Dine at one of the many excellent local restaurants in the area without ever having to take a taxi!
The street directly in front of the resort is Paseo de los Cocoteros. It is a beautifully landscaped pathway lined with coconut trees, and its dedicated pedestrian and bicycle path is typically bustling with walkers, joggers and bicyclers. Depending on the length of your stay and your penchant for a little walking, it is likely you will be able to dine at one of the many excellent local restaurants in the area without ever having to take a taxi ride. On this page we’ve compiled some information on several of those that we often enjoy, all of which are within ¾ of a mile or less for an easy walk of 10-15 minutes. There are even more options just beyond that limit, and we’ve covered several of those under the heading “Short Cab Ride Away”. Of course, if you’d prefer, you can take a taxi to any of these options as well! Below we've tried to provide some basic information on each of these restaurants. For the restaurants we include below we provide a little personal commentary, and you should find information from their menu(s), their hours, a screenshot of the walking directions, a comment about acceptable forms of payment, and the address to their website(s) with far more information.
Sabbia Beach Club
A leisurely 5-minute beach walk of just ¼ mile north of the resort you’ll find the Sabbia Beach Club (formerly Cocoa Beach Club). Open from 9 am to 7 pm daily, it is a wonderful place to start your day with breakfast on the beach. Of course, you’ll find menu options for any meal of the day…or you can use this as your spot for the day, and they will serve you beachside...or indoor seating is available as well. We usually visit this restaurant more than once on every trip. They accept cash and credit cards. For more information check out their website at Sabbia ….or their page on Facebook.
Taormina
One of the closest restaurants to the resort along the street, you'll find this little café just a short 9-minute walk to the north (out the front entrance and turn left) It's adjacent to the next one on the list, Nicksan. With both inside and outside seating options, Taormina is open M-F from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and S-S from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm for breakfast and from 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm daily for lunch and dinner. They accept cash and credit cards. This is a very new restaurant that we haven't actually had a chance to visit it ourselves, but it replaces a restaurant in the same location as one we used to enjoy. It appears to be a very nice fine dining option. For more information check out their webpage at Taormina where you can view their Menu and/or make a Reservation.
Nicksan
Located in the same plaza adjacent to Taormina you’ll find this wonderful Japanese sushi restaurant, Nicksan…just a short 9-minute walk to the north (out the front entrance and turn left). Open daily from 2 pm to 11 pm with both inside and outside seating options, in the busy season it is probably best to get a reservation for evening visits through the link on their website at Nicksan (on the Contact Us tab) or by phone. They accept cash and credit cards. Also visit them on Facebook. Click this link for a PDF of Nicksan's Full Menu!
Insu Sky Bar
An easy 11-minute walk north (out the front entrance and turn left)…just a few steps on past Nicksan, you’ll find the entrance of the all-inclusive Marival Distinct resort and its rooftop Insu Sky Bar. Open to the public, this is an upscale modern restaurant-bar that is an ideal spot for a romantic evening watching the sunset. With a well-equipped bar, I would characterize most of the menu choices as hors d’oeuvres rather than main dishes. Open daily from 5:30 pm – 1 am, they accept both cash and credit cards. Find more information visit the website at Insu Sky Bar or On Facebook.
La Isla Restaurant
Continuing just a little farther south (out the front gate and turn right) for a leisurely 14-minute walk, you'll find La Isla Restaurant. Closed on Sunday, they are open Mon – Sat, 8 am to 9 pm (though the actual hours seem less consistent than stated). This is an interesting little local restaurant with some great menu choices, and though we’re uncertain if it is still available, at one time they offered a cooking class. They also have live music several nights each week. Find more / current information about the restaurant, their menus and the live music options on their Facebook page.
Ciao
Again to the south (out the front gate and turn right) across the intersection from La Isla is the Italian restaurant Ciao Steak & Pizza, a 15-minute walk. With very talented Live Music performers every evening the atmosphere here is really inviting, and the staff is always friendly, making this one of our favorites. They are open daily from 1 pm to 11 pm and accept both cash and credit cards. A very popular place in the evenings, reservations are strongly recommended...which can be done by phone or through messages on their Facebook page or Website.
Riviera Grill
At at a 16-minute walk to the south (out the front gate and turn right) next door to, and with the same owner as Ciao, you’ll find Riviera Grill. Like most of the restaurants in the area, this is an open air restaurant with some covered seating. A beautifully decorated place, this restaurant has a more upscale feel to it than most…and while the menu choices and prices reflect this, it’s worth it. Open daily from 9 am to 11 pm, they provide very talented live music performers every night and also during lunch on weekends. Credit cards are accepted, and much more information and reservations are available through their Facebook page or Website.
La Dolce Vita
Only a 14-minute walk, for these next 3 restaurants we finally head a few steps off of Paseo de los Cocoteros, to an area called Plaza 3.14. La Dolce Vita is an Italian restaurant with a number of other locations around Vallarta. Here in Nuevo they have a large establishment with an enjoyable atmosphere and ample seating both inside and open air. The high quality menu options are plentiful. Open Mon – Sat 1 pm to 12am, Sun 2 pm to 11 pm, credit cards are welcome. Also like most of these popular restaurants, evening reservations are recommended and can be made on their Website. More information can be found there or on their Facebook page.
Mr. Cream Pancakes & Waffles
Also found at Plaza 3.14, right next to La Dolce Vita, is Mr. Cream Pancakes & Waffles, a restaurant focused on providing a wide variety of delicious breakfast dishes (with and without pancakes or waffles). They have numerous locations all around the bay, and like this location in Nuevo Vallarta, they are all wildly popular…Arrive early or expect to wait for a table along with many others. This location is open daily from 8 am to 2 pm, credit cards are accepted. A copy of their menu is in the photos to the right. It can also be found on their Facebook page along with more information about the restaurant.
Buonisimo 3.14
Another located at Plaza 3.14, the last restaurant in our list of those “With walking distance” is Buonisimo 3.14. Specializing in Italian cuisine, this establishment also has numerous locations around the Vallarta area including both full restaurants and small cafés serving a reduced menu of gelato, coffee, etc. This location is a restaurant offering a complete Menu of delicious choices. They are open daily from 9 am to 11 pm, and credit cards are accepted. Availability of online information is limited, but you can check out their Facebook page for this location.
