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Recommended Reviews - El Barracuda
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This was a difficult one to review. While my meal was amazing, my mom's was probably the worst she's had in PV. The restaurant was an easy short walk from our hotel, which was nice. Pleasantly located right up on the beach, so we got a good view. Started with two margaritas. Nothing special. I ordered the steak and shrimp, medium rare. She ordered the ribs and steak, medium. My steak was very flavorful and cooked well. The shrimp was pretty basic, but still delicious. I enjoyed what the server called a chimichurri sauce, though I'm accustomed to chimichurri bring a green sauce. Either way, it was still delish. The fries were incredibly disappointing- they tasted worse than McDonald's fries, as they weren't even salted. This is an unfortunate aspect of the meal as it's incredibly easy to elevate the fries, even if they don't want to make fresh fries. My moms steak was inedible. It was extremely tough and difficult to chew. She couldn't cut through it so she eventually tried to bite it like a caveman. Still couldn't be done. She had the same cut as me. The ribs had a good sauce on them, but they were very tough and difficult to eat. Her fries were the same. The service was just ok. Felt like our server would quickly rush off when something was dropped off, so we had to very quickly ask for something before they sprinted away. I probably wouldn't come back here.
El Barracuda is the GOAT taco restaurant!!! I'm talking the BEST tacos and taco eating experience... PERIOD!!! Every time I come to Puerto Vallarta I make it a necessity to eat here at LEAST three times!! Oh how I DREAM of this place and their shrimp tacos...!!!! El Barracuda is located in the "Los Hoteles" area of Downtown Puerto Vallarta. It is specifically situated off Paraguay and Nicaragua, behind the Oxo that is located on Francisco Medina Ascencio. This restaurant is casual, but extremely welcoming and offers some stunning views of the Bay of Banderas. You have the option to sit on their patio or sit below on the beach! The views are absolutely incredible and the vibe is nothing short of pure relaxation! And staff are also always fantastic. Once seating I always ask for a Pacifico beer. There's nothing like a Pacifico with some lime on a warm day overlooking the water. Servers then bring over chips and a few types of "salsas." One is a typical "salsa roja" or red salsa, another is a spicier, habanero salsa, and third is a chopped onion salsa. The habanero salsa is my favorite but all are fantastic! Spicy and flavorful! And their chips are absolutely phenomenal as well! Barracuda has a ton of menu options, but they are best known for their tacos (especially their shrimp tacos). I usually order their shrimp tacos "Toreado" style, meaning coming with chopped serrano peppers, cilantro, and cheese. I also recommend their shrimp tacos "Al Pastor" style, but personally like them "Toreado" a hair more. When my tacos arrive I always squeeze lime juice and pour habanero salsa on them, then get to work (aka DEVOUR)! These are the BEST tacos!!! So fresh and flavorful with HUGE pieces of shrimp!!! Like nothing else! I savor every bite each time I come here! And am always sad when my meal is over! Just be aware that El Barracuda is CASH ONLY. So bring pesos! This place is incredibly reasonably priced and you will get your food quickly. Meaning this is more of a lunch spot than a dinner place (in my opinion). It also doesn't get terribly busy at lunch whereas at dinner you might not get the seating spot you want (they don't do reservations). In a nutshell, if you're in Puerto Vallarta and are looking for the BEST tacos in the game, look no further than El Barracuda. Just go!!!
Feb 2024 Update - Enjoyed another great meal at El Barracuda during my most recent trip to Puerto Vallarta. Food is always good where on this occasion I had the Steak and Shrimp combo. The steak was a tad tougher than I like but the flavor/taste was OMG sooo good and was cooked to perfection. The shrimp was exceptional as well where you have a choice of style where I chose coconut shrimp that came with multiple dipping sauces that took the flavor profile to the next level. My only gripe about this place is their liquor prices which are on the high side with the volume of the drink on the smaller size as well (think large whiskey glass). Lastly the view is amazing with a nice ocean breeze blowing through the restaurant adding to the rustic tropical vibe. Overall a great meal/venue where the four stars are a result of the high liquor prices and not the quality of the food. This place would have been perfection for me if they had offered a Happy Hour like most of the businesses do in the area. Still a must visit though if you are in the area.
