West Avenue Panchito’s

What a great place! Manager came to greet us. We were looking for a relaxing, fun patio ambience and we found it here. There was a Hawaiian singer on the patio that was very entertaining. Our server, Eloy, brought us cute little Spanish-​style hand fans and bubbles. Great drink specials too. There were 9 of us and all agreed the food was excellent. We don’t live in Dallas but next time we are in SA, this will be our spot, especially on a Saturday night!

Not bad enough to warrant two stars, but definitely not good enough for four. I went to the infamous Panchitos on Saturday evening. We walked in and were seated promptly. There were maybe five other tables and an abundance of servers.
Let me preface the review of the food by saying I’m from a bordertown so my expectations can be high BUT I’ve come to love «Tex Mex» but really hate when restaurants claim to be full fledged Mexican Restaurants. Let’s not get carried away here Panchito’s you’re most definitely Tex Mex and that’s okay.
I ordered the Poco de Todo plate. I wanted to try everything to see what would be a good starting point for my next visit. The food came out quickly. I was unimpressed with the queso tostada, their queso is lackluster. I can make more flavorful queso at home. The Velveeta and/​or can cheese and Rotel mix just isn’t working for them. The tostada seemed stale and not crunchy. The beef taco was crunchy and tasty. The enchiladas were decidedly Tex Mex, with the signature (not very Mexican) red corn tortillas. Overall the food was decent, the beans and rice were really the stars of the dish which should never be the case, in my opinion.
The food was good, but the service is what left a bad taste in my mouth. I finished my water and it was empty for about 10 minutes, even after our waiter passed our table several times. It took a long while to get our check and even then he was indifferent about it. They either need to have flags to raise to call attention to the table or teach their servers to be more attentive.
They also had a band playing some standard oldies, Margaritaville, Hey Baby Que Paso?, etc. with the drummer interlacing some weird bird noises throughout. It was weird, seriously, this guy would be the perfect alternate for Elmo. He even had the audacity to say (in a weird voice) «I bet if we take a break, no one would notice because everyone is watching television.»

My best friend wanted to celebrate her birthday here so I was forced to dine here. The sign at the front said to wait to be seated, but there was no hostess. Had queso and it was blah. We ordered a fajita dish that was covered in white cheese and a tortilla on top. They call it the Sombrero. It was a steak an shrimp combo. They were not generous on the shrimp; I got two. The beans and rice were remarkably under-​seasoned. I tried Ruben C.‘s mole enchiladas and they too sucked.
We basically had to repeat to the waiter what we had ordered so that he could split our check which he initially didn’t want to do. He added 20% gratuity on top of that. I took a menu and nowhere did it say that. Margaritas weren’t terrible so I’ll leave that second star on there.

Gonna make this short and simple.
–Our waiter sucked. Old people fuck faster than how our waiter moved. Never came by to take my order.
–had the mole enchiladas. There is nothing remotely mexican about the food. There are mexican fast food restaurants that have better quality and tasting food for half the price.
–the only gem was the other waiter who was kind enough to take my order at the bar and make food recommendations.
Peace out bitches. I ain’t got time for this.
UPDATE: Why don’t you just add salt to the wound?
When we asked that our checks be seperate, the same waiter looked at us like we were speaking to him in chinese. He seen astounded that we asked that. Hello McFly, there was 20 people in the group, 18 of which I didn’t know.
He then he didn’t know what each of us had. Really? WTF chuck? Aren’t you a waiter? Didn’t you write our orders down?
What of freaking mickey mouse restaurant is this?

Checked this place out for the first time earlier this evening. The place was sparse, but it was early. Panchito’s offers textbook TexMex. Delicious cheese enchiladas rolled in red corn tortillas and topped with melted cheese and chile con carne. It is just right on all fronts. Nice spice, thickness and a good sauce to meat ratio. The crispy taco was also really good. The ground beef was well seasoned and flavorful. Service at Panchito’s is very prompt and curteous. Our orders were out to us no more than 8 minutes of ordering. They run daily specials. The one they had tonight was tempting but I was feeling a good TexMex combo like I got. I’ll definitely go back!

Great Food, great atmosphere and friendly service. I had been here once before w/​my roommate and decided to bring my fiancé for dinner. We had the Poco de Mexico appetizer which consists of chicken flautas, chicken fajita quesadillas, beef empanadas, chile con queso, and gucamole. Wowza, not an item to pass on if you’re looking for a great start to the dinner. Though I have to say that it was so good that I ended up taking half my dinner to go: D I had the green enchiladas which are great and my fiancé had the Tacos al Carbon. I have to say he’s a picky eater and loved the food. They have a great live Mariachi on Friday’s so that’s always fun. Thanks to my check in on Unilocal,we received an order of Sopapillas which were very tasty. Service has been great both times I’ve gone. Great place close to home which I look forward to visiting more often.

