Innovative Cocktails and A Very Creative Food Menu – Mezcal & Sal Restaurant Puerto Vallarta

Ok, so when someone told me that Puerto Vallarta is considered a foodie destination, I took that with a healthy dose of sal. Enter Mezcal & Sal restaurant = mind blown.

We didn’t expect much from this Romantic Zone restaurant, given it’s location in the midst of all kind of nondescript tourist traps, but wow, were we (happily) wrong.

Chef Salma Robles (Founder & owner) and Chef Julio have created one helluva Cocina Mexicana Rustica Moderna (translated as modern rustic Mexican kitchen, or something close to that). It’s a cute, funky, long and skinny space that opens up to a bar area enrobed in all kinds of greenery.

Let’s Start With The Drinks…

Let’s start with the drinks because they are so fun! We tried the Coco Amarillo, an Old Fashioned, the Negroni Blanco with housemade Campari and my favorite, the Guayabarosa – guava shrub, hibiscus tincture and mezcal Espadin.

Tons of whimsy here in the presentation (one of them even arrived in a birdcage!), but never at the expense of taste. Everything was beautiful, fun and delicious.

Coco Amarillo Cocktail

Cucumber Juice, Coconut Extract, Lemon Chutney, Sesame Oil, and Mezcal Espadin

Guayabarosa Cocktail

Guava Shrub, Hibiscus Tincture and Mezcal Espadin

Negroni Blanco

White Vermouth, Housemade Italian Style Bitter Apéritif (Think Campari), and Mezcal

The Mezcal & Sal Old Fashioned

Agave Syrup, Cacao Bitters, Mezcal Tobala, Citrus Twist

Each Entree Was Available Vegan, Vegetarian, or Gluten Free

Excited by the promise of the cocktails, we turned our attention toward the food menu. It is purposefully small, since most dishes you can order as omnivore, vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten free.

We started with the Trio of Guacamole (sans crickets, nope, not gonna go there), all refreshingly different and all delightful. Next up was the Tlayuda – a relative of a tostada served topped with flank steak and refried beans. My mouth is watering remembering it.

But the Miso Glazed Watermelon was the dish that really messed with our minds – the melon as stand-in for animal protein totally worked. And that’s what is so cool about this place – any combination of diners can eat here, deliciously, no matter what their particular food preferences or peccadilloes.

So is Puerto Vallarta truly a foodie town? Our experience at Mezcal & Sal says Si!

KC Shomler

Words by KC Shomler Author of Falling Out of Love With My Career and Desperately Dating

Photos by Steven Shomler

Website Wizardry by Arthur Breur

Follow Mezcal & Sal

Please Note – As of May 2, 2026 Mezcal & Sal was open for business – That being said – they have not posted to Facebook or Instagram in about a year.

Website NA

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Mezcalysal/ (as of May 2, 2026 their most recent post on Facebook was June 1 2025)

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mezclaysal/ (as of May 2, 2026 their most recent post on Instagram was May 3, 2025)

Visit Mezcal & Sal

Mezcal & Sal is located in the Zona Romántica Neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta near the intersection of Calle Ignacio Luis Vallarta and Calle Francisco I. Madero.