La Bodeguita del Medio Vallarta — Restaurant in Jalisco

A Refreshing Change of Pace with Friendly Vibes and Live Music

If you’re looking to take a break from your usual go-to taco and Mexican spots, this place offers a nice variety with its Cuban-inspired menu. I’m a big fan of tacos, but every now and then, it’s great to mix things up—and this spot gave me that change of pace I was looking for. I especially appreciated the inclusion of rice and beans, which I’ve been missing lately.

The atmosphere was cozy and relaxed. It wasn’t a busy night, so we ended up getting to enjoy the live music almost like a private show. That part really stood out—the band brought a warm energy to the room, and it made the whole evening feel more intimate and memorable.

The service was genuinely great. Our server was friendly, attentive, and took time to explain that the menu was Cuban-inspired, which was a good heads-up. That explained some of the differences in flavor and presentation, and helped manage expectations about what ingredients or sides might be missing compared to more traditional Latin or Caribbean places.

One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of, though, was having to order everything à la carte. For example, when I ordered the pork, the rice and beans weren’t included—they were separate add-ons. It felt a little disjointed, and I would have preferred if those staples came as part of the dish. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re expecting a full plate.

As for the food itself—it was solid. I had the Delicias de Queso, which were flavorful and satisfying, with a nice texture and taste. The pork was also seasoned well and tender. Everything came out hot and well-prepared, and you can tell there’s care in the kitchen. That said, nothing completely blew me away, but it all hit the spot.

The mojito was probably the low point of the evening for me. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t have that fresh, crisp pop that you expect in a great mojito. Maybe it just needed more mint or lime—something to give it that brightness.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The food was enjoyable, the live music added something special, and the service was top-notch. While I didn’t love the à la carte pricing and the drink could have been better, I’d still recommend giving this place a try if you’re in the mood for something different and easygoing. It’s a solid spot for a laid-back night out with...

I recently came here to purchase Macanudo cigars for a friend back in the states. I’m not a cigar smoker or aficionado, so I’m very unfamiliar with them. I specifically asked the girl assisting me for Macanudos and she proceeded to show me some cigars in her humidor. I purchased 6 of them, with very little information on them, as she honestly didn’t seem to even know what she was selling. They were extremely expensive, so I assumed I had purchased what I was asking for. Immediately upon leaving the store, literally walked outside and called the person I had purchased them for. I gave them the names and info on the cigars and my friend told me, I did not end up buying what he asked for. I walked right back in to the store and asked the girl to please return them, as she had sold me the wrong thing. She refused, pointing to the no-returns policy on the receipt I was given. Understandably, this may be the policy, but when I was sold the wrong thing, and specially after I told her I didn’t know anything about cigars, and they were still packaged the way they packed them, I never even touched them. I walked out for less than 5 minutes right in front of the store, and felt I was swindled into spending $200 on something, she knew I did not request, I honestly expected a refund. The manager walked over to tell me there was nothing he could do and just kept pointing to the policy on the receipt. I will never support this business, as they are a bunch of scammers and suggest you take your business elsewhere. I went to a neighboring cigar shop after, and they were not surprised this happened there, when I told them what just had occurred. Apparently they have a reputation for scamming people and overpricing items. A very expensive lesson learned from me, and now I’m stuck with $200 worth of cigars I have no use for. Never trust...

We were extremely disappointed with this place as we have walked by many times and finally decided to give it a try because it seemed like a great experience. We arrived around 7:30pm yesterday, they were not busy so we asked to be seated upstairs and lucky enough to have the view. Wonce our waiter arrived we ordered a sparkling water, coke and a naranjada and a guacamole to start with. After 20-30 minutes the manager in duty came to our table and asked if everything was ok? We told him we were waiting on the guacamole. After 5 minutes it had arrived. Then another 20-30 minutes had passed and our food had not arrived. We asked our server why the food was taking so long and he said “let me check” after another 5-10 minutes had passed he came back to our table and apologized because the food ticket was never printed and sent to the kitchen, that he was going to rush our order and have it done as soon as possible. Well, that never happened. We were extremely upset because we waited almost 2 hours believing they were going to make it right. My parter got up from his chair and approached the manager to ask for the check because it was not acceptable on their end to make us wait that long. All he said was “do you want the check ok” no apology no please let us make it right. Nothing. We paid almost 400 pesos for a small guac and 3 fountain drinks. Walked out and no one...