Red Cabbage Cafe (The), 5 de Diciembre

Recommended by Gloria, owner of the Los Cuatro Vientos Hotel,(a unique,quaint, you have to stay at, fabulous Mexican Hotel).We were knocked off our feet at The Red Cabbage. Lola's food and service has to be the best Mexican dining we have had in P.V. We were so impressed on our first visit, we brought Jack and Marlys back a couple of days later. I had the Mexican plate on the first visit, and the stuffed pablanos with the carrot sauce on the second. You gotta eat here at least once!! While there you won't go wrong getting her cooking dvd and cookbook. Pat and I love this place. Jay H. Chicago on 11/01/09

My wife & I are well traveled and we go out of our way to experience good local cuisine at each destination. Some of our favorites have been the Fisherman’s Taverna in The Plaka in Athens, Trattoria “Antonio” near the Pantheon in Rome, Artemis Restaurante & Cafe in Kusadasi, Cantina Osteria on the hillside of the Amalfi Coast. Not to mention all the great places in Asia and the Americas. In Mexico, we’ve been to Guadalajara, Acapulco, Cancun, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Ixtapa, Vallarta. The point is, we have been around, and from our travels we’ve found our finest dining experiences in small “mom & pop” type establishments. Yes, we also love Le Cirque and Picasso in the Bellagio and all the name restaurants in the Wynn and Venetian and the Four Seasons restaurants - but you expect to get excellence for the amount of money you pay at those establishments. In the small shops, everything good comes as a very nice surprise. Having thus prefaced my review, I will give our experience at the Red Cabbage Cafe this past week a two-thumbs-up, shaken in your face. Like another review said, this is not a Four Seasons restaurant. It is a small, very nice, artsy, “hole-in-the-wall” on a river bank in the hillside of Puerto Vallarta. Like others we had some difficulty finding it, but it was certainly worth the effort. Their “Chile in Nogada” a stuffed pepper topped with a heavenly creamy sauce, served cold, sprinkled with pomagranate kernels was nothing like I’ve tasted before - just delicious. If you like stuffed chiles, the “Chiles De Picadillo” stuffed with ground meat, veggies & pine nuts topped with a carrot sauce was yummy. Their moles and chipotles had just the right texture of flavor and heat, and they always invited just one more bite of whatever they were served with. To be honest, I have never been a great fan of your run-of-the-mill “Mexican” cuisine which often seems to be a mishmash of overdone meats, mushy beans, mushy guacamole, melted cheese with sides of spicy salsa. So, I’m always grateful when I come across good Mexican food. - and I have, on many occasions. The Red Cabbage Cafe not only has good Mexican food, it takes Mexican cuisine to a whole new level. You should also know that they do not take credit cards - cash only. I wish I had known that before we went because the Red Cabbage Cafe also has a small bar in the back stocked with some great tequila. They even had the best-of-the-best of Don Julio. I had enough cash for our dinners and a couple of shots of Don Julio Anejo, but not enough for the top of the line. So, if you’re also a Tequila connoisseur, take extra cash and enjoy the spirits. We found the service just as pleasing. The service was friendly, cordial, accommodating, and never rushed. In prior reviews, I read comments about substandard or rude service. My only comment on this is, when we enter a small family owned restaurant, we always try to humble ourselves as being grateful for having been invited into their home. With this, we are always received with appreciation followed by great service. You have to remember, unlike Four Seasons, small establishments don’t have supervisors constantly looking over the staff for quality control and customer satisfaction. It truly is like being in their home and, if you go in with an attitude, you often get attitude. Everyone goes through life and restaurants with different experiences. Our experience in the Red Cabbage Cafe was extraordinarily pleasing and memorable.

Have been here twice. The peanut soup and spinach salad are always spot on. Had the Oaxacan Mole the first time, delicious. Had the chipolte ribs the second time, outstanding! My only question is, what's the deal with the bland rice and buffet steamed veggies? Put some effort into those sides, they make the meal complete.

Please note the hours are incorrect on this web page. They don't open until 5pm. We went all the way there only to find out they were closed for lunch.

A little tough to find, but what phenomenal food. Small place with great artwork. Outstanding service. They make the mole from scratch using 25 different ingredients. You will find none better.

I went to Red Cabbage on the recommendation of a friend last night...and LOVED IT. From the moment we walked in, there was a great energy. The service was attentive and the food was amazing. I would argue that this is the best mole poblano that I've had. I live in New York and am a fan of Rosa Mexicano and Rocking Horse's moles; however, this variation was better!!!

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE THE RED CABBAGE!! Its my favorite place to eat ever. The Chiles Enogadas especially! Lola is the owner of this fantastic eatery and not only does she create the menu, she cooks for her patrons herself! All the Chille dishes are incredible. THe decor of the place is so unique. Everything is decorated and celebrates mexican cultre, history and theatre. She has cooking classes during the day as the restaurant is only open at night and you can learn how to make some of her famous dishes. The secret ingredient is love. You will be licking your plate clean and asking for seconds. Also, she makes THE BEST refried beans. Think i'm joking? you have to try yourself and TRUST me you won't be sorry:)

After a disappointing day at the beach, looking for the non-existent "Gay Vallarta" (it's a ghettoized old wreck of a hotel with a beach area cordoned off from the "normal" people, as far as you can walk before running into the rocks!) my companion and I sought a nice dinner experience. We found it at The Red Cabbage. What a nice place! It was welcoming, charming, relaxed yet attentive waiters (we even had our photo taken with ours!) The food was amazing, beautiful and so delicious. We will go back and recommend if you are ever in Puerto Vallarta, make reservations, go early, bring cash (no credit cards accepted), and prepare to have a lovely time.

Like a previous reviewer we spent two evenings, including our last which we usually reserve for a special spot.... to eat at the Red Cabbage Cafe... This place is a must and won't dissapoint you....We had all wonderful meals and two out of the six in our party are chefs... If you want a real Mexican meal in a truly wonderful setting you must stop by for dinner....wish they were open for lunch too....thanks so much and we will be back when we return to PV...

I loved this place .. we were there about 4 years ago and my son still raves about the mole. It is out of the way...and fun and delicious and we went twice in a week.