Taqueria Los Panditas

We were staying a little less than a mile away from Taqueria Los Panditas and found them here on Unilocal when searching for Mexican food close by. When we walked in, there were a couple tables taken, a woman sweeping behind the front counter and a man carrying out some sort of cooking machinery. The woman told us pretty quickly, «I will be just a minute,» continuing to sweep while we looked at the posted menu. We knew we’d inquire about veggie burritos, although there was only one burrito on the posted menu for $ 5.50 — listing meat of choice as a filling.
The woman assured us they would make a veggie burrito; she proceeded to take off a dollar for each burrito, charging $ 4.50 a piece. We were offered salsas for the burritos we ordered to go, which we happily accepted — one red and one green. The service was quick and extremely friendly.
As we were about to leave, we noticed a sign for champurrado and asked what that was. The man who was helping behind the counter said, «here, I will get you a taste.» He brought us back a taste of this thick, chocolatey beverage. It was delicious and filling.
When we got back to our hotel and devoured our burritos, they were DELICIOUS. While somewhat smaller than burritos we’ve had in the past, they were flavorful and filling. The salsas were very spicy, but well flavored.
I imagine we will be back again, since we are staying so close to this taqueria. We will easily return next time we’re in Salem, too.

Best torta al pastor ever! Use to come here a lot a few years back. Went in today and still the best! Just like I remembered. The flan is also amazing.

Came for lunch with a friend. The area itself is not in a great area. Parking in the front of the building is not the best choice. They do have parking available in the back and I would recommend one parking there. Once inside the dining area is a nice bright orange. The prices I did not like to much they seemed a little higher than other small shops but it may be just me. I had an order of tacos. They were well. not the best I’ve had but they were good. The staff was friendly definitely a mom and pop shop. My friend had to use the restroom and that was definitely a reason for the 3 stars. The conditions of the restroom was a HUGE negative 10 – 1 I score –10 …

Al Pastor cooked on the trompo or verticle spit to us Gringos. I can’t find it anywhere else like that. The menu has a lot of things you would find on the streets of Mexico, and excellent salsa. Place is packed at night and if you are white, you’ll probably be the only one in the place, but everyone is super friendly and the food is awesome. An easy 4 stars.

Tasty, authentic Mexican food. I had the Torta Al Pastor (pork), $ 7. This is the first restaurant where I’ve seen the pastor on a spit, definitely raised the bar in my mind for restaurants serving this dish.
The tacos look very good as well, made with house-​tortillas.

This is my first review on Unilocal… I just had to step up and defend this little shop after reading the previous review. I work just down the street and come here for lunch often. The man that works the counter (the owner I think) is always nice and I’m usually the only English-​speaking customer there… always a good sign of authenticity. I’ve had the tripe soup (there’s a first time for everything — this was yummy), the «La Gringa» quesadilla (pork and pineapple), and tacos and burritos of all sorts. I’ve never been disappointed. Everything is prepared with just the right amount of spice and I’d choose this place over any of the fast food places on Lancaster any day of the week. Oh and their salsas — delicious! Give it a try.