El Vallarta celebrates one-year anniversary

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A local Mexican restaurant is celebrating its first year of business.

El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 1738 Boardman-Poland Road, opened March 31, 2014.

“We make our food with the freshest ingredients,” said owner Juan Vazquez, adding that it’s the most authentic Mexican food in town.

Meal prices range from $8.50 to $19, he said.

What makes El Vallarta different from many other restaurants is making his customers feel welcome, Vazquez said.

The owner brings 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He owns another restaurant in Cleveland, and for a while owned the Fiesta Tapatia restaurant on Belmont Avenue in Liberty before selling it.

Vazquez’s new restaurant came with challenges such as construction on U.S. Route 224 near Interstate 680 that occurred near his restaurant.

“Construction was a big challenge,” he said. “Traffic was terrible.”

Although things slowed down for the business, loyal customers kept the restaurant going, Vazquez said.

The restaurant now employs about 15 with some of them working part time.

Vazquez said he looks forward to customers coming out during the summer with the patio in operation.