They have great service and awesome 5 $ margaritas from 4 to 7 sun-​fri !!! I ate the cheese enchilda Plate! Best ever

When this place opened, I was so excited, as I am a huge fan of the McCullough location. I have been several times over the years and the quality continues to deteriorate. The last time we were there, it was Sunday lunch and there were only 9 tables… not a good sign. Our waitress could not manage a tray so she was bringing everything out one at a time. Our drinks took 15 minutes and it was a few more minutes before she was able to stop passing out tickets to the people who were leaving… one table at a time…
Mu husband ordered the carne asada, medium rare. For a cut of steak this thin, it needs to be cooked very fast on a very hot grille. Surprise — it was not only overcooked but tough as well. They got him another, which was also overcooked, except for one gross looking corner that was red and looked old. The texture of the meat indicated that it had been in the marinade for many hours too long — it had the mouthfeel of liver. When he complained to the server, she took our ticket to the manager who offered a 10% discount…10%.
My enchiladas were mediocre, at best. The cheese tasted old and my Chili concarne on top was really runny and flavorless.
The one bright spot was the flour tortillas. Pillowy and warm, they were great. And then I got a look at the top on the Tortilla Keeper… it had gunk and dried food all over it. I even took a picture as I intended to alert the folks at my other Panchito’s, but after reading all the reviews, I think they probably know.
To top it off, we paid with a $ 100 bill and it took them 15 minutes to go upstairs and get change, which came back in $ 5 bills.
What a bunch of losers. We will never be back. PS — across the road is El Bosque — consistent and delicious — we were actually going there but it was closed that day. We should have gone to McDonalds.

Olmos Park location, this isn’t. the Panchito’s Special is my favorite breakfast taco. When I used to live in ALamo Heights, we would eat there weekly. Now that i’m only in town occasionally, the West avenue location is the only one that I have been able to get too. This review isn’t based on one expeirence, but several. It just isn’t good. The quality control is horrible and the food is flavorless. If you order breakfast tacos in the drive through, do not drive off until you have double checked your order. Way to many mistakes and missing tacos.

The only thing that I don’t like about WA Panchito’s is that it is too far from my house (I wish it was next door)! I first went to WA Panchito’s last year for a friend’s birthday. We had a large party and I was so impressed by the personable service, great food and no frills atmosphere. Unfortunately (for me), I hadn’t been back since (because it was a bit of a drive from the house).
The same group came back to WA Panchito’s a couple of weeks ago. It’s under new ownership so I was curious to know if things had changed. Well… things changed. That night we all reconnected there, I found the service overwhelmingly friendly, QUICK, and attentive-​more so than before! We had a large party and every one of the Staff played a role in refilling drinks, chips&salsa and checking on us… even the Management team!
I ordered the Carne Asada (anyone that is following my Mexican Restaurant reviews may think that I’m a big steak fan… and you are correct!). The meat was perfectly seasoned with fresh vegetables they were cooked perfectly, crisp and fresh tasting. The traditional rice and beans were delicious. The portion was extremely generous (a little too generous, but that’s not unusal for restaurants that I have visited in San Antonio).
That night we were there, they had a Mariachi Band. That really sealed the deal on the Mexican ambiance and was loads of fun. Seriously… they sang Happy Birthday to our friend who was celebrating a birthday for that night… icing on the cake!
My friend and I went back there again the next week. I ordered the Chile Relleno dinner. That was the best Chile Relleno I have ever had! The chile pepper was a nice flavorable subtle taste (which was perfect) and had hearty helpings of meat and vegetables to accent the flavor. Again the the beans (refried) and rice were a standard staple to accompany the main course.
If there was anything to improve, I say:
1. Move it closer to my house
2. Promote the drive thru (I thought it was extra parking spaces… you could get more business with drive thru if people knew you had one)
3. Advertise more!
4. Update the website to real time.

The best part of our visit here was our server, Debbie! She was EXCELLENT and so sweet and funny. We will go back and ask for her everytime!
My guest and I split the large sizzling bowl of fall-​off-​the-​bone, melt-​in-​your-​mouth carnitas. I WISH I could make carnitas this good! I cant remember the name of the dish, but wow, it was incredible! Along with the carnitas came sausage, asparagus, mozzerela cheese, tortillas, etc. There was probably tons more in that huge molten bowl, but my food coma took over and now I cannot recall. The tomatilla sauce is out of this world! Debbie gave us tons of tips on how to tweak our own tomatilla sauce recipe. She also lovingly boxed up our truckload of food that we couldnt finish. We will definitely be back!

