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

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A Wonderful New Year's Eve Trip--The Rhythms of the Night Cruise to Playa Las Caletas

 The New Alma Show was Spectacular

One of the Amazing Acts in the Rhythms of the Night Show

We found a wonderful way to stay up until midnight and watch the spectacular fireworks show in Puerto Vallarta--go by boat to the new Rhythms of the Night show, Alma. The sunset cruise along the Puerto Vallarta shore to Las Caletas beach was wonderful. The gourmet buffet dinner was the best we've had there. And the new "Alma" show at the amphitheater in the jungle with incredible acrobatics and dance was amazing. Seeing the spectacular fireworks show from the boat on the return trip made the night perfect!

The New Year's Fireworks Show Over Puerto Vallarta

We highly recommend this trip if you are in Puerto Vallarta. Remember to bring a jacket if you go during the winter--it's cool after sunset out there on the boat.

To learn more about our adventures in Mexico, check out my Amazon Author Page and follow me on Facebook at Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico.

Happy New Year!

Terry

Terry L Turrell, Author

Our Getaway to Puerto Vallarta: Marriott Resort and Rhythms of the Night

It Felt Like We Were in Hawaii!

View of Puerto Vallarta from the Marriott Resort

     Jon and I debated for months about whether to take this trip during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April when we were originally planning our getaway to Puerto Vallarta and to see the Rhythms of the Night show, our daughter told me, “Don’t go! This virus is dangerous!” As it happened, Rhythms of the Night canceled their shows in April due to the spreading virus, so we couldn’t go at that time.

     On June 15^th, when hotels and beaches in Puerto Vallarta reopened, we discussed going again. If we would have asked our oldest son what he thought, he would probably have replied, “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Our youngest son, an adventurer like us, would likely have exclaimed, “Why not?” We thought, "Others are vacationing in Puerto Vallarta—why not go, as long as we are careful?"

The Marriott Resort Pool was Beautiful and Uncrowded

      Life is short. We never know how many days we have left on this earth. Today could be my last day. I want to live as though this is my last day on earth. I’m so fortunate that Jon feels the same way. We have been adventurers together for over twenty-five years. COVID-19 has taken that away from us for long enough!

     We decided to do it! We needed a three-day weekend getaway and decided to stay at the Marriott Resort near the Puerto Vallarta Marina, a hotel that we trusted to follow all of the protocols, procedures, and preventative measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We were very impressed and had a wonderful experience!

View of the Beach from our 8th Floor Balcony

     Masks in place, we arrived by taxi at the Marriott. A short 20-mile-trip from Sayulita, we felt we had traveled thousands of miles from home, as though we had stepped onto one of the Hawaiian Islands. The warm, humid air and the colorful tropical gardens prompted the memory of our last trip to Kauai about ten years ago when we decided our budget no longer included trips to Hawaii. This felt like Hawaii, but much less expensive.

A Garden at the Entrance to the Marriott Resort

     A friendly, masked front door attendant took our temperatures with an electronic gun-shaped, no-touch thermometer, asked us to clean our shoes in foot baths and dry them on a mat. Proclaiming us ready to enter the property, he offered to take our luggage to check-in, but we thanked him and declined, not wanting to increase any possible transfer of the virus. At check-in, we were told that masks were mandatory in all public areas except when we were seated at the pool, in the pool, at the beach, or at a restaurant.

The Marriott Infinity Pool and Swim-Up Bar 

     Seating areas were spaced well apart and the pool was not crowded, so distancing was easy. The only area that appeared too crowded was the swim-up bar—too bad. We soon settled onto lounge chairs at the pool, introduced ourselves to a man and woman about our age from Idaho who were lounging ten feet away, and ordered margaritas from the passing waiter. We weren’t the only ones who were tired of staying at home. Vacation time!

View of Puerto Vallarta from Rhythms of the Night Boat

     The next day was my 64^th birthday and we had tickets to the Rhythms of the Night Dinner Show—our second time to see it. Vallarta Adventures, the company that puts on the Rhythms of the Night show, was meticulous with their procedures to keep guests safe. Not only did they follow all sanitation and health protocol, but they also used extra boats to keep passengers well-distanced from each other. While each boat is designed to carry 250 passengers, they only allowed a maximum of 100 passengers on each boat. I was surprised that there were two boatloads of international tourists and expats, two hundred people excited to see the Rhythms of the Night show at Playa Las Caletas!

Cruising by the Natural Arches (Los Arcos) Near Mismaloya

     The boat ride from the Puerto Vallarta Marina was half the fun. As we sipped our margaritas, the boat cruised along the shoreline of Puerto Vallarta giving us a tour of the city from a new perspective. We slipped between the natural arches near Mismaloya and watched the sunset as we neared Las Caletas where the dinner and show were held.

Sunset View from the Boat Near Playa Las Caletas

     During the hour-long boat ride, professional photographers mingled, taking photos of couples and families. They were careful to stage the shots so that groups being photographed were separated from other guests while they were without their masks. The memories they captured of our special vacation were priceless.

Jon Gave Me a Happy Birthday Kiss for the Photographer

     Tickets for the Rhythms of the Night dinner, cruise, and show were heavily-discounted at this time so I expected a few corners to be cut. The dinner was served family-style to minimize exposure between servers and guests, and, unfortunately, that caused the quality to be less than it had been two years ago. The show had fewer dancers and performers but was still spectacular, performed in the outdoor theater in the middle of the jungle. Guests were seated well-separated with every other row left empty and groups at least ten feet from each other. We are so happy that Vallarta Adventures was able to put on this dinner and amazing show while keeping people safe from COVID-19.

One of the Many Acts in the Rhythms of the Night Show

     We have two weeks before our next planned adventure, so there will be plenty of time to find out if we develop the SARS-CoV-2 infection. We think we had it once already, back in February (see my article Our COVID-19 Antibody Test in México), though our SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were undetectable. We are careful to prevent exposure to the virus, but if we do become infected, I feel confident that we have memory T cells that fight the virus, helping minimize symptoms. Also, doubling up on vitamin C, taking Zinc and vitamin D, as well as getting enough exercise and fresh air help build our immune system. Watch for my article about our next adventure.

     Have you read my “Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico” true-life adventure books and my “In Sickness and In Health” novels set in México? Check them out at my Amazon Author Page.

Pickle Jar Test: A Novel

 I invite you to SIGN UP for my Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico Monthly Newsletter, published monthly with stories about our latest adventures, my recent blog articles, and news about my books.

Terry L Turrell, Author