What is the best place to go?

Koko's Uptown on North 10th.
Costa Mesa on North 10th.

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Koko's Uptown on North 10th.
Costa Mesa on North 10th.

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This + Don Pepes on McColl south of Hackberry.

I totally agree that KoKos is an excellent choice. On the other hand I don't like Costa Mesa very much. We ate there a couple of times and crossed it off out list.

Incidentally when you go to KoKos ask for Reyna. She is a ray of sunshine! Having been a principal in McAllen for years I got to know lots of kids around town. Now they have grown up and are lawyers, doctors, and own good eating places...like the Suarez boys who own KoKos.

The place I am liking the most in McAllen when I am there is Cabritos Nuevo Leon on the corner of Nolana and 23rd in that shopping center.

RGV AG

I stopped eating cabrito when I stopped crossing the river. If that place is good I should try it. (Mrs OVR doesn't like cabrito but my brother does so I'll call him.) Although his rules of thumb is that it has to have a little hair on it for it to be good! - no comment!

My choices for some really good Mexican food is Palenque Grill in McAllen off HWY 83. My 2nd choice would be Casa del Taco in McAllen/Mission for a good botana. Both these places have some good Michiladas as well.

Last but not least Taco Ole in Mission always has some good tasting enchiladas or carne guisada.

OVR:

The place on 23rd is good, take my word for it, I am a cabrito connoisseur. Take your wife, they have great meat and other things as well.

My wife tried cabrito there for the first time and she liked it.

I also agree Palenque Grill.

OC, my friend, I can't believe you would include Casa Del Taco and Taco Ole in a discussion about best Mexican food in the Upper Valley......if I had to choose between Casa del Taco and Taco Ole, I'd go with Casa del Taco....Taco Ole has fallen so far down on my list it's practically not there.....

My favorites:

1) Kokos
2) Costa Messa
3) Palenque Grill

Strawberry I agree with you to a certain degree. I only order botana's at Casa del Taco and only enchiladas or carne guisada from Taco Ole off Conway. I need to take you out to lunch for some enchiladas mi amigo..

Are you asking me out on a date, OC?

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Incidentally when you go to KoKos ask for Reyna. She is a ray of sunshine!

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Doesn't hurt that she's pretty hot either.

D-Day96

Now, now. We only met her because she was one of my wife's homemaking students over at McHi. -back in the day.

Love Kokos!

This Gringo prefers Costa Messa over Koko's, but it's really a push either way.

Well, Mrs OVR and I ate at Cabritos Nuevo Leon for lunch and it was pretty good. As I expected, she didn't like it much but the food was good the service was better than usual The place was nice a clean. The waiters bent over backwards to be sure that we understood what we were ordering (between my poor spanish and their poor english!) and explained what was hot or not.

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The waiters bent over backwards

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Go on....

I'd rather have waitresses bending over fowards, but that's just me)

I have to agree with dirty red.

Hmmm... That didn't come out quite as planned.

Maybe I was confusing my trip to the Dr today for a physical!

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Hmmm... That didn't come out quite as planned.

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You guys are a bunch of slackers. Where is the Rule #1 requirement on this Reyna waitress???

I just saw her yesterday.
I'll get a pic next time......yeah right.

Me thinks ovr can get it without being too creepy.

Orale, viejo! Get us a pic of reyna.

Old guys are always creepy!

You guys have any good thoughts about places in the mid/lower valley? I haven't found much besides La Playa in Harlingen.

OVR:

Just saw where you tried Cabritos Nuevo Leon. Is it repeat performance worthy in your opinion? They have a combo plate that comes with an order of Cabrito and an order of your choice of meat, with salad, guac, and beans and tortillas. It is what my wife and I always get. Their places in Reynosa are a little better and a little cheaper, but not much. Given the state of things I have no choice but to like it. In 11' and 12', up through March of this year when I was still traveling Mexico I could get some decent Cabrito, but it was always by myself and not the Bohemia swilling and queso fundido eating times of the past.

STX:
In the lower Valley exists what to me is the best eating place in the Valley. The Vermillion. It is Paredes Line Rd. and Boca Chica en Browntown and it is stuff boss let me tell you. I love that place.

They have it all, CFS with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes to the best Tex-Mex Chalupas I have ever had. They have a Carne Guisada special that is off the hook and the Macho Nacho's are a meal in themselves. I love the place even more so because I am a Texas heretic, I like brown gravy on my CFS and they gots it.

There is a small place in San Benito on the main street, can't remember the name, that is a small cafe like place and it is very, very good. But get there early for lunch or forget about it. Also the gaudy seafood place on 77 Sunshine Strip going through San Benny is very good as well. Haven't eaten there in a few years, but the last time I did it was very good.

DDP

[This message has been edited by RGV AG (edited 5/26/2013 9:26p).]

RGV, you remember a place in Browntown in the 70's and early 80's called Labios?

Dday:
No, I can't say that I do. I moved to the valley circa 82' so I might have missed it. One of my other favorites in Browntown is Elva's, the first one on Central Blvd. The old Oyster Bar downtown was sheet as well.

Man, what is the name of the buffet place in Brownsville that supposedly recycled their food (which was false) or were practicing Santeria or something? Los Camperos? is that it? That place had or has really good food as well. Sadly the last 10 years or so my Brownsville time has been very limited.

When I was a kid living in Mexico my dad did a lot of business with the Duty Free stores in the Valley as well as the Mexican stores across the river so for years and years we would spend several weeks a year in the Valley when he did business up there. We usually dovetailed trips to states with his work up there, so even though I did not live there until the 80's I did spend a lot of time in both Brownsville and McAllen, as well as Laredo at times, usually during the Summer and at Christmas time.

My parents tell me the first hotel I ever stayed in was the Fort Brown, man I loved that place.

Sadly, Brownsville like Mexico has really taken a nosedive the 20 years or so. It used to be a really special little place.

RGV

I was fine with Cabritos Nuevo Leon. Like I said, the service was unusually good. Often I eat at Mexican Food places that have no waiters that speak English and my wife and I have difficulty getting our order straight. This time our waiters were very nice and when they brought out the food were very careful to point out which ones of the various dishes were the most hot or less. I think they thought we were really old snow birds. :-) They got a nice tip for being so efficient. OH! I forgot to mention that they have fideo, I certainly got me some...most TexMex places don't have it.

My wife did not like the place but I did so I would recommend it to others but I may only go back when I can take my brother (Class of 57).

I would completely agree about the places that were mentioned in Brownsville. I used to have to got to Brownsville to do training sessions for school administrators in Brownsville ISD. I always ate at either the Vermillion or the Oyster Bar.

When in Harlingen we always eat at La Playa and get the stuffed avocado. In fact my wife had me drive her to Harlingen just for that about 3 weeks ago.

Wish I could find someplace on SPI to eat. I have eaten on the island at a number of places and they are all bad. I particularly hate Dirty Al's. If they just had a place like the Oyster Bar in Brownsville I would be happy.

I can't believe you go to Harlingen for Mexican and don't hit Las Vegas Cafe! For Tex-Mex, Las Vegas should be your first and only stop.

OVR:

About the only place I really, really like on SPI is Blackbeards. It is my go to and really the only place I will eat and pay for on SPI. I agree on Dirty Al's, I never liked it much. I have known Al for over 20 years and I just can't see eating at a place owned by a guy that used to buy back the bait he sold to fisherman if they did not use it all. Haha.

I tell you what though, Al is about the best example of the American dream being reached that I know. That man worked himself crazy for years and he started with a simple bait shop. I really admire him and my hats are off to him.