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    Original Vallarta Restaurant

    2.9 (47 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Original Vallarta Restaurant Photos

    ORIGINAL VALLARTA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Carne Guisada with Cheese on Homemade Flour Tortilla

    Homemade Flour Tortillas! Tacos are HUGE! Start with one... thank me later. Food is amazing and staff is friendly.

    Carne asada burrito meat and cheese only.
    Melissa H.

    Just spent 40 mins to get my order wrong. Asked for a carne asada burrito just meat and cheese and got a nasty tortilla filled to the brim with ALL RICE and some sprinkles of cheese. Also ordered a gordita and a torta both of those were correct but tasted like crap. Total was $32. Avoid this place. Literally go anywhere else. Taco Bell would have been better.

    Updated prices menu
    Sarah T.

    They serve the best breakfast tacos I've ever tried, and the enchiladas and rice are my go to order. I love supporting small, family-owned businesses like this. Their COVID precautions show just how much they care about quality and safety. I will definitely come again.

    Casual Mexican restaurant
    Christina O.

    Well, I must preface this review by saying I am sad to give only 1 star... my husband and I have been coming here for a couple years now. There aren't many places to eat in Rockport, especially for vegans. The Original Vallarta has always been our go-to Mexican joint in Rockport, however after this last visit we will be looking elsewhere. Love the decor and home style vibe; service was fast and friendly, as usual. Our waitress even helped us with the menu because it changed since our last visit. Everything was going great until the food came out. We both ordered the fiesta burrito - as recommended by our waitress - a simple bean burrito with lettuce and tomato smothered in enchilada sauce, came with a side of beans and rice. We made it very clear we did not want any meat, cheese or sour cream and it seemed like that was duality noted. When our burritos came out they were covered in what appeared to be a meat sauce and our side of guacamole tasted absolutely horrible. Our burritos did not have lettuce or tomato in them. I ate as much beans out of the inside of the burrito as I could and the sides of rice and beans but left with an awful stomach ache. I can understand now why this restaurant received so many terrible reviews recently... sad to see because it used to be pretty awesome. I recommend going elsewhere...

    Scrimp special and catfish special. Came out hot and tasty. Waiter waS attentive. Owners very sweet.
    Brenda R.

    We are locals. We've been in here several times over the years. We have friends visit here and love their tacos and breakfast deals. We have tried various items on the menu. I like the green enchiladas. If you have them make your cheese enchiladas from scratch and have onions put inside you will enjoy them more. I have also had good luck with fried scrimp. Husband had catfish special. Sunday.

    piece of wire found in my food

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    8 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    I've just had their breakfast burrito, but it is a great meal. You can't go wrong here. Love it.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The best hole in the wall mexi in town. Everything is delicious. Chicken soup, breakfast tacos, and enchiladas - yummmy!!

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Some of the best breakfast tacos in town. Call ahead to simplify your day. Love all their sauces.

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    My favorite Mexican place! Whatever I order is always good, and the girls that work there are really sweet

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Thank you for the fast, friendly, accurate service. Appreciate your flexibility and great food.

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    6 years ago

    Got tacos to go, and opened the first one up and there was a super long ass hair in the taco. I guess they don't wait hairnets

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Large breakfast tacos. But they tend to burn the retried beans. Good prices. Traditional Tex mex plates

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    11 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Good service, good prices, rice and beans are flavorless I had to add salt to both all other food was good. I would go back.

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Best Mexican food in town. Tortas are great....especially the asada torta. Always great and friendly service.

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    13 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Food was okay. Service was HORRIBLE. Since this app will not allow a NEGATIVE rating, I am forced to give ONE star.

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Estrada’s Mexican Steak House - Al Pastor street tacos and charro beans

    Estrada’s Mexican Steak House

    4.3(23 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    Bean & Cheese Nachos , Beer, Steaks, Seafood...Such a great casual place to dine with family &…read morefriends! I had the opportunity to experience Estrada's restaurant while visiting Rockport . Such a popular place too, it was busy when I dined there with family, yet service level was attentive & efficient! We shared the Bean & Cheese Nachos, perfectly prepared and paired well with my Happy Hour bottled beers! Estradas also offers a good selection of bottled beer, even imported beer. Noticed a new bar top was in the works, I wonder if draft beer is coming soon? Food over all was great! I ordered the Grilled Shrimp, which were very flavorful & portion was plentiful. Family members were pleased & satisfied with flavors & food quality. I will definitely be back, such a fun place with great food!

