Blake’s Restaurant & Bar was a very popular tourist destination for dinner and live music in Plaza Villa Vallarta.
I was very young so I don’t remember much of it, but my parents, their friends, and I used to frequently visit Blake’s. We would go for the 2x1 rib special they had, and of course the adults would have drinks. But all of us had a good time!
In 2018 the owners wanted to retire, and the current owner, Megan Kravetsky, bought the restaurant at only 28-years-old. Blake’s was doing well just as it had before and everything was going great for her… until the pandemic hit. In 2020 she was forced to close down her business and what’s more, she found out she was pregnant. It was a very stressful time for her, but on top of everything she couldn’t even shop for her baby, since baby products were deemed “unnecessary,” and she ended up having to buy everything from Amazon. As a first time mother, it was a very sad thing, and added even more stress to her plate. However, she still found time and ways to help out. During the pandemic she donated food to police officers, firemen, paramedics and other first responders, local clinics, and to the homeless. Megan is a very kindhearted, devoted person, and I’m sure she’s very inspirational to many other young women and entrepreneurs.
Moving on, Megan gave birth, had a lovely little girl, and re-opened her restaurant in 2021 near Plaza Santa Maria. She brought down some people from Queretaro to help her out, business was booming, and she gained a lot of regular customers. She even participated in the 10th Annual Puerto Vallarta Chili Cook-off and won. Things were once again going great for her! Until they weren’t. In 2022 Megan’s landlord didn’t pay her taxes, meaning Megan couldn’t renew her permit, and she had to close down and move again while continuing to pay her employees. She was once again in a stressful situation and honestly didn’t know where to move to, but, thankfully, she knew one of the owners from Puerto Magico. He showed her all of the vacant areas and after talking they both agreed that Puerto Magico could help out Blake’s and Blake’s could help out Puerto Magico. It was the perfect spot to be at! So, she rented an area upstairs and began construction!
Last Tuesday on September 13th Megan had a soft opening, and of course I had to be there! As soon as I walked in I loved the ambience of the place, which was very fun and casual. Though the music was probably a big part of it. The band that was playing, The Animals, played a variety of different genres and songs, and they were all very enjoyable. Some of them were American Rock, some were Pop, and some were Mexican. But everyone enjoyed all of them!
And I’m sure everyone enjoyed the food as well, because I know I sure did. By the way, all the recipes on the menu are either from her, her father, or her grandmother. I got the Cobb Salad, which had lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, grilled chicken, and cheese. At first I was a little reluctant to order it since the combination seemed a bit weird, but I thought “what the heck” and got it anyways. And boy did I love it! The combination was actually amazing, as all the flavors and textures went super well together!! I did have to add a little bit of salt, but other than that it was perfect! It was also huge and I don’t think I even ate half of it!
My dad got a cheeseburger, which was 200 grams of a perfectly seasoned beef patty, a ton of melted cheese, fresh lettuce and tomato, real dill pickles, and potato buns that held up and never got soggy. A huge pile of hand-cut fries also came with it, and they were just the perfect texture. Crispy on the outside and a bit soft on the inside. It was a lot of food, so my dad definitely didn’t even eat half of his burger! But he definitely liked it!!
If you’re going to be a regular costumer at Blake’s, then you should ask Megan about getting a VIP card. It takes 20% off of food prices and 50% off of house beers and alcoholic drinks, and you can get one by purchasing one of the insulated stainless steel cups she sells or by completing the Burger Challenge, which is eating a 2 kilo burger, 2 kilos of fries, and drinking 1 liter of a chocolate milkshake in under 45 minutes. So far, Megan has given out about 500 cards. The second way to reduce prices (though it only affects Carnival Panorama cruisers) is by showing your Carnival Panorama cruise ID and asking for the Maya Promotion, which gives you 2x1 house beers and alcoholic drinks.
If you visit Blake’s you may also notice a small bakery next door called Sweet Temptations, and Megan owns that as well! She has a variety of different baked goods, and the recipes are all from her father and husband. They can also all be made gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and/or vegan. And so can most of the meals at Blake’s. The reason for this is that Megan herself has allergies to dairy, gluten, and egg, so she wants to make sure that anyone can enjoy her food and baked goods.
Though, I wasn’t really in the mood to get cake for dessert, so when we were all done eating and ready to leave I went downstairs and got a brown sugar milk tea drink with tapioca from Gong Cha. Which is probably my favorite drink to get from them. But, my dad also got a drink, though it wasn’t boba, and it wasn’t from Gong Cha. He got free raicilla shots from Regions a couple doors down. He says their raicilla are spectacular, and if you are on a cruise ship you should definitely stop by. Another thing you can do is stop at Cacao Magico and get a box of their incredibly sophisticated chocolates or take their Cacao Bean to Chocolate Bar experience, which I have taken before, and is incredibly fun and interesting. I have also written about it before, and you can read the article by clicking here!!!
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Blake's Restaurant & Bar's Menu
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Blake's Restaurant & Bar's Phone Number: 322 260 9725