Best margaritas, best service, and best food in Puerto Vallarta. We LOVE this place!! VERY reasonable prices and the view is perfect! Sunset drinks, view, people watching and food are what you want in a vacation. The "Seafood Dynamite" is literally to die for!! The tacos are amazing, the Garlic Shrimp, scooped with salted chips is my FAVORITE!! Stiff, delicious drinks. Our favorite place in Mexico.
3.5 stars overall. First FYI: CASH ONLY. Sign in covered patio above, if you look left of host stand. 3 stars for food- nothing threw me out of the park. *ajillo octopus- YES- that was good, not normal flavors I eat. Sliced Octopus was so tender!! Comes with complimentary bread and butter. Bread is good to sop up the flavors. Recommend! * fried fish and fries- was delicious. Fresh mahi mahi with lovely panko coating. * grilled fish taco- mahi mahi topped with a dry cabbage salad. No sauces. Bland and dry DO NOT recommend this one. * tomato, watermelon, goat cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds was refreshing and good, but not amazing. I wouldn't mind eating this again. * barracuda ceviche- it was good, nothing amazing, would eat again. *burger with fries was fine, cooked to preference, medium was perfect. *complimentary chips and salsa. *cocktails- watermelon margarita and sangria- both were good, light, fresh, but light on the alcohol. Ambiance- 5 stars!! So lovely being on the beach with sunset. They have covered patio that is lovely too. Kids finished early and ran to play in the rocky beach, stacking rocks and chasing waves. When I looked around with those eating, it was not all Americans, so it was good to see locals(?). 70% of the beach tables were Hispanic. That was a good sign to me. Their was also a live band playing with was fun to watch, and the restaurant music in the covered patio. Service- we went end of June, my understand is low season. Staff spoke English and were lovely and accommodating. Timing of kitchen was good, didn't have to wait long for meal to arrive. Value- perspective, can be fair or expensive in my books. I love cheap taco joints- so in that sense expensive. Fair for being beach side dinner. Recommend- if you want a lovely ambiance with fair food, willing to pay higher prices in CASH- yes!
Don't go there my whole group has food poisoning right after eating there. We had the mixto from the molcajete. The tacos tasted fine but the sauce from the mixto tasted funny like it's old. They also only accept cash so they up the USD and cad cash payment. They also took forever to bring things out. So travellers beware. We ate from taco stands and we never had this issue with food poisoning.
We came in with our 2 little kids and 2 friends, so we had a large party of 6. The hostess was super nice and told us she had a table inside, but that she would keep an eye out for a table down on the beach to be able to see the sunset snd fire show. Sure enough, within 10 minutes she moved our entire oarty down to the beach. The kids got to play in the sand while we waited for the food. The food was delicious and fresh with great flavors! There was a guy on the beach doing an amazing fire show! Overall this place was fantastic!
This place was in front of our beach front hotel in Puerto Vallarta. I didn't expect much because the back entrance looks like a bar. But after being sat immediately, we were brought our drinks. Great service! The food was pretty awesome, the drinks were flowing, and the scenery was pretty darn nice. If you are in the area, don't let the construction and ugly streets deter you. Just go here and order; let the food do the talking! Big kudos to this open air beach front restaurant with seating in the sand, and exemplary customer service!
3.5 stars overall. Came in with high expectations cause of the ratings and forums. Complimentary chips and salsa was good. Nice spice level. Complimentary bread tasted kinda weird, almost like too plain? Soda bread maybe. The mocktails were pretty good though. I appreciate that they had so many options on that front. Molcajete: not the best we've had but good for PVR Steak + shrimp: Really should not be calling this ribeye steak. This is NOT ribeye, this was more like prime rib which are completely different cuts of meat. My bf asked for medium rare. It first came out rare, not even rare, maybe even raw cause it was cold. Asked them to do it again and came out medium well....at least the fries were good but that steak was so not worth it.
