If you have allergies proceed with caution. This place can be great when they get the orders right…read more Unfortunately, there isn't much attention to detail when it comes to things like allergies when they're stated. I had two different burritos remade today because they each contained dairy even after stating a dairy allergy. The first one had sour cream on it. One of the people at the restaurant stated they didn't realize that sour cream is dairy. The second time, they re-made it there was no sour cream, but it had cheese inside. Just something to note if you're going there with any kind of food allergies. I've been here a handful of times and there's often this kind of issue unfortunately.

I spent most of my birthday this year on a plane. We did eat a late dinner at Huck Finn in Oak…read moreLawn, Illinois, but my parents wanted to celebrate my (and Marlene's) belated birthday(s) with, well, Tom and Marlene, so my parents asked me to pick a spot. I love finding good places that Tom and Marlene haven't been. At first, I thought this was the Mexican restaurant on the south side of McKinley Street, but that one is long gone. I believe it was was called Cancun--or was it Acapulco? In any case, we drove separately because Tom and Marlene had some of their typical do-gooding to do, and I was a little surprised at how late they were. Well, they had gone to a takeout version of Puerto Vallarta (the same business?) located near where that other old closed Mexican restaurant was, but on the north side of McKinley. In any case, Puerto Vallarta--the real one tucked way behind a secret strip mall with this weird fire lane between the first line of parking spots and the storefront curb itself--is a great place. The menu is pretty vast for a sit-down Mexican restaurant in South Bend, and it's not just different versions and combinations of the same items, although you can seemingly get anything as part of a combination plate. The service is excellent and attentive. It was very busy when we came, and we were seated right when a lot of other people were seated, so our food did take a long time, but it wasn't ridiculously long, and our server continually stopped by to let us know what was happening and to refill water and complimentary chips. There are two or three dining rooms total, and we were seated in the one to the right as you walk in the door. I'm glad we weren't seated in the main (?) central room, because that's where they had a speaker on one of the tables playing music very loudly. I thought this would annoy me, but when you're in one of the other rooms, the music is at a reasonable volume. I guess their method is cheaper than actually installing a sound system throughout the restaurant, but I don't know who actually sits in that main room, because it was empty when we entered and had only two parties dining when we left. There was basketball on the TV when we were here, but the volume was turned off, and they have what looks like an antenna service without an actual antenna, so the broadcast was constantly dropping out for long periods during the entirety of our dinner. I wasn't interested in watching, so I didn't care, but if you're coming here to watch a game, you will be torturing yourself. Our dining room was festive and fun. It was also reassuring to see so many Latino families eating here and to hear them speaking Mexican-accented Spanish. I grew up in Southern California and have lived in the Golden State most of my life; I never judge a Mexican restaurant by who's eating inside it at home, but in the Midwest? Yup, Mexican restaurants get the same treatment as Chinese restaurants everywhere: The more Chinese people you see eating at the restaurant, the better the restaurant. It's also nice to see how many more Latinos there are in Michiana than when I lived there.

A cop told us about this place and it was incredible. We had shrimp cocktail, and guacamole for…read morestarters. I added a little salt to the guac. Husband had the fajitas mix which had the BEST seasoning! Restaurant had plenty of parking across the street. Inside virtually floor to ceiling windows and plenty of room to move around. Lemonade was tart. I am used to a sweeter version. Will come back for sure next time we are in town.

I had a wonderful lunch at El Tecate. I had the chorizo omelette. My gosh it was truly delicious…read more The rice, beans, fresh tortillas and everything were just great. The portions were huge. The service was exceptional. It's a really nice place but I would emphasize that this is a local neighborhood restaurant so if you're expecting a chain restaurant you'll be disappointed. Personally I really liked the music and vibe here.

Phenomenal tacos. Maybe the best in South Bend (better than Taqueria Chicago on Western, which is a…read morehigh bar) - good enough to compete with some of the best taco places in Chicago, which I wasn't expecting when I moved to SB. The Western Ave location is great as well, but this one has a better selection of hot sauces.

They have everything you need, they add a % fee to your total if you do not pay with cash. So bring…read morecask of pay the debit transaction fee %'s

Checked out this restaurant on a weeknight for dinner. We easily got a table even though they were…read morea little busy. The customer service was great and the food was really good. I wasn't too impressed with the vegetable dumplings (lacked some flavor), but the pad see ew with chicken was very flavorful. We requested a spice level of 3, but that was not spicy at all. I would probably try a 4 next time if you can handle the spice. Highly recommend this place!

Manny the bartender/server was really great! Very friendly, made good suggestions and made me feel…read morewelcome! I came in close to closing and he did not make me feel rushed at all! He made me a really good skinny margarita with Tajín rim, he even suggested good tequilas to try! The chips and guacamole were amazing! I was a little disappointed that they don't have a queso appetizer. I tried the beef sope which was pretty good. I got the Michoacán fajitas and even though he did tell me that they use some of their Thai sauce in them, I did not like it. It was very sweet and had a weird flavor. I much prefer traditional fajita seasoning, so keep that in mind when you are ordering. It is a very large portion for the price so expect leftovers! The beef was definitely overcooked and dry. Even though these items weren't marked as gluten free I assumed they were because I got corn tortillas but I did end up having a reaction so I should have clarified better before ordering. He let me try all the salsas - mild was no spice and honestly not much flavor, medium was very spicy and hot was basically inedible for me. I did not try the Thai food, but might if I am ever back in the area. As for ambiance there isn't much to be honest. The bar was sad. All the liquor just sitting on metal wire racks with no actual bar or shelves. The restaurant furniture all looks old and needs to be updated.

Good food, amazing service! Sonya is super nice friendly, and does a great job taking care of her…read morecustomers.

The service was phenomenal! We came in 30 minutes before they closed and they were super nice and…read morefriendly. The restaurant was very clean and festive. The chips were delicious and the margaritas were very good. We got fajitas which were super yummy and the rice and beans were also delicious! Would definitely recommend!

We stopped in looking for pupusas. The good....the pupusas…read moreand curtido are ok. Not great but edible. The curtido had a little too much oregano and the pupusas were a little dense. My daughter had steak fajitas, and I had the fish veracruz style. The bad.... My daughters steak was tough, dry , and flavorless My fish tasted muddy. It was not good. Portions were huge. Service was friendly...if you want to have a drink through your meal...order 2 because you arent getting a refill. The search for pupusas continues now that El Girasol is out of business.....

My husband and I absolutely love this place! We usually go for the papusas-Chicharron. AMAZING!!!!…read moreAnd we also sometimes get the barbacoa tacos. It's just a great place to get authentic food that won't break the bank!

Best Mexican food ever period, trust me they also take special requests I like having nacho cheese…read moreon my quesadillas and no lettuce and they do it just how I like it every time without fail.

Mal servicio al cliente. Nos ignora y dan mala cara. No nos atiende nadi. Las mesas estaban llenas…read morede platos y las mesera no más paradas ablando.

New addition to the Dainty Maid Food Hall and it did not disappoint!…read more My husband ordered the brisket burnt ends burrito and it was massive - he took home half for another full meal. I ordered the chicken tinga rice bowl and it was loaded with flavor! Items can be ordered as a burrito, bowl, salad or tacos. We also tried the chips and salsa roja. The chips were a little stale, but the salsa made up for it in flavor.