Puerto Vallarta Restaurant

I eat out a lot, and I can honestly say my visit on the afternoon of 7/14/13 was the most negative dining experience I've had all year. Staff were friendly enough, but the table we were placed at had trash on it, it took over 15 minutes for our order to be taken, and then another 15 minutes for the food to arrive (which is weird for a Mexican restaurant.) The order was wrong, and then we were charged for a side we asked for but never came. I also noticed that another table also had their order wrong as well.

I think most of the problems have to do with staff training and attention to detail, but it was enough to decide never to go back. Some in the group felt like the service was poor enough to merit no tip.

Since I've lived in Eatonville for almost 30 years, my family and I have been coming here since they first opened their doors (however long ago that was).  And it's been consistently good; with decent prices (I remember somebody saying it cost them $70 for 2 people, but for my family of 3, it's never cost that much... including drinks and tip, so I have no idea what they had.), good food, and the best salsa anywhere.  I honestly can't say anything bad. I have quite a few friends who have moved away, and when they come home to visit, the first place they want to eat, is Puerto Vallarta, because they can't find any decent Mexican food around them.

I'd definitely recommend it to anybody new in town, or just passing through!

It's a yearly tradition for my research group to stop at the Puerto Vallarta Restaurant on our way to the Volcano conference at Pack Forest.  The restaurant itself is dated, but it has lots of booths and tables, and was easily able to accommodate our large group on a Friday night.  

When we were seated, we were all brought water and large bowls of tortilla chips with salsa, along with menus.  Our waiter here was amazing!  He had an insanely good memory, since he was able to memorize 7 orders (and their substitutions) without writing anything down.   He was also great at making sure all of our water glasses were filled throughout the entire meal.  He also had no problem giving all of us separate checks.  

The menu is huge, with a large selection of traditional Mexican food and healthy alternatives.  No matter your taste, you'll find something to eat on the menu.  The bar is pretty decent as well.  We were surprised to find Dos Equis on tap, which is pretty rare (at least in Canada).  

I opted for the traditional taco salad, without the sour cream and cheese. I was really excited to get a taco salad in a taco bowl, because those are much rarer than you'd think!  The taco salad was great, especially combined with some extra salsa.  I was really surprised.  My lab mates were all impressed with how much food we got for the price.  Nobody left the table hungry, that's for sure.

I honestly didn't expect to find a quality Mexican restaurant in Eatonville, but this place is fantastic!  It's a great restaurant with good food and reasonable prices.  If I'm going to the conference again next year, I look forward to another great experience here.