Vallarta sits in downtown Exeter, and when I walked in, the place was empty. No customers the entire time I was there, but the room looked nice, Spanish paintings on the walls, music filling the quiet space. The waitress met me fast, dropped menus, chips, and salsa. The chips and salsa were the best part of the entire visit. The salsa was full of flavor, full of aroma, with a spice that hits and fades just right, pulling you back in for another bite. I'd buy a tub of it without hesitation. I saw a daily special, two enchiladas with rice and beans, and ordered that along with a strawberry wine margarita, mostly out of curiosity. When it arrived blended, I expected a sangria‑tequila hybrid. Instead, it tasted like nothing. Just cold, blended liquid with no real identity. Before I could figure it out, the food hit the table, fast. Less than five minutes. The rice and beans had no flavor. Salt helped, but only a little. The tiny salad on the plate didn't add anything for me. But the enchiladas were solid. I got them with ground beef, and the red sauce was flavorful, the beef seasoned well. Pico de gallo on top isn't my thing, but once everything blended together, I ate it up. I tried the margarita again mid‑meal. This time I could taste a faint wine note, like a very light blended sangria. Not something I'd order again, but definitely an experience. Honestly, Vallarta shines in two places: the salsa and the enchiladas. If they ever decide to serve proper sangrias in a few flavors, I'd come back just for that, and a basket of chips with that salsa. read more

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Great little place! Went here after leaving another place in town where the service was terrible. Greeted so warmly and seated immediately. We ordered Carne Asada and a Pastor taco. The Carne asada was a rib eye and was very tender and flavorful. The Al Pastor taco was loaded with so much meat I had to eat it with a fork!! Chips and salsa were very good as well. Nice little place!! read more

I had the shrimp ceviche which was so delicious (surprised me). It was lonely but food was delicious!

The best Mexican food in California, I have eaten almost every item on the menu. Everything is good and the service is always terrific. Ed B. read more

Great Al Pastor tacos and house made chili rellenos! Great, friendly service! Our new go to for Mexican food!

Hey Travelers! After a full day hiking in Sequoia NP, we wandered 2 miles off the beaten path to this next level Mexican restaurant. We had shrimp fajitas and shrimp tacos. The tortillas are amazing, fresh and homemade! Best shrimp I've ever had in a restaurant/ perfectly cooked and seasoned ( I'm pescatarian and picky about seafood prep). My husband can't tolerate spicy food- no problem! His fajitas were flavorful and delicious. We ate some pretty bland meals in other restaurants before serendipity (and the cute farmers market- open Weds. 4-9) brought us to Exeter. Come and enjoy a clean, beautiful atmosphere with lovely service and fantastic food. Great family vibe here from this business in its second generation. Highly recommend! read more

Overpriced. Stale chips, hamburger on taco was extremely greasy. Chicken taco was excellent. rice and beans were excellent. Taco salad comes with cabbage rather than lettuce...Waitress is kind and attentive. Credit card fees added to check. Probably won't return. read more

We came on a weeknight for dinner. We were seated right away. We were given ample time to peruse the menu. My husband ordered the seafood combination while I ordered 2 steak and 1 fish tacos and a steak enchilada. My husband loved his order. I tried his fish fillet with some rice and it was sooo good! I loved my fish taco...my husband agreed after I shared a bite with him. I didn't care much for the steak taco and enchilada. It was a bit salty for my taste. I also ordered churros for dessert...yum! Our server routinely checked in with us which we appreciated. We wanted to return the next day but they were closed...what a bummer! read more

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Awesome staff! Super friendly. Huge portions of delicious food. Amazing homemade salsa.

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere. The menu is extensive. Fresh tasting food. Pleasant staff. Lovely and casual surroundings.

Not our first choice, tried to eat at Whistle Stop but apparently, they closed early today. So we opted for Vallarta. Prompt service from all servers. Couldn't decide between breakfast or lunch so I opted for chilaquiles while hubby got carnitas. My chilaquiles were probably the best I've ever had! So much flavor and just the right balance of spices. Hubby enjoyed carnitas and said corn tortillas were especially good! All servers were following COVID protocol. Cute outdoor patio. The only issue was there were a lot of flies but that's what happens when we gotta eat outside! Overall, wonderful food and great service! read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Chilaquiles, delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

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I have been coming here since they opened over 20 years ago. The food has been consistent all along. The wait staff is courteous and friendly. read more

I love this place! The food is always so good and the service is outstanding. Each server we've had has been great. Just super nice people who really seem to care about their customers. read more

