Restaurant El Arrayan

My experience was just fair. It seems this restaurant has some faithful followers and some good ratings, which draw a crowd. I waited about a half hour on a Monday night, due to this, my expectation was that it would live up to the hype. Perhaps my perspective is skewed by being a New Yorker, but all of the dishes we ordered were lackluster. The most exciting thing was the cricket taco. But beyond this novelty it was just crickets on a tortilla, not a fully considered dish. When you consider that PV has some of the best traditional street food meals at 20 Pesos, then this 400 Pesos meal at a highly rated restaurant should have been spectacular, and it wasn’t.

This restaurant is overrated by most reviewers. I ordered the duck which was recommended in Fodor’s. It was OK but nothing special. My wife ordered the shrimp which were very small and again, nothing special given the higher than average prices for PV. The salsas at the table were good and one blackish salsa reminded me of coffee and cigarette ash mixed together… strange but surprisingly intriguing on a chip! The ambience was boring, all tourists and no locals eating there at all. The wait staff were friendly and attentive however. I advise skipping this place and finding more authentic Mexican food in PV.

This was my second trip to this restaurant and I have been thrilled both times. Lovely open garden/​patio setting, very friendly knowledgeable staff, great food. The appetizers were excellent. I had the duck entrée and it was fantastic. The owner came over to chat towards the end of the meal. She gave us some interesting background about the building. Overall a great night. We’ll be back!

Ask them what to order. I had lamb and loved it. This is my third time and I would never miss it. Please visit, you’ll tell everyone.

A must-​visit because—
The dishes are creative but still very Mex-​centric— NOT European
The flavor is superb & unique.
Culinary technique is exceptional.
The patio is so lovely, day or night.
The cocktails are awesome.
The servers are knowledgable and good communicators.
You can repeat visit without any boredom.
Prices are fair.
The kitchen looks very hygienic.
My only regret is that the chairs weren’t more comfy— the straight-​back style is authentic & charming but not conducive to lingering… Did they plan it that way? you’ll have to walk to the nearby mezcal bar for post meal chatting. You’ll benefit from the walk anyway.

This is a great hidden gem in Vallarta! I call it a hidden gem because you will need to walk a bit into the hills to find it — It’s not right on the Malecon or in any of the high-​traffic tourist areas. We found it on our Unilocal app (of course!) and we were so happy that we did!
We were greeted by our server, who spoke perfect English and explained the menu to us. We could tell that she was proud of where she worked when she started off by saying something to the effect of «this isn’t like other restaurants here.» Her reason behind that statement is that their menu features authentic Mexican dishes from a variety of areas in the country. After some debate (because the menu looked so good!) we ordered their specialty margarita (made with Arrayan fruit), the plantain empanadas, the sopes with chorizo, the duck tostadas, and the duck carnitas (the house specialty).\
We were served a basket of chips and three different sauces while we waited. A green sauce with great flavor, a red sauce that had a little more spice, and a third which was kind of pasty and a little sweet like mole. I liked all three!
First came the plantain empanadas filled with beans and cheese. Our waitress recommended using the 3^rd salsa with this dish (the pasty one). She was right! A fantastic combination! Next came the other three dishes. The sopes are nice and small and thinner than I’m used to, which was appreciated. Sometimes they are so thick all you can taste is the sope. The duck tostadas were large with a good amount of duck meat — and perfectly seasoned and cooked. The duck carnitas were also perfectly cooked. They are served as a duck breast with sauce and tortillas. The meat was tender and the skin was amazing.
All in all, great food, great service — worth the trip off the Malecon!

Ok so this what happened, I went there today and ordered some aracheras and chicken Mole, when I passed by the kitchen I saw that the waiter actually sneezed in the plates, also in his hands and began to bring the food. I immediately left the restaurant. Plus, us being from Hispanic heritage, my dad went to the restaurant and when the waiter saw him she thought that he and his friend were white, she offered them table for 2, but when he began to talk in Spanish, she on the spot changed her mind and said that the tables are reserved. I wanted to go there and punch that lady.

