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This was by far the best meal of our trip and one of the best meals of my life. This stacks up to fine dining anywhere in the world and the price was more than reasonable. We did the multi-coursed meal with the beverage pairing….The execution was flawless, each course was well balanced and complimented the previous and subsequent dishes. The ingredients were fresh and the dishes were nuanced showcasing the individual flavors while building a complex and cohesive plate. The portions were spot on and allowed us to enjoy all of the courses and beverages without concern for being to full or feeling like we needed more food, which I can not say about other multi-coursed fine dining in town. The service was unbelievable, everyone was knowledgeable, kind and overall wonderful to interact with. The timing of the dishes were perfectly spaced out. The atmosphere was perfect, the music was exceptional and a perfect volume to enjoy the conversation at our table. Mad respect for calling out my wives food allergy before the meal. Loved talking Raicilla with the bartender after the meal. I will absolutely be back to this restaurant and look forward to seeing how they evolve over time.More
This restaurant is Puerto Vallarta’s hidden gem. The menu is targeted towards flavor pairings and expanding the clients pallet. The service was outstanding, food was amazing, cocktails were flowing and ambiance was phenominally classy. Highly recommend this restaurant solo, with friends or with a lover!…A must try when in Puerto Vallarta!More
We visited ICU for dinner back in December during a long weekend stay in Puerto Vallarta prior to Christmas. The restaurant was cozy, quiet, and well-appointed. The food menu was extensive, with both a la carte, tasting, and standard menu offerings. We had some dietary…restrictions (pescatarian/vegetarian), which were easily accommodated. We had the tasting menu with wine pairing, which was excellent. The server was knowledgeable and friendly, and gave us excellent customer service. The ambience was really nice and we thoroughly enjoyed the food, drink, and our time there. We’ll be back!More
I think this little gem will have growing pains! The food is innovative & simply some of the best I’ve eaten in 38 years of coming to PV. I’m thinking they may have to expand or open a second ICU restaurant in PV. I really…can’t remember better dinners than I have had here.More
So my wife and I are on our honeymoon and huge foodies! So what do foodies do, we do tasting menus. So we tried the beat in town strting with Le Leche, then Cafe Des Artistes then Tintoque and tonight we did ICU. Luckily the…best was saved for last, being from NYC I feel we have a variety of experiencing food from all over. The Chef and owner from ICU drew from a more modern contemporary setting similar to NYC but pulled from the local ingredients to make a culinary show stopper with their 9 course tasting menu! This tasting menu is not for the faint of heart but each meal makes you taste that first bite for the meal with your eyes closed lips perched grasping for the next bite. There was bot one course that disappointed us! The two desserts were mind blowing, first was a guava mousse with a guava sorbet with shaved almonds and the second was the lightest bananas foster cake! I could eat these all day everyday, this is a lot saying I normally hate desserts! I can’t say enough about tonights meal, no negatives. The staff and wine pairings for the meals were spot on! THIS PLACE IS A MUST FOR EVERYONE THAT LOVES GREAT FOOD!!!More
Probably our most elegant & creative beautifully balanced meal in PV. We went a la carte, to pick the best for our taste. Attentative English speaking staff. Modern decor and food served on custom crafted plates. We would go back but currently the shortish menu…not enough variety for us for a second visit– we’ll check in another time as menu changes regularly.More
This is place meets far and above the definition of a great tasting menu. We enjoyed all 9 courses. Highly recommended. Also great knowledge about wines and their pairings.
