Expanding from New Orleans, Vals is taking over 7242 Perkins Road to bring the newest Mexican restaurant to hit the Capital City.
What was once both a McAlister’s Deli and, most recently, a Rock Paper Taco is now home to a bright pink building full of splashes of greenery and sleek, modern architecture.
Vals formerly was just a New Orleans spot, opening in 2020, but over the last year it has been teasing its expansion into Baton Rouge. After a few delays, construction and remodeling finished just earlier this year and Vals Baton Rouge had its grand opening on Wednesday.
With a striking color palette from the outside, the restaurant is hard to miss. The interior keeps up this vibe, whether in the patio area at the entrance or in the atmospheric interior stretching the length of the building.
Vals has a bit of a minimalist aesthetic inside, but I believe this works to its advantage. The sparser walls and moody lighting elevate the more modern and unique feel of the restaurant.
Preluding the meal itself, I tried the chips and queso. While this might not be a big thing for other customers, I like my chips slightly seasoned when paired with a dip. One thing I appreciate about Vals’ chips is that they are served with a fine bit of seasoning, no extra work required.
The queso itself was pretty standard fare cheese dip — and still pretty great. Mixed in with the thick melted cheese are some chiles along with a generous helping of diced tomatoes on top to add a bit of freshness and zing.
For my main course, I ordered a couple of different tacos: the fried fish and the cochinita pibil. The former is the perfect summer taco with a delicate balance of savory and refreshing.
The fried fish taco is topped with a cabbage slaw and spicy pickled onions, which serve as a bright and tangy counterpart to the buttery and flaky fish. I loved how crispy the fried fish was. There was a strong variety of textures for a well-rounded bite.
As for the cochinita pibil taco, the meat itself is bursting with flavor. If you do not know, cochinita pibil is pork shoulder that is marinated in achiote, citrus juices and various other spices. This combination of flavors leaves you with a tender meat that is packed full of umami and tang.
The pork could honestly be eaten by itself, as it was extremely juicy and had a rich, dynamic flavor profile. It is made all the better with the addition of habanero and pickled onions topping it.
While the pork did tend to overtake whatever else is around it, the onions and peppers add a much-appreciated crunch and tart edge to it.
Overall, Vals is a welcome addition to the culinary canon of Baton Rouge. In a sea of ever-increasing and banal Tex-Mex restaurants, it is great to see that there is still room for something delicious and original.
To learn more about Vals Baton Rouge hours and menu, you can check out its Instagram.
