As a visitor to Vallarta’s Old Town, one of the things you must experience is the night time taco scene. When the work’s all done and the heat of the day breaks, folks like to wind down their day while hanging out where the good stuff is: tacos! You can walk down almost any street and be treated to some delicious sights and smells. Vertical spits loaded with meat and pineapple for tacos al pastor, long countertops for chopping meat, smoke, fluorescent lights, grease everywhere and smiles all around.

This is evening in Old Town, and there’s nothing quite like it! The streets come alive in a new way, taco stands as the centerpiece, and Tacos Las Güeras is in the center of it all. We sat down with Esther (Techi), to learn more about her family, and life at the taqueria.

As with so many of the traditional places in Vallarta, Las Güeras is a family business. Begun by in 1988 by Techi’s parents Héctor Rodríguez Ezequiel and María Día. Now the restaurant is run by the children.

Family & Friends

Originally from a town in Jalisco state called Chacala, they moved here over 53 years ago to begin a new life in this sleepy seaside town.

This is actually a full service restaurant as well as a taco stand, so the menu is more robust than you might be thinking. They do beef, pork, chicken and sausage dishes, as well as vegetables such as nopales pencas and mushrooms. They do quesadillas in flour or corn tortillas, and molcajetes too, which is a well-loved traditional Mexican dish. As you might expect, their menu has evolved to keep up with changing tastes, and they’ve learned to have fun with it. The like to keep things fresh with new marinades and sauces.

In speaking with Techi, I noticed she’s got a real sense for her customers and for adapting as needed. When asked about future plans she said they’ve been toying with the idea of changing their hours to accommodate visitors from the US and Canada, who tend to eat dinner earlier. They’ve already made menu changes to suit vegetarian and vegan customers, and soon they’ll be moving too. She says their new location will be in a wider place, with more beautiful views. They will also offer service in the morning, with different types of tacos.

It’s clear that Techi loves her customers, and she says she loves working with Vallarta Eats too. Her favorite part is the people, and I know she’s sincere when she says so.