Best meal we had in PV. Better than La Palapa and Café de Artistes. We love this place and highly recommend it as a must-​try for authentic, amazing and reasonably priced Mexican cuisine.
Chips & Salsa — Served w/​three different varieties:
*Verde — Super mild, no heat at all. Cool and refreshing.
*Roasted tomato — Medium heat. Very flavorful. I think it was roasted, if not, it was still delicious!
*Chipotle & Garlic — More of a tapenade-​like texture, or a paste. Not as spicy as you’d think, and not too garlicky. Almost had an earthy chocolate flavor to it. Spread a bit of this on your chip and top with the roasted tomato salsa.
1^st Course
*Duck Tostadas*
Excellent flavor! Lots of shredded duck, not spicy at all, but deep, rich flavor. Topped with avocado, tomato and cream.
*Shrimp Aguachile*
Like ceviche, but not as acidic. The shrimp was lightly «cooked» by the acid/​lime juice, basically raw, with raw onion, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño/​serrano.
2^nd Course
*Green Pork Posolé*
If you love Posolé, you’ll really enjoy this dish! Delicious and complex broth with shredded pork, then you top it with diced onions, oregano, cabbage and radish. Yum!
*Duck «Carnitas» w/​mole & potatoes*
We got a duck thigh and leg, but I saw other people get breast. Our duck was well cooked — not dry at all or overly chewy. It had a nice flavor and the mole was amazing. The potatoes were OK alone, but when wrapped in a tortilla with the duck, everything just worked.
Dessert
*Carrot Cake w/​cinnamon & vanilla ice cream*
This wow’d us. Great cinnamon flavor with a sinful layer of icing. Lots of chopped walnuts gave the cake a hearty texture. The vanilla ice cream was a cool complement.

Love the artwork. Nice building. Clean. Open air kitchen a plus. But the menu disappointed. The sauces while good didn’t bowl me over. Service very good. Hostess friendly and helpful. But something was left in the cuisine to be desired.

Great upscale Mexican food. Duck cornitas were delicious. Lamb birria was also excellent and melted in your mouth. On top of that, they give those delicious dipping sauces for nachos which I never saw in any other restaurants. One even was some mole sauce based on chocolate. Great creative menu remembering the tradition. Way to go!

Great food, fun atmosphere! If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food and tasty margaritas with fresh squeezed limes, make this a must for dinner. The ladies who run this place are welcoming and provide excellent service. I had the pulled pork which was delicious and my wife had the garden salad with mint herb dressing. We were traveling with two other friends who ate the duck (yum) and the Pozole soup. We were here on a Thursday (Thanksgiving actually) but this could be a fun place for a Wednesday night if you want to to attend the PV Art Walk.
Our waitress was nice enough to call a taxi for us and even ran after us when she realized we left our credit card behind — whoops.
We will be back, for sure!

Clearly the best meal I experienced in Puerto Vallarta this trip (week). I’m glad we tried El Arrayan after reading that it had been named «Readers Choice» for the past 3 years for the best Mexican Food. It is! Arrayan is a native tree with a small fruit, like a guava and El Arrayan uses then throughout the menu. Without a doubt, they had the best Margaritas in town, made with high quality tequila and fresh juice. For appetizers we tried the plantain Empanadas with beans and cheese and the duck tostadas — both were exceptional. For the entrée the enchiladas with Mole and the Cochinita Pibil were amazingly well done, presented well and served promptly. Our waitress was a jewel and the owner/​chef checked on us frequently. The restaurant is located in a house with a courtyard. It is so comfortable with the trees and plants and original works of art on every wall. Not only does El Arrayan serve great food, it is served in a relaxed peaceful setting. If you are a «foodie» — Go here. Yes, it is off the beaten tourist trail, and up the hill a few blocks from the Malecon, but worth every step is worth it for the authentic traditional Mexican food, that is served with only the freshest natural ingredients.

Another great place with good prices. Try the cricket tacos!

This restaurant is the best restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. I have eaten here at least half a dozen times, and every time I have had an extraordinary meal. El Arrayan really does have special food and a great atmosphere. This place is one of the precious few where they really care for you and make the effort create a very memorable dinner.

