El Patron de Vallarta — Restaurant in Jalisco

During our stay in Puerto Vallarta, we discovered a small but truly remarkable restaurant a few meters from our hotel and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. This unassuming spot serves authentic mexican cuisine that delivers big on flavor, quality, and value.

Food:

Every dish we tried was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented a pleasant surprise given the casual setting. The flavors were spot on: perfectly seasoned, vibrant, and clearly made with fresh ingredients. From the first bite, you could tell the kitchen takes pride in getting the traditional tastes just right. Whether it was the deep fried red snapper or the octopus sauteed in garlic and butter or the zesty tacos with freshly made salsa, every plate hit the mark.

Service: The service deserves a special mention. The servers were exceptionally attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. They checked in just the right amount, always making sure we had everything we needed without ever feeling rushed or interrupted. Their warmth really added to the overall experience.

Atmosphere & Value: The ambiance is simple and relaxed, allowing the food and service to shine. What really sets this place apart, though, is the very reasonable pricing especially considering the quality of both the food and the service. It's a place where you can enjoy a delicious, authentic meal without breaking the bank.

Final Thoughts: This restaurant may be small in size, but it delivers a big and memorable experience. If you’re in the area and craving authentic Mexican flavors in a cozy, welcoming environment, don’t miss it. It’s the kind of place you’ll find yourself wanting to come back to  maybe even more than once...

I have friends who swear by El Patrón, and the glowing reviews are hard to ignore. I’ve given it a fair shot—four visits, two lunches, two dinners—but I just don’t get the hype. Each time, I tell myself it must be what I’m ordering. And maybe it is.

The first couple of visits, I ordered seafood dishes—fish and shrimp—only to walk away thinking, it was fine, edible, but nothing special. I’ve had better at other spots in PV.

The last two visits, however, left me genuinely puzzled about the rave reviews. At one dinner, I went with the waiter’s recommendation: fish cooked in garlic butter sauce, while my companion ordered the same fish, breaded. Both dishes were underwhelming—the fish tasted subpar, maybe not so fresh. We ended up eating the rice and vegetables, which were delicious, and leaving most of the fish behind. We mentioned it to the waiter, but he brushed it off as he cleared our plates.

Most recently, I tried the 340p lobster special, again at the waiter’s suggestion, while my companion went for the breaded shrimp. I should have sent the lobster back—it was dry, overcooked, and flavorless—but the restaurant was packed, the staff seemed stretched thin, and when I finally flagged down a different waiter, he said he’d send ours over. That never happened. I let it go, but that’s on me. As for the shrimp? Nothing special, though better than my lobster. Once again, the veggies and rice were the best part of the meal.

My takeaway? Never order the specials the waitstaff pushes—I suspect it’s food they need to get rid of.

I might give El Patrón one more shot, this time with friends who rave about it. Maybe I’ve just been ordering all the...

We sat upstairs, which has a nice atmosphere. The waiter was attentive and friendly, which is the only reason for two stars instead of one. Everything else about our experience wasn’t good. The food was just okay at best- we were in PV for three weeks, and we thought this meal was the worst we had the whole trip. My moms fish tacos were a mushy inedible mess. We should have known better, the place was nearly empty mid-day. The food was lackluster, and at Malecon prices it should have been much better. We had a party of 10 and they refused to split the bill at all. We should have just left at this point. After the meal was over when we asked for the bill we were told they were having “internet problems”. We waited nearly 20 minutes for a bill in an empty restaurant. When the over $400 usd bill came we were told another tables order had been put on our bill and we needed to figure out what was ours and what wasn’t. Several items had been added to our bill that weren’t ours. It was very difficult to figure out, and after all was done I’m sure we paid for things that weren’t ours. All this after they wouldn’t even split our bill at all. Just plain bad customer service. Expensive, problematic and common plain food. We visit PV often and will not return to...