We went there while on vacation, and really hoped for a table in the sand. We kept asking, and supposedly we were second on the list for it, and should have gotten one after 30 minutes, and unfortunately, we stayed over 2 hours and never did get a table on the sand. For that reason, they only got 4 stars. That being said, the prices are great and the food was very good. I had the barracuda ceviche and my friends got oysters. Then we all got the fish tacos fried and wow those were delicious! Super big and filing, you could probably share
3 months ago
Delicious food. Fairly reasonably priced for beach front dining. Tomato and watermelon salad with cilantro, pepitas, and a tiny amount of blue cheese crumble. ¡Delusiosa! read more
A standout of our experience. Such a great vibe. They had a reggae band when we came which was absolutely fantastic. Service was good, and guacamole and drinks were also amazing. Will be thinking about this place when I'm home!! read more
3 months ago
This was such a cool place and exactly what we were looking for! Toes in the sand, sitting on the beach, enjoying delicious food and drink, watching the sunset... Great unassuming little restaurant with perfect 'local' vibes, casual and welcoming staff and setting. They only take cash but they conveniently convert to USD and Canadian money to make it super easy! read more
3 months ago
8 months ago
1 year ago
This was a difficult one to review. While my meal was amazing, my mom's was probably the worst she's had in PV. The restaurant was an easy short walk from our hotel, which was nice. Pleasantly located right up on the beach, so we got a good view. Started with two margaritas. Nothing special. I ordered the steak and shrimp, medium rare. She ordered the ribs and steak, medium. My steak was very flavorful and cooked well. The shrimp was pretty basic, but still delicious. I enjoyed what the server called a chimichurri sauce, though I'm accustomed to chimichurri bring a green sauce. Either way, it was still delish. The fries were incredibly disappointing- they tasted worse than McDonald's fries, as they weren't even salted. This is an unfortunate aspect of the meal as it's incredibly easy to elevate the fries, even if they don't want to make fresh fries. My moms steak was inedible. It was extremely tough and difficult to chew. She couldn't cut through it so she eventually tried to bite it like a caveman. Still couldn't be done. She had the same cut as me. The ribs had a good sauce on them, but they were very tough and difficult to eat. Her fries were the same. The service was just ok. Felt like our server would quickly rush off when something was dropped off, so we had to very quickly ask for something before they sprinted away. I probably wouldn't come back here. read more
El Barracuda is the GOAT taco restaurant!!! I'm talking the BEST tacos and taco eating experience... PERIOD!!! Every time I come to Puerto Vallarta I make it a necessity to eat here at LEAST three times!! Oh how I DREAM of this place and their shrimp tacos...!!!! El Barracuda is located in the "Los Hoteles" area of Downtown Puerto Vallarta. It is specifically situated off Paraguay and Nicaragua, behind the Oxo that is located on Francisco Medina Ascencio. This restaurant is casual, but extremely welcoming and offers some stunning views of the Bay of Banderas. You have the option to sit on their patio or sit below on the beach! The views are absolutely incredible and the vibe is nothing short of pure relaxation! And staff are also always fantastic. Once seating I always ask for a Pacifico beer. There's nothing like a Pacifico with some lime on a warm day overlooking the water. Servers then bring over chips and a few types of "salsas." One is a typical "salsa roja" or red salsa, another is a spicier, habanero salsa, and third is a chopped onion salsa. The habanero salsa is my favorite but all are fantastic! Spicy and flavorful! And their chips are absolutely phenomenal as well! Barracuda has a ton of menu options, but they are best known for their tacos (especially their shrimp tacos). I usually order their shrimp tacos "Toreado" style, meaning coming with chopped serrano peppers, cilantro, and cheese. I also recommend their shrimp tacos "Al Pastor" style, but personally like them "Toreado" a hair more. When my tacos arrive I always squeeze lime juice and pour habanero salsa on them, then get to work (aka DEVOUR)! These are the BEST tacos!!! So fresh and flavorful with HUGE pieces of shrimp!!! Like nothing else! I savor every bite each time I come here! And am always sad when my meal is over! Just be aware that El Barracuda is CASH ONLY. So bring pesos! This place is incredibly reasonably priced and you will get your food quickly. Meaning this is more of a lunch spot than a dinner place (in my opinion). It also doesn't get terribly busy at lunch whereas at dinner you might not get the seating spot you want (they don't do reservations). In a nutshell, if you're in Puerto Vallarta and are looking for the BEST tacos in the game, look no further than El Barracuda. Just go!!! read more
