There is a weekend plan that always works in Banderas Bay and that almost nobody writes about: massage or spa in the morning, a late lunch and the game in the afternoon. It sounds like two different worlds — the quiet of a treatment room and a bar full of screens — but it is exactly the same day for a great many people who live or holiday here. The spa half is sorted; the game half, almost never.
Which is why we wrote this guide. If you are in Riviera Nayarit and you want to watch the NFL, Liga MX, Saturday night boxing or the NBA playoffs, finding a good sports bar in Nuevo Vallarta is harder than it sounds, and the answer is not where most people look for it.
Why watching sports in Nuevo Vallarta is not as easy as it sounds
Anyone arriving from the United States or Canada — and anyone renting an apartment here — runs into three surprises.
Streaming apps do not travel. Broadcast rights are sold country by country. The subscription that gives you the live game at home often blocks it here: the app opens, the catalogue loads and the live event simply is not there. And you always find out twenty minutes before kickoff.
The building's cable package is Mexican. Excellent news for Liga MX, for boxing and increasingly for the NFL; far less reliable for regular-season NBA, MLB or college football. On top of that, the package is chosen by the condo or the owner, not by the guest.
The hotel bar is not a sports bar. They will put the game on if you ask, yes, but on a small screen, with the sound off, the kitchen closing and nobody around who cares about the score. Fine for a drink. Not where you watch a final.
That is why the list of real options in Nuevo Vallarta is short, and why the first entry on this list takes up most of the guide.
1. Guicho's Sports Bar — Blvd. Nayarit 137B, Local 5
Guicho's Sports Bar is the sports bar of Nuevo Vallarta in the literal sense: screens spread across the whole room, a real kitchen making wings and burgers to order, ice-cold beer and people who came for the game, not for the vibe. It is where both residents and visitors end up when they do not want to cross the bridge into Puerto Vallarta on a Sunday afternoon.
Where it is and why that matters
The address is Blvd. Nayarit 137B, Local 5, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, 63735. Blvd. Nayarit is the main avenue of Nuevo Vallarta: the marina, the golf courses, the hotel zone, the apartment towers and the gated developments all hang off it. Whether you are coming from the beach side, from Flamingos or from the marina, you get there on the same avenue in minutes — no bridge and none of the Vallarta hotel-zone traffic.
For anyone on holiday the maths is simple: the difference between watching the game five minutes from your hotel and driving thirty minutes to Puerto Vallarta and then fighting for parking in the Romantic Zone.
The screens
The classic mistake of bars that "put the football on" is having a single big screen at the end of a long room: half the tables watch sideways and the other half watch someone's back. Here the screens are distributed across the whole bar, so whichever table you get is a table you can actually watch from.
It sounds like a detail. It is the detail. It is what separates a place you visit once because someone recommended it from one you go back to all season, because you do not need to arrive an hour early to fight for the one good table.
What they show
The programming covers what people around Banderas Bay actually watch: NFL, Liga MX, NBA, MLB, boxing, UFC, Champions League and college football, plus whatever tournament is on — the 2026 World Cup kept the place full for much of the summer. On an autumn Sunday you might have a Mexican family watching Liga MX at one table and a group of Canadians watching the early NFL game at the next. That mix is half the personality of the place.
Since schedules and broadcasts change every week, the bar posts hours, events and what is on its Facebook page. If your plan depends on one particular fight or match, the fastest route is a WhatsApp to 322 199 9535 to ask.
The kitchen: what to order and what it costs
A sports bar is defined by whether the food is an excuse or the real thing. Here it is the real thing, and the menu is built to be eaten with your hands without taking your eyes off the screen. Prices in pesos, subject to change:
- Wings — a 350 g order at $190, in five flavours: buffalo, BBQ, parmesan, mango-habanero and lemon pepper, with celery and ranch.
- Burgers — the 300 g Guicho's Burger at $290, the Hawaiian and the BBQ at $295 and the 200 g chicken burger at $245, all with fries.
- Guicho's Fries — loaded fries with melted cheese and bacon, $175. The snack nobody puts down.
- For the table — Guicho's Nachos $250, plain nachos $190, boneless wings $190, cheese sticks $175, onion rings $170, guacamole $170.
- Tacos — the Gaonero $140, beef tongue $155, crispy tacos $150, pork shank $145 and the chicken wrap $165.
- Soups — shrimp broth $150 and tortilla soup $140, something very few sports bars can claim.
- Dessert — gelato at $60, in four flavours.
The bar
Ice-cold beer, micheladas and drinks mixed to order, plus a long non-alcoholic list for whoever is driving back or coming with kids: soft drinks $50, Topo Chico $55, clamato $55, lemonade and orangeade $60, piñada $90, espresso $45 and still water $30.
What an afternoon costs
It is worth doing the maths, because after a week of hotel-zone prices the contrast is surprising. Two people with an order of wings, some loaded fries and a couple of rounds come to around $500–$700 pesos before tip. Four people with burgers and shared snacks across a whole NFL afternoon land closer to $1,200–$1,500. In an area where a meal facing the ocean costs that per person, it is one of the best value-for-money options in Nuevo Vallarta.
The atmosphere
Casual and family-friendly, not a dive. The place opens onto a plaza with outdoor tables, which changes the experience a lot: you can go with your partner, with friends or with the whole family, and whoever is not watching the game has somewhere comfortable to sit. For mixed groups — two couples, the in-laws and two kids — that flexibility matters more than anything else.
How to get there and when to book a table
The bar occupies a ground-floor unit on Blvd. Nayarit, with the red Guicho's neon sign above the entrance and tables on the terrace. Any taxi or rideshare driver in Nuevo Vallarta knows it by the avenue; if you are coming from the airport or from Puerto Vallarta, it is straight north across the bridge into Nayarit.
