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As you may have heard, Versalles is rapidly becoming the foodie destination of choice. New and eclectic spaces are opening up right and left. There are so many in fact, it’s actually hard to keep track of them all.
What better way to experience the amazing dining options, while checking out this rapidly developing zone at the same time than by taking a Vallarta Food Tour. I recently experienced it for myself, and thoroughly enjoyed every moment.
Silvia was our passionate, uber informative guide, and her knowledge of food, agriculture, Mexican history, you name it, really blew me away. She wore a heather blue t-shirt that read “I wonder if Tacos think about me too”.
She warmly stated “We’re going to be family today” as the tour began. There were two other couples beside myself, one hailing from Napa Valley CA, the other from Winnipeg MB, respectively. It’s always interesting how there is a shyness at the beginning of a tour, and then by the end you all feel like old friends. In the time span of approximately four hours we visited six different restaurants. All were unique, all were relatively new, and all had incredible offerings.
Our first stop and meeting spot was located in a cool, bright yellow building called Masame. We sat in a back patio filled with greenery and hanging ferns. Though the sun was directly overhead, the lightly covered patio was cool and inviting. Opened only eight months ago, the restaurant has become wildly popular. After tasting our sopes, one couple rightly discovered they were so appealing, they titled them “circle art.”
Does anyone like seafood? If so, our second stop is for you. Abulon has only been in existence for six years, but it was the oldest restaurant on our tour. We all enjoyed a perfectly balanced margarita, in anticipation of the shrimp al pastor taco that was on the way. We learned from Silvia that there are morning tacos, night tacos and that pork al pastor is usually only available at night. The al pastor is the marinade, and every presentation of al pastor has pineapple on the top.
La Sal Taqueria is an intimate little patio space that has a bright airy feel to it. Opened just two months ago, it was the newest restaurant on the tour. The Baha taco was incredible, and combined just the right amount of fish and chip comfort food memories paired with a spicy Mexican sauce from the Baha region of Mexico.
“It’s gonna be an explosion of flavor in your mouth,” was how Silvia succinctly described the taco we would be sampling at this, our next stop. Located in a trendy sun filled spot, restaurant El Puerco de Oro charmed us all. Starting with agua fresco avena, otherwise known as oat water, this refreshing drink was milky in color, sweet and a really perfect complement to the bright Versalles afternoon. Apparently the flavors available are dependent on the season you are in. The pork taco was nirvana on a plate, is the only way to possibly describe how awesome it was.
El Chinelo Grill was the place to discover Salud Mezcal that actually had several worms in the bottom of the bottle, and in the bottom of my shot glass as well! The day was moving on, and the smokiness of the Mezcal was a great way to segway into the chorizo and cecina enchilada. The angry salsa paired with this dish took the flavor to stratospheric levels.
Alu Alu (the name is a combination of the names of the two owners Alejandro and Luis) was the final stop on the tour. The little shop has a cheerful feel, and the air conditioning felt great at the end of a hot afternoon. The sinful dessert of Pay Helado was the icing on the cake to a wonderful experience.
After the other guests had departed, I took a moment to get to know Silvia a little better. I started out by asking her, what is her favorite tour? Thinking for a moment, she responded, “this tour, the Discover Versailles Tour, and also the Discover Vallarta Dinner tour.” Delving a little deeper I queried, what is your most favorite aspect of working for Vallarta Food Tours, and what makes them different? She smiled broadly, and answered “I get to know a lot of great people, and share my culture with them,” she continued, “the difference is the passion we bring to the tours, and how we share it with our guest, we love Mexican food, and Mexico, we are very proud of our country.” I smiled, knowing that this heartfelt sentiment is exactly what made this tour so special.
As we conclude, we want to mention other fine companies here in Puerto Vallarta doing food tours. Vallarta Eats Food Tours offers authentic foods of Mexico with bilingual guides. They facilitate many local tours with some great options in Versailles and other close-in neighborhoods. Vallarta Local Food Tours and Tequila Tastings is another great option for food tours within Puerto Vallarta. Whatever company you decide to use, please enjoy the many delights of getting to know all the amazing options Puerto Vallarta has to offer.
Vallarta Food Tours
Av. Mexico 1193-A, 5 de Diciembre 48350
Telephone 52 322 222 6117
Hours 10:00am – 6:00pm Daily
vallartafoodtours.com
