Tino's La Laguna — Restaurant in Nayarit

Everyone raves about this place. This is our first time in Nuevo Puerto and we were unfamiliar with the area. So we asked the concierge about some suggestions for good seafood and this restaurant was one of them he mentioned. We couldn't remember the name of the rest of them so told the taxi driver to take us to Tino's La Laguna. We were pleasantly surprised, how good the service was. The young server spoke some English, but enough to understand our needs and enough to fill in our broken Spanish to tell us what they have to offer. Their Margarita was the best Margarita we've had during our trip to Puerto Vallarta, just order the simple lime Margarita on the rocks, I've tried something else the waiter recommended, but didn't think it was worth the price. We ordered the garlic shrimp off the menu and it was delicious. We also ordered a red snapper La Laguna style and it was also delicious. The fish was close to 3 lbs., we thought we would never eat it all, but we did. They rub a special spicy sauce on and grill it, we couldn't forget the taste of it. For dessert we opted for the fried banana accompanied with coffee, they were also excellent. The next night we invited a couple of friends with us and went back to La Laguna and oredered exactly the same meal as the night before. We recommend ordering black coffee and adding your cream or hot milk after, as our experience in Mexico with ordering coffee con leche or coffee Mexicano wasn't great. The menu has a large selection of alcoholic beverages and they also let you bring your own wine and pay 130 Pesos corkage. The reason this restaurant didn't get 5 star is because it is expensive. The prices are obviously set according to the tourist budget, though we have seen some Spanish speaking visitors but weren't sure if they were locals or visiting from other South American countries, as there are a lot of Chileans and Argentinians visiting Mexico. We would go to Tino's La Laguna once more before we are heading home. One thing we would like to warn you about is that almost every restaurant has one or two servers who are trying to invite you to a timeshare sales presentation and this place was no exception. An American staff started chatting with us, about their menu first, but later the subject was changed to selling condos. He said that we would receive some cash back if we attended to one of their presentations. We took his business card to be polite, but didn't call him. The place we are staying at also has many sales agents working in the city apparently, at the restaurants, souvenir shops and even on the streets. They are trained to get your attention and if you're not familiar with these tactics you can easily be a victim of their sales pitches and end up wasting a whole day for a free breakfast and even worse, you may end up buying one of their timeshares that is not worth the money you've just spent. But this is a subject for another review. We highly recommend...

You need to go here. Honestly it was one of the highlights of our whole trip that we can't stop talking about. The food, the service, the unique setting...it's all exceptional! In our week staying at a nearby resort, we ate here twice.. Everything is made with such intentionality.. The food is SO fresh, flavorful, and authentic. We spoke to several locals that indicated that this is their favorite place to eat and we are glad we took their advice! If you order the banana flambé dessert or Mexican coffee, they make it right at your table and it is quite a show! Be sure to get the Pescado Zarandeado. Seems like a local highlight and it is unique and amazing. We went once during daylight because we are new to wandering out of our resort, which was very cool because there were turtles abound and a mariachi band! (PS it felt very safe and the restaurant made sure we got a cab ride back as requested). We went back at night for a later dinner and really took our time to enjoy all that they had to offer. Had the best shrimp of my life (just go with the garlic butter and it tastes like a king crab leg). Even my after dinner cappuccino was spectacular. I just can't say enough good things but I'll end it here. P.S. resort restaurants are really good, but this is better. ...

Amazing dinner at Tino's La Laguna tonight. Best meal I've had since arriving on the 11th. 🤤🤤🤤 Whole red snapper zarandeado style shared between the table. Our server, Andreas was PHENOMENAL! Such great recommendations. I tried ricilla for the first time and it was so smoky and complex. They make their own! I would definitely have it again. Andreas was so accommodating for the two small kids with us as well! Ajillo shrimp was good, fish filet was delicious. The baked potato! I don't know what they do to it, but it's sooooo good. The house salad came with cucumbers, tomato, red and green peppers, red onion, and avocado. I put oil and vinegar on top and away we went. Nice amount of veggies added in with the lettuce! We ended the meal with fried plantains and holy moly is that caramel-y and delicious. Very similar to bananas foster. 🥰 If you're in the area, La Laguna is not to be missed. 😍😍😍 Chill vibes, beautiful atmosphere, great times await!

If I can figure out how to add photos, I'll update...