Great Gorditas to Fill Your Stomach

Every time we go to the Soriana shopping center near Pitillal we always stop to order gorditas at Gorditas Dona Tota.

If you are not familiar with gorditas, they are thick disks made from corn meal that are split open and filled with an infinite variety of stews and shredded meats. You can find them throughout Mexico.

Gorditas Dona Tota is a franchised chain that was founded in Ciudad Victoria in the state of Taumalipas. The chain operates in almost every state in Mexico and has recently begun expansion into the U.S. Currently, they have six locations in Texas. Puerto Vallarta has only one location.

My three favorite gorditas from Dona Tota: picadillo (ground beef), carnitas en salsa verde (pork in green salsa), and rajas con queso (Poblano chile and cheese). I’m stuffed after just three.

Prices are very reasonable. Each gordita costs between $7.00 and $8.00 pesos which is about $.55 US at the current exchange rate.

The mall, where you will find Gorditas Dona Tota, is located just south of Pitillal on Francisco Villa. The mall is also home to Cinepolis, a great multiplex movie theatre that plays first-run movies in English.

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More Mexican Fast Food You Might Like:

Best Tacos in Puerto Vallarta

Good Street Tacos

Famous Tamales

Family Style Restaurant – Downtown Puerto Vallarta

The other day while waiting to get a haircut, I found a great little restaurant downtown, two blocks from the main plaza, called Rincon de Tlaquepaque. The sound of the sizzling grill and the amazing smell of meat and chiles pulled me right in.

Rincon de Tlaquepaque specializes in birria (stewed goat’s meat) and tortas ahogadas (drowned sandwiches). They call them drowned sandwiches because the sandwiches are smothered in salsa. Tortas ahogadas is a popular dish from Guadalajara.

I ordered the tacos de birria which were really good. Dishes made from goat’s meat are dishes that that I have to be in the mood to eat. I find the flavor can be too strong for my taste. This time the flavor was very mild.

The restaurant is not much to look at from the outside, but inside it is brightly colored and cheerful. A very typical small family style restaurant. The restaurant was spotlessly clean which is a major plus in my book.

Tacos de birria. Next time I visit, I will try the tortas ahogadas because they looked fantastic. After I finished my tacos, I nearly ordered one just to try it out, but better judgement prevailed.

Prices were reasonable. I paid $40 pesos for 3 tacos and a diet Coke.

The restaurant is easy to find. Just head South 2 blocks from the main plaza and it’s located almost on the corner of Morelos and Libertad streets.

 
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Another good taco place downtown.
More good tacos here.

Taqueria El Grano de Oro – Downtown Puerto Vallarta

I decided to try the Taqueria Grano de Oro, a taco stand that I had noticed a few times in passing.  It is located just behind the Mercado 5 de Diciembre downtown. Every time I passed by, it was always busy which is an excellent sign.

Picking a good taco stand really is simple. Look for a place that is consistently busy and your chances of finding good food is almost guaranteed. My technique didn’t fail me finding Taqueria El Oro Grande.

The staff was very friendly as was the owner. I was curious as to how carnitas are made and the owner graciously explained the process to me. In the photos below, you’ll see the large vats where the carnitas and chicharrones are made.

Their specialty is tacos de carnitas, which are tacos made from pork that has been deep fried in lard until the meat starts to fall apart. Carnitas tacos might not sound very good but they sure taste good.

The tacos they serve at Taqueria Grano de Oro are quite large. I ordered three tacos. I was full by the time I finished the second taco.

They make fresh tortillas on site which adds greatly to the flavor. To spice up your tacos they offer four salsas: three red salsas of varying heat, and a mild green guacamole salsa. You also get onion, cilantro, limes, and jalapenos.

Prices are very reasonable. I paid $40 pesos for three large tacos and a Diet Coke.

The owner, Antonio shows me how chicharrones are made. Pork skins are deep fried in lard and allowed to cool. The same pork skins are placed in the lard a second time which causes them to expand, blister, and become crunchy.

Freshly made chicharrones. To eat them you just grab a piece, put hot sauce on it, and take a bite.

Taqueria Grano de Oro is located on the corner of Guatemala street and Belice street in downtown Puerto Vallarta. They are open daily until 4:00pm.

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Fajita Republic Restaurant – Old Town Puerto Vallarta

One of the restaurants we go to when we are in the mood for fajitas is Fajita Republic located on Basilio Badillo street in Old Town.

Our favorite dish is the Molcajitas – strips of beef and cheese, onion, pineapple and salsa heated in a stone molcajete. They give you a stack of flour tortillas, plus guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, rice and beans to make your own tacos. We are not real big eaters so one order is enough to feed the two of us.

This visit we decided to try something new and we ordered the Shrimp Tacos Pastor. The shrimp are covered in an adobo sauce which is a red tomato based sauce made with chipotle. Adobo can be on the spicy side but the version at Fajita Republic is tasty and mild.

