The 25 Best Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | Eater

"Opening La Tienda Grande was like coming back home for chef Salvador “Chava” Carrillo. After working his way up to chef de cuisine at La Leche, one of the very first fine dining restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Chava left to cut his teeth in Dubai. He eventually came back home and opened a restaurant in the working-class neighborhood of Ixtapa, where he grew up. His menu is inspired by his international experience, with dishes like Anita’s Pasta (a squid ink fettuccine with chiltepín chile and shrimp), charcoal beef carpaccio with black sour sauce, and sea smoked ham (cured local sashimi, bone marrow cream, amaranth, and sunflower seeds). Carrillo’s restaurant is as colorful as his menu, with navy blue tables, wicker basket chandeliers, and lightbulbs decorated with hanging field corn. It’s 30 minutes away from El Centro, but there is no other restaurant like La Tienda Grande in the Banderas Bay." - Paola Briseño-González