# Food in Puerto Vallarta Area



## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

Hola! My family and I are considering spending six months in the Puerto Vallarta area (Nov 2013-Apr 2014). My husband has certain foods that are MUST HAVES in his diet and I wanted to find out the availability and costs.

* frozen cherries (we typically buy in bulk at Costco)

* frozen blueberries

* frozen strawberries

* fresh spinach (he eats 1lb of it a day)

* romaine lettuce and other green lettuces

We also enjoy eating fresh fruits and veggies. Where are the best places to shop for produce and what are typical prices. Here are a few examples:

pineapple

mangos

papayas

bananas

strawberries

mamey

sapodilla

We are really looking forward to this trip so any information is appreciated! :clap2:

Gracias,

TravelLover


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

I am an hour north of PV in Guayabitos and most of your list can be bought fresh at local produce stores.
About the only item I do not see is cherries fresh or frozen but I do not shop for frozen foods...


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

chicois8 said:


> I am an hour north of PV in Guayabitos and most of your list can be bought fresh at local produce stores.
> About the only item I do not see is cherries fresh or frozen but I do not shop for frozen foods...


I see about what you see. Strawberries everywhere in winter, cheap, but have seen bing cherries in a few large supermarkets here in season at very high prices. The spinach can be bought clean cut and frozen here or fresh and frozen strawberries I have not seen yet. 

The mangos in winter here were cheap but the tiny ones, the normal sized ones were more expensive, for some reason. The daily somewhere closed street tianguis sell this fresh produce for about 1/2 the price as suppermarkets on most items. 

Papaya, pineapples and mangos still sell for high prices everywhere. The "abasto" district sells everything even cheaper, most times. 

Example: 14 kilo bag of limes for $100 to $120 pesos. Limeaid in summer keeps me cooler, an old Mexicali trick. Alan


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

AlanMexicali said:


> I see about what you see. Strawberries everywhere in winter, cheap, but have seen bing cherries in a few large supermarkets here in season at very high prices. The spinach can be bought clean cut and frozen here or fresh and frozen strawberries I have not seen yet.
> 
> The mangos in winter here were cheap but the tiny ones, the normal sized ones were more expensive, for some reason. The daily somewhere closed street tianguis sell this fresh produce for about 1/2 the price as suppermarkets on most items.
> 
> ...


Gracias for the information! Right now we live in Hawaii where produce is INSANELY expensive so I'm sure we won't have ANY complaints about food costs in Mexico. Oddly enough the imported produce is less expensive than the locally produced.

Mangos are $2-$3.50/lb on the island, pineapples are $3.50 each, sometimes more. Papayas are cheap but most of them are GMO, unfortunately. Even the non GMO ones don't taste nearly as good as the ones I enjoyed when we lived in Costa Rica and Panama.

How easy is it to find organic produce?


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

chicois8 said:


> I am an hour north of PV in Guayabitos and most of your list can be bought fresh at local produce stores.
> About the only item I do not see is cherries fresh or frozen but I do not shop for frozen foods...


Gracias for responding!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Alan writes:"Papaya, pineapples and mangos still sell for high prices everywhere." he may mean everywhere around San Luis Potosi where he lives and is high desert but the OP is asking about PV and near PV where I am everything grows from Asparagus to Zucchini. 

You will see vendors selling watermelons for 10 pesos each, pineapples for 15 pesos, bags of mangoes for 25 pesos...We have all the tropical fruits also like jack fruit, star fruit noni and even chocolate. 

In my backyard I have coconuts,mangos,orange,lime,guava and pomegranates trees. Organic foods are more available now a days also...


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

chicois8 said:


> Alan writes:"Papaya, pineapples and mangos still sell for high prices everywhere." he may mean everywhere around San Luis Potosi where he lives and is high desert but the OP is asking about PV and near PV where I am everything grows from Asparagus to Zucchini.
> 
> You will see vendors selling watermelons for 10 pesos each, pineapples for 15 pesos, bags of mangoes for 25 pesos...We have all the tropical fruits also like jack fruit, star fruit noni and even chocolate.
> 
> In my backyard I have coconuts,mangos,orange,lime,guava and pomegranates trees. Organic foods are more available now a days also...


