clairebearinaus Posted February 7, 2023 #1 Share Posted February 7, 2023 Hello, I'm seeking your advice to help us plan walking tours of Cabo/PV/Mazatlan. We're excited to experience authentic Mexican street food - not being from the US we're not really exposed to it other than TexMex style chain restaurants that serve nachos/burritos/tacos. So I'd appreciate advice on interesting foods we should be trying, and where best to try them. We're aiming to explore all 3 ports on foot; I'm sure we will be hitting up some of the big tourist spots on the waterfront for the view and atmosphere, but would also like to poke around the back streets to visit places the locals like to eat at. Also keen to do a tequila tasting and any other must-dos involving drinking, if you have any favourite places to do that please share. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike45LC Posted February 8, 2023 #2 Share Posted February 8, 2023 I don't eat a lot during port calls, but in Mazatlan, you might want to walk the Blue Line to the Plaza Machado. There are several cafes there that are spoken of highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacruisin Posted February 8, 2023 #3 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Everyone really likes Gus’s Tacos in Cabo…I haven’t been myself but you can watch the episode of Diners Driveins and Dives that feature the location to check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ine Posted February 8, 2023 #4 Share Posted February 8, 2023 (edited) Have a look at this site with lots of information about food in Puerto Vallarta. Also maps and more. https://vallartainfo.com/street-food/ We also like La Burrita Marinera, it is a small eatery close to the stadium. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150793-d14106286-r783140233-La_Burrita_Marinera-Puerto_Vallarta.html Edited February 8, 2023 by Ine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lax19 Posted February 8, 2023 #5 Share Posted February 8, 2023 In Cabo, there are small food truck type restaurants behind vendor booth B17 and B18 along the marina promenade. We had great (and inexpensive) fish tacos at La Jarocha In Mazatlan, I highly recommend the Barrio Bites Tour through https://www.flavorteller.com/ Also, in Mazatlan go to Maz Tamales for fresh made tamales. They are a block east of Plaza Machado. Go early as they sell out. (Mercado Pino Suarez, C. Benito Juárez 1308-Interior A, Centro, 82000 Mazatlán, Sin., Mexico) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clairebearinaus Posted February 8, 2023 Author #6 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Thank you! I'm adding all suggestions to my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenoNanaOz Posted February 9, 2023 #7 Share Posted February 9, 2023 We like The Crazy Lobster in Cabo, about a 10 minute walk from Marina off the beaten path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikirumata Posted February 11, 2023 #8 Share Posted February 11, 2023 in Mazatlan we got a chance to try Pescado Zarendeado! Whole fish butterflied open, marinated in a special sauce, then cooked over coals. It was fantastic! Takes some time to cook, but it’s worth it! We ordered it at La Costa Marinera along with the best Coconut Shrimp I have ever had! I’m sure there are other places to order these dishes, but if you do go to La Costa Marinera, DO NOT eat on the patio. You will have a stream of beach vendors trying to sell you stuff and several bands (with horns and drums) trying to compete for your attention. Not a peaceful beach experience. Try to sit indoors away from the public beach area. Mazatlan is known for their fresh shrimp. If you want, I can recommend a van tour operator that does a special tour where he helps you buy food like a local and then brings you to a kitchen to prepare authentic Mazatlan food. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TamaLee Posted February 14, 2023 #9 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Great tour in P.V. So much food and a great tour of the city as well. Can't say enough great things. https://www.vallartaeats.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepCalmBearOn Posted February 27, 2023 #10 Share Posted February 27, 2023 If you want authentic Mexican street food forget taco filling like al pastor, carne asada, barbacoa and carnitas, which seem exotic in some parts of the world and are popular at tourist spots in Mexico. If you can’t find a taco stand with one or more of the following fillings, you probably aren't getting authentic Mexican street food as defined by what average Mexicans eat.Those fillings are cabeza, lengua, tripa, buche, birria, cachete, cueritos and oreja. If you can find one that offers chapulines you know you’ve found REALLY authentic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacruisin Posted February 27, 2023 #11 Share Posted February 27, 2023 13 hours ago, scottca075 said: If you want authentic Mexican street food forget taco filling like al pastor, carne asada, barbacoa and carnitas, which seem exotic in some parts of the world and are popular at tourist spots in Mexico. If you can’t find a taco stand with one or more of the following fillings, you probably aren't getting authentic Mexican street food as defined by what average Mexicans eat.Those fillings are cabeza, lengua, tripa, buche, birria, cachete, cueritos and oreja. If you can find one that offers chapulines you know you’ve found REALLY authentic. While I don't disagree with you, I think those who consider "Taco Bell" Mexican food that it might be a bit too much for them to start eating....brain, tongue and intestines etc.....lol 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepCalmBearOn Posted February 27, 2023 #12 Share Posted February 27, 2023 2 hours ago, cacruisin said: While I don't disagree with you, I think those who consider "Taco Bell" Mexican food that it might be a bit too much for them to start eating....brain, tongue and intestines etc.....lol Mmmmm, brains.... In the old country one side of the family ate haggis and the other side ate lutefisk so tongue and brains seems quite unadventurous 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clairebearinaus Posted February 28, 2023 Author #13 Share Posted February 28, 2023 Thanks for the latest tips - I don't eat red meat at all so it'll be shrimp tacos all the way for me - the better half will happily eat faces and feet though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 1, 2023 #14 Share Posted March 1, 2023 On 2/27/2023 at 11:57 AM, cacruisin said: While I don't disagree with