Vallartas Mexican Restaurant
5437 E Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage, AK, 99508
Vallartas Mexican Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Anchorage for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Anchorage for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Anchorage for healthy meals suggestion.
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-
Address :
5437 E Northern Lights Blvd
Anchorage, AK, 99508 - Phone (907) 338-2500
- Website https://www.vallartasak.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Curtis K.
Just dropping in to reiterate the awesome lunch buffet others have mentioned. They rotate the selection daily, and even have a gluten free day. How is that even possible? Did I mishear him? I believe he said it was Thursdays.... Maybe someone can correct me or clarify Also, as some others have said, this place is immaculate and the staff is very friendly. You eat with actual cutlery and drink out of a glass. Possibly the cleanest restaurant I've been to in Anchorage. I don't believe that it can be true, but do they make their taco shells in house? Either they go all-out, or they did an awesome job of tricking me into believing that everything is made from scratch. The setup of the restaurant isn't too conducive to a big social scene; the seating is almost entirely high back booths and there is no bar. But, there are a few decent sized TVs on the walls to watch if you wanted to hang out for a bit and have a drink or two. Well done, Vallartas. If I had to improve one thing it would be the somewhat unpredictable and eclectic buffet options. For instance, on one occasion they had fried chicken and cheese enchiladas (the only enchilada option) on the buffet. Not really coming in to eat fried chicken, can we just do chicken enchiladas with that instead?
(4)Carrie R.
I am very impressed with this place. Not a huge fan of Mexican food, so I don't go often but when I do it never disappoints. The wait staff is incredibly polite! I always get either the shrimp scampi or the chicken fajitas! Yum!
(5)Desiree M.
Huge fan of the lunch buffet here! The selection isn't the best but it is good. The meat for the tacos is flavorful and the actual taco shell is fantastic! They have a fajita mix on the bar which I've never seen at a buffet which is delicious :) I will def come back here often for lunch. The fountain Pepsi is perfect! The only reason for four stars is just because its not the best Mexican I have had in Anchorage. UPDATE: This IS the best Mexican I have had in Anchorage, it was a close tie with Pancho Villa's, but I hadn't tried anything on the actual menu when I wrote the above review. I have now tried the chicken taco salad - AMAZING :) I got rice instead of beans in it. They accommodate very wall. My mom tried the Spinach Enchilada's (She is from Kansas City) and she said they were the best enchilada's she has every had. I also tried something with a mushroom sauce which was out of this world amazing. This is my go to place if I have the itch for Mexican at dinner time, and still lunch time. I was asked what I would like to see on the buffet: Maybe flour tortillas to make my own soft taco? Unless this is just something that needs to be added as an extra. I did this one day :) It has been hit or miss on chips and salsa brought to the table for lunch, i'm still unsure if you are or aren't supposed to get them. Maybe some shredded chicken, i'm good with just the beef, but maybe shredded chicken to put in the tortillas if they are available for the buffet. Maybe some sort of Mexican dessert? That's about it, on ideas, i'm pretty happy with what you have to offer!
(5)Brooklynp P.
Will not be eating here again. I used to go here all the time, at least once a week, for their lunch buffet and they raised their price which was not all that bad but even after raising the price they started putting a potato filler in their taco meat. Taco king it is from now out.
(1)Em L.
By far the best Mexican food in town. Authentic, delicious and cooked to perfection. Plus nice workers and good service!
(5)Amber R.
Lunch buffet is great for a quick bite . Servers are incredibly nice. Dinners are a bit pricy.
(4)Jack S.
Never disappoints. Angel provides great service and always treats us sooooo well. Love the food. Buffet is awesome. Best fried chicken woo hooo
(5)Elene B.
2nd Mexican restaurant I love to go to. The food is great but a little pricey. But the service I get is great!
(4)Mali C.
Was delightfully surprised with this little hole in the wall. They have fantastic tacos, tamales and super friendly service.
(5)Megan E.
