Excellent  
    
 Based on 51 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Russ Smith 
 
2024-03-18
 
 
  
A delightful evening! Casual yet elegant atmosphere. Cuisine beyond reproach. Friendly, yet professional service! I would high recommend this innovative dinning experience!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 MM 
 
2024-03-18
 
 
  
Outstanding dinner at Oculto. There were ten of us, six return guests. We started with cocktails made with raicilla (a local kind of mezcal) and appetizers, and a straight raicilla tasting. I didn’t take food pictures because no one else was 😄 The dinner was three courses, a panela flauta that was delicious, then a hunk of the tastiest melt-in-your-mouth short rib with a corn tamal on the side, green beans with jocoque crema, fresh blue corn tortillas. Dessert was a cookie and a tasty small flan. A tasty Casa Madero 3V red blend with dinner. Three hours of gourmet bliss! Carmen and her associates were a delight. Would love to go again.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Mario Champagne 
 
2024-03-18
 
 
  
We had previously partaken of Oculto’s cooking class, so we had an idea of what to expect.  Even with that foreknowledge, this was a lovely experience.  The food was all centered in the western Mexican tradition and, as is their wont, using local ingredients and producers.  First were two locally sourced cocktails featuring raicilla; both were tasty and flavourful.  Carmen explained the provenance of the raicilla and how it related to tequila and mezcal and providing a sipping course to discuss it.  There were three appetizers, all locally sourced, that were lovely… a small corn torta with greens, a tortilla with beans and chorizo, and a jicama and fruit compote blend.  A nice opener to the main course, which was a pork birria with sides; the birria was so tender that it was fork flaky.  The dessert was a flan with local berries and complemented what came before… and all paired with lovely Mexican wines from Casa Madera — a French style rosé and a deep red reminiscent of the best traditions of Zinfandel and Tempranillo.  A lovely evening of great food and drink spent with interesting people who also appreciated the richness of the traditions being shared with us at the table.  Highly recommended.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Denis Morin 
 
2024-03-17
 
 
  
Nous avons eu un souper privé avec 10 amis, nous avons été très bien reçu par Carmen et ses collègues. Nourriture excellente et bien présentée, nous avons vraiment apprécié le principe de cuisine secrète. Nous recommandons l'endroit et nous y retournerons certainement
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Dirk Nettles 
 
2024-03-08
 
 
  
We were incredibly pleased to take part in a cooking class held by Carmen, Claudia, and chef Diego.  They were accommodating to our request to mix and match the potential options into a coherent meal.  The three of us started with a guide tour of the Mercado Emiliano Zapata and their favourite carnicería and panadería before heading to the kitchen.  Once there, we started the prep for dishes (vallartan ceviche, tamales, chocolate flan, and many peppers salsa).  The class was hands-on with explanations of what we were doing and why along with how to assess the ingredients for the meal.  It was a delightful half-day, capped with eating what we had cooked over a specialty cocktail and then sent home with the leftovers and our annotated recipes.  Highly enjoyable and very highly recommended (we’ve done several such classes in Europe and this was easily one of a par with the best of those).  Five plus stars.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Beth Steeves 
 
2024-03-05
 
 
  
My friends and I had a wonderful time with Carmen and her team at Oculto. We did the market experience with lunch, including working with her Chef's Diego and Brian to prepare the three course meal and roasted tomatillo salsa. The Oculto kitchen space was spotless and impressively organized. We were given hands-on opportunities to participate in each element of the meal preparation and some cooking. While the meal finished cooking we were offered a choice of three delicious craft cocktails to enjoy while we relaxed and visited with Carmen and the two additional couples also on the tour. We couldn't stop talking about the delicious scallop cerviche and main dish red snapper. Carmen shared several restaurant recommendations with us, one of which we ate at twice, during our week trip. If you want an excellent and authentic Mexican food experience in Puerta Vallarta, Oculto is for you!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Corrine Howell 
 
2024-03-02
 
 
  
We had a wonderful time during our cooking experience with Carmen.  The walking tour through the various markets was fascinating, as she explained so much about the food and culture.  The cooking class was held in a beautiful, comfortable venue complete with couches, chairs, the kitchen and large communal table.  Lovely artwork was hung throughout.

And, the food we prepared was beyond amazing.  We received recipes for everything we cooked and of course the hands-on experience of making everything ourselves, guided by Chef Diego.  Finally, we sat and ate our wonderful meal complimented by tasty, creative beverages.  It was a highlight of our time in Mexico.

Muchas Gracias!!!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Jessica Norouzi 
 
2024-02-29
 
 
  
The secret dinner was such a fun and unique experience. Highly recommend!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Diane L. Camacho 
 
2024-02-26
 
 
  
What a wonderful experience.  I've done cooking classes when traveling in the past and this rates right at the top.  Great information, great food and great company.  They even customized the menu to what we were interested in cooking. Well worth the expense.  I would recommend Oculto to anyone in the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico area.