Traditional Tex-Mex
The building was cheaply constructed 20 or so years ago to resemble a barnlike hunting lodge restarurant. It looks like a place where, in its heyday, you might have ordered buffalo steaks. Now it just looks like a shabby old hunting lodge restaurant that houses a Tex-Mex joint. You can imagine the pride of the original owners and their present day dismay to see what became of their dream.

The food almost comes up to average Tex-Mex standards. The difference is that Taqueria Vallarta uses very poor quality ingredients. Occasionally you'll hit a pocket of grease that has an off flavor or get a piece of bacon that is just a chunk of pure fat. The bottled hot sauce on the tables is cheap junk. The pico de gallo is always wilted. Either they make it fresh and keep it for five or six days before serving or they make it out of wilted ingredients. If you're up for a gorging and then a long, long nap (and who isn't sometimes?) Taqueria Vallarta has the menu for you.

The service is usually good and almost always very friendly. It's hard to get mad at somebody who's friendly and really trying. Of course maybe not everybody feels this way. I've witnessed two occasions of darkly tatooed management brutally chewing out waitresses. This should be done out of earshot of the patrons. It's very unpleasant to witness and leaves a bad taste that lingers longer than that of the carne guisada.

   [06 Aug 2006 12:33:30]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Anything with flour tortillas. Also, gorditas. If you happen to like gorditas Taqueria Vallarta has some of the best you'll find commercially.

     ­Anonymous