Great authentic Mexican food from the menu. Also has a buffet but I have not tried it. Salsa is excellent. Pricey just like all other Mexican restaurants in anchorage. But worth it.
(4)Deb L.
We love Mexican food and a good buffet, so were excited when we viewed their website announcing $9.99 "all you can eat" buffet. The ad said they have a salad bar along with other Mexican varieties, so we eagerly brought our family out to the restaurant. Imagine my surprise (and disgust) to see the "salad bar" consisted of chopped green lettuce and cold corn! No veggies to add at all! After getting my green lettuce and dressing, I went over to pick out some Mexican food. The variety was unimpressive for a buffet...chimichangas, taco meat, cheese enchiladas (small) and some hard shells with what looked like cheese melted inside. The waitress went to get our drinks and was gone so long, we had to ask another server if it was okay to go get plates from the buffet. Another man saw my daughter struggling to eat her tasteless white pudding with a fork and got her a spoon (very nice of him). When I went to pay the bill, I noticed the woman had charged me $11.95 per person (not the advertised $9.99)..even for my children! When I asked about it, she said ages 10 and up constitutes an adult price. Very odd, as most places are 12 and up, or 16 and up. She even tried to charge full price for my 4 year old. After expressing my disagreement over the price, she sighed and said "this one time" she would reduce the children's meals to $6.95, but warned me "just so you know, next time you won't get this deal." I was mortified. The food was bland, the salad bar was non existent and I felt completely ripped off. We will NOT be back!
(1)Ronnie W.
I have only been once, had beef nachos, and didn't really care for them. On the other hand, the staff was very polite, helpful, and the interior was nice and well kept. This alone will persuade me to return, but perhaps try something different.
(4)Jennie H.
I. Love. Vallartas. I know that there are many critics, but it is literally my favorite Mexican restaurant in Anchorage. The staff is always super nice and attentive. The restaurant is clean (one of the nicest bathrooms, which is important!). The food is fantastic. I've had a lot of different things from there, but HANDS DOWN my absolute favorite are the adovado tacos. They are amazing. AMAZING. Super seasoned beef served on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Incredible. On the rare occasion I don't get them (which is VERY rare) I recently tried the chicken chipotle (also available in beef) which was delicious as well. It's creamy and spicy and served with sliced avocado and is the perfect alternative to my favorite tacos. GO HERE. Also, if you have better self-control than me or want to completely pig out, they have a great buffet at lunchtime that is really popular. I don't get it because I know I'll eat way too much and be miserable, plus I would rather have the adovado tacos, but the buffet is pretty killer. This is the place I miss MOST since I move. I literally dream about their food. Even writing this is hard. I MISS YOU, Vallartas! I'm sorry I only made it in once a week when I came home to visit ;)
(5)Bruce H.
We stopped in for a quick dinner and had one of the best times ever in Anchorage. Angel, the owner, is gracious, courteous and a very interesting Man. The food was very, very good and plenty of it. Now if he can only learn how to make Pork Chop Tacos.
(4)Beth M.
Awesome. Consistently awesome. Our favorite place in Anchorage for Mexican food. Homemade tres leches cake is fantastic as is the halibut fajita tacos. I've never been to the buffet, but, I've never had a buffet that equals fresh cooked food, so I skip those altogether anyway. Always terrific service and personalized attention. Well done!
(5)Breanna B.
Maybe I went on a bad day? Maybe they had a new chef? I don't know, but it was literally some of the worst food I've ever had, but with great service, so I guess they have that going for them! I was honestly so disappointed because of the fairly positive reviews, but between my husband, my aunt, and I, we had 3 plates of garbage that I wouldn't feed to my dog. We just kind of dissected our meals trying to figure out what the funky taste was... I'm sorry, though we had excellent service, I don't think I would ever go back unless they revamped.
(2)Valerie B.
