Pitillal Culinary Excursion: Discover Authentic Mexican Flavors in Puerto Vallarta's Hidden Gem

Embark on a 3.5-hour culinary adventure in Pitillal, Puerto Vallarta’s hidden gem. Discover authentic Mexican flavors, explore charming eateries, and experience life as a local in this small group food tasting and cultural walking tour.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Your 3.5-hour tour starts in the quintessentially Mexican Pitillal community (pronounced “pee-tee-yall”). You will visit eight authentic tasting locations and receive a behind-the-scenes look at the Pitillal neighborhood, with visits to important landmarks.
Your informative and professional guide will share his knowledge of the local customs, eclectic…

What's Included
  • Guided walking tour
  • Tastings at 8 different locations
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Discover Puerto Vallarta’s hidden culinary gem, the authentic neighboring town of Pitillal, a working class neighborhood with delightful shops, restaurants and stands. This is a is a small group, 3.5-hour food tasting and cultural walking tour exploring the charming Pitillal neighborhood. Explore Mexico’s sophisticated flavors and vast spectrum of…

Location
Plaza del Pitillal
Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/jS4bZDQH38e51ph56
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(299 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Sean_s
Sep 1, 2025
Pitillal: Where the Flavor Lives - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Rebeccalo5351dr
Aug 21, 2025
Miel is the BEST tour guide for this delicious experience! - 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy
Jul 17, 2025
Do yourself a favor, and book this tour! - 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Goplaces261548
Jun 22, 2025
A must-do for food lovers - Wish i could give this tour more than 5 stars! Miel is an encyclopedia of knowledge about Mexican food -- its origins, its varieties and its ingredients. I've lived here more than 6 years and am an semi-pro food historian myself, but I learned a lot from our gracious and enthusiastic tour guide. Excellent value, delicious and fascinating way to spend a few hours of your time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
669wandah
Jun 17, 2025
Fantastic fun and food - Our tour was amazing and our tour was fantastic. You could tell she was proud of her culture and her home. The walk was so interesting and educational. The places she took us to were wonderful. The staff of each place were kind, friendly, accommodating and smiling. The food at each place was delicious. We try to take a food tour where ever we go. We travel a lot in and out of the country and we have had amazing tours everywhere. I would recommend this tour to anyone one that wants to leave the resort areas and get a real taste of Mexico. Our tour guide was nice enough to give us the names and a map to the places we visited. Since we will be back it was a plus for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer
Jun 12, 2025
Fantastic tour!! - This tour was exceptional. Al, our tour guide, was so pleasant and informative. I would highly recommend the tour anyone. Just make sure you come hungry because you eat a lot of food!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C6900lomadisons
May 8, 2025
Delicious food, great guide! - Joana was a wonderful guide! She helped us navigate the busy streets of Pitillal and was very knowledgeable and kind. We loved her stories and her genuine love for the cuisine and neighborhood. Definitely recommend this tour if you’re interested in authentic food and a fun walking journey. Pitillal is a great way to get away from the tourism parts of town and experience true Mexican culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Odieo2022
Apr 26, 2025
A taste of everyday life in Pitillal. - What a great fun little tour, Joanna met us at the square across from the church like we were told. And in a somewhat of a figure eight showed us where all the locals by there masa for the tortillas where they like to go for carnitas in the morning, where to find the best shrimp tostada in the neighborhood. Joanna really gave us the inside scoop on how these families run their businesses. The tamale House was probably my favorite. It's just so heartwarming to see a family work together to make something happen.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pearstraveler
Apr 11, 2025
Take this tour! - What a great way to spend a morning! Joana was a fabulous tour guide and showed us such a unique side of the food in Pitillal. We loved getting away from the more touristy side of Vallarta to experience a more local area. Would 100% recommend this tour to anyone coming to PV!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
149brendas
Apr 11, 2025
Tasteful talk, tacos, tortillas and more..... - Joann was friendly, knowledgeable, and fun as she led the group on the tasting food tour. She quickly introduced us to other group members, explained our route, and we were on our way! We had 6 main stops and several quick stops and felt we were really getting the local feel while indulging in the best of the best foods in Mexico.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $55
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).