Vuelve A La Vida

Maybe I’m just one of those Americans who can’t appreciate «real» Mexican food when they experience it– but I just wasn’t a massive fan. I had the marinated pork burrito and simply wasn’t blown away. Nothing about the meal sprung out to me and much hot sauce was needed to lend the flavor I desired. Glad this place is doing so well though, it was packed!

Delicious handmade tortillas! The tacos are delicious, the shrimp cocktail is spectacular, the seafood salad is AMAZING. Everything I have ever had here has always been the best.

Amazing food. Truly amazing. The carnitas is worth buying by the pound. Everything is very reasonably priced. Very authentic Mexican food! The wait staff could use some help, but for unbelievable food, my tolerance is high. The food also came out in maybe 2 minutes!

Food is amazing… service is horrible. I have got up and left twice after being seated and then no server coming to the table for a good 5 mins. And could care less when i left. I only will do take out anymore.

Great variety! I’ve ate here about 5 times and tried multiple dishes. Always seems fresh, fast and delicious. Staff is usually friendly. Home-​style food and atmosphere. Mexican comfort food.

I’m not quite sure why this restaurant has a 4 star rating; I ordered the chicken fajitas and the chicken was absolutely tasteless. My girlfriend ordered the steak and it was slightly better but tasted like it was overcooked but little flavor.
We spilt our water and got moved tables as they cleaned it but never got a new water refill.
In fact we ran out of water in our 1 shared cup and never got a refill.
After waiting for 20 – 25 mins with our napkins on our ¾ full plate we finally got asked if we were done.
I did NOT want to pay this bill.
I don’t recommend this place to eat.
1^st impression was horrible.

This authentic Mexican restaurant has been loved by my family, neighbors, and several friends for years. It just keeps getting better. It’s kind of a hole in the wall kind of place but that is part of what makes it special. Good service, excellent food, great prices. Best Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at.

We go here once a week. they have the best authentic Mexican food in the area hands down. Chile relleno Thursdays are my favorite, but if they run out, the tamales, carnitas or ceviche are always amazing. Service is always fast and friendly and they have great margaritas. Definitely worth a visit if you can live without the chips and salsa. And why not, they just spoil your appetite anyway!

Great place for Mexican food. Lots of choices in both their food and beverages. They even have a good kids foods. The staff is friendly fast service even when they are busy. Freshly made tamales that you can even watch them make because the kitchen is not hidden and is wide open to view.

The food is great but I am scoring low now because we won’t go back after the short waitress with the curly hair left after many many years of exceptional service. we dont care for the tall waitress with long black hair she is rude and I’m personable it’s a shame that you can be forced to leave a job you love after years of great service because of one other waitress. Wake up and realize who helps your business and who hurts your service from one business owner to another you lost a wonderful waitress.

This place has passed the test with some of the pickiest eaters I know. They loved it. I love this place. Great food and lots of it. Never disappointed with anything about this great place. I drive across town to dine here.

If it stays like it was last night I predict they will go out of business soon.
Our waitress disappeared in back for 20 minutes to start things, no water no drinks nothing. Once she came back it took another 15 minutes to get 5 waters and 2 cans of beer. And she disappeared after we got the food. No chips and salsa either.
Food came out almost too fast, maybe to compensate. My fish tasted not fresh in my tacos. Other fish plate was way over cooked. Place was empty. A year ago it was busy and the food was great. I hope they can figure it out.

Vuelve A La Vida is hands down the best Mexican joint anywhere in Western Washington. They serve authentic, mouthwatering dishes that can throw down (and win) against any spot this or that side of the US’s southern border. Vuelve has homemade tamales, make their tortillas daily from scratch, and feature some of the best appetizers around. From oysters on the half shell to shrimp ceviche, these are a long ways from your typical chips and salsa (not served here). The prices are a a bargain as well. The only downside is the service, while always friendly, is consistently slow and/​or forgetful. Outside from that, its 5 stars in every other aspect. Get some of this in your life now.

I could drink the sauce. No really, give me a straw and I’d drink the sauce.
As for taco shops in the T, it’s probably the best thing going. The breakfast options are killer and the rest of the menu is pretty freakin awesome. I can’t tell you what I like, because that could go on and on. The service is attentive, and they have some pretty good bottled beers to offer.
Grab a bucket, a plate of tacos, and be prepared to watch some soccer.