This place has good food and reasonable prices (for Anchorage). I have just struggled with the service. The first time we went the guy didn't know anything and came back to double check orders a few times, and then recently the man was nice enough but very blank and the place was TOTALLY empty but he didn't come to check on us bu maybe once. It was pretty frustrating. I don't want someone to hover over but there is no reason our waters (or the chips) should be empty for awhile before being refilled. Food is delicious and pretty standard fare (burritos are ENORMOUS) and chips/salsa are good.
(3)Lard Belly E.
Came here for dinner last night to use the Groupon that came out recently, for $19 to include up to $41.90, since I know that I will have delicious tex mex as I came here before and was happy with the food and service. What I didn't know was there were added stipulations to the Groupon that was not stated on the Groupon itself. When I had originally bought the groupon I received an email right away stating that there was an error and the groupon did not include seafood. Okay, no problem I'll still use it. When I got to the restaurant the owner/server let me know that the groupon did not include seafood, items over $13.95 and came with 2 drinks- water included. Well, I was eyeing the mexican tacos with choice of tortillas for $18.95, but settled on a taco/cheese enchilada combo for $12.95, while my partner chose the pollo fundido $13.95, which is a fried burrito topped with cheese. We both ordered Negora Modelo, an amber Mex beer. My meal was adequate and filling, and though my friend had fun eating the fundido he wished it had cream cheese like the fundido at Ponchos.The total bill came to about $35. The chips and salsa are good, as always. I had a decent tex mex time, but this was my first Groupon experience and I don't much like surprises when I have an idea set in my head. I guess it is a bit of buyer beware.
(3)Nick L.
I don't come here anymore. I used to place orders to go on a regular basis until I had this pompous waiter tell me that three small sides of salsa was too much to ask for with my meal. I felt insulted and haven't been back since. The food was always good but the service, especially considering they increased their prices, left me feeling disgraced. I won't be coming back.
(2)Jay D.
Me and a buddy went there for a Sunday meal after a night of drinking, the first thing you notice when you walk in is the atmosphere which includes deathly silent dining room and the carpet looks like it was used in WW2 for blankets, we just missed the all you can eat buffet which turned out to be a good thing because i oredered the chicken fundido and there is no doubt in my mind it was canned chicken with a torilla wrapped around it and baked, my buddy ordered tacos with corn tortillas and they were extremely dry he had to dip the taco in his water to be able to swallow it, horrible food, they should go into the dog food business
(1)Adam W.
My girlfriend and I went to Vallarta's because we got the Groupon. Generally, I am wary of Mexican places in Anchorage (with the exceptions of Taco King and Serranos), but the lure of the deal was too great. Before leaving I checked out the Yelp reviews, which were generally positive. This was heartening. We found the place without trouble, it's located in an ugly strip mall on east Northern Lights. Inside, the place looks sad. The dining area consists of a rectangle with booths on one side, tables on the other and a buffet station in the middle, which was idle during our visit. We opened our menus and were immediately disappointed. It's laid out in exactly the same way that all "Americanized" Mexican restaurant menus are. The same appetizers, same "combinaciones," and same "especialidades." I attempted to figure out from the waiter which menu item would most closely approximate real Mexican tacos. He directed me to one of the "especialidades" and made some remark about how they were actually better because I wouldn't get sick after eating them. I also ordered a Coronoa "michelada" which is a beer with a salt rim, lime juice and some chili powder mixed in. They must have dumped a tablespoon of the powder in there, because the beer was all but undrinkable. To his credit, our waiter brought me a new beer. My girlfriend's "margarita" was OK, but was made with wine since they have no liquor license. The food came out and was majorly disappointing. Sub-par, I'd say, even for Anchorage's standards. We were hungry but chose not to even finish the food (even when we got home we opted to just trash it, rather than make room in the fridge). The waiter seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to know if something was wrong with the food. Yes, there was - but we didn't really want to get into it there with him. We just wanted to get the heck out of there...
(1)Rob S.
This place has the best Mexican food in Anchorage, and potentially all of alaska. Great food, good service, what more can you ask for..