Something new that they are doing is giving you a plate of nachos on the house. They have always started you off with a ton of tortilla chips and homemade salsa plus a plate of jicama sprinkled with chile powder. And, they still do, with a plate of nachos to boot.

Last March, they relocated the restaurant to the other side of the street. They kept the same menu and decor. So if you have been to Fajita Republic before and enjoyed it, you will still find it to your liking.

Service this visit was really quick and friendly, much better than our previous visits. The waitstaff puts on a good show at the tables when they serve the fajita plates flamed in tequila. I kept trying to get a picture of them in action but I was never quite quick enough.

Prices are mid-range and include chips and homemade salsa, a plate of nachos, and a plate of jicama. The Molcajitas cost $134 pesos and the Shrimp Tacos Pastor cost $128 pesos.

Fajita Republic is located at Basilio Badillo #188 in Old Town. Their telephone number is 222-3131. They Also have a location in Nuevo Vallarta at Embarcadero Centro, Paseo Cocoteros Lote 8 Villa 8. The phone number in Nuevo Vallarta is 297-2277.

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Another place you might enjoy in Old Town Puerto Vallarta – El Querreque Restaurant

A Typical Mexican Restaurant in Olas Altas / Los Muertos

One of the most traditional restaurants in Puerto Vallarta is El Querreque in Olas Altas.

The food is what you find in a small town lunch room or what you might be served in someone’s home. It’s simple, filling, and very tasty.

At El Querreque they serve breakfast and lunch. For some unknown reason, I have never gone for lunch. My favorite dish is Huevos a la Mexicana with a slice of ham. Prices are very fair. My eggs and a cup of coffee cost $45 pesos.

I like the old-time feel of the restaurant with it’s anti-chain restaurant decor. The pace unhurried, although service is quick and friendly.

The owner is a poet. The walls are covered in poems he has written over the years. If you know some Spanish, you will find some of them a little risque and very funny. Look for the poem about the worn out horse.

The poem above is one of the more serious poems and translated into English.

El Querreque is located on the corner of Francisca Rodriguez and Olas Altas street not far from the Los Arcos hotel.

When you are in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle be sure to go for some tacos at the Taqueria “Los Amigos,” located in front of the main plaza. The tacos are really good and the prices are reasonable. Tacos cost $9.00 pesos each. Sodas cost $10 pesos. We ate really well and our bill came to $75 pesos which is about $7.50 US.

We are ordered carne asada tacos, al pastor tacos, arrechera tacos, and a volcan (Volcano) which is melted cheese, meat, and beans on top of a crispy tortilla.

Taqueria “Los Amigos” is a typical taco stand, small and unassuming. For some unknown reason, the fancier a taco place is the worse the tacos are. It’s as if they wasted the flavor on decor.

Salsa is a critical ingredient to any good taco. My wife is a green salsa person. I’m a red salsa person. Green or red is always a heated debate when discussing tacos.

Nothing satisfies like a good taco. Tacos should be small and full of flavor not jumbo sized and sloppy like you find back home.

After you finish your tacos you can buy some candy or elote desgranado (corn kernals in a cup) from the vendor next door.

Other taco stands you might like:

Tizok Takos in Versalles

Best Tacos in Puerto Vallarta

For anybody who will be in Puerto Vallarta, I recommend buying a copy of Gary Beck’s Restaurant Guide. Gary makes sense of the Puerto Vallarta dining scene with over 360 comprehensive restaurant reviews. His guide is a true labor of love based on nearly thrirty years of experience in Puerto Vallarta.

Just so you know, I don’t make anything by promoting his restaurant guide. I have included it because it is an incredible resource for people who enjoy discovering new restaurants. As they say in Mexico, buen provecho!

Gary’s description of his restaurant guide:

A food lover’s guide to Puerto Vallarta restaurants including northern locales to San Pancho and southern locales to Yelapa.

Synopsis:

Updated information on over 360 restaurants on 107 spiral bound pages,
this guide has become a hit with visitors and local residents alike
from taco stands/street food to family style spots on up to the upper
crust dining adventures of this Mexican Paradise. Book covers street
address, phone number, email and/or web addresses, hours, menu samples
and discussions. The entire Bay of Banderas is covered from San Pancho
all through Nuevo Vallarta, the marina, hotel zone, downtown,
southside, Conchas Chinas, on south to Mismaloya and Yelapa! Updated
and edited almost daily, so as current as possible! Latest until July,
2008.

Gary also runs a great online discussion group related to Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta – Old Town – Southside – Yahoo Tech Group. Members post all kinds of Puerto Vallarta information including restaurant reviews and Gary includes some of his too. Be sure to check it out.

Read some of VallartaBlog’s best restaurant reviews:

Best Taco Stand in Puerto Vallarta

Best Taco Stand in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Mauricos – Our Favorite Shrimp Restaurant

Famar Family Style Restaurant in Bucerias

La chata de Guadalajara – Downtown Puerto Vallarta

Las Kekas Quesadillas in Marina Vallarta

Last Friday, we were looking for a good place to eat. We had planned on going for our favorite tacos but when we arrived they hadn’t even put the meat on the rotisserie yet. We love the tacos but we weren’t ready to wait an hour for them to be ready.

