Food and Drink in Mexico: A Guide for the Pacific Coast and Beyond

Key takeaways

• Michelin: the 2026 Mexico selection has 29 starred restaurants and added Jalisco for the first time.

• Puerto Vallarta: no starred restaurants yet, but ICÚ holds a Bib Gourmand.

• Dishes to try: pescado zarandeado from Nayarit, aguachile and Jalisco-style birria.

• Drinks: tequila and raicilla are both protected by denominations of origin, and raicilla's area includes Puerto Vallarta.

Michelin restaurants in Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta

The Michelin Guide arrived in Mexico in 2024. Its 2026 selection, announced in Guadalajara in May 2026, has 29 starred restaurants and brought Jalisco, Puebla and Yucatán into the guide. In Guadalajara, Alcalde and Xokol each hold one star. Puerto Vallarta has no starred restaurant, but ICÚ holds a Bib Gourmand, and Pancho's Takos is among the city's recommended restaurants.

Pacific coast dishes to try

Pescado zarandeado: whole fish split open, marinated and grilled in a hinged rack over charcoal. Nayarit, and the island town of Mexcaltitán in particular, is widely credited as its home, though Sinaloa also claims it.

Aguachile: raw shrimp cured in lime and chile, usually served with cucumber and red onion. It's usually traced to Sinaloa and is common across the Nayarit coast.

Birria: a slow-cooked, chile-spiced stew, traditionally of goat, from Jalisco. Michelin's 2026 Jalisco list includes two Guadalajara birria restaurants.

In Puerto Vallarta, taco stands cluster in the Zona Romántica, while Sayulita, about an hour's drive north in Nayarit, is known for fish tacos and casual beach restaurants.

Tequila and raicilla

Tequila was Mexico's first denomination of origin, declared in 1974. It can't be made outside parts of five states: all of Jalisco and certain municipalities in Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacán and Tamaulipas. Raicilla, an agave spirit from western Jalisco, received its own denomination of origin in 2019. Its area covers 16 Jalisco municipalities, including Puerto Vallarta and Mascota, and Bahía de Banderas in Nayarit.

Why UNESCO lists Mexican cuisine

In 2010 UNESCO added traditional Mexican cuisine to its list of intangible cultural heritage, using Michoacán as its model. The listing covers corn, beans and chile, traditional farming methods and nixtamalization, the process of cooking corn with lime that makes masa for tortillas.

Frequently asked questions

Does Puerto Vallarta have any Michelin-starred restaurants?

Not as of the 2026 selection. ICÚ in Puerto Vallarta holds a Bib Gourmand, and Jalisco's starred restaurants are in Guadalajara.

What food is Nayarit known for?

Pescado zarandeado, whole grilled fish that's widely credited to Mexcaltitán, along with seafood dishes such as aguachile.

What is the difference between raicilla and tequila?

Both are agave spirits with their own denomination of origin. Tequila comes from parts of five states and is made from blue agave, while raicilla comes from 16 Jalisco municipalities and Bahía de Banderas in Nayarit.

Why is Mexican food on the UNESCO list?

UNESCO listed traditional Mexican cuisine in 2010 for its farming, cooking and community traditions, using Michoacán as the model.