"Hidden" Dining Treasures in La Cruz

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Photo of Las Palmas, Vallarta Gardens courtesy of Oyster.com

Some of the finest dining to be experienced in La Cruz may be “off-limits” for some of you due to the fact that the restaurant facilities are located on private grounds. Or more likely, you just didn’t know about them.“Hunh?!” you ask…Well, the fix may be chumming up to a “connected” resident of said facilities or simply using this handy guide to gain you entry.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (and you may not have realized they were):

Las Palmas at Vallarta Gardens- All you need to do is tell the security guards you’re going to the restaurant and they will instruct you where to park to have a golf cart shuttle you to the restaurant located on the beachfront of this lovely resort. Some people wander up from the beach to enjoy a casual breakfast or lunch. Dinner by reservation only. In La Cruz on the Highway across from the OXXO/Subway.

Masala at the Punta Esmeralda Beach Club- Yes, you have to drive through the security gates of PE by informing them you are going to the restaurant. Good luck finding parking that isn’t someone’s dedicated space…Unlike their restaurant on calle Coral, THIS Masala serves breakfast and lunch and is very reasonably priced. The ambiance is awesome and depending on the occupancy of the resort/residences, may be peaceful or ridiculously noisy with children screaming around the pool. Off Highway 200 on the way to Bucerias.

Raixes at Puerto Bahia- This is far and away the biggest sleeper, most unknown restaurant in La Cruz. For starters, you have to know how to get there and they don’t make it easy. The access road to Puerto Bahia features a huge cement sign with landscaping on the highway just off the ramp/overpass from highway 200. You follow the road up the hills to the inevitable security gate where they will instruct you to park and wait for the requisite golf cart shuttle. This will take you to the upper entrance to Raixes which is perched on top of a hill affording an unforgettable view of La Cruz and the Bahia de Banderas. Food is pricey and very good. Call it an “occasion” destination.

Sandzibar at the Alamar Beach Club- This is an exception in that it is a public restaurant that also serves as the “snack bar” for the private Alamar Beach Club. Dining does NOT gain you pool access. However, Sandzibar is arguably the most exclusive gourmet experience in La Cruz (Masala and Frascati fans will claim otherwise). The “off-putting” security gate at the entrance off of the Playa Manzanilla road (which continues across the arroyo to the end of calle Coral) may be the reason more people don’t visit this wonderful restaurant or maybe it’s the steep prices...Beautiful grounds and service.

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC (access only to residents and their guests):

Frascati at Rio del Mar Beach Club- The lucky residents of the exclusive Rio del Mar development enjoy the amazing food provided by Frascati Restaurant at the Beach Club and the only way you will too is to hitch a ride with a resident of RDM. I could drop some names, but then I might not get invited myself…Highway Punta Mita at west end of town.

Oso’s Oyster Bar at the Alamar Jungle Club- Fans of Oso’s will have to content themselves with the Marina Mercado del Mar location unless they have a buddy who lives in Alamar. The Jungle Club is the pool and palapa facility located up on the hill between the two towers of Alamar. Highway Punta Mita at Manzanilla Beach.

FYI- Most of these restaurants will be participating at TASTE OF LA CRUZ on Saturday Jan. 24th at the Marina Riviera Nayarit 3-7PM.

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