Eating out in Puerto Vallarta can be like cable television. You have 700 choices and nothing interests you. We started playing the usual, “what do you want to eat? I dunno. What do you wanna eat game.”

After running through the list of all 700 hundred places we could eat, we settled on the Red Cabbage, an old favorite.

The following comes from the Red Cabbage website:

One of vallarta’s most delightful dining experiences, the menu features dishes from all regions of Mexico.

Easily accessible on the south side of the Rio Cuale, the Red Cabbage Cafe is located in Colonia Remance (pronounced “ray-MAHN-say”).

You know you are someplace special when you step into the lighthearted collage of its decor. On the brightly painted walls is an eclectic display of art, music, theater, literature and film. Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera are featured on one wall.

Informal but stylish, bohemian but sophisticated, delicious dining in a delightful setting await Puerto Vallarta’s visitors and residents who are looking for a great food experience. Prices are moderate and value outstanding.

I am in agreement. The Red Cabbage is one of the few places I recommend to everyone.

If you have never gone, the Red Cabbage can be hard to find on your own. They easiest way to get there the first time is by taxi. Most of the drivers know where it is. You can print a copy of the map to the Red Cabbage to make it a little easier to find.

For the summer, the Red Cabbage is having a half-priced, “Fiesta de Chiles” special on their stuffed chile dishes. I was pleased with this because I had already planned to order the chiles stuffed with ground beef when they told us about the special.

I wish I had remembered to bring the camera with me. the presentation of the food was beautiful.

Another Mexican restaurant you might like:

La Chata de Guadalajara

Mauricios Shrimp Restaurant

Great Tacos in Puerto Vallarta

One of the taco places we frequent is Tizok Takos in Versalles. It’s easy to get to. It’s a half a block south of the HSBC bank on the corner of Francisco Medina Ascencio and Francia street. If you are not sure where that is, it’s directly in front of the big Coppel store.

When you walk by there is always a big cloud of smoke coming off the grill. The smell pulls you right into the restaurant.

They grill the onions which I really like. The beans for garnish I don’t much like. These are tacos de asada (grilled beef tacos). Tacos cost about $12 pesos each.

The salsas are good and the chips never-ending.

To drink, they serve horchata and jamaica in the old-fashioned clay mugs, which is a cool touch. Both drinks are traditionally prepared. Unfortunately, many restaurants that serve these drinks have switched over to liquid or powder concentrates for convenience. The taste just isn’t the same.

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Another Puerto Vallarta taco stand you will like
Puerto Vallarta’s Best Tacos – El Carboncito

El Colera Mariscos y Micheladas, this week’s restaurant under review was a pick by Gary Beck who publishes Beck’s Best – Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Guide.

If you haven’t seen his guide before, it’s worth checking out. He has reviewed more than 360 restaurants in the Puerto Vallarta area.

The day we went to El Colera they were have their grand re-opening. The restaurant had just completed a move to a larger space and for one day they were offering everything on the menu at half-off. Word travels fast in Vallarta when there is a half-off special. The place was packed.

El Colera Mariscos y Micheladas
Type of Food: Mexican Style Seafood
Price: Inexpensive
Location: South Side on Lazaro Cardenas cross street Camichin – See map on next page

What we ate:
1 Mixed shrimp plate al ajo (garlic shrimp) and a la diabla (spicy shrimp) $90
1 Seafood salad $75

What we drank:
A couple glasses of water

Service: The service was slow and disorganized. In their defense, it was the first day in a new location and they we packed because of their half-off special. By the time you read this they should have everything sorted out.

Total cost: $165 Pesos – although we only paid $82.50 since they were having the half-off special.

Would I go back? Definitely. The food is good and prices reasonable. It has a pleasant, funky, local seafood joint atmosphere.

I ordered the shrimp plate spicy shrimp and garlic shrimp. In the picture, the portion looks modest but it’s really much larger than it looks.

If you have read some of the other seafood restaurant reviews you will see that I tend to order the same shrimp combination every time. Maybe it’s lack of imagination. Maybe it’s just a great combination.

Pickled red onions with chiles. Good stuff. You don’t get these at too many restaurants in Puerto Vallarta.

Gary’s seafood salad. A good meal if you want something that is light and fresh on a hot day. It has shrimp, octopus, scallops, tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers in a light sauce.

Watching the big game.

The El Colera Mariscos y Micheladas menu. A very typical Vallarta style seafood restaurant menu.

You can zoom in or out on the map below to find your way to the restaurant.
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Other seafood restaurants you might like:

8 Tostadas Seafood Restaurant

El Brujo Restaurant Bucerias

VallarTita Seafood Restaurant

Mauricio’s Shrimp Restaurant