Taco Palenque

Please replace our taco cabanas with taco palenques! This place reminds me so much of the Mexican food I used to get in Cali. The tortillas especially, they are thin as opposed to floury and fluffy that are served at most Tex Med places. I recommend the plain ol bean and cheese taco here, with a horchata to drink. For dessert, have a slice of one of the best tres leches I’ve tried in the city.
Give the fideo a try, it’s so fantastic, and I could write sonnets to the panchitos!

No one disputes that the salsa bar and chips are terrific. The homemade corn tortillas are also very good. But the hominy-​like eggs — are they even using shelled eggs? EDIT: On two return revisits I discovered the eggs have improved.

Delicious food. I’ve been here for a week for work and have already eaten here 4 or 5 times. Delicious and fast. Also the sauces are all good. Definitely recommend.

food is just horrible!!! the ground beef is always more pink than brown, definitely under cooked, the beer was hot. Will not be going back!

It’s authentic, but then again it’s not. They serve Fajitas, but they aren’t exactly TexMex. They offer a burning hot chile salsa, but pair it with creamy tomatillo and fresh tomato salsas, and pico — all available on a condiment bar with all the chips you can eat, cilantro, whole and sliced jalapenos, and a couple other things I can’t remember.
Taco Palenque was founded by Don Pancho, the same guy who created El Pollo Loco. Both restaurants are good, but I prefer Taco Palenque. But then, I’d like anything with a little less chicken and a little more beef.
TP is a fast food restaurant that offers good quality Mexican food at a reasonable price. And that’s all you really need to know.

Love this place. I discovered Taco P in McAllen and made it a stop every time I was in town. Super exited to find one closer to Austin! You have to try the Pirata. get the one off the menu and also get one with Chicken (not on the menu). They also have fresh made salsa and chips. Don’t be turned off by the appearance of the restaurants. The food is amazing, as is the service. Not going to lie, Taco Palenqe is easy one of my favorite restaurants.

I’ve had good Mexican food but this one sets the bar. The food is better than any top-​notch restaurant which is why I eat here 3 – 4 times a week. The salsa bar is ALWAYS kept clean and fresh. The chicken fajitas are outstanding and are great in a taco or a pirata. Do yourself a favor and get over there!!!

The fact that this restaurant is ²⁴⁄₇ makes it one of the best Mexicans restaurants in San Antonio. DO NOT FORGET THE FREE CHIPS AND SALSA! I recommend eating the breakfast tacos after 10am, they give you the taste of real authentic Mexican food. also did I mention that it is ²⁴⁄₇?

Greasy taco haven.
Go for the pirata. Bean and cheese with fajita… Actually was not as greasy as I expected. But since it was 5 in the morning the condiment stand was not operational yet. They usually have good salsa and chips, and cucumbers… A smörgåsbord of Mexican accents.

Over the past 3 years, my usual late night pink-​cabana taco place was going down hill fast. And probably still is. I was at a loss for drive thru breakfast tacos and friendly service at 2 am. What is the new option? Taco Palenque.
Yes, a Laredo chain, and I welcome them with open arms. Even though I am from SA, I didn’t discover Taco Palenque until a few months ago. They have an authentic menu and a killer salsa bar. If you like sauce and condiment options, they are waaaay better than the Pink Cabana.
The food is always fresh tasting and hot of the comal. Their tortillas are different from the thicker spongy style, but it works. They have breakfast all day and a cute playground for the kiddos if needed.
Some of their menu may throw you off but that’s where the service comes in. They are cool with explaining, and will ensure you get your fav requested salsa in the to go bag. I’m grateful for Taco Palenque and I’m glad to see them stay!

Piritas are delicious! Best tacos I’ve had so far after a month in San Antonio. And it’s open 24 hours! Love it

Wanted to try something other than Cabana. It was early and they had a drive thru, which was a plus. The breakfast tacos were delicious and not too pricey. However, the Barbacoa tacos were over 4 bucks each! Way more expensive than the others, and not any bigger. Only difference was the use of 2 tortillas, to deal with the greasiness. I mean, it was a good taco and good service, but those 4 dollars brought them down to 4 stars in my book.
After all, part of the breakfast taco’s popularity is in the value/​price category. You increase the price, and you decrease the value.

So this place has won the SA Current’s Best Of Reader’s Poll for best breakfast tacos the last two years in a row and, while I wouldn’t say they are the city’s best, I will say they are pretty damn good!
Taco Palenque has a heavy presence in The Valley and down in south Texas and is making its mark here in San Antonio and this 24hr eatery can give Taco Cabana a run for its money any day! Standard counter service here: order at the counter, take your number to your seat, grab your drink and salsa et al, and, after a short wait, your hot, fresh, delicious food is delivered to your table. This location also has free wifi and a playground with outdoor seating.
Now on to the good stuff: the breakfast tacos! The tortillas were incredible-​hot and fresh, crispy and flavorful. These tacos were stuffed with tasty fillings (and I mean STUFFED) fluffy eggs, perfectly seasoned and crispy potatoes, I can go on and on about these… sooooo good. And then there is their salsa bar! My favs were the tangy green Parrot Salsa and the spicy goodness of their Red Hot sauce. The salsa bar is also stocked to the brim with all sorts of additional goodies like pico, grilled onions and jalapenos, additional salsas, etc. to customize and load your tacos up to your liking. I’m getting hungry just typing about it.
So as I’ve stated in previous reviews I LOVE my breakfast tacos and am constantly trying to find new yummy tacos wherever I can and this place delivered. I will be back when I’m in the area, that is a guarantee.