    I had this place on my list of wanting to try and when friends drove in from out of town we figured…read morelet's treat them to this place. So glad we did. We were immediately greeted and told to sit anywhere, open seating and quick service. Immediate placement of chips and salsa, red and green, the green was super spicy and nice. I splurged and ordered a frozen Mango margarita with salt. Really good. I ordered the 5 mini Al pastor street tacos with charro beans. Interesting choice to add weenies and small bits of ham to the charro beans, but overall pretty good plate. Our friends had the quesabirria and that looked real good (they said it was). The whole place is very laid back and simple, nothing fancy at all with a Television on the wall showing sports (in Spanish). Total cost of our bill was $120 without tip and we had 4 Margaritas, so price is on point. I recommend giving this place a try, they even have hamburgers which I will return to try.

    Photos
    Estrada’s Mexican Steak House - Restaurant entrance.

    Restaurant entrance.

    Estrada’s Mexican Steak House - Shrimp dish

    Shrimp dish

    Estrada’s Mexican Steak House - Mango margarita, yummy

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    Mango margarita, yummy

    La Tequila Jalisco Restaurant

    La Tequila Jalisco Restaurant

    3.5(155 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    Good Mexican restaurant on the main strip near the Walmart in Rockport…read more We prefer to sit at the bar where the service is friendly and quick. Drinks are good - we like their margaritas. I'm a fan of the enchiladas verde and my wife loves the aguachiles which have a great spicy salsa with fresh vegetables. Chips and salsa are good too - ask for the habanero salsa if you want a kick.

    The service was great. The music too loud. The food, not so much. We started with chips, salsa,…read moreand a bean dip with chorizo. That was good. We ordered a ground beef quesadilla supreme, and a cheese enchilada with onions, charro beans, rice, and a side of guacamole. The quesadilla was OK, but lacked seasoning. The enchilada lacked that real cheese flavor and was more like cheese whiz or Velveeta. I couldn't even taste the red sauce that was on it because of all the cheap cheese. The guacamole was too lemony and tasted food service, and had that dull green color like it wasn't fresh. The rice was bland. The charro beans were good. The prices are fair for the food quality. In Rockport, one place has great guacamole, another great margs, another great enchiladas, and another the best charro beans. None of this is under one roof. I didn't have a marg here, but I hear they are very good. We went there today because our regular place was closed and we needed to run to Walmart anyway, so that was convenient. To each his own, but that's my review.

    Photos
    La Tequila Jalisco Restaurant - Late night Rockport style

    Late night Rockport style

    La Tequila Jalisco Restaurant - Fajitas

    Fajitas

    La Tequila Jalisco Restaurant

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    Arandas Mexican Grille - Asada mini tacos

    Arandas Mexican Grille

    3.1(125 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $

    Although it wasn't very busy, service was slow, slow, slow. Food was good. We all had tortas and…read morethey were cooked to perfection, to drink we had watermelon water and they were really good, not too sweet. If I'm in the area I would definitely eat here again. There interiors decor is cute, booths were made for a skinnier person.

    Arrived at Aranda's Mexican Restaurant 609 Highway 35 North Rockport, TX 78382 at about 1;00 pm…read more One of our favorite places to dine in Rockport! Good food and great service ALWAYS! I highly recommend it! Having said that, I noticed something that upset me! I am a Military Veteran with 22 years of service, including serving on the Base Honor Guard representing the Air Force at the burial of a deceased Veteran. As a Vietnam Veteran and with many deployments under my belt, not much riles me! This display did! What I saw was the U.S. FLAG improperly displayed up against the wall. It appeared like someone had stapled the flag to the wall. Upon inspection, two sides of the Flag were being held to a piece of wood by Spring clips. The Flag might also have been touching the floor! But I discovered that it was touching the Base of the staff. Not good! It upset me. I called over the Manager, a very nice Lady who provides superb Customer Service. I explained my military background and mentioned that 3 Generations have served our Country. We are proud Americans who served America in many Wars and Conflicts. She was not aware of the Flag Display problem. She stated her Son was serving in the Air Force and that she would bring the Flag display up to higher Management. It's amazing to me that no one saw that, including me and my wife as we have dined here at least every few weeks. I pray the Display will be corrected properly. The U.S. Flag must hang freely and NOT touch anything, including the ground. If anyone is not sure about how to Display the Flag, ask the Boys Scouts or a WWII, Korea or Vietnam Veteran. My qualifications as an Expert and Experienced Food and Service Critic; I have over 65 years of Management Experience. I have a College Degree with a BS in Management and have been trained in two Culinary Schools, to include on the job training at other venues. I've managed full service as well as fast food restaurants and have had my own successful Catering business. As a Culinary Trainer, I have trained personnel on how to provide superb cuisine and sales and customer service. At the age of 78, I am now retired and enjoy being on the other side of the Apron.

    Photos
    Arandas Mexican Grille - Renovated New Bar

    Renovated New Bar

    Arandas Mexican Grille - Barbacoa tacos on flour tortillas. Very filling, I could only eat one.

    Barbacoa tacos on flour tortillas. Very filling, I could only eat one.