6 months ago
Yeah - this place on the beach has good food, drinks, views and vibes. Can't go wrong with a visit! read more
Feb 2024 Update - Enjoyed another great meal at El Barracuda during my most recent trip to Puerto Vallarta. Food is always good where on this occasion I had the Steak and Shrimp combo. The steak was a tad tougher than I like but the flavor/taste was OMG sooo good and was cooked to perfection. The shrimp was exceptional as well where you have a choice of style where I chose coconut shrimp that came with multiple dipping sauces that took the flavor profile to the next level. My only gripe about this place is their liquor prices which are on the high side with the volume of the drink on the smaller size as well (think large whiskey glass). Lastly the view is amazing with a nice ocean breeze blowing through the restaurant adding to the rustic tropical vibe. Overall a great meal/venue where the four stars are a result of the high liquor prices and not the quality of the food. This place would have been perfection for me if they had offered a Happy Hour like most of the businesses do in the area. Still a must visit though if you are in the area. read more
2 years ago
Best margaritas, best service, and best food in Puerto Vallarta. We LOVE this place!! VERY reasonable prices and the view is perfect! Sunset drinks, view, people watching and food are what you want in a vacation. The "Seafood Dynamite" is literally to die for!! The tacos are amazing, the Garlic Shrimp, scooped with salted chips is my FAVORITE!! Stiff, delicious drinks. Our favorite place in Mexico. read more
1 year ago
3.5 stars overall. First FYI: CASH ONLY. Sign in covered patio above, if you look left of host stand. 3 stars for food- nothing threw me out of the park. *ajillo octopus- YES- that was good, not normal flavors I eat. Sliced Octopus was so tender!! Comes with complimentary bread and butter. Bread is good to sop up the flavors. Recommend! * fried fish and fries- was delicious. Fresh mahi mahi with lovely panko coating. * grilled fish taco- mahi mahi topped with a dry cabbage salad. No sauces. Bland and dry DO NOT recommend this one. * tomato, watermelon, goat cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds was refreshing and good, but not amazing. I wouldn't mind eating this again. * barracuda ceviche- it was good, nothing amazing, would eat again. *burger with fries was fine, cooked to preference, medium was perfect. *complimentary chips and salsa. *cocktails- watermelon margarita and sangria- both were good, light, fresh, but light on the alcohol. Ambiance- 5 stars!! So lovely being on the beach with sunset. They have covered patio that is lovely too. Kids finished early and ran to play in the rocky beach, stacking rocks and chasing waves. When I looked around with those eating, it was not all Americans, so it was good to see locals(?). 70% of the beach tables were Hispanic. That was a good sign to me. Their was also a live band playing with was fun to watch, and the restaurant music in the covered patio. Service- we went end of June, my understand is low season. Staff spoke English and were lovely and accommodating. Timing of kitchen was good, didn't have to wait long for meal to arrive. Value- perspective, can be fair or expensive in my books. I love cheap taco joints- so in that sense expensive. Fair for being beach side dinner. Recommend- if you want a lovely ambiance with fair food, willing to pay higher prices in CASH- yes! read more
Don't go there my whole group has food poisoning right after eating there. We had the mixto from the molcajete. The tacos tasted fine but the sauce from the mixto tasted funny like it's old. They also only accept cash so they up the USD and cad cash payment. They also took forever to bring things out. So travellers beware. We ate from taco stands and we never had this issue with food poisoning. read more
4 years ago
