El Arrayan

We read so many positive reviews of this place that we wanted to give it a try. It was a huge disappointment. The steak was "chewy" to say the least. The duck was to take 15 minutes to prepare so we ordered drinks first, expecting to enjoy those until dinner arrived. We had no sooner received our drinks when the entrees arrived. That poor duck must have been under a heat lamp for hours. It was dry and tough. Service was o.k. but not exceptional. We've decided not to return and don't understand what people see in this restaurant.

My wife and I visited in mid-July 2009. We had a wonderful meal and great service. My wife had the Duck Carnitas, I had the Shrimp Chipotle, and both were excellent. We also ordered the signature margarita, and it was superb. The price including tip was around 500 pesos (which was $38 at that time). Would recommend this to anyone.

I used to live in Puerto Vallarta and never missed an opportunity to take visiting friends to El Arrayan. With the exception of one person over three years and many, many meals, everyone loved the place. Whenever we return to Vallarta, El Arrayan is our first stop for dinner. I told Carmen that I never liked Mexican food until I ate at El Arrayan. It is gourmet Mexican food at its best and most authentic.

BTW, spending 3+ hours enjoying live music, cocktails, three courses and a bottle of wine is not unusual in Mexico. The local trade keeps them quite busy in the off season when all the tourists who spend an hour "enjoying" dinner have gone back home.