On weekdays you can simply turn up. For the events that fill every room in the bay — the Super Bowl, a title fight, a Clásico or a Mexico national team match — message 322 199 9535 ahead and ask about a table. Their own guide to where to watch live sports in Nuevo Vallarta goes through the calendar in more detail, and the full menu with current prices is on Guicho's website. If you have friends who do not speak Spanish, there is an English version of the site.
Why it is number one
Not because it is the only place in Riviera Nayarit with a television switched on. Because it is the only one that is simultaneously in Nuevo Vallarta, designed around the screens rather than tolerating them, running its own kitchen at reasonable prices, and minutes from where people actually stay and live. Everything else on this list is a partial answer.
The other nine options for watching the game around here
Ordered by how often people who live here actually use them, and described honestly:
- Takeout and watch at the apartment — the food without the atmosphere; works when the game is late or the group got too much sun.
- Pool and lobby bars at the Nuevo Vallarta hotels — convenient if you are already there, with small screens, muted sound and hotel prices.
- Restaurants at the Nuevo Vallarta marina — great setting and good food, with a television that may or may not have your game.
- Bars and pubs in Bucerías — fifteen minutes north there is a real expat scene; worth the trip for a big event.
- La Cruz de Huanacaxtle marina — relaxed port atmosphere, occasional screens and a sunset that is hard to beat.
- Your condo's common room — free and thirty seconds away, but you depend on the shared cable package and on who booked it first.
- Sports bars in the Puerto Vallarta hotel zone — more options and more chains, in exchange for 20 to 30 minutes of driving and parking.
- Romantic Zone bars — an excellent night out in Vallarta, though the game competes with everything else happening in the room.
- Streaming from the terrace — the plan everyone tries first, subject to regional blackouts and to wifi that always stutters on the key play.
The full plan: spa in the morning, game in the afternoon
While we are here, this is how we build the perfect Banderas Bay day when there is a game on the calendar.
Morning. An early massage or treatment, when the rooms are cool and the therapists are fresh. A deep tissue or sports massage works better at this hour than after an afternoon in the sun; if you are travelling as a couple, a double suite solves the logistics. Our guide to couples massage in Vallarta explains how to choose one, and if you would rather not leave the hotel, the in-home massage guide covers that option.
Midday. Beach, pool or a nap. It is the natural gap between the two activities and what keeps the day from feeling rushed.
Afternoon. Head for the bar half an hour before kickoff, not fifteen minutes: the difference between sitting down and ordering wings and negotiating a table during the opening drive. Order the shareable snacks first — they come out fast — and save the burgers for halftime.
Evening. If the game finished early, the marina and Bucerías are on the way. If it finished late, you have already had dinner.
It is a plan that works equally well for a couple on their honeymoon, a group of friends and a family with teenagers, and it is why during NFL season we get asked about it as often as we get asked about spas.
The sports calendar in Banderas Bay
September to early February is the busiest stretch: the NFL overlaps with the Liga MX Apertura and its playoffs, the NBA starts and Saturdays fill with college football. It coincides with the bay's high season, so venues fill up and booking is wise.
February to May brings the Super Bowl — the event that fills absolutely every room in Nuevo Vallarta — then the Clausura, the NBA playoffs and the start of baseball. Boxing and UFC cards are spread across the year, almost always on Saturdays.
June to August the bay empties out, the heat sets in and international tournaments load the calendar; the 2026 World Cup summer was an especially long one. It is also the easiest time to turn up without a plan and find a table.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sports bar in Nuevo Vallarta?
Guicho's Sports Bar, at Blvd. Nayarit 137B, Local 5, is the one residents use most: screens throughout the room, NFL, Liga MX, NBA, MLB, boxing and UFC, its own kitchen and a location on the main avenue, with no need to cross into Puerto Vallarta.
Can you watch the NFL in Nuevo Vallarta?
Yes. The NFL is a fixture of the autumn programming, Sundays and Monday Night included. Since availability changes week to week, confirm your specific game on Facebook or WhatsApp before heading out.
Do they show Liga MX and Mexico national team games?
Liga MX is the most broadcast sport in Mexico and is shown practically everywhere, playoffs included. Clásicos and national team games fill rooms, so arrive early or give notice beforehand.
How much does an afternoon of watching the game cost?
Wings are $190 pesos for a 350 g order, burgers run $245 to $295, shareable snacks $170 to $250 and non-alcoholic drinks $30 to $90. Two people usually spend between $500 and $700 pesos before tip.
Is it a place to bring kids?
Yes. The atmosphere is casual and family-friendly, there are tables on the plaza terrace and the menu has plenty for younger diners.
Do I need a reservation?
On weekdays, no. For the Super Bowl, a big fight, a Clásico or a national team match, WhatsApp 322 199 9535 in advance: the whole area fills up on those nights.
Will my streaming subscription work in Mexico?
For live events, often not. Rights are sold country by country and it is common for the game to be blocked from Mexico even though your account works at home. Best not to rely on it.
How far is it from Puerto Vallarta?
Nuevo Vallarta is about 15 to 20 kilometres north of the Puerto Vallarta hotel zone, across into Nayarit: 20 to 30 minutes by car depending on traffic on the airport stretch.
In short
The perfect rest day in Riviera Nayarit does not force you to choose between relaxing and watching the game: there is plenty of time for both. Leave the morning for the spa, the afternoon for the sport, and write down Guicho's Sports Bar, on Blvd. Nayarit, before the season starts. It is minutes from almost any Nuevo Vallarta hotel, the wings cost $190 and the game is always on.
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