What's the food like in the markets in Puerto Vallarta?

The food in the markets in Puerto Vallarta is incredible. Produce in Mexico, in general, is more organic than it is in the US. I can’t say entirely but there is a lot more small-scale farming. You go to your local markets and it wouldn’t be unusual to see tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce, all grown locally by someone with a plot of land a couple of miles out from the beach.

 

You buy your eggs at the local market as well....

The food in the markets in Puerto Vallarta is incredible. Produce in Mexico, in general, is more organic than it is in the US. I can’t say entirely but there is a lot more small-scale farming. You go to your local markets and it wouldn’t be unusual to see tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce, all grown locally by someone with a plot of land a couple of miles out from the beach.

 

You buy your eggs at the local market as well. Often, they are either free range or at the very least cage free. The yolks are a magnificent deep yellow which tells you the chicken that laid it is happy.   You can tell the chicken has a proper diet as opposed to the massed produced, anemic looking pale yellow eggs that we get up north.  Generally, things are fresher, better and better for you in Mexico.

 

Speaking to the freshness, a lot of times produce might be a little bit dirtier, coming right from the earth, and not having been sprayed, processed, bleached or waxed. So when you would bring your fruits and vegetables home you might have to give it a better scrubbing and a rinse in anti-microbial solution than you would in the US or elsewhere. 

 

The cost for food in Puerto Vallarta is much less expensive.  I went to the market the other day and purchased 10 bananas, 5 cucumbers, a dozen beautiful ripe, perfectly red tomatoes, a few apples, some celery, a loaf of artisanal, sourdough bread and it all cost about 100 pesos (US $7). In New York, it would have been $30 for the same items.  We have a great bounty at a terrific price here.

 

(Field of cucumbers, Mexico, pictured.)

The markets here in Puerto Vallarta are not like the restaurants in Mexico City. The markets in Puerto Vallarta sell fruits, seafood, and maybe meat, but for prepared food, it’s not really that good. In the markets in Puerto Vallarta, you can find a guy who sells carnitas, but I would not necessarily go to the markets just to buy carnitas. 

 

In Puerto Vallarta, markets are cheap, but they’re not like the markets in other cities in Mexico...

The markets here in Puerto Vallarta are not like the restaurants in Mexico City. The markets in Puerto Vallarta sell fruits, seafood, and maybe meat, but for prepared food, it’s not really that good. In the markets in Puerto Vallarta, you can find a guy who sells carnitas, but I would not necessarily go to the markets just to buy carnitas. 

 

In Puerto Vallarta, markets are cheap, but they’re not like the markets in other cities in Mexico that have abundant ready-to-eat food. Here in Puerto Vallarta, the markets are really small. I would love to have a bigger market, but that’s all we’ve got for now.

 

If I have to go buy carrots, potatoes, etc., the markets in Puerto Vallarta have plenty of that. You’ll also find supermarkets in Puerto Vallarta such as Soriana’s Grocery Store, Wal-Mart, and Mega Grocery where you have lots of choices. There’s also a fruit market by our house. 

 

Compared to the unprepared food shopping in Atlanta, Miami, or Chicago, you probably have more choices here in Puerto Vallarta. The cost in Puerto Vallarta is at least ½ or 1/3 of the cost in the US, including unprepared food. Food here in Puerto Vallarta is relatively cheap. You can get more fruits and vegetables than you can carry for no more than $10. Sometimes it costs a quarter of the price you would pay in the US. 

 

The meats are harder to get in Puerto Vallarta because they’re not going to make the cuts you request. If I wanted steak, a proper prime rib or a ribeye, I should go to Costco for that. Costco is our place. We live a block away from Costco so we go there as lot. Costco is more expensive than going to regular markets, but it’s more convenient for us. At Costco, you get everything you need.  

 

(Fruit stall on the back of a truck, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

Puerto Vallarta has fresh fruit markets. There are Saturday morning markets in the park that have all sorts of vegetables and other food items. You have supermarkets like Costco, Soriana, and Mega, which are the large grocery stores. Many of the grocery stores in Puerto Vallarta would also have appliances and all sorts of items that you wouldn't typically see in a grocery store; almost like a department store.  

 

 

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Puerto Vallarta has fresh fruit markets. There are Saturday morning markets in the park that have all sorts of vegetables and other food items. You have supermarkets like Costco, Soriana, and Mega, which are the large grocery stores. Many of the grocery stores in Puerto Vallarta would also have appliances and all sorts of items that you wouldn't typically see in a grocery store; almost like a department store.  

 

 

 

(Drink ingredients, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)