you, I think those who consider "Taco Bell" Mexican food that it might be a bit too much for them to start eating....brain, tongue and intestines etc.....lol I am a bit confused by the last few posts. I should mention that we live in Puerto Vallarta for part of the year (am there now) and are very familiar with the street food (which we can get right outside our Condo). In this part of Mexico it is not about intestines, trippa, etc. What you will generally find with the street vendors are tacos al pastor (this town is well known for that item), tacos with various sausage such as the very popular chorizo. Shrimp and fish tacos are also legitimate street food, although those vendors are not as common as meat based tacos (at least around here). I should add that we have lots of great shrimp and fish dishes found in many area restaurants. Seafood is wildly popular here in Puerto Vallarta. In terms of fish the most common is Mahi Mahi with Red Snapper in 2nd place :). We also see "Sea Bass" on quite a few menus (in better restaurants) although one person's sea bass is another's Patagonia toothfish :). Hank 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepCalmBearOn Posted March 1, 2023 #15 Share Posted March 1, 2023 5 minutes ago, Hlitner said: I am a bit confused by the last few posts. I should mention that we live in Puerto Vallarta for part of the year (am there now) and are very familiar with.... You need to travel more out of Puerto Vallarta. I travel on business regularly to Monterrey, Mexico City, Northern Baja and Veracruz. My parents had a home in PV for more than 30 years until they sold it in 2017. Not every taqueria has the ingredients I mentioned, but most have two or three and then there are regional variations of what is popular in that area. I didn't even mention things like costillo, cecina, longaniza, chuleta, etc. Then we can have the discussion on if al pastor is "authentic" Mexican food, since it came from Lebanon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUontheC Posted March 24, 2023 #16 Share Posted March 24, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 6:00 PM, TamaLee said: Great tour in P.V. So much food and a great tour of the city as well. Can't say enough great things. https://www.vallartaeats.com/ How did you get here from the cruise port? Which tour did you do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost in Italy Posted August 8, 2023 #17 Share Posted August 8, 2023 On 3/23/2023 at 8:57 PM, CUontheC said: How did you get here from the cruise port? Which tour did you do? I’m also interested in vallartaeats tour. Did you happen to go? Which tour did you take and how did you get there from the cruise port? Hope you enjoy (or enjoyed) your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost in Italy Posted August 8, 2023 #18 Share Posted August 8, 2023 On 2/14/2023 at 3:00 PM, TamaLee said: Great tour in P.V. So much food and a great tour of the city as well. Can't say enough great things. https://www.vallartaeats.com/ This sounds great! Food AND City Tour. Would you share which tour you took? Will be there later this year on a cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSN-Travelers Posted August 8, 2023 #19 Share Posted August 8, 2023 I am generally in Vallarta most Novembers. I tend to take first time visitors on a street food tour immediately after they get off the plane. I have used Vallarta Food Tours (https://vallartafoodtours.com) most often. The day of the week and the time of day your ship is in port may impact what organized tour you and your group can take. Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzlepop Posted August 9, 2023 #20 Share Posted August 9, 2023 On 8/8/2023 at 11:56 AM, MSN-Travelers said: I am generally in Vallarta most Novembers. I tend to take first time visitors on a street food tour immediately after they get off the plane. I have used Vallarta Food Tours (https://vallartafoodtours.com) most often. The day of the week and the time of day your ship is in port may impact what organized tour you and your group can take. Enjoy! Oh, this I am very interested in! Do you take the first-timers on the Original Downtown Tour? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSN-Travelers Posted August 10, 2023 #21 Share Posted August 10, 2023 22 hours ago, dizzlepop said: Oh, this I am very interested in! Do you take the first-timers on the Original Downtown Tour? Thank you! We have done the Original Downtown tour ourselves but take our first time guests on The Street, the night time street food/taco stand tour. We are timeshare resort visitors with over two decades of eating experience. The eating habits of the locals are different from up north and most cruisers are back on the ship before dinner service starts for street and restaurant venues. It's hard to get people past food phobias based on preconceived notions. These tours go a long way toward showing that great food is available away from the well known restaurants. Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celialeah98 Posted August 10, 2023 #22 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Another vote for Vallarta Eats tours. Excellent company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzlepop Posted August 11, 2023 #23 Share Posted August 11, 2023 23 hours ago, MSN-Travelers said: We have done the Original Downtown tour ourselves but take our first time guests on The Street, the night time street food/taco stand tour. We are timeshare resort visitors with over two decades of eating experience. The eating habits of the locals are different from up north and most cruisers are back on the ship before dinner service starts for street and restaurant venues. It's hard to get people past food phobias based on preconceived notions. These tours go a long way toward showing that great food is available away from the well known restaurants. Enjoy! Thanks! Booked the Original Downtown as we're cruising and the evening one's cutting it close. Very much looking forward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TamaLee Posted August 14, 2023 #24 Share Posted August 14, 2023 On 8/8/2023 at 9:30 AM, Lost in Italy said: This sounds great! Food AND City Tour. Would you share which tour you took? Will be there later this year on a cruise. We did the Signature Taco Tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost in Italy Posted August 14, 2023 #25 Share Posted August 14, 2023 Thank you all for the food tour recommendations! Appreciate the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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