Tacos and More

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
February 23, 2015

We were escorted into the Puerto Vallarta harbor by dolphins. Another beautiful day - sunny and warm, but not too hot.

Tia and Larry arranged a food tour with Vallarta Eats and we joined them. We got a taxi to Insurgentes Bridge, where we met our guide, Star, and two other couples. Star had a beach bag and a cold water bottle for each of us.  Our walking tour began with a walk along verdant Isla Cuale. We crossed a crazy suspension bridge that swayed so much it was almost impossible to walk, and then we arrived in a neighborhood in the old part of PV.

Isla Cuale

Our tour would consist of visiting around 10 street food vendors, eating (not small) samples, and learning about the local food culture.  First we stopped for a breakfast taco. Eggs are not used in breakfast tacos here. The first tacos were called carnitas and they were filled with chopped up pork. There were several sauces that could be added. At the next place we had birra. They had beef in them, and they were a little spicier.

Carnitas: Make sure your plate has a plastic bag over it. Street food vendors don't have any way to wash dishes.

Birria

In addition to food-sampling we went to an herb seller, a butcher, a produce a shop, a bakery, a market, and a couple of tortillerias - tortilla factories. We walked all over the neighborood in the course of visitng these places, and got a feel for the local lifestyle. Everything is made fresh every day.

Herb cart

We also learned about limes - there are many kinds - and dried peppers.

Making tortillas

As we visited other food stands we tried two kinds of pork rinds (well, I didn't - deep-fried pig skin does not appeal), and numerous types of "lunch tacos." My favorites were the fish taco and the shrimp taco.

I passed on the one that had octopus in it. It probably tastes good, but the thought of it makes me gag. We also had ceviche, PV style, and some really good food from the Yucatan.

Shrimp brochette taco

Yucatan-style tacos

We were served agua fresca at several places. It is a very refreshing drink made with water, pureed fruit, and sugar. We had tamarind, soursop, and guava. We stopped at a popsicle shop and enjoyed wonderful homemade popsicles. The flavors were enticing. I had toasted coconut and Ken had passionfruit.

We also had a dessert that reminded me of bread pudding. Our final stop was a candy store. We sampled several local specialties and a drink called rumpopa before our tour wrapped up. Star offered to take us to one or two more places but we were all too stuffed to go on after 3 1/2 hours of eating.

Kids (at heart) in a candy shop

What a fun afternoon! I highly recommend Vallarta Eats if you are visiting PV. After your tour you will get an e-mail listing the food you ate and where you ate it, along with some photos.

A partial listing of our stops:
Birria Chanfay – birria taco dorado
Juan – coconut man
Carnicería Colin – bakery and butcher
Marisma's – fish taco
Tortillera – fresh tortillas of the press
El Cólera – ceviche
Mariscos Cisneros – seafood chile relleno and shrimp brochette
          Calle Aguacate 271 - 11 am-8pm
Yucateco – Panucho, conchinita pibil and salbut tacos
La Michoacana – passion fruit or guanábana sorbet
Azteca – candy shop