The Chile Relleno in Salsa Ranchera is my favorite!!! I get it everytime. I walk out with a smile on my faces read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Chile Relleno in Salsa Ranchera - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

Always great food, staff really nice and remember you, casual family ambiance, best Mexican in Exeter or Visalia

We are traveling and needed a place to eat a bit late in the evening from our day in the park. We loved this place, the people, the food & service are excellent. Highly recommend. read more

Food was good and staff always get everything you need to make your dining experience memorable. Very clean but, just like you are in Mexico feeling. read more

I purchased 3 grilled Tacos to go. I was disappointed in the price. 3 grilled Chicken Tacos "just chicken and cheese" the bill was $13.36. Very disappointing! Is it any wonder there is a TACO BELL ON every corner? WOW! read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - 3 grilled chicken Tacos?! LOL - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

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Service is great the tostada was good the atmosphere was okay price but it's the best Mexican Restaurant in town

Great authentic Mexican food ! Best chilaquiles I've ever had, which includes eating in Puerto Vallarta! Service is excellent, both friendly and efficient! Fish tacos are delicious, love the creamy, cheesy chile rellenos! Just the right amount of heat. Vegetarian tostada is awesome! Best rice. How do they make it so good? Affordable! read more

Just after noon on a Sunday there was not much open in the small town of Exeter. The only other place I noticed open was only serving brunch, which is what drove me through the doors of Vallarta. I was seated immediately, and seconds after taking my seat I was gifted with chips and salsa. The chips were good, but the salsa was amazing. It is obviously homemade, but the subtle spicy kick it offers is what really sealed the deal for me. I ordered three tacos at $2.50 a piece. You get a choice between hard or soft shells. I went with soft, kind of expecting something similar to street tacos. Instead, three large tacos in flour tortillas were placed in front of me. They looked excellent, and they were stuffed with meat, shredded cheese, tomatoes and lettuce, and guacamole. My choices of meat were carnitas, chicken, and steak. The carnitas were good and crispy, but a little too salty for my taste. The chicken was insanely juicy, as was the steak. The best thing about both the chicken and steak is the flavor they held. I don't know what they were marinated in, all I know is I'm still salivating just from thinking of them. The service was great too. I didn't have one server because it felt like everyone working in the restaurant took time to make sure that I was happy. The best thing about the service is their interaction with the public. It's clear that they have regulars because a few of them took their meal breaks and had lunch with the customers. The vibe of the place just screams family. Even though they weren't my first choice for lunch I am happy fate brought me through their doors. read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

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Good Chips & Salsa (chips are hot) and the food is okay but not great - except for the beans. I thought the beans were fabulous, just like my both of my grandmas used to make. I ordered the chicken enchilada and chili relleno combo. The chicken was so dry and lacked flavor (probably boiled?). The sauce on top was red and sweet, not very good. The chili relleno was like none I've ever had before. The pepper was not battered at all, it was rolled in a corn tortilla and covered with a sauce I did not care for. It tasted like sweet mayonnaise - ew! I was glad that I got full from the chips and salsa because I barely ate the enchilada and the inside of the relleno. BF had the shrimp cocktail - it was pretty good but the shrimp was bland. He wanted a Margarita but they only have Wine Margaritas. Service was decent and semi-friendly. read more

Love the chili relleno, this time got the beef enchilada and chicken sopito. The sopitos are always tasty, but the beef enchilada was probably the best enchilada I have ever eaten! And I'm usually a cheese enchilada girl! LOL read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

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Food is disgusting 75 bucks for cold cheese and uncooked beans even Taco Bell is better

This restaurant is 4-star by most measures. Excellent foot, great service, and good Margaritas. I had three Fish Tacos. Very good portion. The salsa they gave with chips at the start was very think and had good flavor. So, why 3 Stars. When I got home, I noticed on my receipt a Service Charge of 3%. I called, and they said that it is the credit card fee. I do not think that I have every been to a restaurant that passed the credit card fee to the customer in such an obvious way. Some business do, such as the DMV, gas stations, etc. At least they post it. If this restaurant needed another $.78 from me, then raise the price. Why not charge me for the high gas prices? I'm sure food prices have increased, which have resulted in increased prices. When I called to clarify the charge, the staff person said that they would pass the comment on to the owner. I hope they do. read more

Amazing! Came to town to spend some time at Sequoia National Park. After an exhausting day of trekking around the mountains, I stopped by the restaurant to grab some food. I ordered albondigas (meatball soup) and pastor burrito.. and MAN, they were SO good. Legit legit legit. Moved to LA about a year ago and stil haven't found a mom & pop store I like as much as this one. I would definitely recommend if you're craving authentic mexican food! read more

This place is located in the middle of the town and had a charm to the street. The service was very slow. We had to wait a very long time for our food. I ordered Albondiga soup and it was not authentic. The meatballs where processed Italian meatballs not meat and rice which is normally what it has in the soup. Cute place but food was not. read more

Excellent as always, service is great and the Menudo is a solid A plus, best in the valley. The Chili Verde is very delicious.