Very true when in your area, especially in Tepic, the mangos, papaya and those smaller sweeter pineapples come free with every meal and are better that fresh compared to here. We get the tropical fruit close by down the high plateau east of here in the State of Tampico and some from our state, also Veracruz. I look for the smaller sweeter Nayarit pineapples, never get a sour one. Delicious. Alan


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Yes Alan, I love living in a garden of eden local.......


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

chicois8 said:


> Alan writes:"Papaya, pineapples and mangos still sell for high prices everywhere." he may mean everywhere around San Luis Potosi where he lives and is high desert but the OP is asking about PV and near PV where I am everything grows from Asparagus to Zucchini.
> 
> You will see vendors selling watermelons for 10 pesos each, pineapples for 15 pesos, bags of mangoes for 25 pesos...We have all the tropical fruits also like jack fruit, star fruit noni and even chocolate.
> 
> In my backyard I have coconuts,mangos,orange,lime,guava and pomegranates trees. Organic foods are more available now a days also...


Mahalo (thank you) for the VALUABLE info! It looks like life will be AWESOME for us in PV! :clap2:


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Aloha,glad I could help.......


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## johnmex (Nov 30, 2010)

Big bags of frozen cherries are easily found at Costco.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

You'll find most produce much cheaper than Costco in the U.S. Buy in Mexican stores rather than U.S. stores if yoiu expect to find the best produce. 
The "clementina" oranges here in Rosarito are $3/lb in Costco San Diego stores and here average 70 cents a lb. Every produce I've seen in Costco (I work in several in S.D.) are always more expensive than stores here in TJ or Rosarito and the mainland Mexico is even cheaper. I have found unsweetened organic coconut (Mexican brand) much cheaper than anywhere in the U.S. If you stick to Mexican brands you'll save $$ but not if you stay with American brands.


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## JRinPV (Jul 2, 2012)

Mangos are just coming into season, the ones you see in the winter are from souther Mexico or Chile. Lot's of stuff available off the pick-up trucks, just bought a nice Honeydew for 10 pesos. Apart from your frozen blueberries, which are probably available in the US style big box stores, but I never shop there, everything else is available fresh. I usually shop at Baca, a greengrocer, close to my Municipal Market on the corner of Lázaro Cárdenas and Camachin, marked as Central Market on this map: Puerto Vallarta Map - Old Town, Romantic Zone or South Side
Organic is also available at Organic Select, they even deliver, Shop Now | Organic Select Mexico


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

JRinPV said:


> Apart from your frozen blueberries, which are probably available in the US style big box stores, but I never shop there, everything else is available fresh.


I can usually find fresh blueberries at my local Superama in Mexico City, but they are always quite expensive.


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## johnmex (Nov 30, 2010)

You shop at Superama? But....they are part of the infidel Wal-mart chain! Blasphemy!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

johnmex said:


> You shop at Superama? But....they are part of the infidel Wal-mart chain! Blasphemy!


I have no choice in the matter. It's the only show in town, the only store within easy walking distance of my apartment.


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## PVMikey (Apr 18, 2012)

*Fruits & Vegetables in PV*

Hi, I've lived in Puerto Vallarta for two years. I buy fresh and frozen blueberries (fresh for eating, frozen for baking) from the local COSTCO. (Yes, there is one here!). The local COSTCO also has fresh strawberries, raspberries, figs and other fresh fruits. Also a large assortment of frozen fruits. Also fresh and frozen vegetables of many varieties. I only shopped at COSTO occasionally when I lived in Southern California; but, since living in PV, it has become a "staple". For fresh, local produce (both tropical fruits and vegetables), it's best in my opinion to go to the local markets. Also, much less expensive than COSTCO, and the produce is of high quality and very fresh, in my experience. Good luck!