We came in with our 2 little kids and 2 friends, so we had a large party of 6. The hostess was super nice and told us she had a table inside, but that she would keep an eye out for a table down on the beach to be able to see the sunset snd fire show. Sure enough, within 10 minutes she moved our entire oarty down to the beach. The kids got to play in the sand while we waited for the food. The food was delicious and fresh with great flavors! There was a guy on the beach doing an amazing fire show! Overall this place was fantastic! read more
7 months ago
1 year ago
7 months ago
4 years ago
This place was in front of our beach front hotel in Puerto Vallarta. I didn't expect much because the back entrance looks like a bar. But after being sat immediately, we were brought our drinks. Great service! The food was pretty awesome, the drinks were flowing, and the scenery was pretty darn nice. If you are in the area, don't let the construction and ugly streets deter you. Just go here and order; let the food do the talking! Big kudos to this open air beach front restaurant with seating in the sand, and exemplary customer service! read more
8 months ago
4 years ago
3.5 stars overall. Came in with high expectations cause of the ratings and forums. Complimentary chips and salsa was good. Nice spice level. Complimentary bread tasted kinda weird, almost like too plain? Soda bread maybe. The mocktails were pretty good though. I appreciate that they had so many options on that front. Molcajete: not the best we've had but good for PVR Steak + shrimp: Really should not be calling this ribeye steak. This is NOT ribeye, this was more like prime rib which are completely different cuts of meat. My bf asked for medium rare. It first came out rare, not even rare, maybe even raw cause it was cold. Asked them to do it again and came out medium well....at least the fries were good but that steak was so not worth it. read more
8 months ago
We went there while on vacation, and really hoped for a table in the sand. We kept asking, and supposedly we were second on the list for it, and should have gotten one after 30 minutes, and unfortunately, we stayed over 2 hours and never did get a table on the sand. For that reason, they only got 4 stars. That being said, the prices are great and the food was very good. I had the barracuda ceviche and my friends got oysters. Then we all got the fish tacos fried and wow those were delicious! Super big and filing, you could probably share read more
5 years ago
This place is in a prime location, right on the beach, and has a very beachy vibe to it. I want to start off by saying the service was amazing, so nice, helpful, and attentive, but unfortunately the food did not meet up expectations. Our group also may have ordered the wrong thing so I'll let you know what we ordered. I'll start with the good - fish tacos! I recommend this if eating here and the ceviche. The red snapper was also good, too. Now for the mediocre - the lobster and steak sandwich, it was mostly chopped onions and more like a salad (with mayonnaise) type sandwich versus a meaty sandwich. I ordered the octopus tacos which were okay but I wouldn't order them again. Highlight of the meal - their lemonade! Made with coconut water, it was very refreshing! read more
We came back here three times this trip. The first two we were disappointed since the red snapper was not available and no oysters. My girlfriend has been raving about their red snapper and through sheer persistence we finally got to eat it today! I have eaten 5 red snappers this trip and this one was the best seasoned! The oysters were also available today and wow! They were super fresh and tasted phenomenal. Highly recommend getting the barracuda ceviche so you can have the sauce to put onto your oysters. To recap: Come here for that top tier seasoned red snapper and oysters. The ceivches they offer are amazing too! read more
2 years ago
The food, service and views were amazing! We went there two nights in a row after we FINALLY discovered this hidden jem. Umberto was amazing and we will be back! read more
Best meal of my entire trip, hands down. This cute , quant, surfy beach local joint is a must on your trip. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing as you sit looking out onto the beach. I'll take waves crashing as my dinner soundtrack any day. Came here with a large group (8). We started with drinks - various amounts of alcoholic beverages.. watermelon margaritas, mojitos, I had the sangria which went down quite nicely. We started with appetizers - shrimp ceviche, cheese chicharrones, and oysters ALL completely recommended. Oysters were very fresh. I had the Baja shrimp tacos which come with 3 tacos, large portions and plenty of jumbo shrimp battered in a soft fresh batter. At the end of dinner, we concluded with a Kahlúa drink (on the house!). This place is CASH ONLY, and 100% recommended if you're looking for that 1 Mexican local taco joint that hits just the right spot. read more
