El Palenque is our go to neighborhood Mexican place. We enjoy many of the dishes here, but there are some things we recommend, and some we don't. The Good: We LOVE the Carnitas in Chile Verde here, especially when the chef does it right and lets the pork get nice and crispy. Closest thing to real Chile Verde we've had in Buffalo. I love their pork dishes: Burritos and stuffed chile are good. They also have a fantastic Chorizo. Any dish with Chorizo there is great (Pollo with Chorizo and the Queso with Chorizo are really good). I've enjoyed many vegetarian combos, Mushroom and Spinach are my favs. I also love the beans. I've often enjoyed the seafood, very fresh and tasty. Queso is great. I like the fajitas. You'll probably enjoy the strong fish bowl margaritas. I really like the Xanga dessert of fried cheesecake. Chips are fresh and salsa is homemade, though a bit too onion-y. The Not so Good: Your traditional Buffalo Tex-Mex combos are underwhelming. Usually huge, but just meh. I'm not a fan of their beef or their chicken tacos and what not. They are OK, but not great. You want a great taco, go to La Davina. Basically, what I'm saying here is order something more of an authentically home-style Mexican food and you will probably love it. read more

El Palenque - Pork in Chili Verde - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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When we walked in there were plenty of tables. Yet we didn't get seated for 5 plus minutes. Plenty of people walking around able to do such ... No one really says anything. Once we sit down our drink order is taken pretty quickly but still looking over the menus since it's our first time here. Our waiter doesn't come back for about 10-15 minutes!! We are just waiting here, drinks empty by this point, still no waiter in site. None of the other 5+ waiters come by either. The salsa is blended and bland and honestly the service is so disappointing it's not even worth the mediocre food that you get here. Don't waste your time. Make the fake Mexican food yourself at home, with box taco mix, canned re-fried beans, microwave Mexican rice, canned salsa, and some pre-made margaritas. Seriously. read more

El Palenque - Giant margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Ignored this place for the longest time until this past year. Before, I would always go to Gramma Moras for Mexican sit down but I'm glad to have some diversity. The ingredients in Mexican cuisine are rather simple but it takes skill to craft them into something special. El Palenque does this quite well, offering an extensive menu of dishes, all containing unique elements of taste. This is especially nice, as it forces you to consider trying new dishes, something rare for most Mexican restaurants. I think the creative menu has a lot to do with the ethnic staff, whom I assume pride themselves on the authenticity of their food. Prices are modest, making this enjoyable and welcoming you back. read more

El Palenque - Arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). Notice the avocado wedges on the salad, a pleasant surprise - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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We're right around the corner. we like the folks who run the place and enjoy the food. So while we can't get into the specifics of the food, my rating does suggest that we can find what we need to leave the place feeling gratified and full. read more

I've gone here a few times for lunch and dinner and while I love Mexican food ..this place is just ok. The staff isn't the friendliest and the food is alright. They have a fair share of lunch specials and dinner deals but that's really it. Now I will say during my visits I have seen some very large awesome looking frozen beverages come out and made me want to place an order read more

I would give this place two stars if it were not for the jumbo lime margarita. Those dudes have a slurpy machine in the back no doubt and are dumping cheap tequila and lime cool aide in it. No matter, the margies are worth the visit. As for the food, the chips were good and the salsa was bland. I ordered the chili verde and they gave me carnitas with a so so flavored green sauce dumped on it. I guess they figured Buffalonians would not know the difference, especially after sucking down that jumbo lime. Since I am a west coast visitor, they were totally busted in my mind. I thought the food was par with a greasy spoon family run taqueria out west. read more

Very cool. Used to be a Denny's so that just trips me out since you can still tell it was a Denny's but the food is pretty good. No where near being a diner food. Didn't try the margaritas since it's not my drink of choice and I had to work the next morning. Chips were good. The shrimp fajitas were good. Service was decent. I'd go back unless someone knows of a better joint in the area. read more

One of the best Mexican food in the Buffalo area. The Margaritas are good (not too much sour mix) Great flavor!! read more

El Palenque - The smallest margarita in the world!!! - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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I came her for the first time yesterday after passing this for years. It felt like your typical Mexican resturant with an enormous menu and cheap food. There was salsa and chips on the table to start, with a mini salsa carafe left on the table. As a large salsa scooper, this was something that I appreciated. I came her for lunch and ordered the huevos rancheros, something that I have been looking to try for awhile now. We had a large group but the food came out a little slow for being one of two groups in the whole restaurant. My food was good but the eggs were cooked through completely. Although I am not familiar with the dish or how it is usually served, I would have preferred a runny yolk for the meal. After we finished, it seemed that the waitress took a bit longer than we hoped to bring us our bill or check on us. She rarely checked on us for that matter and I was left with an empty water for most of the meal. A pretty good meal but definitely was here for over an hour on an hour lunch break. read more