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## JRinPV (Jul 2, 2012)

Different strokes, I've lived here for about 19 years and have only been to Costco once and that was in the company of friends, I do practically all my shopping at the local Municipal Market. If I'm looking for something I can't get there, like lamb for example, I'll go to the Mega store.


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## PVMikey (Apr 18, 2012)

*Buying food in PV*

No contradiction to JR's post. I, too, go to the local markets frequently in order to buy local produce, fruits and vegetables. They are much more reasonably priced at the markets than even at the local supermarket chains, like Mega and Soriana, and much better quality, too. I still like COSTCO here (in Puerto Vallarta) and would be lost without it, however. I buy almost all of my meat at COSTCO, as they have USDA Choice, imported from the USA. The meat (beef and pork) that I find at the local supermarkets does not compare in quality. I do buy chicken sometimes at Mega and Soriana; however, I also buy chicken at COSTCO. I like lamb, and it's virtually impossible to find that here except at COSTCO. I do buy fish at the local markets, however. A word of caution: Even though the fruits and vegetables purchased from the local markets are cheaper and much better quality, be sure to wash and disinfect them before eating. I use a few drops of Chlorox in a quart or so of water for this purpose. I also wash eggs with the same solution before cracking and using them, because eggs in Mexico are generally not washed prior to delivery to the supermarkets, in order that they can be stored in the supermarkets at room temp. (Washing leaves the egg shell porous, which is why they are always refrigerated in the supermarkets in the USA.) Not washing them in a chlorox solution before using them here can result in a case of salmonella - I know from personal experience.


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

johnmex said:


> Big bags of frozen cherries are easily found at Costco.


That's REALLY good to know! :clap2: My husband got upset when we lived in Costa Rica and Panama because he couldn't find his precious frozen cherries!


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

chicois8 said:


> Alan writes:"Papaya, pineapples and mangos still sell for high prices everywhere." he may mean everywhere around San Luis Potosi where he lives and is high desert but the OP is asking about PV and near PV where I am everything grows from Asparagus to Zucchini.
> 
> You will see vendors selling watermelons for 10 pesos each, pineapples for 15 pesos, bags of mangoes for 25 pesos...We have all the tropical fruits also like jack fruit, star fruit noni and even chocolate.
> 
> In my backyard I have coconuts,mangos,orange,lime,guava and pomegranates trees. Organic foods are more available now a days also...


We'll be around from Nov to April so if you have any extra produce in your yard that you can't use we'll be more than happy to take it off your hands!


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

mes1952 said:


> You'll find most produce much cheaper than Costco in the U.S. Buy in Mexican stores rather than U.S. stores if yoiu expect to find the best produce.
> The "clementina" oranges here in Rosarito are $3/lb in Costco San Diego stores and here average 70 cents a lb. Every produce I've seen in Costco (I work in several in S.D.) are always more expensive than stores here in TJ or Rosarito and the mainland Mexico is even cheaper. I have found unsweetened organic coconut (Mexican brand) much cheaper than anywhere in the U.S. If you stick to Mexican brands you'll save $$ but not if you stay with American brands.


We buy local produce on the most part when traveling but we have to buy certain non local foods to satisfy my husband's palate (he tends to eat the same things everyday, lol).

After buying food in Hawaii for all these years we're going to REALLY enjoy life in Mexico ...


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## fjack1415 (Nov 4, 2011)

Hi TravelLover, Welcome to PV! Just to note, there is a Costco here (and a few Walmarts and a Sams Club). Beware that "Romaine lettuce" here means our common "Iceberg", just the opposite!


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

But romaine is also available. Costco sells individual blooms of it that are delicious and sweet.


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## JRinPV (Jul 2, 2012)

I can buy Romaine lettuce at my local greengrocer, Baca, next to the Municipal Market. No need to go all the way to Costco, I can walk to the market


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## kcowan (Jul 24, 2010)

Us too but I was answering the question for the larger PV area for which Zona Romantica market is an unknown detail (and let's keep it that way).


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