Puerto Vallarta, a family-owned Mexican restaurant with locations in Newington, Middletown, Southington and Avon, is opening its fifth location next month in Orange. The grand opening, scheduled for the end of July at 377 Boston Post Road, will feature authentic handmade tortillas, fajitas cooked in a secret family sauce, genuine Mexican ambiance, and numerous food and drink specials.

“When I opened the first Puerto Vallarta in 1991 my goal was to create an environment where the smell, flavor, color and sound embodied the beauty of my hometown of Jalisco, Mexico,” says founder and owner Esaul Rodriguez says. “Now, I am very happy to be bringing traditional Mexican food and an accurate taste of Mexican culture to this new location in Orange and the surrounding communities.”

All Puerto Vallarta restaurants are noted for their light pink walls, adobe accents, tile covered tables, and authentic Mexican menu selections, most notably moist Mexican rice infused with mild Mexican spices, refried beans oozing with melted cheese, appetizers that range from traditional nachos to shrimp with mushrooms and garlic, and much more.

Rodriguez came to the United States in 1985 to work for his uncle’s Mexican restaurant in Oregon. He was only 16, knew no English, and had just $6 to his name. By the time he was 21 he had moved up from busser to server, then to cook, and also began working with vendors and handling many of the logistics of running a restaurant. Of all the skills he picked up along the way, he says that learning how to make authentic Mexican dishes from scratch was the most important.

After several years of running his own restaurant in Oregon, Rodriguez made the decision to move to Connecticut because research indicated that traditional Mexican cuisine was not a major influence in the state. In 1999 Rodriguez opened Puerto Vallarta in West Hartford. As the first location grew in popularity, he opened other locations, including Newington in 2001, Middletown and Southington in 2004, and Avon in 2006.

Now, in 2011, Rodriguez has hopes to strike gold once again in Orange, by satisfying tastes for authentic Mexican cuisine and warming hearts with authentic Mexican charm. He chose the former location of 99 Restaurant on Boston Post Road due to its strong visibility and heavy traffic. Rodriquez is confident that restaurant guests from Orange and other surrounding towns will delight in their “authentic Mexican cuisine experience” at the newest addition to the Puerto Vallarta Restaurant family.

About the Restaurant

Puerto Vallarta is an authentic Mexican restaurant specializing in authentic Mexican dishes. Specialties include handmade tortillas, beef, chicken and seafood dishes and many other classic selections, all given a personalized touch—with some secret family sauces—by founder and owner Esaul Rodriguez.

The restaurant is noted for its affordable prices and large portions. A children’s menu is available with smaller portions, lower prices and milder flavors. Puerto Vallarta is also known for its drink specials which include an impressive variety of tequila, frozen drinks, and according to many patrons, “the best margaritas in town.”

For more information, visit www.puertovallartausa.com or visit any of the current four locations.