Mexican sports bar opens doors near Cherry Valley mall
An upscale bar offering Mexican-style sushi, seafood, steaks and cocktails is now open for business at the District at CherryVale.
El Vallarta Sports Bar and Grill held a ribbon cutting and grand opening event Monday at 7144 Harrison Ave., formerly home of Granite City Food & Brewery, which closed in March 2020.
"This is a good place for celebrations," general manager Becky Cerda said of the 9,000-square-foot restaurant. "So, if it's graduations, anniversaries, birthdays, divorces — hey, that can be a celebration, too. ... If you have any celebrations, this is the place you want to come to."
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The family business is owned and operated by husband and wife, Tollo Cruz and Liz Rebollar, who also own El Nuevo Vallarta Sports Bar & Grill in Berwyn.
Unlike traditional sports bars and grills, you won't find burgers and fries on the menu. Instead, El Vallarta offers steaks and a bevvy of seafood with a touch of Nayarit-style Mexican cuisine.
On the menu are platters big enough to share such as prawns; shrimp in a spicy huichol sauce; deep-fried shrimp sauteed in huichol sauce; mussels, octopus and shrimp in a special house sauce; as well as crab legs, lobster tails, octopus, oysters.
Live weekend entertainment such as mariachi bands add to the bar and grill's Mexican flare.
Outside the restaurant is a patio area with umbrella tables expanding the full length of the business.
El Vallarta is open Sunday to Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Mexican sports bar welcomes Rockford area to eat, drink, celebrate
