Vallarta Restaurant Week
Dozens of restaurants, set menus at fixed prices — and it lands in the cheapest travel weeks of the year.
Despite the name, Restaurant Week runs for about four weeks — typically from 15 May to 10 June. Around fifty restaurants (51 in 2026) offer special set menus at fixed prices, which makes it the cheapest time of year to eat at places that would otherwise be a splurge.
The 2026 edition, and 2027
- 2026: the 22nd edition ran from 15 May to 10 June, with 51 restaurants, 35 in Puerto Vallarta and 16 in Riviera Nayarit. Three-course menus came in three price tiers, MXN 495, 575 and 690, with drinks and tips not included.
- 2027: dates aren't announced yet, but it has kept the same 15 May – 10 June window for several years.
- Pride overlap: in 2026 it coincided with Vallarta Pride (17–25 May), the busiest dining week of the year, when booking two or three days ahead is wise. Pride 2027 is expected from 23 to 31 May.
How it works
- Set menus at fixed prices — usually a choice of starter, main and dessert, at one of three price tiers.
- No pass or ticket needed. You simply book a participating restaurant and ask for the Restaurant Week menu.
- The list is published each year and spans Old Town, downtown, the Marina and Nuevo Vallarta.
- Regular menus stay available — the set menu is an option, not a replacement.
Why the timing is good
This is the part most people miss. Mid-May to early June falls in the shoulder season: the dry weather is mostly still holding, the high-season crowds have gone, and accommodation is markedly cheaper than in winter. Combining low-season room rates with fixed-price menus at the city's better restaurants — a combination that doesn't occur at any other point in the calendar — makes it arguably the best-value fortnight of the year. See best time to visit and trip cost.
Making the most of it
- Book ahead — the popular restaurants fill up, especially at weekends, and the better-known ones fill for the whole period.
- Use it to try the expensive places, not the ones you'd afford anyway. A fixed menu at a restaurant you'd normally consider a splurge is where the value is; at a mid-range place it saves little.
- Check the menu before booking. Set menus vary a lot — some are genuinely the kitchen's best work, others a reduced version of it.
- Check what's included — drinks, tips and sometimes coffee are normally extra; the headline price is for the food.
- Tip on the full value, not the discounted price; the staff work the same.
Latest articles
Puerto Vallarta Transport Cost Estimator
What it costs to get around Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay — by bus, Uber, taxi or water taxi — with the…
Read →
Puerto Vallarta Trip Budget Calculator
Work out what your trip will cost — in total, per person and per day — from a guesthouse budget to a resort…
Read →
Puerto Vallarta Map
The city, the beaches, the boat-only coves and the towns around Banderas Bay on one map — each linked to its…
Read →