Puerto Vallarta’s 2026 dining calendar has added three notable restaurant openings across Zona Romántica, 5 de Diciembre, and La Bobadilla, with Evelina Vallarta, Palomo Playero, and Chon drawing early attention.
The three restaurants were included in a wider roundup of new hotel, wellness, and dining projects promoted for the first half of 2026. The new addresses are spread across different parts of town.
That gives Puerto Vallarta’s food scene another visible push at the start of the summer season, especially as the city keeps leaning on gastronomy as part of its tourism identity.
New restaurants stretch Puerto Vallarta’s dining map
Evelina Vallarta opened at Insurgentes 193 in Zona Romántica, near Francisco I. Madero and Insurgentes. The restaurant is led by chef-owner Maycoll Calderón and focuses on handmade pasta, slow-fermented dough, and wood-fired cooking.
The restaurant’s own site lists lunch from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. Its reservation profile places Evelina in the MXN310-MXN500 range, with Mediterranean, contemporary Italian, and seafood listed among the main cuisines on OpenTable.
That puts Evelina in one of Puerto Vallarta’s busiest dining zones, where dinner reservations can fill quickly during weekends, holidays, and the winter season. The restaurant’s own materials describe the kitchen as “flour-driven,” with handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas at the center of the menu.
Palomo Playero is located at Nicaragua 302 in Colonia 5 de Diciembre, a few blocks inland from Playa Camarones. The restaurant is by chef Mario Borja, whose other Vallarta projects include Chá and Numoh in Versalles.
The destination describes Palomo Playero around Borja’s “cocina libre” approach, with local seafood, catch-of-the-day dishes, cocktails, and a more relaxed beach-neighborhood setting. Published hours list service from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The 5 de Diciembre location is worth noting because the neighborhood keeps pulling more dining traffic north of Centro and the Malecón. It is walkable from many Centro hotels and rentals, but still feels different from the denser restaurant blocks farther south.
Chon, at Alameda 205 in La Bobadilla, takes the expansion in another direction. The restaurant sits in the upper Pitillal area, away from the usual beach and hotel circuits.
Chon is connected to chef Joel Ornelas, known in Puerto Vallarta for Tintoque and El Puerco de Oro. A restaurant guide describes Chon Pescados a la leña as a more casual Ornelas project focused on wood-fired fish and seafood, with whole-grilled fish, seafood tostadas, and daily-catch specials among its recommendations.
The opening gives La Bobadilla a higher-profile food address at a time when more Vallarta dining conversations are moving into neighborhoods that visitors often miss. It also adds another option outside the familiar Zona Romántica, Versalles and Marina routes.
The additions follow a broader stretch of Puerto Vallarta food and restaurant news, with more attention falling on chef-led projects, neighborhood dining, and openings outside the traditional hotel-zone circuit.
Not every new concept will fit every budget, and new restaurant hours often shift after opening. Anyone planning a meal around a reservation should check the current schedule before crossing town.