(5)Molly H.
This little hole in the wall is a gem! My ex and I spent a few years living in Arizona and were lucky to have easy access to some authentic and delicious Mexican food. That being said Vallarta's rivaled, if not exceeded, the taste, quality and authenticity of what we had back in the Southwest. It really is tucked away with no lighted sign with it's name- it was tricky to find at night. It's just at left end of the Value Village building. My husband and I are vegetarians, so we opted for a bean chimichanga and veggie fajitas. Neither dish disappointed, and neither did the service. The waiters were attentive and our drinks were always full. Give this place a try! I can only imagine their other dishes are as tasty as the ones we tried.
(5)Garrett P.
I will make a point of saying that the service is 5-star worthy. The staff is friendly and unassuming. The food, however, is exactly what 3-stars says it is: its "A-Ok." Unlike those who've reviewed previously, there was no dish that made me think "oh, this is the best mexican food in Anchorage." Maybe I'm biased or maybe others are rating Vallartas higher on an Anchorage-scale, but this is standard American/Mexican fare. We will come back, however, because it fuels the craving and the people who work there make the meal enjoyable. And, paying less than $5 for a bottle of mexican beer in a restaurant is a good deal. Hasta la vista.
(2)John P.
I am giving them 5 again...most of the guys are gone, as the owners have updated the place, it is very open now with larger windows, and more seating. I went in the other night expecting to be disappointed, as these things do happen with changes...I WAS WRONG!!!!!! The food is still the best Mexican I have tried....you have got to give them a try!!!!
(5)Brandi H.
Excellent food!! The staff is polite and helpful. They suggested beers and food for my spice-seeking date. The flan is superb!! Thank goodness for groupon, otherwise I would have passed this strip mall location.
(5)Loyd A.
Friendly, quick, clean, quiet, best foods, waiter waits on you. Excellent!!!
(5)Annie J.
Six of us had dinner here and it was awesome! Drinks were brought right away and then orders were taken. Good service, water refilled quickly & additional margaritas...good drinks! The food was very good; best taquitos in town, as far as I'm concerned. Definitely going again & bringing friends.
(5)John P.
I am giving them 5 again...most of the guys are gone, as the owners have updated the place, it is very open now with larger windows, and more seating. I went in the other night expecting to be disappointed, as these things do happen with changes...I WAS WRONG!!!!!! The food is still the best Mexican I have tried....you have got to give them a try!!!!
(5)Brandi H.
Excellent food!! The staff is polite and helpful. They suggested beers and food for my spice-seeking date. The flan is superb!! Thank goodness for groupon, otherwise I would have passed this strip mall location.
(5)Loyd A.
Friendly, quick, clean, quiet, best foods, waiter waits on you. Excellent!!!
(5)Annie J.
Six of us had dinner here and it was awesome! Drinks were brought right away and then orders were taken. Good service, water refilled quickly & additional margaritas...good drinks! The food was very good; best taquitos in town, as far as I'm concerned. Definitely going again & bringing friends.
(5)Curtis K.
Just dropping in to reiterate the awesome lunch buffet others have mentioned. They rotate the selection daily, and even have a gluten free day. How is that even possible? Did I mishear him? I believe he said it was Thursdays.... Maybe someone can correct me or clarify Also, as some others have said, this place is immaculate and the staff is very friendly. You eat with actual cutlery and drink out of a glass. Possibly the cleanest restaurant I've been to in Anchorage. I don't believe that it can be true, but do they make their taco shells in house? Either they go all-out, or they did an awesome job of tricking me into believing that everything is made from scratch. The setup of the restaurant isn't too conducive to a big social scene; the seating is almost entirely high back booths and there is no bar. But, there are a few decent sized TVs on the walls to watch if you wanted to hang out for a bit and have a drink or two. Well done, Vallartas. If I had to improve one thing it would be the somewhat unpredictable and eclectic buffet options. For instance, on one occasion they had fried chicken and cheese enchiladas (the only enchilada option) on the buffet. Not really coming in to eat fried chicken, can we just do chicken enchiladas with that instead?
