Highlights:
- Puerto Vallarta won three gold medal at the Travvy Awards including Best Culinary Destination in Mexico, Best Honeymoon Destination in Mexico, and Best Tourism Board.
- Puerto Vallarta is home to a wide variety of different types of quality global cuisines for affordable prices.
- The LGBTQ+ traveler can find great restaurants in, and around, Zona Romántica (the Romantic Zone)
- There are several can’t miss culinary weeks throughout the year where the foodie focused traveler can sample some of the best restaurants Puerto Vallarta has to offer!
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As the world seeks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions, travelers want to know the top-rated destinations that deliver the best experiences year after year. The annual Travvy Awards — where travel agents vote on the best destinations, products, companies, and agencies — recognize the best in the travel industry and is a great place to discover the top travel destinations. The recent Travvy awards ceremony held November 11, 2021 in Miami, Florida presented Puerto Vallarta with awards in 4 major travel categories. Puerto Vallarta won the Gold medal as the Best Culinary Destination in Mexico, the gold medal as the Best Honeymoon Destination in Mexico, the gold medal having the Best Tourism Board – Mexico and the silver metal as the Best Destination – Mexico, Two categories in which PV was chosen are factors greatly influencing LGBTQ travelers choices of where to travel. Let’s discover why Puerto Vallarta won the Best Culinary Destination in Mexico.
Why is Puerto Vallarta a top rated culinary destination?
PV has been a top rated gay vacation destination for many years. Tourists are somewhat surprised to find the amazing variety, quality and affordable prices of the restaurants found in PV. There is a cuisine for everyone here: Asian, Thai, Greek, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, French, Indian, Sushi, American comfort food and some fast food chains, Israeli, most recently Peruvian as well as Mexican. There is a culinary budget everyone can afford. You can literally spend as little or as much as you want dining out. Choose a delicious local taco in the street or a delicious meal inside an air-conditioned dining room.
Where are the restaurants for the gay traveler located?
Historically they were concentrated in the gayborhood known as Zona Romántica (the Romantic Zone), close to the gay bars and clubs. There were some exceptions in the center and areas further north and south of the zone. Recently. Puerto Vallarta has experienced a real estate boom and the romantic zone has grown to capacity. Some gay residents and snow birds have moved north to the Fluvial/Versailles area and several local restaurants followed them. There are several new restaurants in this area so this will be the new foodie area for restaurant development.
What are the top-rated restaurants for the LGBTQ traveler in Puerto Vallarta?
Here are some of GayPV’s recommendations for travelers of all tastes!
Authentic Mexican: Barrio Bistro
Asian: Archie’s Wok
Best View of City: Las Carmelitas, La Cappella, Serrano’s Grill
Breakfast: Coco’s Kitchen, The Pancake House
Beach: Ocean Grill, La Palapa, El Dorado
High-end and Event Celebration: Cafe De Artiste, Hacienda San Angel, Tintoque, La Iguana
Healthy/Vegan: Barra Light, Salud Super Foods
International/Traditional Favorites: Barcelona Tapas, Trio, Bravos, Joe Jack’s,
Italian: Tre Piatti
New Hits: Whiskey Kitchen
Pizza: Los Muertos Brewery
Peruvian: Chabuqa Peruvian
Seafood: El Barracuda
Thai: Siam PV
Yucatan Merida Grill
Weddings: Le Kliff
When are the food and culinary events in Puerto Vallarta?
One of the major events for foodies is Restaurant Week. This 3 week event has 22 PV restaurants and 6 from Riviera Nayarit. It is normally held May 15-June 10, however the last 2 years it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and held Sept 15-Oct 10. Participating restaurants offer innovative three-course menus, with three options available for each course. Currently participants choose to offer one of the special Restaurant Week pricings of $289, $399, or $466 pesos, tips and drinks not included. This is a casual, no scheduled event where you pick your night to visit one of Puerto Vallarta’s top restaurants at a great price.
Another major restaurant event is the Festival Gourmet International. Usually held annually in mid-November, this is a must event for sophisticated foodies. It is a week long, scheduled tour visiting participating higher-end restaurants in PV during specific nights and times with music. A popular part is the very educational introduction to Mexican wines (unknown to many but there are several very good selections), a cooking class with Chef Thierry Blouet of Cafe Des Artiste, and a chef’s Q & A with some of the top national and international chefs.
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With this wide array of options you will very soon discover for yourself why Puerto Vallarta is an extremely friendly destination for the LGBTQ+ traveler and the top culinary destination in all of Mexico!
ABOUT THE TRAVVY AWARDS The annual Travvy Awards, presented by TravelPulse, part of the Northstar Travel Group, recognizes the highest standards of excellence in the travel industry by honoring travel destinations and companies for their outstanding achievements. Nearly 100,000 votes — cast by the travel professionals who sell the vast majority of these trips to tens of millions of consumers yearly — determined the very best in the travel industry. To view the full list of winners, please visit www.TravvyAwards.com
