Cafe des Artistes is a semi-formal restaurant run by famous local chef Thierry Blouet. It is located in the heart of the city and is highly recommended by the Fodor’s Guide and friends.

Awards

Dining Room

Bar Area

Wow

Wall Mural

Bathroom

The restaurant has some beautiful art, making the atmosphere better than the food.
An English version of the menu is available.

Menu:

Prix Fix

Dessert Menu

Picks:

Shellfish platter ($495 pesos, 10:1 US$) had oysters, shrimp, flan scallop cerviche, and crab.  All items were fresh, so it was hard to screw up as long as they had freshly harvested seafood.  The flan scallop cerviche was a little too creamy.

Grilled Snapper (Prix Fix $389) with baked garlic, ratatouille stew, mini gazpacho with parmesan cheese was fresh and of large quantity. It was cooked well and is a good entree.

Sorbet ($90) came with 3 types passion fruit, pineapple, and vanilla , all very good. Run raisin sauce, chantilly cream and toasted almonds helped make this healthy dessert good.

Chocolate cake (Prix Fix $389) was freshly made, looked beaufityl and was decadant.

OK:

Broiled giant Scallop  (Prix Fix $389) with leek ravioli and saffron essence did not have the freshest scallops around.  Not much camelization.  Edible but not special.

Margarita Cadillac ($138) was strong and uniquely flavored.  A good chance to try an authentic drink as compared to the ones back in the US.

Pass:

Sauted Foie Gras ($298) with grapes, apples, and salty caramel was of below average quality. We’ve had better Foie Gras at almost most places in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was overcooked but of large quantity.

Lobster ($650) was steamed and fairly fresh, but was overcooked to the point of being rubbery. It comes with garlic butter. The lobster at Old port lobster shack is far better.

This restaurant serves up some decent dishes, but better food can be had for much less. The best bet is to come to Cafe des Artistes for drinks and appetizers, or dessert. The bill will be much less and you can enjoy the beautiful atmosphere more.

El Coleguita 2 is a popular seafood restaurant for the locals, in the Marina Vallarta area. It is located in the boat marina for Puerto Vallarta. An english version of the menu is available. The place was consistenly packed, while most other restaurants had only a couple tables occupied.

One of the draws is free tequila on every table, and free Kahula cocktails at dessert.

Decor, Vibe - Busy under canopy restaurant by the Marina.  Lots of families, big groups, few tourists.

Menu Pictures:

Picks:

Pina Colada - Huge drink ($45 pesos, 10:1 US$) and of good quality.

OK:

Plato Coleguita ($99) with shrimp, fish fillet, and shrimp soup was huge.  The quality was ok, with the fresh fish being deep fried. Desert was fried plantins with super sweet condensed milk.

Pass:

Fish Cerviche ($99) was a huge platter.  Fresh but not spicy. The one from Marisco 8 restaurant around the corner was far better.

My Sweet Sky ($99) with quail, beef, fish and shrimp.  The beef was tough and flavorless. The quail was dry and also flavorless.

Donut man roaming the area

This restaurant serves average food with reasonable service, all in an busy atmosphere. El Coleguita 2 is the place to go if you want cheap liquor and big quantities. Cash only.

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Marisco 8 Tostada is a popular seafood restaurant for the locals, in the Marina Vallarta area. It is located around the corner from the boat marina for Puerto Vallarta.  The place was consistenly packed, while most other restaurants had only a couple tables occupied. They serve lots of seafood with a minimal amount of cooking.

Decor,Vibe - Low budget tables, decor, fans, no air conditioning.  Lots of locals eating, some tourists.
Menu Pictures:

Picks:

Real Coke and Horchata

Yummy Free Tostadas

Tostada de Mariscos ($39 Pesos, 10:1 Us$ exchange rate) was full of fresh Pulpo (octopus) on top of a crunchy tostada chip.

Empada de Camaron con Queso ($82) was full of fresh shrimp and deep fried.  Crunch and very good.

Fish Cerviche ($45 Half order or $90) was huge with tons of white fish. Sauce was a bit too spicy though. We ordered the half order, you can see how big it was.

OK:

Especialidad de la casa Camaron ($70 Small) was a soupy mixture of small shrimp, avacado and broth. Kinda bland, but very light.

Pass:
None

They sell cheap ($15) beer. This restaurant serves good food of very good value, with marginal service, all in an busy and noisy atmosphere. Marisco 8 Tostada is a good place to go if you are staying in the Marina Vallarta area.
Bring your cash.

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