Not bad however I am not looking to clog my arteries by eating 1 bean and chorizo taco. The taco was dipping with grease all the paper towels couldn’t sop up! I couldn’t even stomach eating it. Everything else wasn’t bad.

Gross. Bad food. Very unclean. Health Department violations everywhere. Employees are dumb and are not good at their jobs. Avoid.

When I’m rushing out of the house in the morning or coming home late from a night on the town, Taco Palenque has been there for me with some pretty dependable tacos. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this taqueria is one of the few in town that doesn’t have shortened hours on weekends — so if you’re like me and your definition of a lazy Sunday includes breakfast tacos, Palenque has got your back.
As a vegetarian, Palenque’s menu is pretty limited for me. No veggie fajitas or vegetable enchiladas here. Luckily, I have a theory that you can find out all you need to know about a taqueria from its bean and cheese. So my typical order is said taco plus avocado on flour and a potato, egg, and cheese. Both tacos are mediocre, but the tortilla is soft, floury, and fresh.
The best part of Taco Palenque for me, as with any taqueria, is the salsa bar equipped with chopped onions, cilantro, red and green sauces, jalapenos, and the works. I love being able to kick my breakfast tacos up a notch by adding some traditional flavor. Palenque’s salsa bar goes a step further and has warm tortilla chips (and queso, what?!) — great way to taste the salsas on bar!
This place is pretty inexpensive and the quality of food is pretty right on for what you end up paying for. Think of it as the fast food joint of tacos — quick, convenient, and a good place to stretch the dollar.
My one downside, and I mean where things really go downhill for me, is the cleanliness of the restaurant. Now, I get that with all 24 hour places, things get a little wild and crazy at late hours of the night. But by morning, the last thing I want to see when I start my day is a Fourth of July reminiscent, pico de Gallo firework that has erupted inside the dining area and is now strewn across the restaurant. I’ve seen many a dirty floor in my Taco Palenque experience, uncleared tables, trash that hasn’t been properly attended to. And for that reason, I’ve become a drive thru only kinda gal with it comes to the big P.
My best advice is to save your Palenque trips for hours when other taquerias in town are snoozing. You’ll enjoy it, but you could do better!

Can there be one in DFW? Wait, maybe not. I’d probably get sooooo big. This is like a lower version of Taco Cabana, but better, bc I watched them cook steaks on the grill. Did that make sense? 24 hours, they had a good little park for the kids to tire themselves out on, and from the looks of it a pretty good happy hour! Tacos were huge, and the nachos were great! Salsa bar was spot on! I mean, what more can you ask for! All about it! I just wish there was one in Dallas!!!

We had Taco Palenque for dinner and it was delicious!
We had the «Parillada» for 2, beef and chicken combination. Their portions are very generous. Beef fajita was tender and full of flavor, chicken fajitas were equally amazing, juicy and well seasoned.
Drinks– Aguas Frescas– unlimited refills!!!
Very clean and colorful salsa bar, 3 salsas, jalapeños, Pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, cole slaw and last but not least, freshly fried corn tortilla chips.
Handmade flour and corn tortillas.

It’s almost like you have to write 2 reviews for Taco Palenque; one for the restaurant itself, and one for the salsa bar! I give the salsa bar five stars straight out of the gate. There wasn’t a salsa I didn’t like, though the smoky spicy one was my favorite. Also, chips, salsa, and some Cali-​style toppings are available for unlimited free refills with your order.
I ordered the fajita plate, in which the meat was well cooked and smoky, and the whole platter included toppings and fajitas. My lunch mates also seemed to enjoy their meals. Service was decent, though not very cheery, although the table attendants actually seemed much warmer than the cashiers. I was pleased to see that the restaurant had clean high chairs and a play area outdoors for when my little girl is a little bit bigger. I never went in to check the restrooms and peek for a clean baby changing table, but for now I’ll be keeping this place on my Saturday lunch list.
5 stars= Driving across town just for this!
4 stars= I would recommend visiting.
3 stars= Average, acceptable, positive.
2 stars= You might be able to drag me in.
1 star= I will definitely not be returning.

Great late night spot for some tacos! I’ll be honest I’ve only been here after going out… because who doesn’t crave a taco after going to the bar? The place definitely gets crowded around 2am after all the bars close, so be warned. The tacos are delicious and inexpensive. I would say Taco Palenque is a higher quality version of Taco Cabana (don’t get me wrong I do enjoy my Taco C). This is also one of the few places that serves fideo!