Why go
Order ceviche or a grilled fish dish with a clearer idea of what arrives, then connect the bay’s cinematic reputation to Mismaloya. The filming of The Night of the Iguana brought a cast and tabloid attention to the area; later productions also used the surrounding jungle and city.
The full story
The food described in the city’s older accounts starts with the catch. Ceviche combines fish or shellfish with lime, onion and chile, often served on a tostada or with tortilla chips. Huachinango sarandeado is red snapper marinated with a spiced paste and grilled; mahi-mahi also appears grilled over coals. These are more useful clues on a menu than a general promise of “local cuisine.” Film history leads south to Mismaloya, where The Night of the Iguana was filmed in the 1960s. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s off-screen relationship drew attention to Puerto Vallarta, and they later bought a house here. Director John Huston also established a home in the area. The jungle hills behind Mismaloya appeared in Predator decades later. Together, the dishes and filming locations give a way to read the coast as both a working food landscape and a setting that helped put the town in the international imagination.