La Choza Tony’s Hideaway

We had never been to PV before & accidentally chose a hotel outside the city. I entered the name of the town on Unilocal to see if there was anything worthwhile. La Choza Tony’s was the first place that came up & I knew we had to go. We stayed at Barceló so it was a 5 minute walk. Easiest directions — up the street that is across from the resort. Turn left at the tequila factory and right at the big sign that says La Choza Tony’s. The margaritas are some of the best we have ever had. The fruit is so fresh, I wanted one of each (the stairs you have to go down are a little scary, so you want to stay a little sober). The bacon-​wrapped shrimp was deep fried, but it didn’t taste oily. We almost went back for a second night & we really wished we had. The family that runs it is so nice. I’m ready to go back!

This was one of our most exciting dinners in Puerto Vallarta! The owner Tony and his family make you feel like special guests. I love the menu presentation! The service is second to none. Tony himself cam out to meet us and took pictures with us along with his son. Couldn’t figure out what to select because everything looked good so we went with the seafood sampler. The location is on the way to the zoo across from Mr Tequillas!

This place was recommended to us by other tourists and it is «tucked away» but well worth the bumpy taxi ride! Tony’s son waited on us and welcomed us to his restaurant. The chips were great, obviously homemade. The happy hour margeritas were quite generous and tasty. I had mango and my husband had banana. They come in 1 and ½ glasses so we shared!
The main dish, shrimp with garlic and red snapper were wonderful as well. The dessert, fried bananas, was to die for!
The staff is friendly and the food fresh and plentiful. I highly recommend this off the beaten track gem!

I love this place. We have been coming here for the past 30 years. Happy hour is 5pm-​7pm. They give you 1.5 drinks during this time as well as nachos. Fresh food menu. I love the mixed jumbo prawns in garlic and butter, coconut and bacon wrapped shrimp with mango salsa. Be sure to get the Mexican special coffee at the end that’s flambéed at your table. Tony is so welcome and love the family atmosphere. It’s a small hike in from the main road but it’s a beautiful walk. Ask any on the locals and they will point you to the right direction. There isn’t any air conditioning but they do have plenty of shade and ceiling fans and wonderfully cold and refreshing drinks!

I ordered filet and it was basically top sirloin that was so over-​cooked that I couldn’t even cut into it. Not at all worth the drive or the money.

This is a hidden restaurant in the small town of Mismaloya. It’s on a side street and it looks like an abandoned building from the outside. My first instinct when I walked in was to turn around and walk out. It’s an older building with sand floors and looks very sketchy inside and out. However, I was with a group of 12 and everyone was excited to dine there so I had to suck it up and go with the flow.
As the saying goes, «Don’t judge a book by its cover»!! The service was great, drinks were good and the food was excellent! I ordered the lobster and it came with salad, rice and potato purée. It was very good! My son had the beef kabobs and they were excellent! Everyone in our group tried different plates and everyone loved their food!
I recommend this hidden gem to everyone visiting PV and willing to venture out to Mismaloya!

First I’m not really sure of the name of the this place. Some people call it Tony’s Hideaway but I actually think is a combination like Tony’s La Choza Hideway — don’t get confused because it’s the same place. It’s a little tough to find but Mismaloya on that side of the highway isn’t very big so you can’t get too lost. Be aware of a lot of steep winding stairs if you have mobility challenged people with you.
We arrived for a late lunch on a sleepy Sunday and there was just us and one waiter/​server/​bartender (and I think maybe cook). The place certainly has a rustic charm — maybe a little too rustic with the sand floors. I’d definitely recommend bug spray because you’re getting up into the jungle. I was expecting an amazing view — not so much — you look down at a pretty rag tag Mexican town or across it is dense jungle — no water view at all.
Waiter was pleasant but things moved quite slowly and we weren’t in a rush. My friend started with iced tea which was made at the moment and I had a very respectable margarita. Followed by really awful guac. Had to ask for salt, pepper and salsa to give it any umph. We both had shrimp. Mine was simple broiled in the shell and served with mojo de ajo. His were wrapped in bacon and served with a way too sweet pineapple salsa. The shrimp were good — you do have to extract the ones I had from their shells which some people won’t care for. The side dishes for both plates were the same — a little pile of undressed iceberg salad, some mashed potatoes and some white rice. Not exactly any creativity in any of it.
So, we had a little adventure, ate an OK lunch, drove on up past the zoo to El Eden and watched the kids do the rope swing out over the water fall. Nice day but once was enough. Lunch with tip was over $ 700 pesos though — a little steep for what the place is IMO.

Tony’s is off the beaten path, but worth the adventure! Bacon wrapped prawns were the bomb! Put on bug spray though because they have sand floors, and therefore sand fleas!

