I have heard about this place quite a few times and unless you are in the Concord/Kannapolis area, I wouldn't necessarily rec commend El Vallarta.
It just so happened that I was in the Concord area last night so a few of us decided to try this mexican place. I wasn't overly impressed but I wasn't completely disappointed...hence the 3 star rating.
What I liked: The decor was vibrant and festive..just like a Mexican place should be. The staff seemed to speak slim to no english, which made for an authentic experience. The margaritas were perfectly blended and delicious. The portions were large and in charge. I ordered a veggie burrito and it was pretty tasty. It looked like a huge whale slapped on my plate but it was good. The veggies were pretty fresh and no one flavor dominated the rest of the burrito. Overall, it was good. I also like the fact that with the complimentary salsa they offer a cheese and bean dip. It is literally beans stirred in a white queso...it was very tasty. The salsa was the kind served out of a caraf...it was pretty good as well.
What I didn't like: The tableside guacamole wasn't very good. I mean, how can you mess up fresh guacamole? Well, for starters you could add way too many jalapenos and that is exactly what they did. It was like a jalapeno dip...it was just not very good..I don't know how else to say it. I know that can change depending on who makes it but this was just not done well. My friend wasn't crazy about his tacos...the shells were a little stale and he didn't feel there was enough meat and lettuce on the taco. The rice was pretty good but the beans were just okay.
I would like to give this another try and order a few other things. I think there is good potential. Right now I am on the fence but again...if you are in the area I think it is worth stopping in!