I spent most of my birthday this year on a plane. We did eat a late dinner at Huck Finn in Oak…read moreLawn, Illinois, but my parents wanted to celebrate my (and Marlene's) belated birthday(s) with, well, Tom and Marlene, so my parents asked me to pick a spot. I love finding good places that Tom and Marlene haven't been. At first, I thought this was the Mexican restaurant on the south side of McKinley Street, but that one is long gone. I believe it was was called Cancun--or was it Acapulco? In any case, we drove separately because Tom and Marlene had some of their typical do-gooding to do, and I was a little surprised at how late they were. Well, they had gone to a takeout version of Puerto Vallarta (the same business?) located near where that other old closed Mexican restaurant was, but on the north side of McKinley. In any case, Puerto Vallarta--the real one tucked way behind a secret strip mall with this weird fire lane between the first line of parking spots and the storefront curb itself--is a great place. The menu is pretty vast for a sit-down Mexican restaurant in South Bend, and it's not just different versions and combinations of the same items, although you can seemingly get anything as part of a combination plate. The service is excellent and attentive. It was very busy when we came, and we were seated right when a lot of other people were seated, so our food did take a long time, but it wasn't ridiculously long, and our server continually stopped by to let us know what was happening and to refill water and complimentary chips. There are two or three dining rooms total, and we were seated in the one to the right as you walk in the door. I'm glad we weren't seated in the main (?) central room, because that's where they had a speaker on one of the tables playing music very loudly. I thought this would annoy me, but when you're in one of the other rooms, the music is at a reasonable volume. I guess their method is cheaper than actually installing a sound system throughout the restaurant, but I don't know who actually sits in that main room, because it was empty when we entered and had only two parties dining when we left. There was basketball on the TV when we were here, but the volume was turned off, and they have what looks like an antenna service without an actual antenna, so the broadcast was constantly dropping out for long periods during the entirety of our dinner. I wasn't interested in watching, so I didn't care, but if you're coming here to watch a game, you will be torturing yourself. Our dining room was festive and fun. It was also reassuring to see so many Latino families eating here and to hear them speaking Mexican-accented Spanish. I grew up in Southern California and have lived in the Golden State most of my life; I never judge a Mexican restaurant by who's eating inside it at home, but in the Midwest? Yup, Mexican restaurants get the same treatment as Chinese restaurants everywhere: The more Chinese people you see eating at the restaurant, the better the restaurant. It's also nice to see how many more Latinos there are in Michiana than when I lived there.

Great service despite a rather busy restaurant on Sunday midafternoon. Food was authentic Mexican…read morewith plenty of meat. Chicken chimichanga was great and almost big enough meal to split. Carne asada burrito also good with plenty of steak and lime. Fresh salsa to start mild but good, fresh flavor. Ambiance fine with many families. Key was excellent price point for overall quality food, service and experience.

Was absolutely fantastic the salsa the burritos the queso was all 5 stars no complaintsread more

Very friendly service, the menu looked complete. The food came out hot and fresh. The restaurant is…read moredecorated very nicely, has an authentic field.

Reviews are right about this place. Great food, great drinks, great prices , just burnt tortillas,…read morebut absolutely terrible service . Slow, says there were things on the menus but the server said they didn't have them so we were confused , and when they believe you're done they just leave the check and never come back not even to see if we want another drink. We would come back for cheaper Mexican food or drinks but we will stick to salsa's for better service

Great restaurant with the very authentic food. Reasonable prices. Decent service. Very clean. The…read moreonly thing we didn't like was the queso fundido that came out piping hot, but did not seem to have any queso in it.

I had a wonderful lunch at El Tecate. I had the chorizo omelette. My gosh it was truly delicious…read more The rice, beans, fresh tortillas and everything were just great. The portions were huge. The service was exceptional. It's a really nice place but I would emphasize that this is a local neighborhood restaurant so if you're expecting a chain restaurant you'll be disappointed. Personally I really liked the music and vibe here.

A cop told us about this place and it was incredible. We had shrimp cocktail, and guacamole for…read morestarters. I added a little salt to the guac. Husband had the fajitas mix which had the BEST seasoning! Restaurant had plenty of parking across the street. Inside virtually floor to ceiling windows and plenty of room to move around. Lemonade was tart. I am used to a sweeter version. Will come back for sure next time we are in town.

This was a small eat-in or carry out Mexican spot that gave off a vibe like the fresh Mexican…read morejoints you'd find out on the west coast. I ordered a carry out burrito dinner and it took less than 10 minutes to get done. While the portion was not very large (as you often see with carry out places), it was very fresh and the taste was excellent. The meal was about $15, which strikes me as a little expensive, but in this day and age, it's probably about the norm, so I won't rant about what prices used to be. Woman taking order was very nice.

After some shopping in town, my girlfriend and I were looking for a quick bite to eat and decided…read moreto try this place for lunch. I ordered the Gordita, and she went for the burrito. Both dishes were reasonably priced, served fresh, and piping hot. I absolutely loved my Gordita--it was so good that I wished I'd ordered two or three instead of just one! I can imagine this restaurant gets really busy during beach season, and I can see why!

The breakfast we had today was 5 Star!…read more We ordered a couple Bloody Mary's with our breakfast. My wife ordered the Southern Benedict and I got the Meat Lovers Combo. Both were excellent and the Hash Browns were moist and crispy. Service was great and I see they didn't add the Cc surcharge...Thank you! This is going to be a frequent return!

Yummy Mexican food. They also have breakfast and American cuisine. We tried the chicken fajitas and…read moreempanadas. The fajitas were flavorful and abundant. Plenty for leftovers. The empanadas were tasty. The staff were very friendly. The decor is festive and fun. Our cocktails tasted good but were not very strong which could be a plus or downside based on your preference.

Reopened at 219 Front St Same great food and service…read more Large outdoor patio Plenty of nearby parking

The food was great and well seasoned! We enjoyed the cheese - not too runny but not too thick. The…read morechipotle pollo was a nice change from my usual order and would definitely check this place out again!

Food was good. Everyone in my party was happy with their food. Prices were good. My mother felt her…read moretaco salad was half the price it is back home. The environment looked family friendly. Not real loud but the noise you'd expect with many families. Service was prompt and they answered questions for us about the menu.

My dish was fine but the pork seemed a bit dry. Others in the party loved their dishes. Our room…read morewas crowded but well taken care of.

It was a nice day and since my air conditioning is shot on the old VW bug we opened the windows…read moreand moon roof and took a roadtrip! Back roads are my thing! When we got near Warsaw we hit RT 30 and hightailed to our favorite Mexican joint and secured a table near the kitchen and settled down to pig out! Haven't been here for a year but it is still good! I had three tacos and a side of refried beans! My wife ordered her favorite arroz con pollo. Everything was good including my tender lengua. I couldn't resist a glass of horchata for desert! We will return!

Excellent food and service Our server was very friendly and helpful. This place has just about…read moreeverything. Will be back.