You either love it, or you hate it.
Some of the reviews are either 4 or 5 stars and others 1 or two. Let me help all of you that gave this place a low star rating.
Let me begin by saying that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it’s interesting how so many people can have different experiences at the same place. I try, as a practice, to not write a review until I’ve visited a place two or three times. You never know when you may be getting a server on a bad day, or a chef that is not their usual. Now on to why Vuelva gets so many mixed reviews.
First of all Vuelve is in the category of «Authentic» Mexican Restaurants. Their are Authentic and their are Americanized claims to be authentic. Also remember that the Mexican palate and taste buds are different than Americans. I don’t fault Restaurants for catering to the American taste. This is good business. As an American I like an appetizer like chips and salsa, cleanliness, and good service. You will find neither here, Lol! As an American I don’t like Cow Brains (sessos), Goat meat (Chivo), or Cows stomach (Tripe) or it’s tongue! Something that tastes like it’s tasting you back is just not American! However it is Mexican.
Mexicans like some of their food a little saltier than us Americans do. And the food that taste bland to you, or a little dry, that’s because it is supposed to be eaten with a salsa or hot sauce.
In order to understand, you have to have visited Mexico, and not any of the tourist towns with their American Hotels that cater to Americans. You have to get in the villages or the streets. And this is where you will find your cow brains, goats and tongues, all of which are on Vuelvas’ menus. (Except probably not sessos, I can’t remember)
I was in a village near Todo Santos once, and the place was a shack, out door, dirt floor, flies, dogs running through the restaurant, and it had the BEST fish tacos in the world. No chips or salsa, dirty as all get out, and slow.
So what are you looking for? The low star reviews are true to that reviewers experience from their perspective. With that said you have to understand Vuelva does not cater to americans which is prevelant as every time I go I seem to be the only gringo in there!
As a gringo let me give you some tips on what to order and what to expect. Keep to the things you know you like! The street tacos are great. I highly recommend the carnitas, they are the closest I’ve found to authentic Mexican Carnitas, you would have to bring in the dogs and the flys to to make them any more authentic. Get an ice cold Mexican coke with real sugar, you’ll love it! They are not being rude by ignoring you, it’s their culture. Seat yourself, wave someone down. Be nice, pleasant and they will be the same.
So why do I only give them 4 out of 5 stars? Because even though their food is the best around for the authentic Mexican palate, we are not in Mexico and to me a marriage of both world would be ideal. Keep the menu, (I’ll never order menudo, but it’s the first thing I look for to see if it’s an authentic Mexican restaurant or not) I don’t even mind no chips and salsa, but if you wanna have a gold mine and pack the place with americans and have to get a bigger place because of all the business, simply invest in a cleaner place, (this instills trust) hire a hostess to seat people,(This instills courtesy) and speed up the service. Because whether your Mexican or American, when you’re hungry you wanna eat! Right?! (I’m half Mexican btw,. .. the half that doesn’t do menudo)

Excellent tasting food. Authentic. Ppl are nice. You seat yourself. They do Not serve chips and salsa at all. But the food is so delicious!!! I recommend the asada (steak) torta! And the enchiladas. The serving sizes are not too excessive, but still hefty. The parking outside this place is very limited! Probably only 15 spaces and the rest is specifically marked for Pizza Hut and boost mobile. So we had to park on the street, which annoyed me, but the food made up for that. This is definitely a «dive.» Family/​mom and pop place. Not a chain. Probably why the food taste so good. Don’t be fooled by the exterior, which is «hole in the wall-​ish» this place is truly a diamond in the rough! A true gem if you like/​love Mexican food.

Eh. Not completely impressed. My boyfriend made the point that it seems like their specialty is seafood, but we both didn’t feel like seafood last night. I guess that was a mistake on our part.
I ordered the carne asada combination and Quinn ordered the chicken mole.
My carne asada was fine. Definitely a cheap cut of steak, but that’s what I expected and wasn’t a problem. The steak was overly salty. My pico de gallo was mostly onions, and hardly any tomatoes or cilantro.
I tried my boyfriend’s chicken mole. We both agreed that it lacked flavor. Chicken mole should be rich and flavorful.
The service was good, if a little slow.
There are so many Mexican restaurants in Tacoma, and this one didn’t leave a lasting impression for us. The hunt continues!

Indeed a hole in the wall, but that makes it special! I love small restaurants. Nothing complicated, just food.
I had the tres tacos platter (two chicken and one steak) with a side of beans and a pork tamale. The meat was fantastic. I thought the tacos were great, but wish they would’ve given two tortillas per taco like the norm. The rice and beans were bland. As for the tamale… All I’ve been hearing from other people was that it was one of the best in Tacoma. That wasn’t the case. Mine was slightly cold and it was dry. Thankfully, I only got one because I only managed to finish half.
As for service, it was typical. No frills. Order food, eat, and pay.
Tl;dr — good tacos, but everything else I got wasn’t impressive. «4 stars» is honestly just for the tacos by themselves.

I can’t believe it took me this long to actually post a review on this place.
We have been regulars since 2010, and this the best authentic Mexican place in town.
We have tried almost every plate on the menu.
Don’t be afraid to try, everything they make is delicious.
My favorite is the «Chile relleno» served only on Thursdays (we stop by almost every Thursday, always fresh!!) and the «Posole» is divine!
My husband loves the «Carnitas combination» and «Pollo a la crema»
No chips and salsa here, just home cooked authentic Mexican food.
The best!

I think my experience was absolutely satisfying.
I like the fact I can see the actual cooks cook the food. The service is perfect and the restaurant is kept clean. I recommend this place.

La comida es definitivamente excelente. Tiene sabor Mexicano auténtico. Muy buena experiencia.