This place is truly a hidden gem. We always stay in the Coaches Chinas area so the bus ride to Tony’s is easy… Mismaloya stop. Cross the highway and walk the town to the top and bear left up, up, up the street to the restaurant. Tony’s is a family run restaurant with very good margaritas (THE best ones are still at Si Senior garden… not Si senior playa) No formal menu here… fresh food for the day is brought on a tray and you select. They will make any preparation you want. Early dining is advisable and the view of the town from the third floor restaurant is wonderful. The only reason for the 4* is the accessability and sandy floors. Need bug repellent on bare skin as this is south of town closer to the jungle and there are «no-​see-​ums». Taxis will get you there quickly though.

All of the previous reviews are correct, this place is great! It is hard to find without help from the locals (our taxi driver knew where it was). It is a three story restaurant with amazing views and is family owned. The staff is very friendly. As previously mentioned, they don’t have a traditional menu. Instead they bring out a tray of the fresh meats they have for the day. Everything is prepared from scratch including the awesome margaritas. The salsa and guacamole are also very good. I highly recommend this place!

CORRECT DIRECTIONS HERE, MAP IS WRONG!!! Again, It is NOT where it appears on the map! It’s not on hwy 200! … follow the signs toward the ZOO (you can’t miss the street, there are signs everywhere!) This will take you on a small cobblestone side street directly across from the Barcelo Resort. The street will ultimately lead you to the zoo, but you are only going about half way up the street. It bends a couple times but it’s very obvious… Follow the street until you reach El Fuego restaurant and then go LEFT up the hill (there is a faded sign at the top of the hill that says Tony’s) and make a right where the street appears to ends. Walk another 200 feet and it will be on your right. Aside from the directions, everyone else’s reviews were spot on! It’s delicious, but simple… Giant margaritas, friendly staff, CASH ONLY!

It’s about a 15 minute walk from the Barcelo’s front gate through the town of Mismaloya to Tony’s. Tony greets you at the front step and walks you to your table. The top floor of the restaurant offers a great view of the valley and the sunset. The circulating fans keep the dining area cool. The wait staff is super attentive without being intrusive. Great for a small group or a romantic dinner. The menu is presented on the silver plater that is shown in the photo above. I had the red snapper which was amazing. My wife had the the shrimp 3-​ways. Dinner for two was around 700 MXN and that was with two fish bowl-​sized margaritas and two Kahlua and coffee after dinner drinks that are worth getting just for the table side preparation. The whole time I was eating I was thinking about the next time I can come back.

I went two days in a row which should demonstrate how I feel about this place. The service was impeccable. The menu is delivered on a tray and included fresh lobster, bacon wrapped shrimp, garlic shrimp, mango coconut shrimp, shrimp kabobs, beef kabobs, filet mignon, mahi mahi, red snapper, and chicken, I had the bacon wrapped shrimp, shrimp kabob, beef kabob, mahi mahi, and garlic shrimp. The bacon shrimp was far and away the winnner.
The upstairs dining room overlooks the huts of Mismaloya. They’re also dog-​friendly! You will spend more to eat here but I thought it was worth every penny.
It’s hidden on a side street to the left as you head off of El Eden. Look for the faded sign and… you’re welcome.

An excellent, casual, and family-​owned getaway hidden on a tiny side street.
Get to ze choppa!

I was surprised that no other Unilocaler had yet reviewed Tony’s. La Choza Tony’s Hideway has been, as it is implied, a hidden gem for many years in Mismaloya about 15 – 20 minutes outside of Old Vallarta. Mismaloya is known for being the setting for the 50’s movie Night of the Iguana with Richard Burton & Liz Taylor. There is a river that runs down to the ocean from this rugged mountain jungle valley. The upper portion of Mismaloya was, at one time only known for natural waterfalls (in wet season) and the location for the Schwartzenager movie Predator complete with helicopter prop still there. Now there is a large zoo, zipline company and a few touristy restaurants. Don’t be fooled, Tony’s IS the destination. Just off the main road you bounce up the poorly kept stone street where the sign sends you left and make another left. Upon arrival to what might appear to be a 3 story home you will inevitably be greeted by Tony, his wife or one their sons. Its a family affair and they know English so it will be comfortable if you don’t want to practice your Spanish. Up a couple sets of steep stairs and you arrive in a lovely palapa dining area. If you come during high season arrival early to get a seat with a gorgeous pano view of this lush jungle. The floors are perfectly groomed sand floors adding to the ambiance of a secret place. After having a drink and little app you’ll be offered the ‘menu’. They will present a beautiful selection of seafood and meats and explain the combinations available. Coconut prawns, wrapped filet mignion, or red snapper are usually among the fresh items. If you haven’t chosen your meal this way before, you’ll get more excited knowing what you are about to dine on is SO fresh. The preparations are simple, flavorful and close to perfect. The family is there to please and even the music is a mix of Mexican, American Pop and 70’s standards. Dessert is what they’ve prepared that day and in the past the pies were really the perfect way to cap off the meal. You can’t miss with Tony’s but don’t tell too many people.