Puerto Vallarta Scene

Puerto Vallarta Information & Events

Nacho Daddy Restaurant and Bar

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Nacho Daddy Restaurant and Bar is a large, open place with plenty of room for watching sports on large-screen TVs, having a party, just plain old drinking and eating or for enjoying live entertainment. The food is common Tex-Mex served in generous portions at low to moderate prices. It was opened in October, 2009, by 5 long-time Puerto Vallarta residents.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • ADDRESS: 180 Basilio Badillo, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Old Town
  • WEBSITE: www.nachodaddymexico.com/
  • EMAIL: sean @ nachodaddymexico.com
  • PHONE: 322 223 0838
  • HOURS/DAYS: Daily 12 to 12 (or until everyone goes home)
  • HAPPY HOUR: No happy hour.
  • FOOD:
    • Assorted “Mex-Tex” at low to moderate prices
  • EXTRAS:
    • Live music Thursdays thru Saturdays
    • Multiple 42″ wide screen TVs
    • Billiards

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COMMENTS ( from the owners )

Nacho Daddy is an original concept in “Mex-Tex” cuisine with the best live music in Puerto Vallarta. Sports Room with 42″ TVs, Billiards, lively atmosphere – a favorite with locals and tourists alike.

Come in for great good food, hear jammin music, drink a little or a lot and have a mucho bueno time.

GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP
(Street View made before Nacho Daddy’s existed)

Casa Isabel Bar & Grill

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

I should preface this description with the fact that I maintain the Casa Isabel website and I have an inside view of this operation. I’ll try to be objective but please excuse me if I’m not.

Casa Isabel is the product of two people, Dave and Isabel Manore, the owners of Madison Avenue Pub in Toronto, Canada. The Casa has been their winter home for many, many years until recently, about 2 year ago, when they had the idea to add on to this small boutique hotel a bar and restaurant.

Dave Manore was a maniac. He loved creating. He also died in the early winter of 2009, just as he had finished the construction of his Bar/Restaurant. This is not written for sympathy but only for perspective.

There is no question that Casa Isabel Boutique Hotel is one of the finer tourist destinations in Puerto Vallarta. It is relatively inexpensive along with having one of the best locations. The view, alone, is worth its weight in gold.

The Restaurant/Bar was never meant to be a high-end gourmet dining experience but Isabel has a “fault” of hiring only the finest people to bring her dreams to fruition. What was to be originallhy a simple sports bar is now a restaurant that goes far beyond this category. In fact, it has no category. People naturally assume that, because Casa Isabel is in one of the primo locations in Puerto Vallarta that it must be one of the “best” restaurants in the city. It’s good, but it definitely isn’t the “best.” And I say this as a friend and in total support. Casa Isabel was designed as a place where people could relax, have fun and enjoy the best view in the bay.

At the time of this review, March, 2010, the restaurant has been open in full capacity for only about a month. Service has suffered as the staff has moved into the new kitchen and the new procedures. Casa Isabel will suffer the inconsistencies and defects and emerge, as Dave and Isabel always have, as a wonderful experience for those who know and appreciate quality.

GENERAL INFORMATION

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COMMENTS ( from the owners )

The Casa Isabel MADISON SOUTH BAR & GRILL is a full-service restaurant and bar overlooking Puerto Vallarta and the whole of Banderas Bay. It is the perfect place to unwind after a busy day. The dress is casual and the atmosphere relaxed with the emphasis on enjoyment.

Come for breakfast, lunch or dinner or just to have a drink and stay to watch the sunset. The view is second to none. By day you can see the whole of the Bay of Banderas and by night the lights of Puerto Vallarta are magical. The nightly Malecón fireworks are a treat.

OTHER VIEWS & REVIEWS

GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP
(Please excuse Google for misnaming this street…)

El Gringo Loco Cantina

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

El Gringo Loco is a hidden neighborhood expat bar on the east side of town. You won’t know it’s there if you’re passing by on the street. Inside it’s very comfortable and friendly. The owners are from LA. This is a good place to meet *real* expats. Beer is always 17 pesos and national drinks 25 pesos. Gringo Loco has clean bathrooms and it’s an honest bar.

Reviewed March 9, 2010

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • ADDRESS: Madero 403 (at Aquacate), Colonia Emiliano Zapata
  • WEBSITE: none
  • EMAIL: none
  • PHONE: none
  • HOURS/DAYS: 11 am to 11 pm except on Sundays 11 am to 7 pm
  • HAPPY HOUR: Drinks are always low priced
  • FOOD:
    • Food allowed from nearby restaurants. Special meals on occasion.
  • EXTRAS:
    • Pool Table, Free Wi-Fi, Free Phone to US and Canada, Canadian Satellite TV, occasional live band, book exchange

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Twisted Palms Rooftop Lounge

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Twisted Palms is a second floor roof-top lounge hidden inside a small plaza in Old Town Puerto Vallarta. The owner, Alan Sellers, is passionate about his bartending, using only premium mixers (there are no “National” or “house” brands). He specializes in martinis but can whip up a large array of creative concoctions with skill and, more importantly, talent.

