Dining out is different now.

It’s a challenging time for restaurants reopening after weeks of take-out-only service. They have to keep customers comfortable and feeling safe while still providing the amenities diners demand. And, of course, they have to serve great food, too.

During recent visits, we found El Nuevo Vallarta in West Toledo managed all three.

It’s been six years since The Blade last stopped by the Douglas Road Mexican spot, not long after it moved to its current location, and there have been a few changes.

Bill of Fare

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The first thing we noticed was the tables were more bare than they used to be: no salt-shakers or caddies or menus. Instead, there were sets of plastic silverware and a QR code (one of those square, black symbols) taped to the wall. Scan the code, and the restaurant’s menu pops up on your smart phone. I was a bit dubious about plastic cutlery, and I missed having a menu in hand (be sure to charge your phone before heading out), but the extra steps go a long way to put customers at ease amid a pandemic.

The restaurant was really clean and well-spaced, the plastic cutlery turned out to be barely an inconvenience, and the staff was friendly and efficient despite a healthy evening crowd.

That’s all well and good, but as always, it’s the food that really matters, and El Nuevo Vallarta has some of the best Mexican food in the city. We were happy to find some really impressive dishes, with a great balance of flavors and heaping portions.

We tried several of the restaurant’s staples and specialty dishes.

We love chimichangas — basically start with a burrito, fry it, and top it with cheese sauce — and the plate we were served here ($12.95) was mounded with delicious food. The chimis, one chicken, one beef, were lightly fried and stuffed with perfectly flavored meat. The chicken, especially, tasted freshly cooked and not too dry or too strong, as is so often the case at other Mexican restaurants.

The Special Dinner ($15.95) is a feast of several Mexican favorites including a tamale, enchilada, taco, chalupa, and chile relleno. It was all too much for one person to eat, but we were especially impressed by the authentic, satisfying texture and flavor of the tamale and chile relleno, which was among our favorite dishes. The pepper, slathered in its own rich red sauce and stuffed with a gooey, spicy mixture of meat and cheese, was spectacularly satisfying.

Maybe the most surprising dish was the Arroz con Pollo ($12.50), marinated chicken on a bed of rice with big chunks bacon and pineapple. The dish was delicious, with a noticeably different flavor profile than the other foods on offer. Spicy and filling and enough to feed two, it made the nachos we ordered at the same time seem dull and bland by comparison.

Bill of Fare

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The Flan ($4.95) we tried for dessert was creamy and satisfying with overtones of caramel and chocolate drizzle, although we’d recommend it without the extraneous whipped cream on top.

El Nuevo Vallarta has a wide range of other dishes, plus margaritas and a selection of Mexican beers. There’s also a full bar in the dining room and a spacious, canopy-covered patio with plenty of space for outdoor dining.

In all, we were wholly impressed by the meals we had at El Nuevo Vallarta. Even as the staff navigates a tough situation and embraces a new way of doing things, the restaurant has maintained a friendly atmosphere and efficient service. And, if anything, the food has only gotten better from the last time we stopped by.

First Published June 11, 2020, 12:47 a.m.