Which Food Tour in Puerto Vallarta? Four Walks, One Operator, and the Differences That Matter
6 min read
For most people the answer is the Evening Taco Adventure Tour: €52.57 per person, 4.9 stars from 126 reviews, three hours after dark, and the most-reviewed food tour in town. If you would rather eat at lunchtime, take the 3-hour food tour of authentic local cuisine. If seafood is the point, the Seafood Lover’s Food Tour. And if you want drinks as much as food, the Mexology Tacos & Tequila Tour at €86.11.
See dates and prices for the Evening Taco Adventure Tour
Same company, four routes
All four booking pages name the same activity provider, Puerto Vallarta Food Tours, and all four are walking tours in English for small groups: ten people at most on three of them, eight on the seafood tour. So you are not choosing between companies. You are choosing a route, and the route decides almost everything.
Three of the four start in or next to the Zona Romántica. The taco tour meets at Mariscos El Güero on Calle Francisco I. Madero, and both the Mexology tour and the local-cuisine tour list Lázaro Cárdenas Park. All four offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
The four compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evening Taco Adventure Tour | 3 hours | €52.57 | 5 from 126 reviews | A first night in town; street food after dark |
| Mexology Tacos & Tequila Tour | 4 hours | €87.31 | 5 from 114 reviews | Adults who want cocktails with the food |
| 3-hour food tour of authentic local cuisine | 3 hours | €52.57 | 4.9 from 87 reviews | A daytime tasting that works as lunch |
| Seafood Lover’s Food Tour | 3 hours | €52.57 | 5 from 44 reviews | Anyone who wants ceviche and grilled octopus rather than pork |
The evening taco tour
This is the one with the street stands. Its description promises seven street-style tacos and a tequila tasting at El Tasting Room at the end, with a guide who explains each dish and the history of the stand it comes from. It is also the one that works as an orientation: you walk through the centre at night and come away with a list of places to go back to.
One recent reviewer who does not drink says the guide swapped the tequila stop for churros and ice cream, which suggests the last stop is not obligatory. Ask the operator before you book if it matters to you.
The 3-hour local cuisine tour
The daytime version, and the better fit when you want a meal rather than an evening out. The description lists seven tasting stops at family-owned restaurants and stands: mole enchiladas, ceviche tostadas, fresh coconut, tacos, soups and regional sweets, plus a fresh tortilla straight off the line at a tortilla factory. The operator describes it as enough for a satisfying lunch, and the food is included in the price. That also makes it the sensible choice if you do not want alcohol to be part of the programme.
See dates and prices for the 3-hour local cuisine food tour
The seafood tour
A narrower menu and a more specific walk: the old town with stops at the market, the pier and Muertos Beach, and seven seafood tastings. The listed dishes are a seafood-stuffed jalapeño taco, ceviche, grilled calamari, fried octopus, aguachile and shrimp tostada. The booking page says to expect about 1.5 miles of walking, with at least two stops to sit, and that the tour runs whatever the weather.
It is also the tour where the booking page is most explicit about who it does not suit: it lists vegans and vegetarians as well as pregnant women, people with heart problems and wheelchair users. With a menu built on seafood, that is a fair reason for a vegetarian to pick another tour. It has the fewest reviews of the four, 42, so its 5-star score rests on a smaller sample.
Check availability for the Seafood Lover’s Food Tour
The Mexology tour: a drinks tour with food
This is the expensive one, and the price is for the drinks. The description promises five cocktails and five food tastings across five bars in the Old Town and the Romantic Zone, built around tequila, mezcal and raicilla. A recent reviewer who had taken the tour two years running praised the guide’s explanations of the three spirits.
Two things to know. First, the page lists children under 18 as not suited to it. Second, the listing gives the duration as four hours while the highlights say a three-hour tour; allow for the longer one. It is the better evening if the cocktails are why you are going, and the worse value if you mainly want to eat: the three other tours cost less and are about food from start to finish.
See dates and prices for the Mexology Tacos & Tequila Tour
Who should stay away
Read the “not suitable for” line on each booking page before you pay. All four list people with mobility impairments or wheelchair users, and three also list pregnant women; the seafood tour adds the exclusions above. These are walking tours, and the operator, not this page, is the one to ask about dietary needs, allergies or a slower pace. One reviewer of the local cuisine tour says the guide accommodated everyone’s allergies and preferences, but a review is not a promise.
Food tours are also not the way to eat on a tight budget. All four come in at €51.84 or more, while the wider food tours category runs to 66 offers from €12.83. If the aim is to sample tequila rather than tacos, the tequila in Puerto Vallarta guide compares tasting in town with the trip to the town of Tequila.
Our recommendation
Book the Evening Taco Adventure Tour at €52.57, 4.9 stars from 126 reviews, if you want one food tour and have no particular preference. It has the most reviews and a time of day that suits a first night.
Choose the 3-hour local cuisine tour at the same price if you would rather have lunch than dinner and do not want the tequila. Choose the Seafood Lover’s Food Tour only if you eat fish and shellfish happily. Keep the Mexology tour for an adults-only night when the drinks matter as much as the food.
With children along, none of these is the obvious pick; see Puerto Vallarta with children for what works instead. If you would rather see the city on your own first, Puerto Vallarta without a tour covers the bus and the Malecón.
