Vida Mexican Restaurant is an authentic Mexican restaurant that opened in Laconia, New Hampshire in…read moreApril 2021. It was founded by a family of restaurateurs that includes Arpeet Shah, his wife Gabriele Hernandez, and brother-in-law Alan Romani. The family sought to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to the New Hampshire Lakes Region. The menu features of variety of Mexican dishes such as fajitas, burritos, tacos, chimichangas, quesadillas, enchiladas, as well as their signature crafted margaritas. A second location, dubbed Vida II, opened in Tilton in October 2021, but it was closed by late 2022. A third location, dubbed Vida at the Lake, opened in Meredith May 2022. The family also owns and operates Ensō Japanese Steakhouse in Meredith (opened June 2024) and Raíces Authentic Mexican Restaurant in Manchester (opened February 2025).
My extended family and I visited the original Vida this past summer while we were visiting Funspot down the road. After a few hours at the arcade, we were getting hungry for lunch and looked on Yelp to see if there was a good restaurant nearby. Vida came highly recommended and we're glad that we decided to stop in. Most of us started off with a round of delicious margaritas. My wife had the "Fresca Strawberry Margarita" (1800 Silver tequila, triple sec, Gran Gala, fresh lime and fresh house strawberry purée) and I had the "Spicy Margarita" (Ghost Tequila, triple sec, Gran Gala, fresh lime and agave). We then ordered some freshly made guacamole for the table to share. For entrees, I had the "Taco Dinner" (three chorizo tacos, served w/ rice, beans, pico de gallo, fresh limes, grilled onions, jalapeño and salsa on the side), my wife had the "Shrimp Fajitas" (large grilled shrimp with onions, peppers and tomato, served on a sizzling skillet w/ rice, beans and salad), our older son had the "Kids Burrito & Taco", our younger son had the "Kids Corn Dog" (w/ fries). These dishes were super authentic! All of the ingredients tasted so fresh and flavorful. We're very happy to have discovered Vida Mexican Restaurant and we highly recommend them to anyone looking for authentic Mexican cuisine in the New Hampshire Lakes Region!