Vegetarian Buffet Comparisons in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

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While vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, my boyfriend and I tried two vegetarian restaurants we found on Happy Cow (HappyCow.net): Planeta Vegetariano and Mary Vegetariano. How was the food and how do they compare?

While traveling in Mexcio for our anniversary vacation, my boyfriend and I visited a couple vegetarian restaurants we'd researched on HappyCow.net before leaving for our trip. Both restaurants were absolutely delicious and fairly priced, offered a great selection, and were centrally located in the downtown area. How do they compare and what are the pros and cons of each?

Mary Restaurant Vegetariano

Mary Vegetariano was a bit hard for our cab driver to find. We'd obviously never been there before, so we didn't really know exactly how to get there or precisely where it was located. That was really the only drawback to this establishment. It was a small restaurant nestled in between a few other businesses on a street downtown. Eventually we arrived and were very warmly greeted by the owners.

The restaurant was much bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. It was brightly decorated with lots of cute and eclectic art on the walls. There were a good twelve to fifteen tables available.

Some of the pros about this restaruant is that it definitely served authentic Mexican dishes, but it also had quite a variety of foods as well as beverages. I sampled some fresh vegetables in my salad, from deliciously marinated tomatoes and lettuces to garbanzo beans, carrots, and other assorted vegetables and fruits. Of course, there were marinated black beans and there was a seasoned meat substitute, which I think might have been some sort of textured vegetable protein, which was absolutely amazing! Warm tortillas were brought to our table once we prepared our plates and were seated.

Once we finished eating they brought us some delicious dessert, which tasted like a moist banana cake of some sort.

This price was incredibly cheap for two people, in my opinion, but the food certainly didn't reflect this. It was delicious, plentiful, and had a great variety.

The address for Mary Vegetariano is Hondouras #309 Hotel Paloma del Mar, Planta Baja C in downtown Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. According to Happy Cow, breakfast is served daily 9am to noon, and the evening buffet is daily from 1 pm to 6 pm. We had gotten there just after 5:15 pm, but we never felt rushed or unwelcome. They stayed open a little later than 6 pm that day. I don't know if this is common or just because they had us for late guests. We engaged in conversation and very much enjoyed our visit there.

Planeta Vegetariano

This restaurant, Planeta Vegetariano, was very easy to find and well known by many. It was ideally located right beside the central cathedral downtown, which is a very popular spot.

The food here was just as delicious as the food at Mary Vegetariano, but it was also a bit pricier. Although the prices were higher than Mary Vegetariano, I feel Planeta Vegetariano's prices were still reasonable for a full buffet with a wide selection of delicious vegetarian and vegan items from which to choose. One of our favorites was the shish kabobs with mock meat and veggies and a pineapple glaze on the side.

This establishment was also a bit small in size, but not cramped, and also had brightly colored walls and artwork. The food was fresh, plentiful, and offered a vast selection from which to choose. Everything was tasty and we were brought banana bread dessert here as well.

Aside from the delicious food and great service, Planeta Vegetariano is open much later than some other vegetarian restaurants. This restaurant was open daily 8 am to 11:30 am for breakfast and then noon to 10 pm for the evening buffet. The address is Iturberide 270 next to the main cathedral (Catedral Guadelupe) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

In Summary

I was incredibly impressed with the freshness of all the foods offered. Although they were buffets the food didn't taste rubbery, dry, or old as with some buffets. The salad bar was colorful with juicy fruits and vegetables. The tomatoes were deep bright red. Some tomatoes were seasoned with fresh basil and the flavor was glorious! I usually use a lot of salt, much to my dismay!, but I didn't need to add any salt to anything I tasted here; everything had enough flavor on its own and didn't need anything else.

Both restaurants accept only cash, but the prices are not very high, so it's easy to carry a small amount of cash and have enough to dine there. Both served a wide selection of delicious foods, including fruits, vegetables, side dishes, soups, beverages, and main dishes. Everything we tried was delicious. Also, each restaurant served a dessert and were very cordial. We had pleasant experiences at both restaurants.

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