El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Joplin

The decor and atmosphere were excellent. Everyone I was with really enjoyed their food. Unfortunately for me they only had a vegetarian section. I ordered spinach enchiladas and a bean burrito with rice and beans. The menu didn't mention cheese so I neglected to have it taken off. One spinach enchilada came with a delicious red sauce and was one of the best I have had (5 star worthy). The other enchilada had about a pint of queso. Im sure the inside was great. I will never know. The rice was spared (mostly) and had a good flavor. The beans had shredded cheese sprinkled on them. I was able to remove it. The burrito had about a quart of cheese on it and the surrounding plate. I have no idea what was inside. I included a photo of my burrito with the enchilada. It might be your thing. I didn't complain or anything. It was my own neglect. I have eaten at Mexican restaurants before. I am aware of the cheese smothering. It would be really nice to see a couple Vegan/plant based options. That spinach enchilada with the red sauce was fire. Make...

Best queso in town! If you're looking for queso with a little kick to it then this is the place. We have tried almost every Mexican restaurant in Joplin Mo and this one is one of the best! We love going here for the chips and salsa then always get queso! The chicken fajita nachos are amazing! The portions that you get here are more than enough. We always need a doggie bag to take stuff home. Haven't had anything that wasn't good.

Here's my only "bad" things to say: the beef and shredded chicken are loaded with onions. I'm NOT a huge onion fan and it seems like the meat to onion ratio is about 60/40. I think they could dial that back and still get the same awesome flavors. 2nd bad thing, the music is WAY to loud. I feel like im at a bar with a DJ and I feel like sometimes we have to yell just to have a conversation with those that are with me. The volume is at a 10 and could easily give the same atmospheric vibes at a 6 or 7.

I'll still be going back on a weekly or...

I have heard great things about this place and how the food was good and prices are reasonable. I took my family for dinner on a Saturday and we might have caught them on an off night. I ordered the Chicken Chimichanga and glad to see it was deep fried. Some places in down do not deep fry their Chimichangas. Texture was great but unfortunately the chicken was not flavorful. My wife got the chicken fajitas and they were also bland. My children had beef enchiladas and the seasoning on the meat was very weird. The chips and salsa was good, they use the thin chips, which is nice. I also ordered some Horchata, but the consistency was a bit watered down and the cinnamon was overbearing. I love Horchata and have some good Horchata in the past, but I believe most of these places are using a pre mix, so you are at mercy to the quality of the pre mix. Overall I wasn't impressed and will probably try it out again to give them another chance. Hope your experience is...