Great Restaurants Serving Anything You Want Are Just A Short Cab Ride Away!
It's our nature to keep returning to those places we enjoy...that's how we ended up purchasing this condo! So, most of the restaurants we include here are some of our favorites, but a few are noted here simply because they are conveniently located nearby and provide a "fast food" offering that might be needed in a pinch. You'll get the idea which ones are which from our commentary below where in addition to our personal thoughts you'll find website links (where available), location/maps, hours, menu info, etc. And despite our tendency to stick with what we know and enjoy, we always try at least one or two new restaurants on each visit; So, check back occasionally as we'll update the list as we find new ones to recommend!
Eddie's Place Nopal Beach
Eddie's Place Nopal Beach is located on the south side of the Nuevo Marina. It is one of our absolute favorite places for dinner with at least one meal during every visit to our Nuevo home. Eddie’s offers diverse menu, and you’ll be sure to find something for everyone. The food and atmosphere are always wonderful, and the prices are some of the most reasonable. They also serve breakfast and lunch, although we've only eaten dinner here. In the high season we strongly recommend getting a reservation for the evening dinner. Open Mon-Sun, 8am - 10pm with live music in the evenings. They accept cash only - NO CREDIT CARDS! You can find them on Facebook.
Sabrosa Italia
Sabrosa Italia is a very small Italian Restaurant in the Valle Dorado area. Originally from Italy, Enrico and Emanuela, the owners of this establishment, are gracious and attentive from the moment you enter til the moment you leave. Emanuela’s fresh made pasta and Enrico’s personal stories from life in Italy make for a wonderful, intimate personal dining experience. They accept cash or credit cards, and reservations are recommended as seating is limited. They are open for dinner only from 6-10 pm, Tuesday thru Saturday. Check out the Sabrosa Italia Menu.
Sonarita's Boutique de Cortes Finos (Sonorita's Grill)
Sonarita’s Grill is a nearby steak restaurant with great steaks and an interesting experience. To start off your dining experience you make a trip to the butcher counter where you select your type of steak and how many grams you want. With amazing precision the butcher hand slices your steak from the larger piece and gets almost the exact weight you request every time (for reference 227 grams = 8 ounces). From there you take your steak to the cashier where you tell them how you want it cooked, order sides & drinks, and pay the bill. After that you are seated and it becomes a normal dining experience. Open everyday, 1pm-10pm. Spanish Menu Link…English Menu Link and Facebook Page
El Barracuda
Also on the south side of the Nuevo Marina, you will pass by El Barracuda before you get to Eddie’s. Like just about everything on this list, this open air restaurant is popular with all the area visitors. The menu here focuses mainly on seafood and does it well.
Fajita Republic
Continue past Sonarita's closer to highway 200 and you'll find Fajita Republic. As the name suggests, fajitas of all types are a specialty, but they offer a variety of dishes that will please everyone. Igniting the fajita skillets as they bring them to your table, the place certainly caters to the tourists, but the food is delicious. Open daily from 5 pm – 11:00 pm this place is always packed at dinner time. Reservations are strongly encouraged, but we've had luck getting seated early as a party of 2 without one. They accept both cash and credit cards. On their Facebook Page" you'll find information about both this location and their location in PV. Through the Facebook page you can Message them to request a reservation....or the phone number to the Nuevo location is 322-297-2277.
Banana Bar
Continue a little further past Fajita Republic still closer to highway 200 and you'll find the BananaBar. Like the many restaurants that line the divided 4-lane road, Blvd. Nuevo Vallarta, you probably won't think much of the view, but the drinks are good and all the food cooked fresh over a wood fire is even better. Tableside, they custom make fresh salsa from fire roasted ingredients that you choose to include or not...best salsa you'll ever have. The atmosphere is like an open air sports bar, but with food that is way better than sports bar cuisine. Open Daily 11am-12am....Banana Bar Menu
El Estero Restaurant
Each of these next three restaurants are set side by side along the edge of a lagoon on Blvd de Nayarit near Vidanta. We tried El Estero for the first time during our visit in January 2023...we'll definitely return. This completely open air restaurant serves excellent seafood with friendly service for a reasonable price. They do offer a decent choice of other non-seafood items as well as a kid's menu to meet the preferences of everyone in your party...El Estero Menu. Open daily 2-9pm. You also get a free "Show" when the staff feed the coati and/or iguana that live around the area around the lagoon.
Tino's La Laguna
Our favorite of these three lagoon side restaurants is Tino's La Laguna Nuevo Vallarta. As is typical with the vast majority of Vallarta restaurants they specialize in seafood, yet they have a few steak and chicken options on the menu as well. This open air restaurant is situated right on the edge of the lagoon, and with a seat along the water you might catch a glimpse of a crocodile in nature while you dine. The staff is always friendly from the moment you walk up to the entrance until you walk out again. This restaurant is just one of Marisco Tino's locations in the Vallarta area. Open daily 12-9pm. Credit cards accepted.
Blue Shrimp Nuevo Vallarta
Of these three open air lagoon side restaurants, The Blue Shrimp is slightly more upscale and a bit higher priced. The food and atmosphere are very good and seating along the wall next to the lagoon offers the opportunity to watch the wildlife while you dine. Of course their Menu focuses on seafood, but with a enough non-seafood options to suit the entire party. They accept credit cards. Open daily from 11:45 am to 10 pm and you can make Reservations on Open Table.
Paradise Plaza Shopping Mall
Nobody goes on a beach vacation to dine inside a Shopping Mall, but at just 1.5 miles south of the condo at the south end of Paseo de los Cocoteros (out the gate and to the right) this is within walking distance or a very inexpensive cab ride. You'll find some familiar"ish" places like Starbucks, McDonalds, Dominos Pizza, Subway, and a frozen Yogurt place along with larger restaurants like Nopalitos, Jude Bistró & Bar, El Sazón de Amá, Que te Guiso, Mamá San Sushi, Buonsisimo Cafe and several others. Of course, it's a shopping mall; so there's a lot of other stuff as well...including an indoor playground for small kids. A full map of the mall with a listing of businesses is included in these two links....Main Floor...Second Floor. There is also a Facebook Page.
More to come and Links to even more information.
Of course, there are countless more options that are too numerous to list here...or we simply haven't yet experienced for ourselves. As we visit and find more options that we feel compelled to recommend, we'll add them here....So, check back occasionally for new additions.
In the meantime, check out this Informative list of restaurants from the Visit-Vallarta.com website. Or this Interactive Google Map with many area restaurants. And, finally, the Visit Vallarta website also offers this printable PDF Map and LIst of Nuevo restaurants!
And by all means, if you know of a can't miss restaurant in the area, please send us a message, and we'll try it / add it here to share with everyone!