My favorite Exeter Mexican restaurant. Very consistent family-owned restaurant with decent variety. My family has been eating here for many years. read more

I stopped by last minute, they were already closed and they still hooked me up with the most delicious wet burrito I've had in a while. The carne asada was really tasty the beans and rice were on point!! I wish this place was closer to home. For sure I'll be stopping by here everytime I'm back in town. The service was great, very clean and the waitress was really nice but I forgot to ask her name. So glad I stopped by!! read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

I saw that Vallartas had pretty good reviews so I decided I would stop in. First time I went I got a burrito and there was no flavor in the carne asada. I figured maybe it was an off day so I tried again recently and had the same experience the second time as well except this time the meat was extremely dry and flavorless. Safe to say I will not be going a third time. read more

I've been going to Vallartas for YEARS and it is always super yummy. The staff is always very friendly and attentive. My favorite menu item is the chili rellano, it is covered in a white sauce and is soooooo amazing. read more

Is there an option for no stars? (I am always generous with my reviews so will give one star!) We went in there on an evening that was not so busy, the service was very slow, it took the waitress a full ten minutes to take our drink order, another five minutes passed and my daughter burned herself on the salsa, after unsuccessfully trying to get the attentions of various members of the waiting staff, I went to the kitchen at the back to get some water for my daughter and was assured "the waitress was on her way with the drinks" Another five minutes passed and as we were close to a decision to leave, the waitress arrived with our drinks. She then took our food order, two out of the six dishes had errors, we had to press the waiting staff to fix these errors. When the dishes came back, they did not do so in a timely fashion. In short, truly disappointed as we had visitors to the city with us and it was a massive let down. Staff were not attentive, absent, when they were customer facing they were in many cases unresponsive. Not a good eating experience, the lady who took the money at the end did not wish to hear our comments at the end of the meal and no restitution was offered before we left the establishment. read more

My husband and I went to Exeter to eat at a restaurant called the Hometown Emporium. It was Sunday so they closed early. Next door was Vallarta's so we decided to give it a try. I am so glad that we did! The service was great and so was the food and prices! I ordered two grilled chicken tacos and I must say these are my new favorite tacos... EVER! They were so delicious! My husband had two tostadas ceviche (camorones aka shrimp) and they were equally as amazing! Forget going to Exeter for Hometown Emporium, being closed opened our eyes to Vallartas. Now if we are ever in the area, Vallartas will be our first choice for lunch or dinner! Absolutely delicious! read more

The food here is OK, nothing special... although it is GREAT if you do not like any spiciness in your Mexican food. There are people who can't handle spice, if so you will LOVE this restaurant. I had the cheese enchiladas, and they were pretty good, but I've had better. The beans and rice were very bland. Chips are served warm, which I like! Service is VERY quick. Ambience is nice. I probably will not go back, as there are many other choices in the area. read more

The rice beans and soft shell corn tortilla carne asada taco was very good however the chile relleno with white sauce ain't cutting it. Not sure I will be back I'm just in the neighborhood because I'm working here I live 3 hours North however if I get the chance to come back here there's several other places I would love to try read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

Good Mexican food, I like the large variety of soups they offer. The burritos are pretty good. The staff is fairly friendly. As far as the speed of service, it caters more to sit down customers. To go orders just take too long. That being said I keep coming back, you just may enjoy it. read more

Vallarta Mexican Restaurant - Abondigas to go :) - Mexican Near Me - Exeter, California

Pretty good food! Needed a little salt, but overall good food. Service was great! Friendly staff...food was fast. Didn't wait long at all. read more

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Wow just wow the corn tortillas are awesome and taste homemade and the Veracruzana fish fillet is delicious review from a fellow Latina this was great read more

Okay, I'm originally from texas so I think I know my mexican food. I had combination #1, beef taco and cheese enchalada. Salsa is okay, nothing what I was expecting from the reviews. Xtra chips are 99 cents. Back to dinner...beef taco was okay, enchalada was worst I've had in a long time, rice didn't have much flavor, and refried beans were mediocre at best. My son loves mexican rice but stated "rice wadnt good dad." Service is 4 stars, but I can't get past the food. We are here visiting sequoia national park and staying in exete r. read more