ditto for El Hilo and The Zoo. Mirage salsa y
Merengue caters to the lovers of Cuban music in the same fashion that Tropigala
Dancing Hall caters to the Latino aficionados. For a less brassy atmosphere,
The Jazz House offers top-notch jazz in a stylish, sit-down venue whereas
The Kit Kat Club is a great place for socializing as well as grazing on
fabulous cuisine and martini.
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