I was excited to go since I had a really good past experience with one of their margaritas. No go. This time I had that 3 $ special that supposedly had ever clear in it (not that I care for the stuff) WEAK! Guess you get what you pay for. My chicken fajitas were actually really good and I was impressed they served home-​made corn tortillas, guac was fresh with no real fillers. What gets me is the space, I’m not claustrophobic but it feels like I could literally reach out and slap the next table guest (without trying!) and the tables are uneven, chairs really heavy. Idk, place just feels kinda dirty and the ladies room is soooo cramped. The tomatillo salsa was really good but looked like infected unmentionable. Our server was nice which is an improvement from the last visit.

I have been here three times because a friend likes it. Let me tell you how TERRIBLE the service has been EVERY SINGLE TIME! Service is always incredibly slow and once our waiter could not speak English at all. It was strange. Also, they freaking charge for more than one basket of chips ! Are you kidding me? Food is too expensive for the quality. Bring Taco Flats back !! I will never go back unless my friend drags me… lol

Friendly, prompt service. Casual, yet fun atmosphere. Clean food – not greasy. And best of all, their Wednesday evening $ 5.99 enchilada special is a treat, as far as my family is concerned. I will definitely dine there again.

Oh Panchitos on West Ave, let me count the reasons I do not recommend you…
1.) Service was poor. We were there 15 minutes before I got my margarita. The drink wasn’t that bad, but wasn’t made from scratch either. A lady across from us actually referred to our wait person as a «F’ingB», so obviously they had the same experience.
2.) Loud, cramped quarters with screaming children running around.
3.) The food was almost inedible. The complimentary salsa was sweet. Who sweetens a fresh tomato salsa? It was as if someone had the bowl prior to us and poured sugar in the salsa to prank the next unsuspecting patron. I hope that IS what happened for the establishment’s sake. The queso was burned, my cheese enchiladas weren’t cooked through, and they left off the lettuce and tomato that is supposed to come with the meal. We asked the waitress about it’s whereabouts and she told us it didn’t come with our meals, but when we referred back to the menu we saw it in black and white.
No I will not return, no i do not recommend Panchitos to anyone, and yes I want a full refund.

This place is downright terrible. The food is mediocre at best and the service has been bad both times I have been here.

I don’t mind paying Northside prices for good Tex-​Mex once in awhile; I like Pappasito’s as much as the next guy. Unfortunately, this place doesn’t serve good Tex-​Mex, just bland, nothing-​to-​write-​home-​about grub. However, for ten bucks a plate, I expect some flavor somewhere.
Now, let’s be reasonable. The mom and pop place around the corner from me serves Huevos Rancheros for $ 2.99 — with bacon, refritos, papas and 2 tortillas. That’s a good urban San Antonio value. At Panchito’s West Ave., the huevos plate is $ 4.99. Okay, I expect a suburban mark-​up — but that’s without bacon. If you want a typical huevos plate (ie. with bacon), it’s $ 6.24. A typical combination plate — 2 enchiladas, a taco, rice and beans — is $ 9.99. The $ 2 charge for a coke — pretty typical on the Northside — comes with a menu warning that you only get one refill. Sheesh.
I had 2 tacos for breakfast, the Panchito Special and the Chilaquiles — both are things I’ve enjoyed at the Olmos Park location. While they were generous portions for the price, they had absolutely no taste. I couldn’t even tell them apart. The wimpy, bland salsa didn’t help much either. Perhaps none of that would have even bothered me enough to write a review, had the waitress not been practically surly. The help in general was rude — talking over our table at one point — and our girl, whom I guess we were inconveniencing somehow, forgot 2 requests — extra napkins and mantequilla.
Just down the street at Bitters is Los Robertos (California-​Mex), a 24 hour eatery with delicious cheap eats. Down the street the other way at Blanco is Las Palapas. Maybe that’s why this place was empty on a San Antonio Saturday at almost noon. I feel like a fool…

Absolutely THEE BEST steak fajita omelette! So okay, I don’t know of too many places that serve fajita omelette… frankly, I can’t name any but that’s besides the point! With beans and potatoes and fresh tortillas… my mouth waters whenever I think about making this my breakfast spot. I usually order that with a mango fruit smoothie. After that meal, I don’t need lunch cause I’m usually full until it’s about time for dinner. Seriously. I’m not saying they ridiculously overload you with food because it doesn’t look like a lot but it does get you full.
Also, the barbacoa is not as greasy as most places and surprisingly enough it’s not dry either. It’s just right. The prices are decent (not just during breakfast but for lunch and dinner as well). Oh — and if you really are a big breakfast fan but just don’t like to get up early, that’s okay too since they serve the most important meal of the day all the way until 2pm on the weekend!
They also have a patio… sometimes there’s live music… big screen tvs at the bar and a couple out in the dining area and outside as well. When you come in, you’ll see paintings from local artists surrounding the waiting area. The servers and hostesses are really wonderful — great attitudes!