(4)Carrie R.
I am very impressed with this place. Not a huge fan of Mexican food, so I don't go often but when I do it never disappoints. The wait staff is incredibly polite! I always get either the shrimp scampi or the chicken fajitas! Yum!
(5)Desiree M.
Huge fan of the lunch buffet here! The selection isn't the best but it is good. The meat for the tacos is flavorful and the actual taco shell is fantastic! They have a fajita mix on the bar which I've never seen at a buffet which is delicious :) I will def come back here often for lunch. The fountain Pepsi is perfect! The only reason for four stars is just because its not the best Mexican I have had in Anchorage. UPDATE: This IS the best Mexican I have had in Anchorage, it was a close tie with Pancho Villa's, but I hadn't tried anything on the actual menu when I wrote the above review. I have now tried the chicken taco salad - AMAZING :) I got rice instead of beans in it. They accommodate very wall. My mom tried the Spinach Enchilada's (She is from Kansas City) and she said they were the best enchilada's she has every had. I also tried something with a mushroom sauce which was out of this world amazing. This is my go to place if I have the itch for Mexican at dinner time, and still lunch time. I was asked what I would like to see on the buffet: Maybe flour tortillas to make my own soft taco? Unless this is just something that needs to be added as an extra. I did this one day :) It has been hit or miss on chips and salsa brought to the table for lunch, i'm still unsure if you are or aren't supposed to get them. Maybe some shredded chicken, i'm good with just the beef, but maybe shredded chicken to put in the tortillas if they are available for the buffet. Maybe some sort of Mexican dessert? That's about it, on ideas, i'm pretty happy with what you have to offer!
(5)Brooklynp P.
Will not be eating here again. I used to go here all the time, at least once a week, for their lunch buffet and they raised their price which was not all that bad but even after raising the price they started putting a potato filler in their taco meat. Taco king it is from now out.
(1)Em L.
By far the best Mexican food in town. Authentic, delicious and cooked to perfection. Plus nice workers and good service!
(5)Amber R.
Lunch buffet is great for a quick bite . Servers are incredibly nice. Dinners are a bit pricy.
(4)Jack S.
Never disappoints. Angel provides great service and always treats us sooooo well. Love the food. Buffet is awesome. Best fried chicken woo hooo
(5)Elene B.
2nd Mexican restaurant I love to go to. The food is great but a little pricey. But the service I get is great!
(4)Deb L.
We love Mexican food and a good buffet, so were excited when we viewed their website announcing $9.99 "all you can eat" buffet. The ad said they have a salad bar along with other Mexican varieties, so we eagerly brought our family out to the restaurant. Imagine my surprise (and disgust) to see the "salad bar" consisted of chopped green lettuce and cold corn! No veggies to add at all! After getting my green lettuce and dressing, I went over to pick out some Mexican food. The variety was unimpressive for a buffet...chimichangas, taco meat, cheese enchiladas (small) and some hard shells with what looked like cheese melted inside. The waitress went to get our drinks and was gone so long, we had to ask another server if it was okay to go get plates from the buffet. Another man saw my daughter struggling to eat her tasteless white pudding with a fork and got her a spoon (very nice of him). When I went to pay the bill, I noticed the woman had charged me $11.95 per person (not the advertised $9.99)..even for my children! When I asked about it, she said ages 10 and up constitutes an adult price. Very odd, as most places are 12 and up, or 16 and up. She even tried to charge full price for my 4 year old. After expressing my disagreement over the price, she sighed and said "this one time" she would reduce the children's meals to $6.95, but warned me "just so you know, next time you won't get this deal." I was mortified. The food was bland, the salad bar was non existent and I felt completely ripped off. We will NOT be back!
(1)Ronnie W.
