Thus it was to our delight to discover what is apparently “the oldest ONLY breakfast restaurant” in Puerto Vallarta… the Pancake House located on Basilio Badillo, about 4 blocks back from the beach in old town Vallarta.

It really doesn’t take many words to sum up the awesomeness of the Pancake House, to which we’ve returned already on 2 consecutive Sunday mornings with plans to make it 3.

It’s like a less tacky, far more authentic, better atmosphere and setting kind of Mexican IHOP.

I can probably portray it accurately with a few single sentences. Such as:

3 plain pancake stack for 35 pesos ($3) – syrup of course unlimited and with some banana and watermelon on the side…

Unique pancakes like “Oh Henry” flavor… “Peanut Butter And Banana” flavor… and many more.

Epic Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon (haven’t found this bacon anywhere else yet) (Canadians: you know what I’m talking about)

Nice setting: polished wooden tables, semi outdoor, plant surrounded, naturally lit atmosphere.

If that’s not enough to get you to spend the probably $10 total that it’ll cost you for breakfast there… I don’t want to be your friend.

You’ll find it plenty busy, perhaps even challenging to get a table at the wrong time on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but even after a short wait, you’ll leave the Pancake House fulfilled, probably (if you’re like me) experiencing the beginnings of a sugar crash, and happy you went.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta Restaurants

It was this that lead me to, finally, come across El Torito Sports Bar. But whether you’re a UFC fan, or a sports fan of any kind, you might do well to give El Torito a look.

El Torito is located in Old Town Vallarta, on Ignacio L. Vallarta, just before where it intersects with Venustiano Carranza. Centrally located, any bus moving south through the down town area should take you almost right to it’s doorstep.

If you’re looking for a sports bar, you’re probably wanting a few things:

1. You want plenty of TV’s so that where ever you’re sitting you’ve got a good view of the game/fight. El Torito is a small bar and relative to it’s size, the number of TV’s is good. It’s got 2 main bigger TV’s, about 47 inch at a guess, and about 4 smaller ones located around the bar. We had a reserved seat right in front of the bigger TV (for the perfect experience, call for a reservation as the bar fills up at popular events) but it seemed for sure that anywhere you were seated would have offered a great view.

2. You want a decent, oversized, deliciously unhealthy meal. El Torito serves up a range of pub food favorites, from the apparently famous BBQ Ribs (which were actually a bit average) to the slightly more unique Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with ham and cheese and wrapped in bacon! Truth be told, while the selection was good, the food was nothing spectacular (though I regret not trying those shrimp!) but not unpleasing, and certainly hearty enough for the occasion.

3. Cheap Beer. Tick! Grab a liter jug for 40 pesos or if you fancy a cocktail, a 2 litre jug of Margherita and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.

4. A bit of atmosphere! The whole appeal of watching an event at a public place is sharing the ups and downs of the game with a host of other drunk, screaming fans around you. When we first arrived at El Torito at 8:30pm it was a little quiet, but by the time the event got underway it was a full house – mostly tourists of all kinds loudly cheering on their fighter of choice.

While I can’t say I’ve visited another sports bar in Vallarta yet, let alone one that shows the UFC events, I can definitely say we’d go back to El Torito.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta Restaurants