They had mixed up my order to go two weeks ago. I went back to get my replacement today. They gave me no problems and replaced it for free with no questions. Delicious! Thank you!!! read more

I'm in town visiting my Mom who just got out of the hospital. I've been living in north TX for the last 35 years, so I feel I have a pretty good database to judge Tex-mex food. Decided to try El Palenque since it's right down the street and I could make a quick trip for a very late lunch (around 3:00 pm on a Monday). The parking lot was completely empty so I pulled up to the front door as I wanted take out. Walked in, no one was in the restaurant. The lady who came up asked if she could help me. Before I could answer she told me I would have to move my truck. I could park on the other side of the parking lot. I explained I wanted a to go order. Told about moving my truck again. I agreed that I would go. But my understanding of go was to leave and not order. As the only customer in the restaurant, I don't expect special treatment, but her concern about my spot in an empty parking lot is enough for me to take my money elsewhere. Didn't try the food and after reading several reviews, I'm glad I didn't waste my money. read more

We decided to give this place a try despite the mixed reviews, and neither of us regretted it. We went there during lunch time. After we were seated, our server immediately brought over warm chips and salsa, both of which were quite delicuous. It was hard to stop devouring them and save room for lunch. I ordered the Special Texas combination plate - a quesadilla and a chimichanga served with lettuce, guac, sour cream, and a fresh sllice of tomato - and my husband ordered the board special, which turned out to be a bubbling pot of jumbo shrimps (plenty of it), sliced beef, and sliced chicken, cooked in a thick sauce with roasted poblano pepper, julienne onion, and green pepper, served wth warm tortilla, refried beans, and rice. A lot of thoughts must have gone into the creation of these dishes. Each of our meal components was nicely seasoned without overwhelming the other things on the plate, so that at the end of the meal, all the flavors became one lightly lingering happy and delicious aftertaste. It was quite satisfying. I wish I had room for dessert since they have flan, and I have a weakness for it, but alas. Hopefully next time I'll remember to save some room for it. I read other reviews negatively noting the service, cleanliness, or atmostphere of El Palenque. I myself noted nothing to complain about. The premises are acceptably clean, the atmostphere quiet, casual, and comfortable, and the staff friendly and helpful. Our needs were taken care of timely, but otherwise we were left to devour our meal in peace. We were never abandoned or left feeling rushed by overly friendly and upbeat inquiries, and that's exactly what I prefer from a place with this kind of atmostphere and setting. A few things to note. Firstly, this place doesn't serve Texmex or Southwestern food. It's not Chili's. If you come here expecting something that's been compromised to US tastebud, you may be disappointed. Secondly, the portion size is nothing to complain about. While admittedly I was at first a tad disappointed at my portion size, by the end of it I was glad that they hadn't put more on my plate; what I had was more than enough to keep me full for the next 5 hours! For a meal that's less than $10, that was quite a good deal. Lastly, if you want to get your check squared away quickly, walk to the counter once you get your bill and pay there. I noticed another customer doing just that when we got there and suggested to my husband for us to do the same. We were out within 5 minutes of getting the bill. I'm looking forward to our next visit. read more

El Palenque - The Special Texas combo plate: quesadilla and chimichanga with lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and a slice of tomato. - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Came here for margaritas and nachos last night, and was pleasantly surprised. Their chicken fajita nachos were really tasty with flavorful meat. The jumbo lime margarita was solid and definitely quite jumbo, but I just wish it had been salt-rimmed. Their chips were high in crunch factor and I like that they leave you a little carafe of salsa on the table. Our server was also super sweet ^_^ I'll probably be back again when my nacho cravings return. read more

El Palenque - jumbo lime margaritas were truly jumbo - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Food was amazing but service was terrible they sat us in the back corner and completely forgot about us

This place has rude service and the food gave me food poisoning one time. The food ain't it

This is good, no thrills, small portions place. Want a simple good meal that you will walk away from saying your full, and don't feel ripped off then this is where to go. Don't expect great service, you will get good service. My only two issues is the portion size, you will not get a lot of protein vs vegetables. The other is their archaic credit card policy. I know certain cards cost the business more to use. If the business reads this you lost a table Of four last night since you did not take AMEX. I prefer to use Amex and one reason I don't go to this place more is because they will not take it. Business studies in the thousands show when a business takes AMEX, they get more customers, higher checks and more repeats customers. read more