I have only been once, had beef nachos, and didn't really care for them. On the other hand, the staff was very polite, helpful, and the interior was nice and well kept. This alone will persuade me to return, but perhaps try something different.
(4)Valerie B.
This place has good food and reasonable prices (for Anchorage). I have just struggled with the service. The first time we went the guy didn't know anything and came back to double check orders a few times, and then recently the man was nice enough but very blank and the place was TOTALLY empty but he didn't come to check on us bu maybe once. It was pretty frustrating. I don't want someone to hover over but there is no reason our waters (or the chips) should be empty for awhile before being refilled. Food is delicious and pretty standard fare (burritos are ENORMOUS) and chips/salsa are good.
(3)Jennie H.
I. Love. Vallartas. I know that there are many critics, but it is literally my favorite Mexican restaurant in Anchorage. The staff is always super nice and attentive. The restaurant is clean (one of the nicest bathrooms, which is important!). The food is fantastic. I've had a lot of different things from there, but HANDS DOWN my absolute favorite are the adovado tacos. They are amazing. AMAZING. Super seasoned beef served on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Incredible. On the rare occasion I don't get them (which is VERY rare) I recently tried the chicken chipotle (also available in beef) which was delicious as well. It's creamy and spicy and served with sliced avocado and is the perfect alternative to my favorite tacos. GO HERE. Also, if you have better self-control than me or want to completely pig out, they have a great buffet at lunchtime that is really popular. I don't get it because I know I'll eat way too much and be miserable, plus I would rather have the adovado tacos, but the buffet is pretty killer. This is the place I miss MOST since I move. I literally dream about their food. Even writing this is hard. I MISS YOU, Vallartas! I'm sorry I only made it in once a week when I came home to visit ;)
(5)Bruce H.
We stopped in for a quick dinner and had one of the best times ever in Anchorage. Angel, the owner, is gracious, courteous and a very interesting Man. The food was very, very good and plenty of it. Now if he can only learn how to make Pork Chop Tacos.
(4)Mali C.
Was delightfully surprised with this little hole in the wall. They have fantastic tacos, tamales and super friendly service.
(5)Megan E.
Great authentic Mexican food from the menu. Also has a buffet but I have not tried it. Salsa is excellent. Pricey just like all other Mexican restaurants in anchorage. But worth it.
(4)Beth M.
Awesome. Consistently awesome. Our favorite place in Anchorage for Mexican food. Homemade tres leches cake is fantastic as is the halibut fajita tacos. I've never been to the buffet, but, I've never had a buffet that equals fresh cooked food, so I skip those altogether anyway. Always terrific service and personalized attention. Well done!
(5)Breanna B.
Maybe I went on a bad day? Maybe they had a new chef? I don't know, but it was literally some of the worst food I've ever had, but with great service, so I guess they have that going for them! I was honestly so disappointed because of the fairly positive reviews, but between my husband, my aunt, and I, we had 3 plates of garbage that I wouldn't feed to my dog. We just kind of dissected our meals trying to figure out what the funky taste was... I'm sorry, though we had excellent service, I don't think I would ever go back unless they revamped.
(2)Lard Belly E.
Came here for dinner last night to use the Groupon that came out recently, for $19 to include up to $41.90, since I know that I will have delicious tex mex as I came here before and was happy with the food and service. What I didn't know was there were added stipulations to the Groupon that was not stated on the Groupon itself. When I had originally bought the groupon I received an email right away stating that there was an error and the groupon did not include seafood. Okay, no problem I'll still use it. When I got to the restaurant the owner/server let me know that the groupon did not include seafood, items over $13.95 and came with 2 drinks- water included. Well, I was eyeing the mexican tacos with choice of tortillas for $18.95, but settled on a taco/cheese enchilada combo for $12.95, while my partner chose the pollo fundido $13.95, which is a fried burrito topped with cheese. We both ordered Negora Modelo, an amber Mex beer. My meal was adequate and filling, and though my friend had fun eating the fundido he wished it had cream cheese like the fundido at Ponchos.The total bill came to about $35. The chips and salsa are good, as always. I had a decent tex mex time, but this was my first Groupon experience and I don't much like surprises when I have an idea set in my head. I guess it is a bit of buyer beware.
