Mariscos La Playita Puerto Vallarta

Mariscos La Playita is a beachfront palapa restaurant on Playa Los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta's Zona Romántica (Old Town), serving fresh ceviche, fish tacos, and grilled seafood in exactly the setting that beach-side seafood was invented for: plastic chairs on sand, cold Mexican beer, and the Pacific Ocean as the dining room backdrop. The restaurant occupies a stretch of beach at the southern end of Los Muertos, which is the most popular beach in the Zona Romántica and draws a mix of Mexican families, local residents, and international visitors. The menu is focused and honest: the fish and shellfish available each day reflect what the fishermen brought in that morning, and preparations are simple enough to let the freshness of the product speak. The fish tacos — made with fried or grilled white fish, shredded cabbage, crema, and the restaurant's house salsas — are among the best executed in Puerto Vallarta's informal beach dining circuit. The aguachile verde (fresh shrimp barely cured in lime juice with green chile, cucumber, and onion) is a lighter, more refined preparation that showcases the quality of the shrimp from the Pacific coast. The ceviche tostadas, with the house tomato, chile, and cilantro preparation, are a reliable staple. Beer is the primary beverage, served cold and often with lime, though micheladas are available. Prices are extremely reasonable for a Vallarta beachfront location — significantly lower than any of the marina restaurants and on par with comparable beach operations in smaller Mexican coastal towns.