Festival Gourmet International
The event that put Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's culinary map — two weeks of guest chefs every November.
Held each November, the Festival Gourmet International is the oldest and best-known food event in the region, and a large part of why Puerto Vallarta has the reputation it does for dining. Participating restaurants each host a visiting chef from elsewhere in Mexico or abroad, and the two menus are cooked together for a series of one-off dinners.
What actually happens
- Guest-chef dinners. The core of the festival — each participating restaurant pairs its own kitchen with an invited chef for special menus, usually bookable individually.
- Chef's Table and winemakers' dinners hosted by individual restaurants.
- Wine tasting and Cheeses of the World sessions.
- The Sunday Gourmet Brunch, one of the most popular single events.
- The Gala Dinner that closes the festival.
Is it worth planning a trip around?
If food is a main reason you travel, yes. The appeal isn't a street festival atmosphere — most of it happens inside restaurants, at proper sit-down dinners you book individually. That makes it a quieter, more grown-up event than the city's religious festivals, and it falls at an excellent time of year: November is the start of the dry season, before the Christmas crush.
How to do it
- Book dinners early. The best restaurants and the headline events sell out.
- You don't need a festival pass — most dinners are booked directly with the restaurant.
- Stay central. Many participating restaurants are in Old Town and around the Marina; being able to walk home matters after a long dinner.
- Pace yourself — these are multi-course menus with wine pairings.
If you can only do one food thing in Puerto Vallarta and you're not here in November, a food tour gives you more of the street-level side of the city's cooking.