(3)Nick L.
I don't come here anymore. I used to place orders to go on a regular basis until I had this pompous waiter tell me that three small sides of salsa was too much to ask for with my meal. I felt insulted and haven't been back since. The food was always good but the service, especially considering they increased their prices, left me feeling disgraced. I won't be coming back.
(2)Jay D.
Me and a buddy went there for a Sunday meal after a night of drinking, the first thing you notice when you walk in is the atmosphere which includes deathly silent dining room and the carpet looks like it was used in WW2 for blankets, we just missed the all you can eat buffet which turned out to be a good thing because i oredered the chicken fundido and there is no doubt in my mind it was canned chicken with a torilla wrapped around it and baked, my buddy ordered tacos with corn tortillas and they were extremely dry he had to dip the taco in his water to be able to swallow it, horrible food, they should go into the dog food business
(1)Adam W.
My girlfriend and I went to Vallarta's because we got the Groupon. Generally, I am wary of Mexican places in Anchorage (with the exceptions of Taco King and Serranos), but the lure of the deal was too great. Before leaving I checked out the Yelp reviews, which were generally positive. This was heartening. We found the place without trouble, it's located in an ugly strip mall on east Northern Lights. Inside, the place looks sad. The dining area consists of a rectangle with booths on one side, tables on the other and a buffet station in the middle, which was idle during our visit. We opened our menus and were immediately disappointed. It's laid out in exactly the same way that all "Americanized" Mexican restaurant menus are. The same appetizers, same "combinaciones," and same "especialidades." I attempted to figure out from the waiter which menu item would most closely approximate real Mexican tacos. He directed me to one of the "especialidades" and made some remark about how they were actually better because I wouldn't get sick after eating them. I also ordered a Coronoa "michelada" which is a beer with a salt rim, lime juice and some chili powder mixed in. They must have dumped a tablespoon of the powder in there, because the beer was all but undrinkable. To his credit, our waiter brought me a new beer. My girlfriend's "margarita" was OK, but was made with wine since they have no liquor license. The food came out and was majorly disappointing. Sub-par, I'd say, even for Anchorage's standards. We were hungry but chose not to even finish the food (even when we got home we opted to just trash it, rather than make room in the fridge). The waiter seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to know if something was wrong with the food. Yes, there was - but we didn't really want to get into it there with him. We just wanted to get the heck out of there...
(1)Rob S.
This place has the best Mexican food in Anchorage, and potentially all of alaska. Great food, good service, what more can you ask for..
(5)Molly H.
This little hole in the wall is a gem! My ex and I spent a few years living in Arizona and were lucky to have easy access to some authentic and delicious Mexican food. That being said Vallarta's rivaled, if not exceeded, the taste, quality and authenticity of what we had back in the Southwest. It really is tucked away with no lighted sign with it's name- it was tricky to find at night. It's just at left end of the Value Village building. My husband and I are vegetarians, so we opted for a bean chimichanga and veggie fajitas. Neither dish disappointed, and neither did the service. The waiters were attentive and our drinks were always full. Give this place a try! I can only imagine their other dishes are as tasty as the ones we tried.
(5)Garrett P.
I will make a point of saying that the service is 5-star worthy. The staff is friendly and unassuming. The food, however, is exactly what 3-stars says it is: its "A-Ok." Unlike those who've reviewed previously, there was no dish that made me think "oh, this is the best mexican food in Anchorage." Maybe I'm biased or maybe others are rating Vallartas higher on an Anchorage-scale, but this is standard American/Mexican fare. We will come back, however, because it fuels the craving and the people who work there make the meal enjoyable. And, paying less than $5 for a bottle of mexican beer in a restaurant is a good deal. Hasta la vista.
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