8 Puerto Vallarta Restaurants Receive Five Star Diamond Award

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) has awarded eight Puerto Vallarta restaurants with the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award, considered to be the most notable accolade a restaurant may receive, in recognition of their fine gastronomy, superior quality, cleanliness and service. Puerto Vallarta is considered home to the second best restaurant scene in Mexico, after Mexico City. The town's gastronomy is recognized for its unique blend of traditional Mexican ingredients with contemporary influences from around the globe.

In addition to receiving the AAHS recognition, the award places these acclaimed restaurants within the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in Mexico, a designation awarded by VISA, the credit card company. This is the first year that eight Puerto Vallarta restaurants have received the award. The new record only strengthens Puerto Vallarta's position as one of Mexico's leading culinary destinations.

Puerto Vallarta's fine gastronomic scene has the ability to impress the most sophisticated palates. The city's natural beauty is a source of inspiration for the creation of an exciting amalgam of flavors that blend traditional Mexican ingredients with contemporary tastes from around the globe. Every year, Puerto Vallarta hosts an International Gourmet Festival. The festival is a ten-day celebration where about 20 guest chefs in addition to talented local chefs offer special Chef's Table and Winemaker dinners, tastings, classes and demonstrations in over 20 participating restaurants.

The eight restaurants awarded by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences include:

Le Kliff Restaurant and Bar
Perched on the edge of a cliff a short drive south of downtown Puerto Vallarta, in a contemporary Mexican setting, Le Kliff is considered one of the best kept gastronomical secrets of Banderas Bay with spectacular ocean views. From December through April, patrons can even catch sight of gray whales and giant manta rays. Le Kliff’s menu includes some of the finest seafood in Puerto Vallarta.

Café des Artistes
Internationally acclaimed chef Thierry Blouet creates delectable fusions of Mediterranean fare blended with traditional Mexican ingredients. Café des Artistes has won many accolades and offers a memorable dining experience in an environment that features high design, a romantic multi-level garden and a comprehensive wine library.

Thierry's Prime Steak House
Thierry's Prime is an avant-garde steak house with Mexican flair created by Thierry Blouet, Puerto Vallarta's internationally acclaimed chef. Thierry’s Prime serves freshly selected cuts of Prime, High Choice and Sonora in a contemporary environment.

La Palapa
Set in a tropical environment of casual elegance on Los Muertos Beach, in the heart of Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town “Romantic Zone”, La Palapa serves contemporary Mexican cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. La Palapa’s Beach Club complete with elegant chaise lounges, low tables and umbrellas right on the sand, provides a fun alternative for those looking to enjoy fine cuisine and creative drinks while taking advantage of the beach and people watching.

Los Xitomates
Executive chef Javier Fernandez Somellera uses traditional Mexican ingredients and lots of ingenuity to create some of the most refined contemporary Mexican fare. Chef Fernandez Somellera strives to create the most modern dishes that reflect the evolution of Mexican cuisine, with influences from the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Caribbean, while respecting the roots of Mexican cuisine, from colonial and pre Hispanic times.

Kaiser Maximilian
Chef owner Andreas Rupprechter has created a little corner of Austria in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. Combining his experience in Europe and Mexico with a great crew of dynamic chefs, Kaiser Maximilian has created a menu that merges new and old world cuisines and features traditional Austrian dishes.

Vista Grill
Vista Grill offers creative contemporary cuisine accented with regional flavors in an exquisite setting high above town, overlooking all of Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay. Some of the menu highlights include salmon encrusted with a trio of peppers and tamarind essence, baked chilean sea bass filet, with yuzu and olive oil emulsion,and citrus foam; and rack of lamb "three ways" with ancho rub, salpicon and wonton of birria.

Tikul
Located on the Marina Vallarta boardwalk, with spectacular views of the marina and yacht slips, Tikul is the latest endeavor of the owners of Puerto Vallarta's other Five Star Diamond Award restaurants Vista Grill and La Palapa, and specializes in cuisine inspired by the Pacific rim.

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