Dining Guide: The 5 Best Restaurants in Punta Mita, Mexico (2026)

Key takeaways

• For a tasting menu on the sand: Tuna Blanca, Thierry Blouet's seafood restaurant at El Anclote, cooks with fish landed by the village's own fishermen.

• For several kitchens in one place: Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita runs Bahía, Aramara, and Dos Catrinas, all open to outside diners and all Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipients.

• Michelin: Nayarit isn't yet covered by the Michelin Guide Mexico

Eating in Punta Mita: resort dining rooms and El Anclote beach kitchens

Punta Mita's restaurants fall into three groups. The resorts inside the gated development run the formal dining rooms. Along El Anclote beach in Punta de Mita village, a chef-owned seafood restaurant, a lobster house, and a pizza place share the same short strip. And just outside the gates, a few hotel restaurants are worth the drive on their own.

The region's cooking leans on the sea. Pescado zarandeado, a butterflied fish grilled over charcoal in a hinged basket, is traced to Nayarit's Mexcaltitán (Sinaloa also claims it), and aguachile, raw shrimp or scallops cured in lime and chile, appears on most menus. Raicilla, the local agave spirit, has a denomination of origin that includes Bahía de Banderas, the municipality Punta Mita sits in.

The five restaurants below were chosen on what a diner can verify: whether outside guests can book, what the kitchen is known for, published price levels, and whether the restaurant is taking reservations in 2026.

Punta Mita restaurants at a glance

1. Tuna Blanca - El Anclote, Punta de Mita

Tuna Blanca is the beach restaurant of Thierry Blouet, the chef behind Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta. It sits at the Hotel Des Artistes del Mar on Avenida El Anclote, and the kitchen buys from the fishermen who land their catch on the same beach. The cooking is Mexican seafood; the five-course tasting menu is the way to see the range, and the tuna tostada is a regular order.

Cuisine: Mexican seafood.

Reservations: Bookable on OpenTable; no gate to pass.

Best for: A long sunset dinner with your feet near the water.

2. Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita - Bahía, Aramara, and Dos Catrinas

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita has three main restaurants, and all of them take outside diners. All three are Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipients, and the resort was named a 2026 AAA Five Diamond hotel, a rating it has held since 2001. Bahía, on the beach, is the grill: its signature is zarandeado fish with a spiced citrus marinade and pineapple salsa, and the resort describes it as its most popular restaurant with guests and locals alike. Dinner runs Tuesday to Sunday. The resort's dining page lists current hours for all three.

Aramara reopened in February 2025 after a redesign and serves pan-Asian dishes on an open-air terrace: five-spiced half duck, miso-glazed pork-belly buns, and an eight-course sake pairing dinner on Thursdays and Fridays. Dos Catrinas is the Mexican room, with ocean views from two floors, guacamole made at the table, and themed Noches de México dinners on Wednesdays (Oaxaca) and Saturdays (street food). For a drink before or after, Mez pours more than 70 mezcals.

Next door, Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, the adults-only property on the same peninsula, has its own open-fire restaurant, Cocina Copal, and dinners at the Punta Mita restaurants are included in a Naviva stay.

Cuisine: Grill and seafood (Bahía), pan-Asian (Aramara), Mexican (Dos Catrinas).

Reservations: Bookable on OpenTable; bring photo ID for the Punta Mita gate.

Best for: A group that wants different cuisines across several nights without changing hotels.

3. Rubra - W Punta de Mita

Rubra opened in December 2024 inside W Punta de Mita, led by Daniela Soto-Innes, formerly executive chef of Cosme in New York. The menu draws on the restaurant's own garden, with dishes such as a starfruit tostada, Sinaloa scallops in a lemon-verbena aguachile, and bluefin tuna steamed over chamomile. It works as a café by day and serves à la carte or a nine- or 10-course tasting menu at night.

Cuisine: Modern Mexican.

Reservations: Book ahead; it's open Wednesday to Sunday.

Best for: Diners who plan a trip around one meal.

4. Carolina - St. Regis Punta Mita

Carolina is the signature restaurant at the St. Regis Punta Mita, a few minutes from the Four Seasons inside the same development. It now runs as a contemporary steakhouse, with Black Angus cuts from the grill finished with Mexican flavors, and tasting menus alongside the à la carte list. For something looser, the resort's beach restaurant, Mita Mary, grills Pacific seafood on the sand.

Cuisine: Contemporary steakhouse with Mexican accents.

Reservations: Bookable on OpenTable; open nightly from 6 p.m.; photo ID at the gate.

Best for: A steak dinner for an occasion.

5. Elio - Susurros del Corazón

Elio is the Mediterranean restaurant at Susurros del Corazón, the Auberge Resorts hotel on its own stretch of beach outside the Punta Mita gate. It took over the space that used to be Casamilpa and serves from breakfast onward, on the road toward La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

Cuisine: Mediterranean.

Reservations: Call ahead to confirm outside-guest seating.

Best for: A long lunch away from the main resort area.

How to choose where to eat in Punta Mita

• Check which side of the gate it's on. Restaurants inside the Punta Mita development need a booking and ID; the village and El Anclote don't.

• Book the tasting menus first. Tuna Blanca, Rubra, and Carolina are worth reserving before arrival in high season, roughly November to April.

• Order the regional dishes. Pescado zarandeado, aguachile, and a raicilla from Bahía de Banderas are what this stretch of coast is known for.

• Mix the price levels. A week that pairs two resort dinners with nights in the village costs far less and covers more of the peninsula.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best restaurants in Punta Mita?

Tuna Blanca on El Anclote beach, the three restaurants at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita (Bahía, Aramara, and Dos Catrinas), and Rubra at W Punta de Mita rank first to third here. Carolina at the St. Regis, Elio at Susurros del Corazón, and Marea at Kupuri Beach Club are the other sit-down options, and El Anclote's beach restaurants cover a more casual night.

Can non-guests eat at the Four Seasons Punta Mita?

Yes. Bahía, Aramara, and Dos Catrinas all take outside reservations, including on OpenTable. Diners need a reservation and photo ID to pass the Punta Mita development gate.

What local dish should I try in Punta Mita?

Pescado zarandeado, a whole butterflied fish grilled over charcoal, is the dish Nayarit claims as its own. Bahía at the Four Seasons lists it as its signature, and restaurants along El Anclote serve their own versions.

Do I need reservations for restaurants in Punta Mita?

For anything inside the gated development, including the three Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita restaurants, yes. On El Anclote, the casual places take walk-ins, though Tuna Blanca and Lobster Paradise are worth booking in high season.