wonderful food, atmosphere and personal attention from the owner/ chiefs. get away from the touristy maddens and do yourself a favor by trying out this location
We had the 9 Course Tasting Menu with Wine/Beer Pairings and were blown away. I have had pulpo/octopus from all around the world and this was the most succulent preparation I have ever had. The flavors were amazing and the presentation had you feasting with…your eyes, before you tasted the wonderful dishes. If I had one point of constructive criticism – the risotto (which was absolutely superb in taste) didn’t really fit with the rest of the meal from a themed standpoint… But all in all I would still give it a 10/10. And Mario was insightful and informative as a server! He is fun, friendly, and made the experience one worth remembering. Thank you Icú for a delicious meal! If you are visiting, this is a great place to visit.More
This small modern restaurant offers no view, but food is spectacular. If you are a foodie who enjoys complex contemporary and innovative creations, you will enjoy this restaurant. My husband and I went for the full 9 course tasting menu. As a small person this…was a lot of food and I did bring home some of what was offered. Most portions could fit in the palm of your hand. To describe any of the dishes would be a disservice to the chef, because none of my descriptions could capture the textural sensations or complexity of the ingredients that went into each course. It’s a restaurant that I wouldn’t hesitate to return to. It’s almost a restaurant that selfishly you’d like to keep a secret for fear that you wouldn’t get a reservation if too many people found out about it. Definitely go!More
Icu exceeded our expectations. We had a less than great tasting experience at another PV restaurant earlier in the week, but Icu did not disappoint. We had the 9 course, and every dish was a stand out. The squid ink risotto alone was worth the…price. You will not find this quality of food and ingredients with this level of presentation and inventiveness for this price at many places. Good cocktail and Mexican wine list as well. The service was top-notch, especially Alexis.More
The salsa and tortillas where very good. I ordered the nine course tasting menu. The First salad was on a stale chip and over oiled. The second tuna tamale well prepared but no flavor. The third was suppose to be ceviche. But it was AguaChile…excellent but not what was on menu. Service very good. Food preparation very slow. Once I complained the food came out faster. This is in a very inexpensive building. Very basic furniture. The prices are more in line with a high end resturant. It’s off season and very slow in town. So maybe I should cut them some slack. I live her and almost all their reviews Are excellent. So I will give them the Beni fit of the doubt. Still waiting for next course while writing. I will grade at the end of meal. The risotto had 0 seafood. Heavy on the black squid oil. Once again different than the menu. They told me in the tasting menu they only put cheese. Thats sad it’s very good. But extremely small portion even for tasting menu. Octopus was cooked perfectly. Unfortunately no flavor and very small portion. The food cost is less than 10% here. The waiter know I’m upset. But he is very professional and a pro. They are trying hard, I like that. The fish course is excellent. Many flavors and spiced perfect. I think next time I come I will order off the menu. The portions are very big and good, judging from what my girlfriend is having. She is very pleased with it. The steak course is perfectly cooked as ordered. As the meal progresses my opinion is getting better and better. What is funny is it was a very inexpensive cut of meat, but done perfectly. The cook has a lot of talent. I’m going to give the rating 5 stars after considering everything. The passion fruit desert is beautiful.More
ICÚ delivers without a doubt some of the most creative and brilliantly executed dishes in Puerto Vallarta, platings are good, the flavors and combinations are epic.. Even the braised beef that notoriously turns out as a dry-chunky-bland log in other fine-dining restaurants, is light and…melting deliciousness at ICÚ. What happens in the kitchen is truly stellar. The location and decor are obviously ICÚ’s issue, nothing wrong with a small place, in fact it’s sized nicely for a cosy setting, but it feels dark and cavernous with worn out cheap materials, ICÚ really needs a do-over, a real contemporary creative decorator/architect that matches the elegance and fine execution of the menu. The service was okay but on the casual side considering the price point which is definitely up there. So in a nutshell: The food is 9.5/10 Cocktails are 8/10 The service was 6/10 The location is 1/10 The space (considering price) is 2/10 Price is.. Quite expensive (but again, would be fine if it was in a beautifully curated setting, refined elegant materials, furniture, silverware, plates.. etc and lighting) So many places in Vallarta bank all on the setting, and details and vues.. and the food comes last, well here it’s the exact opposite. If I was a restaurant investor, I’d invest in the chef and move the location right away to something extraordinary… voila!More
We made this our final, special night out after sampling many of PV’s great restaurants. As a chef-owned restaurant it is an amazing experience. Our service was elegant for each course on par with high end restaurants in many major cities, yet it was comfortable,…unpretentious, and a great value. The presentation of each course was as unique as the flavors. Each course was paired with carefully selected Mexican wines and we learned something with each course. We both rated it the highest of all of our culinary excursions over two weeks!More
Had a fantastic meal there last night! I had been hearing my friends rave about the place so we went there last night for my daughter’s birthday and the food and service far exceeded my lofty expectations. We should have done the 5 course tasting…menu but opted to have different apps and mains and share. The amuse bouche was smoke mahi mahi and was spectacular. If that would have been my entree I would have been happy. The apps we had were the black bean soup, beets and smoked tuna tamale. All of them were great, especially the tamale. For entrees we had the duck, short rib and roasted cauliflower. They were all unbelievable. The short rib was off the bone in a wine sauce. The duck was in a tamarind sauce with a pistachio paste on the side and was fantastic. The mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes were a perfect compliment. My only criticism is that the wine list only contains Mexican wines. I do know a fair amount about wine and while the Mexican wine industry has made great strides over the years it is still not at the level of those from Argentina, Chile, Spain, Italy… I was prepared to pay somewhere between $150 and $200 for a nice bottle of wine but did not want to shell out that type of money for a wine that on its best day is average in comparison to what is available at other restaurants in PV at that price point. The owner will continue to leave money on the table until he expands his wine list. All that being said, I will definitely come back for the tasting menu and see if I can bring my own wine and pay a corkage fee. I talked to other diners who had the tasting menu and they were blown away with the quality and creativeness of the food. This place should be on your list!More