Half of the bar is exposed to the stars (and rain), with plenty of room undercover for those few high-season wet nights. Twisted Palms is open all year. Normal drink prices are 25/30 pesos for cerveza, 55 for margaritas, 65 for martinis and 55 for a nice wine.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • ADDRESS: Ignacio L. Vallarta 228 – 18, Upstairs in Plaza Romy, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Old Town
  • PHONE: 322-171-2855
  • WEBSITE: None
  • EMAIL: twistedpalmspv @ hotmail.com
  • HOURS/DAYS: 4 pm until “closing.” Closed Wednesdays
  • HAPPY HOUR:
    • 4 to 6 pm, 15 pesos Corona/Pacifico, 2 for 1 martinis (65 pesos).
    • Martini Madness Mondays (6 pm to closing, house martinis 40 pesos).
    • Ladies night on Sunday which is 2 for 1 for ladies all night no restrictions
  • FOOD:
    • Food available delivered from restaurants in the Plaza Romy
  • EXTRAS:
    • Wi-Fi
    • Movies nightly on a large projection screen
    • Very comfortable lounges

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COMMENTS ( from the owners )

“Come Party With the Stars”

OTHER VIEWS & REVIEWS

GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP

Bean and Gone Cafe & Pub

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Bean and Gone Cafe & Pub is brand new at the time of this writing (March, 2010). It is 2 store fronts in a new building half a block from the Malecon, by the Molina de Aqua condos. Half of it is cafe serving gringo-style breakfast and lunch at this time, with plans to soon expand into dinner. The other half is a sparsely decorated (I’m sure this will change) small, modern, suburban bar scene. The prices are very reasonable: cerveza 18 pesos, margaritas 35 pesos, a decent house wine 30 pesos, etc.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • ADDRESS: Aquiles Serdan 242, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Old Town
  • WEBSITE: www.vallartabeanandgone.com
  • EMAIL:soon…
  • PHONE: 222 4285
  • HOURS/DAYS: 9 am to 11 pm daily
  • HAPPY HOUR: To Be Determined
  • FOOD:
    • Breakfast and Lunch menu with reasonable prices. Espresso machine.
  • EXTRAS:
    • Free wi-fi, Free US/Canada phone, StarChoice TV, live music Saturdays

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GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP
(Map made before business existed)

Bite Me! Beach Club

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Bite! Me is a beach front restaurant/bar, a tad upscale (cloth napkins, real plates, glasses and cutlery) and at times a tad outrageous. It features live entertainment and other events such as beach bingo and dance lessons. It is definitely a gay business but, like almost all gay businesses in Vallarta, it is non-exclusive. You can relax in a comfortable beach lounge chair (there is a minimum drink purchase for the lounge) or dine inside. Prices for drinks and food are moderate and well within or slightly below the norm for the area.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • ADDRESS: Calle Malecon 1 corner of Abedul, Colonia Emiliano Zapata
  • WEBSITE: http://bitemebeachclub.com/home.html
  • EMAIL: bite me! beach club
  • PHONE: 322.223.1521, extension 234
  • HOURS/DAYS: 8:30 am to 6 pm with daily events from 6 to 8 pm
  • HAPPY HOUR: No “happy hour” but 20 peso beer and 35 peso house margaritas all day, everyday.
  • FOOD:
    • MENUS
    • Breakfast and Lunch/Snack Menus. Good selection.
  • EXTRAS:

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COMMENTS ( from the owners )

bite me logobite me! beach club is, simply, the best place to hang out when visiting Los Muertos Beach. Whether you want to just relax, slowly pickling your liver with our excellent selection of cocktails as the sun bronzes your gringo skin, or whether you are more prone to lunatic, maniacal behavior…bite me! beach club will welcome you with open cash registers arms.

To service your every need, our attentive staff will serve you directly on the beach under the ever watchful eye of Grant Hunermund, club director and resident Beach Bitch. Do not tick her off! Oh honey, she will shoot you down in flames and leave your ego battered all to hell!

If you leave bite me! sober and unsatisfied you have not done your job as a valued customer.

OTHER VIEWS & REVIEWS

  • “On the waterfront, directly in front of the Blue Seas Resort and Spa, this new gay beach club is a classy version of what the gay beach ought to be!” — GayGuide Vallarta

GOOGLE STREET VIEW & MAP
(From the Street Entrance)