Our First Time at Las Koritas Restaurant
It’s tough for the small town of La Peรฑita de Jaltemba to
compete with the many quality restaurants in nearby Puerto Vallarta. But we're finding some excellent food here and real value! We spend
about half of our time in each city and have found that La Peรฑita has some
great restaurants, and the food and wine are about half the price (or less) as in PV.
These restaurants are our favorites so far. They aren’t listed
in any particular order, though La Vitola is our top choice at least once a
week. We're still discovering new favorites every month.
1. Las Koritas
Las Koritas is an expat
favorite, especially the BBQ Rib Special on Wednesday and Sunday. Unfortunately, it’s only open during the high season. The food is
delicious, the prices are low, and the service is excellent. It’s a BYOB
restaurant, so plan to bring your own wine, beer, or other alcohol—that saves
money! The servers happily open wine bottles and provide the glasses. Reservations
are a must!
Mummy Shrimp at Las Koritas Restaurant
BBQ Ribs Special Wednesdays & Sundays
2. Hanami Sushi & Bar
Hanami is the best sushi restaurant we’ve found in La Peรฑita, though we have two more to try.
The mixed tempura and sushi are as good as anything we’ve eaten in Puerto
Vallarta. We prefer the sushi rolls to the 10-Piece Sushi plate shown below. They deliver locally. Air conditioning during the hot months keeps us coming back all year!
Mixed Tempura with Fish and Shrimp
10-Piece Sushi Plate
3. Julio’s Steakhouse La
Penita
Dining Room at Julio's Steakhouse La Penita
We’re regulars at Julio’s. The menu includes many options besides steak. The Huicholes Shrimp is
outstanding! The name and ingredients are in honor of the Huichol natives from
Nayarit. Jon enjoys the Chicken Parmigiana. The service is excellent.
Julio's Steakhouse Patio and Entry
Yummy Chicken Cordon Bleu at Julio's
Note on Facebook From Julio’s Steakhouse 3/27/24: Ok, many of our dear customers who stay longer are calling wondering 'till when we Will be Open? here is the information about it...
April and May we will be Open with our regular menu and
starting June closed for one week and after Open for summer, only from Thursday
to sunday just with regular menu (no nightly specials)
4. La Vitola
La Vitola is our favorite restaurant in La Peรฑita. It serves delicious Italian food, including Salmon a la Toscana, New York Angus Steak, Lasagna, and Wood-fired Pizza. The Pizza at La Vitola is one of our favorites in town! The service and prices are excellent!
New York Angus Steak, Baked Potato, Roasted Veges
Salmon a la Toscana with Roasted Vegetables
5. Cenadurรญa Lucy
(called Pizza La Lena on Google Maps)
Jonathan and I discovered another hidden gem of a restaurant
in La Peรฑita! Cenadurรญa Lucy (called Pizza La Lena on Google Maps) is a
wonderful family-owned restaurant serving Mexican food on some nights and pizza
on others. I had the delicious Mexican Mixed plated tostada, enchilada, sope,
and taco. Jon was so hungry he ordered a second order of three enchiladas and a
lava cake. With all of that food, the bill only came to 302p, about $17 US! No
alcohol is served, but you can bring your own, and they will provide the
glasses. That’s one way we save money in La Peรฑita.
Mexican Mixed Plate at Lucy's
6. Restaurant Yesi and Grill
Mexican Eggs for Breakfast
With A Side Order of Fruit, Cottage Cheese, and Granola
Yesi's Open-Air Patio with Water Feature Wall
Yesi is open until
mid-afternoon, so it’s great for breakfast and lunch. We especially enjoy the back
garden with it’s water feature.
7. La Casita de Irma
It took us a while to warm to La Casita de Irma, but after five months in La Peรฑita, it has become a favorite, both for breakfast and dinner.
Shrimp Crepes with a Dab of Yummy Salsa Added
The Best Flan We've Had... Maybe Ever!
Recently at Irma's, I had the Shrimp Crepes, and Jon had fried chicken. The flan was the kind we love! I found that it was cheaper to buy a bottle of wine and take half home (or slightly less than half). The musicians were very good, so we tipped them and paid extra for one more song. Prices are excellent at Irma's.
8. Dera’s Pizza
Our Table Was Tucked Next to the Lily Pond
After discovering Dera’s Pizza, I had to edit my blog article to add this restaurant. It may be our new favorite. We had a wonderful experience dining in their garden setting and listening to the musicians performing on a rooftop above the garden. The salad was delicious, with grilled pears, berries, nuts, and other fresh ingredients. The pizzas were excellent—we’re glad we ordered enough to take home leftovers.
Two Pizza will Feed Us for Three Meals!
9. Piรฑa ColadaThank you to the guy who gave me a tip about this restaurant in Rincรณn de Guayabitos. He said it has the best seafood in the area, and we agree. We loved the ambiance, service, and food!
Camarones al Ajo and Side Dishes Were Delicious!
Jon said Piรฑa Colada's restaurant makes the best margaritas he's ever had. (He ordered them with Don Julio Blanco). We'll be back soon, as it's only a 50-peso taxi ride from La Penita.
10. Koral (added January 11, 2025)
We were happy to find an upscale restaurant in La Peรฑita! Koral has delicious food in a pleasant atmosphere with excellent service.
Jon's New York Steak was Cooked to Perfection
My Pasta with Shrimp in Poblana Sauce was Wonderful
The House Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese was Exquisite
(though it doesn't show it in my photo)
Next time, we'll arrive in time to see the view from Koral's rooftop location. The sunset and ocean views are extra benefits of dining at this lovely restaurant. Even after dark, it was fun to watch the action on the plaza below.
I easily justify going out for dinner almost every night in
this small town—we get a walk to the restaurant and home, which is healthy. And
I can't prepare the food for that price! Oh, and I don't have to wash dishes.
Living part-time in La Peรฑita brings back good memories
of moving to Sayulita ten years ago when Sayulita was still just a fishing
village. La Peรฑita is real Mexico, where fishing is the primary industry, not tourism. It has taken us
months to learn our way around the village on foot and to love it.
If you missed my latest blog article, 6 Most Popular Healthy Living in Mexico Books in 2024, you can view it HERE.
To read about some of our early times in Sayulita, I
recommend my book, Living In Mexico Lessons Learned: Healthy Living in Mexico eBook #3. The eBook is free with Kindle Unlimited on Amazon and available in all Amazon markets.
Healthy Living in Mexico eBook #3
Terry and Jon Touring Mexico
Photo From My eBook
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