Taste of Pitillal Food Tour von Vallarta Food Tours

Met our guide Joana in the market square she spotted us right away with a huge smile and the first question out of her mouth was, “Any food aversions? Goat? Organs?” (Not your average icebreaker!) She promised us 7 stops, 6 tacos, 1 popsicle and off we went. Pitillal isn’t a tourist zone. It’s where the locals who work at the resorts actually live, and you can feel it. No glossy shops, no wristbands just real food, real people. We hit a roadside seafood cart, a tiny spice shop crammed with raw herbs, and then our first tacos with tortillas pressed fresh right in front of us. Joana said if tortillas aren’t made on the spot, locals won’t even bother eating there. Lesson learned. From there it was tacos, octopus, more tacos, more tortillas. By stop #4 I was waddling. Between stop 4 and 5, we had a sample of still cooking chicharoon, so good! Stop #5 brought a strawberry dessert tamale with a thick milk-based drink strange but so good. We finished with homemade paletas Kari grabbed a water base, I went creamy leche. It wasn’t just the food though. It was Joana. She loves what she does and it shows. Pitillal welcomed us in, fed us right, and gave us a taste of the Mexico we didn’t know we needed.

After taking the Pitillal Food Tour solo a couple of years ago and loving it, I couldn't not take my husband, daughter, and almost son-in-law on it on our most recent trip to Vallarta. Miel was our guide (she had also been my guide on the other tour) and was absolutely wonderful! She gave us so much insight to how things are done, why things are the way the are, and helpful hints to make our tastings even more delicious. I've been on a few different Vallarta Food Tour excursions, and this one is by far my favorite. I still dream about the carnitas and tamales!

What an amazing day! It was only my husband and I on the tour. Al, our guide, took us on a thoughtful and tasty adventure where we got to taste carne asada, carnitas, birria, tamales, and homemade ice cream. All were authentic and delicious. You can feel Al's passion for the community, and the food. As well as the businesses in this community. The small area we toured is not touristy, but that's the best part. We got to experience real food and real people. We even got to visit a beautiful Catholic Church where we saw a breathtakingly beautiful carving of Jesus that was carved out of a 1 ton piece of red cedar. We are so grateful to Al for sharing his passion and community with us!