This is a nice cozy Mexican restaurant with great service that is a lot more tourist friendly than a lot of other less reviewed nice cozy Mexican restaurants with great service that are 50%+ less expensive. I’m glad I came and enjoyed the visit, but nothing was particularly memorable about the meal aside from their sauces and mole which came out with the chips which were soooo delicious. We ordered Oaxacan cricket tacos, duck carnitas and pork loin, all of which were good. For what we paid, we could have eaten multiple Mexican meals of comparable quality or better around town or spent the same amount of money eating at a comparable Mexican restaurant in the USA. This place is very clean and is a good spot if you’re concerned about hygiene or how your gut will react eating street food or simply want a relaxing, unrushed more upscale meal with good company. Overall, 3.5 stars. If the price came down a bit to be more in line with comparable food at other area restaurants, I’d give it 4. A-​ok.

A friend and I went to a cooking class and enjoyed it so much we went back for dinner with a group.
The cooking class was really fun, and we learned things we’ll definitely want to and be able to make at home. It was hands-​on, which I prefer rather than a demonstration class. (They also showed us how to modify for a vegetarian diet).
Dinner with our group was fantastic too — everyone enjoyed the food, and the ambiance. The staff was very welcoming, service was great. All good!

I must review El Arrayan.
We went there on our recent trip to Mexico looking for good vegetarian Mexican food. Outside the restaurant, 8 year old nephew said, «they have plastic tablecloths!» «You don’t have to eat the tablecloth», I told him.
And I was sure glad we are there. It looks much like most restaurants in PV, a small space around a green courtyard. We took our seats and my toddler started screaming for milk. Our server immediately brought us milk IN A SIPPY CUP. When my sister complained of mosquitoes, they brought us a eucalyptus spray.
Service– 5 star.
Then came the food. We ordered everything vegetarian, from coconut sopes to hibiscus quesadillas, a DIVINE poblanos in Crème sauce to excellent enchiladas. Oh, the plantain empanadas. The food was incredible. The toddler ate everything and loudly exclaimed to anyone who would hear, «yummmmeee!»
We all agreed.

This place is great. Yeah, it’s touristy and somewhat price for Mexico standards ($ 100 for 3 people: drinks, appetizers and dinner). However it’s well worth it. The food is fantastic, the venue is clean and service fast. Even my frugal sister was happy.
I recommend the duck, pork and beef dishes. The crickets aren’t bad either :)

El Arrayan is a bit off the beaten path, in a good way. Escape from the tourist-​laden Malécon and find yourself in a beautiful, open-​roofed courtyard with charming décor and incredibly friendly staff.
The food here builds upon traditional Mexican cuisine with a touch of added flair. The three salsas and multiple Tortilla preparations are irresistably delicious. The traditional ceviche was a slight disappointment, and though I’m no expert, the fish felt smothered in an overpowering, tomato-​based sauce, missing the fresh acidity I was hoping for. The duck confit on the other hand was delicious, paired with a delicious orange sauce and simple fried potatoes.
The food is more expensive than average here, perhaps undeservedly so, but I would absolutely recommend El Arrayan for the warm atmosphere and adventurous flavors. Note that it does cater to tourists, but in a way that still delivers an authentic Mexican dining experience.

Bottom Line — The food was fantastic enough that we came for the remainder of our meals in PVR; however, it was too bad that we only found this place with 2 days to go on our trip. Call and make reservations.
Everything we had was good!
NIGHT 1:
Carpaccio de Pescado (90p) — Mmmm!!!
Ceviche Buerrero (95p) — Yum!!!
Guacamole (80p) — A little too creamy for us as we like chunks of avocado, but still good.
Birria Cordero (290p) — Yes!!!
Conchinta Pibil (205p) — More, please!!!
Bola de Helados (60p) — Refreshing!!!
Flan Cajeta (55p) — Nice and sweet!!!
Margarita (75p) — Who can argue???
Agua de Piedra (75p x2) — Keep it flowing!
Our total came to 1,100 pesos for our table of 3, and we were stuffed!!!
NIGHT 2:
Ceviche Guerrero (95p) — Had to order this again, for sure!
Carnitas de Pato (260p) — The duck was really really good. I want more!
Chuleta Premium (255p) — This pork chop was only okay; my friend said he wished he’d ordered something else
Camaron Encacahuate (220p) — My other friend had these shrimps and he absolutely loved them.
Along with 2 sprites (50p), our total came to 955p for our table of 3. We were stuffed yet again!
The service was also amazing. Carmen remembered us from the previous night, as well as the wait staff. They were so friendly and the food was fantastic. This is easily the best food we had our entire visit to PVR.