    Arandas Mexican Grille - Frozen Margaritas

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    Frozen Margaritas

    Jalisco Restaurant - Small Carne Guisada Taco missing lettuce, tomato and onion per the printed menu!

    Jalisco Restaurant

    3.7(38 reviews)
    3.0 mi

    All was good! Food was good!…read moreLocation was great! People were nice ! Ambiance was wonderful!

    Arrived at Jalisco Restaurant, 1701 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382 at about 1;00 pm on April 30,…read more2026. We had been here before and had great service and good food. We thought to give them a try again. Bad Choice! My Wife ordered the Chicken Caldo! Not Good! The chicken looked like it was still somewhat raw, the carrots were not cooked but hard and so was the 1/2 Potato! We had to raise our hands and wave just to get "Wait" Staff attention! We sent it back and she got a "Kids" Chicken Crispy Taco plate ($7.50) with one taco. We had to flag down our Waiter again who appeared to be doing some cleaning behind the Counter. When he took our order there was no greeting no smiles and he appeared not happy that we were there! As a matter of fact all the "Wait" Staff seemed to not want to be there! Bad Vibe! My $3.50 Carne Guisada Taco was very small and was tasteless. It was suppose to come with Lettuce, Tomato and Onion but those three items never showed and neither did our Waiter. We felt lucky to get any service at all. In spite of it all we are always very good "Tippers" and finally got a smile from our Waiter after he realized we had given him a 33% tip. This was our second time there and not a pleasant one. Maybe it's better at night!? We're NOT Going back! We, in Good Conscience, cannot recommend this establishment! My qualifications as an Expert and Experienced Food and Service Critic; I have over 65 years of Management Experience. I went from picking Cotten, Fruits and Vegetables in many parts of the country, as a Migrant Worker to earning a College Degree with a BS in Business Management. Plus Serving my Country in the Air Force for over 22 years. As a Civilian I have been trained in two Culinary Schools, to include on the job training at other venues. I've successfully managed full service as well as fast food restaurants and have had my own successful Catering business. I have traveled to many places and tasted the many culinary delicacies this world has to offer! As a Culinary Trainer, I have trained personnel on how to provide superb cuisine, sales and customer service. At the age of 79, I am now retired and enjoy being on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE APRON.

    Photos
    Jalisco Restaurant
    Jalisco Restaurant - Shrimp quesadillas

    Shrimp quesadillas

    Jalisco Restaurant

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    Gabriela's Seafood + Tapas - Ceviche with octopus in front .  I liked it the best

    Gabriela's Seafood + Tapas

    4.5(100 reviews)
    3.5 mi

    I love Tapas, and especially when a large table gets into sharing mode and orders together…read more However, I'm sure we sacrificed a table with a view since large tables don't usually occupy prime real estate. We were lucky to get the last serving of their evening special, Paella, which was among the best versions of this dish I have eaten, even including the first time I tried it in Barcelona back in 1959 as a college student. The portion was generous enough to satiate the five of us that shared it. With that, we added Corn Ribs, the Tuna Tostada, Patatas Bravas, and Crab Crostini. That was the perfect quantity for five. This is a five star restaurant in every regard, except perhaps for ambiance. The food was uniformly excellent and some of it was exceptional. The Tuna Tostada left me longing for more, and there was a generous amount of crab on the Crostini. The Corn Ribs brought corn-on-the-cobb to a new level. The one disappointment was that the salmon in the salad came out medium rare, which in my opinion is the way is should be served, but the menu probably should have warned that it would be prepared that way. This was cheerfully and quickly fixed, so no harm and no foul. We will surely return.

    First time here but def not our last, in fact just made our second reservation!…read more We had heard wonderful things about this place and they were not wrong. We reserved early for NYE because we are old, lol, and so glad we landed on Gabriela's. We started out with the Pina Colada Azul's and they were amazing. For eats we had the corn ribs, the Ahi tuna tostada, and the Queso de Cabra. All were soooo good. I don't even do tuna and had two bites because they were so good. I'm a huge fan of the corn ribs and the goat cheese though. We finished with the calamari which was just as good as everything else had been. Light breading, not oily at all and plated with plenty of lemons and a very tasty sauce. I would recommend everything we had. We finished with the bread pudding and the chocolate torte! Again both were amazing, and I don't like even like bread pudding but this one was amazing. The pistachios put it over the top for me. So it was a wonderful experience and I cannot wait to be back. Let me end with Leslie and Candace in the bar, they are so great that I wouldn't even consider sitting at a table if they are on the bar. Thanks ladies for a great NYE dinner!

    Photos
    Gabriela's Seafood + Tapas
    Gabriela's Seafood + Tapas - Dessert!!!

    Dessert!!!

    Gabriela's Seafood + Tapas - Upstairs view

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    Upstairs view

    Original Vallarta Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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