This spot was the closest sit down restaurant near our hotel. It had great service, tasty dishes, and perfect views. We had a party of 6 with it being super busy they were able to accommodate our group with a table down on the beach. We only waited 10 minutes or less. The Molcajete was the star dish I would recommend. Its steaming from how hot the rock bowl is till when it comes out of the kitchen. You can build your own on what you want in them. I got fish, shrimp, and octopus. Everything was fresh tasting and the sauce in it was flavorful. It comes with tortillas, rice, and a salad on the side. Also tried the tomatlan salad. It was healthy with a good mix of watermelon and tomato's in it. You won't be disappointed with the food at this restaurant. They sat us on the beach with the beautiful ocean view at night and a cool fire-show happening during our dinner. We felt the ocean breeze during our dinner. I recommend this spot for a dinner date or when going with a group. The food has some of the best cuisine in puerto vallarta. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Good food, tasty drinks and great service. But come on, it's on the water. Tables in the sand. Eat here around sunset. The whole snapper is incredible. Lots of delicious seafood options. If you want a family friendly beach set dinner and don't want to put up with the "scenery" in the romantic zone, El Barracuda is your place. Been to PV twice. Ate here with friends last year and made it a point to come back this year. read more
2 years ago
Great beachside food, nice staff, chill place to eat and relax Hostess: took our temperature and we were quickly seated. Food: Not an extensive menu but great food. (1) Smoked marlin tacos- served as a stew. Interesting and good. (2) Steak tacos- phenomenal! (3) Octopus chicharron- the best! Small octopus bits fried and served with great guacamole and tortillas. Unique, fantastic, left us craving more. (4) Ask for the habanero salsa if you like spice for your chips and salsa! Service: Good service, attentive yet relaxed Ambiance: Great ambiance on the beach, mainly 80s-90s tunes played in the background (one afternoon a whole Sting album), great place for enjoying some beer on the beach and enjoying life. Overall Cleanliness: above average Bathroom cleanliness: average, with above average communal sinks Value: good value but beer is more expensive here than similar beach front restaurants nearby Misc: Cash only (offered a nice 19:1 exchange rate for US Dollars), good free WiFi. I really wish El Barracuda accepted credit cards. read more
2 years ago
7 months ago
3 years ago
The ambience was great. The staff were attentive and the food was amazing. Also a few steps from the beach itself. read more
My boyfriend and I popped into El Barracuda after spending some time on the beach. It was pretty busy around lunch time on a Sunday, but lucky for us we grabbed the last table overlooking the beach before the wait. The staff was very nice and super attentive. Our drink orders were taken immediately after we sat down. I got a passion fruit margarita and my boyfriend got the jalapeño mezcalita, which we both enjoyed sipping on while watching the waves hit the shore. I can only speak for the tacos we had, which I felt was just alright. I was on the fence about shrimp pastor vs. baja style and our server recommended baja. My boyfriend enjoyed them, but I wasn't too much of a fan of what seemed like double breading coating the shrimp. The carne asada tacos were ok, I could've done with subbing out the cheese for a little more meat and corn for flour tortillas. Overall, it's a nice place to have a drink on the beach. Oh and it is cash only, so don't forget your pesos! read more
2 years ago
Our group of 13 loved our servers, food and seating. Being attentive to a large group is difficult, but the wait staff kept up. Seating right before sunset was an added bonus for us. The ceviche, octopus and all other orders were delicious. No one left disappointed. read more
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More info about El Barracuda
Paraguay 1290
Col. 5 de Diciembre
48350 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Mexico
Directions
322 222 4034
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http://www.elbarracuda.com/
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