La Penita Restaurants and Foods
For your convenience, our La Penita restaurant and foods are classified by type of establishment making it easier for you to find exactly what you prefer.
- Restaurants and Foods
- Carts and Stands
- Carnicerias and Pollerias
- Desserts and Sweets
One of the many charming things about La Penita is its rustic character, and that includes both conventional and unconventional foods. This authentic Mexican beach town is full of restaurants, bars, cafes, snack shops, street vendors, carnicerias and pollerias that sell many foods bursting with local flavor – but not only Mexican food -although there are still plenty of Mexican restaurants that serve tasty traditional foods and taquerias that sell fresh shrimp tacos and oyster sopes.
This authentic fishing town also happens to be a popular vacation spot, recognized not only for its fresh fish and seafood dishes but also for its traditional Mexican food and regional specialties with options at various price ranges, from $7 pesos a serving and up, so anyone can indulge in the culinary delights of La Penita. Some of the locals’ favorites consist of regional recipes sold by the town’s street vendors and taco stands, such as tacos adobada and shrimp tamales.
Another sweet indulgence of the Riviera Nayarit where La Penita is located is its natural edible treats, such as chile tamarindo candy. Located in the Tropic of Cancer, this beach town borders lush tropical rainforests, rolling hills, and fruit orchards – an ideal climate and terrain for growing tropical fruits of all kinds. It’s common to find street vendors selling fresh coconuts, pineapples, mangoes, bananas, guavas, limes, plums, guanabana (soursop), lychee berries, sugar cane, and more.
The regional tropical fruits and vegetables may be among resdents’ favorites, but traditional Nayarit cuisine or “Cocina Estilo Nayarit” is delicious in its own way and worth a taste. The Nayar Mesa, part of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of the Riviera Nayarit, is known to have ideal conditions for growing unique chile varieties, such as Chile Cascabel, an ingredient in the famous Salsa Huichol. Chiles are often one of the primary ingredients in sauces and marinades that create the distinctive savory-spicy flavor of regional fish and meat dishes.
Although there are many delicacies in Nayarit cuisine, these are some of the more common ones:
Empanadas de Camaron
This “shrimp empanadas” appetizer is prepared with a shrimp filling. A mixture of Manchego cheese, red chiles, tomatoes, onions, and spices are wrapped inside corn dough, deep fried to golden brown, and ready to serve.
Pescado Zarandeado
This customary fish dish is marinated in a blend of lime juice, soy sauce, and chiles. Pargo fish (Red Snapper) is smoked over fire containing manglar wood and palm fronds, and then served with tomato, sliced onion, cucumber, crisp tostadas, and a unique salsa.
Tamales de Elote
This “sweet tamales” dessert consists of two types although both are made from young corn. One is called colados made of sieved ground corn. The other is called oyejos made with crushed corn.
For a midsize beach town, it has lots of variety, featuring many restaurants and eateries serving fresh seafood, authentic Nayarit dishes, international cuisine, and all kinds of traditional Mexican food. As we say in Mexico, “buen provecho!” (Bon appetit!)
