Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Punta Mita is a 1,500-acre resort and residential community located on a private peninsula along Mexico’s fast-growing Riviera Nayarit, just 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Aside from residential and rental properties, Punta Mita is home to three award-winning hotels: The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita; sister property Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort, an adults-only, 15-tent luxury wellness escape; and the St. Regis Punta Mita, which is also celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Two more hotels and branded residences — Montage Punta Mita and Pendry Punta Mita — are slated to open in 2026 as the last hotel partners for the private community, which also features four beach clubs and a variety of food and beverage options, making it an up-and-coming gastronomic destination for food loving visitors.
Two new restaurants opened in the community in 2023. The Deck is a bar and grill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and 16th & 17th greens of Punta Mita’s Pacifico Course— one of two Jack Nicklaus courses within the gates. Hector’s Kitchen is a beloved local favorite from the nearby town of Punta de Mita, which moved within the gated community at Kupuri Beach Club.
Located in Kupuri Beach Club, Hector’s Kitchen offers stunning cuisine and views of the Pacific … [+]
Hector’s Kitchen
Spearheaded by local chef Hector Leyva, Hector’s Kitchen is set on a ridge overlooking the ocean. An open air, palapa-style space features organic elements and modern design that combine sophistication with a casual vibe.
“I began my career at The Four Seasons Punta Mita, and it was always a dream of mine to have my own restaurant,” says Leyva. “When I opened Hector’s Kitchen, one of my goals was to be an ambassador for Punta Mita. Now, being located inside the gates feels like achieving a major professional milestone. It also allows me to make my clients even happier, as they can remain within the gates to dine at Hector’s Kitchen.”
Indeed, the restaurant has been very well received by the community. “We believe we have a great understanding of what our diners love, so we focus on cooking food that speaks for itself with high-quality ingredients and a lot of passion,” says Leyva. “Our menu changes seasonally, but we maintain the same basic structure. When we update the menu, we aim to keep at least 60% of the existing items. This ensures that returning guests can still enjoy their favorites while also having the opportunity to try something new.”
At Hector’s Kitchen, a mushroom tamal is served with mushroom mole, purslane, Oaxacan dried cheese, … [+]
Leyva’s menu mirrors the aesthetic, a blend of Mexican flavors with Asian and Mediterranean touches with a good balance of seafood, meat, and vegetarian options. Recent menu items include a refreshing starter of catch of the day tiradito-style, with serrano chile marinade, ginger relish, mango, and wakame, and a beautifully charred grilled octopus atop a creamy parsnip puree. “Interestingly, we’ve had one dish on the menu since we opened: the delicious sweet potato tortellini,” says the chef. The five-course Chef’s Tasting menu is highly recommended to sample a bit of everything. Cocktails and an excellent wine list complement Leyva’s excellent cuisine.
St Regis Punta Mita
To celebrate its 15th anniversary, The St. Regis Punta Mita hotel underwent a comprehensive property-wide transformation, with enhancements to The St. Regis Spa, guest rooms and suites, alongside fully refreshed common areas including the lobby and restaurants. In collaboration with Mexico-based design firm, B-Huber, the resort’s design pays homage to the natural surroundings and the destination’s cultural heritage, featuring Mexican art, handcrafted furnishings, and hacienda structures with a touch of Provence.
Most notably, Arias reimagined oceanfront spot MitaMary as an elegant, yet relaxed dinner only venue offering both open-air tables and toes-in-the-sand seating, located just five meters from the sea. Named after the iconic Bloody Mary cocktail served only at the St. Regis Punta Mita — every St. Regis in the world has its own version in homage of its creation at the NY hotel — MitaMary offers a lively setting to enjoy reinvented classics with an ever-evolving concept.
Mita Mary restaurant sits along the nicest stretch of beach at the St. Regis Punta Mita hotel.
“MitaMary opened with a new design and fully renovated concept in December 2023, driven by the vision to create an informal gastronomic experience for guests,” says Arias. “At MitaMary, we believe in creating “from the inside out;” first, we thought outside the box with our cooking, then we packaged it as Mexican Coastal food with Asian influences. The sea is our source of inspiration, and the grill is the surface where everything is crafted.”
MitaMary’s menu features highlights such as locally caught sashimi paired with tropical fruit; octopus satay with a spicy sambal sauce; soft shell crab ravioli steamed in banana leaf; and a selection of grilled prime cuts. Plant-based items include a burned cauliflower crudo and a vegetable aguachile with cucumber, radish, and basil. Desserts such as coconut stuffed with tapioca, passionfruit, mango, coconut water foam and mint powder round out the offerings.
“At MitaMary, we offer a journey through the team’s collective experience, reimagining classics like our Potato Churros or Tuna on the Rocks, using the element of surprise as one of our key ingredients,” says Arias. “Our goal was to explore a new, constantly evolving dining experience, complementing the culinary concepts at the resort by offering an informal yet innovative approach to gastronomy. Unlike other culinary concepts at the resort such as Carolina, MitaMary’s menu isn’t strictly seasonal. Instead, it will evolve over time. Our creations transform with us alongside our culinary journey, allowing us to add, create or remove dishes as we find new connections and inspirations.”
Shrimp aguachile with red onion, cucumber, cilantro and yellow beet chips from seaside venue … [+]
Additional culinary venues include Sakana, a beachfront lunch concept featuring Nikkei cuisine at the adults-only pool; Majagua, a pop-up serving chilled and grilled seafood on the sand; Sea Breeze, a poolside bar that offers Mexican and American casual bites; a vibrant lobby bar featuring Mexican spirits, and the iconic Las Marietas Restaurant & Bar, an all-day venue offering Mexican and international cuisine, an expansive breakfast buffet bar, and a daily happy hour celebrating the signature Mita Mary cocktail.
The new additions further enhance the resort’s renowned food and beverage program, which includes fine dining restaurant Carolina, a unique culinary experience that celebrates fresh local ingredients with an exceptional presentation. Led by executive chef Alejandro Eurza, Carolina serves four, six, and 10-course menus of dishes representing cuisines from across the country, prepared with seasonal ingredients.
Mirazur Beyond Borders
To mark the relaunch of the resort’s culinary experiences, the St. Regis Punta Mita hosted a series of exclusive chef-driven collaborations, with highly acclaimed chefs from around the globe, including Mauro Colagreco.
Originally from Argentina, Colagreco found the bounty of the Punta Mita region as a perfect palette to craft his extraordinary dishes, hosting a series of exclusive dinners at Carolina and even a traditional Argentinian asado on the beach.
A local clam becomes a spectacular ceviche in the hands of Michelin starred chef Mauro Colagreco.
Located in Menton, France, Mirazur is Colagreco’s three-Michelin star restaurant, voted best in the world by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019. More than a restaurant, Mirazur is a global farming and preservation project that includes five fruit and vegetable gardens, cultivated on permaculture and biodynamic principles. Since 2006, more than 5000 varieties of fruits and vegetable have been planted and grown in these gardens, from which Colagreco finds inspiration.
A dedidated environmentalist and lover of all things local and seasonal, Colagreco chose Carolina at St. Regis Punta Mita for his Mirazur Without Borders initiative because of the quality and variety of the products available, the experienced kitchen and front of the house staff, and the spectacular seaside location. What a magnificent endorsement for this exciting Mexican culinary destination.