Puerto Vallarta Beaches Healing After Two Hurricanes🌀🌀Some Restaurants are Open! (Updated 11/10/25)

  Vitea Restaurant is Open!

Vitea Beachfront Bistro is Open After Hurricane Priscilla

Vitea Beachfront Bistro on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon is Open!Concrete work is ongoing, but service and food are excellent, as always! I'm so grateful so many showed up at the Restaurant Rally to support them.

The Restaurant Rally at Vitea was a Success!

El Dorado Restaurant Recovered Quickly

Do You See What is Missing?

I had breakfast at El Dorado Restaurant on Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta two days after the recent devastating storms. I was happy that they were mostly back to normal after the two hurricanes last week that brought extremely high waves. The wooden boardwalk was missing, and my first thought was that it had washed away!

People and Dogs Walked Next to the Ocean

Rather than Through the Restaurant

I noticed that without the boardwalk, people and dogs walked along the ocean rather than through the tables and lounge chairs. I felt it was more peaceful in the restaurant, but that was temporary. The boardwalk would return when the danger of high waves eased.

Wooden Boardwalk Sections Were Salvaged During the Storm

Stacked Next to the Fisherman Sculpture Waiting for Calm Seas

My Huevos Divorciados were beautiful and Delicious!

Not all restaurants fared as well last week. On October 6, Hurricane Priscilla caused waves that flowed through and destroyed some beach restaurants. El Barracuda, on Calle Paraguay in Puerto Vallarta, is still temporarily closed on this date. See the video of the waves at this news link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17ByHU583J/.

Jon had Fish Tacos at El Barracuda Just Before High Waves

Jon and I had just enjoyed fish tacos at El Barracuda two days before Hurricane brought high waves that devastated this restaurant. I'm grateful we did. It will be a while before they open again, but they never give up!

The Marigalante ship disaster, as it took on water, was another result of the storms. All members of the Puerto Vallarta Pirate Ship crew were rescued during high seas on October 10. No passengers were on board at that time. The ship sank later that day. See the rescue at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16S3Y8vYbd/.

We have wonderful memories from our trip on the Pirate Ship in 2022. See photos in my blog post HERE.

Terry and Jon with Their Buccaneer in 2022

Puerto Vallarta is still reeling from the sinking of our Marigalante ship. This is such a sad video of her last moments: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2339589686472792. But her sister ship is on its way from Cancun to continue the pirate ship tradition here.

Heavy rain after the hurricanes has created severe flooding in parts of Puerto Vallarta. Hundreds of homes and families were affected. Several organizations are collecting funds and goods to help the flood victims.

Vallarta Cares Helps People

Please donate to Vallarta Cares. Money, food, and supplies are needed. Donate here: https://vallartacares.com/donations.

Here's one way to donate to Vallarta Cares for aid to the hundreds of families affected by recent flooding in the PV area:

I shopped online at La Comer and had items delivered to Vallarta Cares. The order of non-perishable items arrived between 12 and 1:00 today. I don't have a car, so that was the easiest and quickest way I could think of to help a few flood victims.

La Comer Order: One Way to Donate to Vallarta Cares

Thank you for reading my blog articles and books. I write to share my knowledge and to help others.

Terry L Turrell, Author

Our 10 Favorite Restaurants in La Peñita de Jaltemba and Rincón de Guayabitos, Nayarit (So Far😊) (Updated January 12, 2025)

 

Our First Time at Las Koritas Restaurant

It’s tough for the small town of La Peñita 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 Peñita 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 Peñita, 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 Peñita. 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. Cenaduría Lucy (called Pizza La Lena on Google Maps)

Jonathan and I discovered another hidden gem of a restaurant in La Peñita! Cenaduría 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 Peñita.

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 Peñita, 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. Piña Colada

Thank you to the guy who gave me a tip about this restaurant in Rincón 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 Piña 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 Peñita! 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 Peñita brings back good memories of moving to Sayulita ten years ago when Sayulita was still just a fishing village. La Peñita 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

Thank you for reading my books and blog articles. I invite you to SIGN UP for my Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico Newsletter, published monthly with stories about our latest adventures, my recent blog articles, and news about my books. In case you missed the last newsletter, Two Homes Again: Condo and RV, And a Promo, you can view it HERE.

Terry and Jon Touring Mexico

Photo From My eBook 

Living in Mexico Lessons Learned

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

Celebrating Our 2024 Social Security Payment Increase in Puerto Vallarta

At Serrano's Grill and Vista

View From Our Table Before Sunset

Jon Toasting to Our 2024 Social Security Raise

We Each Ordered a Delicious New York Steak and Salad

What a View From our Table at Serrano's Grill!

The Sun Shone Through Pinnacle's Sky Bar at Sunset

We Love Living Here!

We Shared This Decadent Cheesecake

Our View of the Bay and Church After Sunset

From Serrano's Grill and Vista

Sophie Waited at Home for Her Bites of New York Steak 

Enough New York Steak for Lunch Quesadillas

Lesson Learned: Even though the prices in Puerto Vallarta are increasing and the dollar-to-peso exchange rate is down this year, our Social Security increase allows us to treat ourselves to a nice dinner in this paradise. We're happy to have retired here.

A 99-Cent eBook Sale

For a Few More Days!

 Amazon .com $0.99

United Kingdom £0.99 

Customer Review: Thoughtful inspiration 5.0 out of 5 stars 

Another great read in her series. I can’t wait to follow in her footsteps! You don’t need to be an RV person to enjoy her books.

Thank you for reading my books and blog articles. Follow me on Facebook at Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico.

Cheers,

Terry

Terry L Turrell

Amazon Author Page