At Villa Premiere, the menu isn't born in an office: it's born in the kitchen, between Executive Chef Rogelio Domínguez and Food & Beverage Manager Alberto Mena. The two have spent years shaping the hotel's cuisine in Puerto Vallarta, and this time they agreed to share, in their own words, what goes into every dish served at La Ceiba, La Perla, and El Espigón.
Three concepts, one kitchen
Alberto Mena sums it up this way: "an international cuisine with some Mexican touches, very much in line with today's contemporary cooking." Villa Premiere works with three distinct lines: the traditional and international, the exclusively Mexican with elegant touches, and a signature fusion that blends both worlds. Three ways of telling the same story, depending on the restaurant and the time of day.
La Ceiba: the taco that sums up the map
If there's one dish Alberto recommends without hesitation to a first-time guest, it's the Taco Torito at La Ceiba. "It basically combines the north all the way to central Mexico," he explains. Güero chile, regional marlin, a well-built salsa, and a cheese crust that gives it personality — without excessive heat, so anyone feels encouraged to try it.
La Perla: the coastal soul
For Rogelio Domínguez, there's a place where Mexican cuisine feels unfiltered: "the coastal esquites at La Perla restaurant are the soul of a Mexican kitchen with very particular notes of the hotel," he says. To that list he adds the pork belly tacos, and admits that's where he'd like to keep growing: an even more regionally rooted menu, built with local product from the Bay of Vallarta.
Alberto agrees that La Perla has something different about it. There, he'd start with a cauliflower with almond cream, follow with some well-built tongue tacos, and wouldn't skip the half chicken on the menu, which despite looking like a lot of food, gets finished thanks to the flavor. For dessert, some churros.
El Espigón: the dinner you remember
When the question is about a romantic dinner, both agree on the same spot: El Espigón, right on the ocean. Rogelio describes it as an experience "under the stars, with the sea breeze," featuring a tasting menu and wine pairing. His pick: a lobster ceviche with hints of chile, lamb or duck with mandarin and a sauce with French and Mexican touches, and for dessert a tiramisú with high-altitude Oaxacan coffee. To go with it, a rosé or a chardonnay, and to close out the night, a raicilla — "an emblem here of Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta," he says.
Alberto thinks about the same night from a different angle: lobster and a good cut of meat, depending on the occasion and each couple's allergies, with champagne as the universal pairing. When the conversation turns serious, he brings up the hotel's wine cellar: 146 labels spanning Mexico, South America, and many other parts of the world, among whites, rosés, and reds meant to accompany any course on the menu.
A full day, as told by the chef
Rogelio also has his own version of a perfect day at Villa Premiere. The morning starts with hot chocolate and freshly made requesón molotes. After the pool and the Puerto Vallarta sun, a cold beer with a coastal ceviche and vanilla ice cream for dessert. And once night falls, back to El Espigón — because, as the chef says, that's where "elegance and the joy of enjoying a full menu" come together.
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