Less than half a mile down the street from the San Jose Mission, Taqueria Nuevo Vallarta sits tucked away behind an Exxon gas station. Located at the edge of a lot that houses a furniture store and thrift shop, I never paid attention to the restaurant nor was I interested to venture inside. That changed when my parents gave the taqueria a try a year ago and raved about it. Today, it’s one of my family’s favorite places to grab a bite to eat.

The taqueria’s walls are coated in a warm, orange glow with an unraveling mural of the missions. Their servers are smiling, chatting, and illustrate the epitome of great customer service.

When seated, you are served with complimentary chips and queso. While their chips and queso are adequate, their breakfast and lunch plates are superb.

In San Antonio, you can never go wrong when ordering breakfast tacos. And Taqueria Nuevo Vallarta’s tacos are no exception. Even though their breakfast menu ends at 11 a.m., ordering a breakfast taco later in the day means shoveling out an extra dollar at the register. As a coffee-connoisseur, their coffee is rich and heavenly. However, one of my favorite dishes is off their lunch menu: enchiladas verde.

Their enchiladas verde plate comes with the traditional sides of rice and beans. The enchiladas can be of your choosing—chicken or beef—and they’re slathered with cheese and the zesty salsa verde. The tangy tomatillo-based sauce explodes with every bite you take.

On this visit, the daily special was their Fajita a la Plancha, which my dad was quick to order. Looking at it’s sizzling and steamy presentation on the skillet is enough to make your mouth water.

My sister and mother selected off the lunch menu, which consists of 43 different plates. They were both pleased with their choices: the fajita quesadillas and the pechuga de pollo.

Taqueria Nuevo Vallarta is not shy with their servings, as they tend to be large and filling, and they pride themselves on their Jalisco style of food. Overall, this modest and homely restaurant is a great lunch spot and if you don’t feel like getting out of your car, their drive-thru service is a savior.

Taqueria Nuevo Vallarta 3451 Roosevelt Ave, San Antonio, TX 78214 is open all week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., except for Fridays when they close at 11 p.m.

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