Boca de Tomates - Best Beach Seafood in Puerto Vallarta!

[SelectSys]

I was in Puerto Vallarta last weekend and a local suggested that the best local seafood was available at Boca de Tomates beach.  Boca de Tomates is about 20 minutes from the cruise port going north away from town and is easily accessible by car, cab or uber.  

 

The beach probably has about 10 restaurants in total.  We picked one that accepted credit cards and ordered whole fish grilled on the BBQ.  It was truly fresh and delicious.  The whole experience of sitting out on the beach and enjoying the afternoon was a weekend highlight.  Boca de Tomates is a great outing for someone who wants to get a truly authentic Mexican meal in a stunning location.

 

I am certain any taxi/uber driver will know the way to Boca de Tomates and it also shows up on GPS for those that want to drive over independently.

 

BTW - don't forget to stop and look at the crocodiles where the road makes a sharp bend to the right before the beach.  The crocs are sitting behind a chain link fence and are waiting for people to throw them food. 

[Mike45LC]

Thanks for the dining suggestion.   I'll add this to my list!!

[Hlitner]

There are multiple eating venues in Boca de Tomatlan!   It would be helpful if you would post which restaurant you visited :).  I would add that there also plenty of excellent restaurants in Puerto Vallarta (some are even on the beach for those who want that thing) which would avoid the 45 min round trip drive to Boca.   We would agree that Boca does have some authentic charm.  It is also the jump-off point for the Ocean Grill (recently reopened) which has been a very popular eating venue in the past.  Whether its as good under its new management is an open question.  

 

Hank

[riffatsea]

I thought Boca de Tomatlan was south of PV not north???

[SelectSys]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

There are multiple eating venues in Boca de Tomatlan!   It would be helpful if you would post which restaurant you visited :).  I would add that there also plenty of excellent restaurants in Puerto Vallarta (some are even on the beach for those who want that thing) which would avoid the 45 min round trip drive to Boca.   We would agree that Boca does have some authentic charm.  It is also the jump-off point for the Ocean Grill (recently reopened) which has been a very popular eating venue in the past.  Whether its as good under its new management is an open question.  

 

Hank

 

I ate at the restaurant with the sign in front that said, "accepta las tarjetas" which is located pretty much as the road dead ends into the beach.

 

The restaurants on the beach in places like the Romantic Zone don't really do it for me.  The food quality and price don't match up for me.  The other seafood restaurant we ate at was "8 Tostadas"  by the big park.  It was pretty good, but not nearly as good as what we ate at the beach.  One restaurant that was a complete disappointment, other than the mariachis, was "La Chata."  I had been to the original in Guadalajara and thought the food was pretty good, but this location left much to be desired in terms of food quality.

 

Finally, I went to Boca de Tomates and not Boca de Tomatlan.  

 

4 hours ago, riffatsea said:

I thought Boca de Tomatlan was south of PV not north???

 

You are correct, Boca de Tomatlan is to the south.  Playa Boca de Tomates is right on the border with Nyarit. Check the map link below for exact location of Boca de Tomates:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Boca+de+Tomates,+Jalisco,+Mexico/@20.6703351,-105.2767983,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x842144372227878f:0x4e88e802a1d38987!8m2!3d20.6704355!4d-105.2739745

 

[Hlitner]

Got it!  Must admit, that after living in PV for more then a dozen winters it is very unlikely we would ever travel 45 min out towards Neuvo for dinner ).  In fact, an awful lot of folks who spend their time on the Riviera Nayarit tend to come into PV for dinner or even lunch (we seldom eat lunch out).   You got me thinking about friends who might have ventured out to the Neuvo for a meal and we can think of nobody!   That is the land of AIs, high rise time shares, condos, etc.  Its a perfect area for those who want to visit Mexico but prefer to think they are staying in the USA :).  The sad thing is that even in the Old Town of PV (also known as the Romantic Zone) there has been a lot of new destruction/construction.  Much of the charm is now being replaced by new condos...which is kind of sad.  Eventually, many of us who prefer to live in something akin to Mexico might be forced to move out to places like Bucerias.    Last year we met some old PV regulars who now spend their time in Rincon de Guayabitos, which is a long way to go from PV to find Mexico.

 

Some friends are surprised when we tell them that we have 2 Walmart Superstores, Sams and a Costco in PV not to mention a Home Depot out past the airport.  While all this stuff is convenient, there is some sadness to those who are seeking out Mexico...rather then the USA in Mexico.

 

Hank

[SelectSys]

We had a later flight home so we decided to take a drive up to Sayulita to see the extent of development up that way.  I would say the rapid development taking place in Puerto Vallarta is also working in Bucerias with many new developments underway.   We stopped at Boca de Tomates on our way back to the airport.  The beach there seems like it will be overrun by development from both North and South in the not too distant future.

[Hlitner]

18 hours ago, SelectSys said:

We had a later flight home so we decided to take a drive up to Sayulita to see the extent of development up that way.  I would say the rapid development taking place in Puerto Vallarta is also working in Bucerias with many new developments underway.   We stopped at Boca de Tomates on our way back to the airport.  The beach there seems like it will be overrun by development from both North and South in the not too distant future.

It is the way it is.  We are big PV fans (having lived there for more then a dozen winters) and can understand the boom in construction around the Bay of Bandaras.  We cannot blame anyone who has discovered why 10s of thousands of folks love that part of Mexico.  But it is now becoming a victim of its own popularity (just like many popular tourist places around the world).  The Puerto Vallarta we knew a decade ago, no longer exists.  We still love living in PV, but have had to change our own expectations.  Some of the changes are positive, but most are NOT!  We did not start living in Mexico because we wanted to live in the "USA South."   You could never get me to move to Nuevo Vallarta since it represents much of the reason why we choose not to live in a place like Florida!  I would not be surprised to see restaurants around Nuevo (which includes Boca de Tomates) to promoting "early birds."  :(.  If you need help finding a bus stop (or the correct bus) just ask any "Gringo" who does not look like a cruiser for help :).  How can you tell?  If they are carrying a bottle of water, fanny pack, or anything from a cruise ship they are likely a cruiser.  If they are dressed like "they do not give a damn" then are likely locals :).   Since we are very active cruisers who also happen to live in PV (for 10 weeks a year) we can usually pick out cruisers :).  So cruisers should also be able to pick out other cruisers.  And yes, if they are wearing their cruise card around they neck on a lanyard, they are a cruiser :).

 

Hank