Even though we saw the bad ratings here on Yelp and the parking lot was empty (two red flags, I know), We still decided to give this place a try. They put my husband, daughter, and I at a tall booth, but the high chair was not even tall enough for my daughter to eat at the table. Since they did not have a booster seat, we ended up being moved to the back corner of a regular booth. Once we got settled again, we tried the chips and salsa which was good and placed out order for Dinner 13 and steak fajitas (simple to make and hard to screw up). As we were waiting, I noticed a booth that was torn and trash under another booth (we came shortly after they opened and it was empty), I was curious how long that trash was sitting under that booth. Our meals came quickly and they looked pretty good at a glance. Once I cut up my daughter some steak with a dull butter knife, I got my tortillas unwrapped and noticed I was only given two wraps. Since I noticed they charged for everything additional (1.75 each), I really didn't want to pay that for more tortillas that wasn't worth it. My fajitas had zero flavor, no salt/pepper even, the rice had no flavor, and the beans had a bad flavor. It was so bland that my 20 month old wouldn't eat it and the beans she spit back out. My husband's meal was ok, but definitely not anywhere close to being the best. There were two women that were walking around to our table, but we never figured out who was our actual server since they were back and forth. I do not recommend this place and we will not be back! read more

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Good food as always. But the 2 star rating is over a drinking straw. I asked for a drinking straw for my water and my pop my pop and said only one per person. That's why it gets a 2 in my book the service sucks That's why it gets a 2 in my book the Management decisions suck. read more

First off I will say that I used to LOVE coming to El Palenque, food has always been good and they have jumbo margaritas enough said. However the last few times I have come here the services seems to have gone way down, today it was bad enough to fire me up to write a review!! I ordered lunch take out for myself and coworkers (also apparently there is an up-charge for take out just an FYI). Long story short I ended up waiting 40 min longer than the pick up time I was told, no explanation or apology, I was charged more than expected (but maybe prices online aren't accurate), my order was incorrect (not sure what I got but it definitely was not the quesadilla that I ordered - thank god it was my order screwed up and not somebody else's), and I looked like an asshole because by the time I got back to work with the food our office lunchtime was over. Happy Cinqo de Mayo. I need a margarita... not from El Palenque. P.S - I know its Cinquo de Mayo and expected it to be crazy busy, I totally understand slow service on a busy day. But all of the workers just blatantly avoided eye contact with me and I never would have gotten my food unless a nice stranger also waiting didn't say something. read more

I wish I could give this review 0 stars. While sitting at this restaurant we were awestruck at how terrible this place was. The grass hadn't been cut in months and service was subpar to start. When the waiter took our drink order we saw some of his coworkers scrambling to catch a live pigeon that was loose inside the restaurant (no idea how the pigeon got inside). Once we got our margarita pitcher it was radioactive green and tasted terrible. We quickly cut our losses and left before we were given the chance to get food poisoning. If you're looking for good service, good food, and great drinks in a pigeon free environment, don't go here. read more

I've been coming here a few times a year for a number of years, probably since they opened. Always enjoy the food and have never had a bad experience. Saw a few recent bad reviews but I just went on Friday and had another good experience. read more

Salty, small and unsatisfactory! Let's start with the staff. Untrained, unprofessional and pathetic! Very difficult to enjoy your meal or the company of your companions when you're on red alert hoping to be fortunate enough to catch someone's attention! For refills, to correct the order, to tell them that you still don't have your refill, to tell them you still don't have silverware or the extra napkins you asked for.... The presentation was cookie cutter Mexican. The rice was crunchy and under cooked, not a texture you're expecting, with a few random pieces (3) of peppers (?) and onions (?) that may or may not have been part of the dish or dropped in from elsewhere. The beans were a thin and runny puddle on the plate with no cheese to garnish for appearances, the beans looked and tasted unappetizing. The beef substance in the various tacos, burritos, etc were salty and small portions. The chicken dish, "fundido," got the most appreciation. The taco salad, the least. Very small for the price and ingredients. Although we didn't have any margaritas, other reviews say they are large and a good price. When the bill came, they put our bill on with the table next to us, thinking we were together, we were not! The bill had numbers but had no description, not easy to figure out the bill! Duh! And they didn't bring a menu so we had a reference point! Each person went up to the register to try and pay their bill and in the end there were items on the bill no one claimed, sour cream and an order of cheese....and it caused a speaking in Spanish employee to employee meltdown! My final note, meet for drinks and fill up on their fresh chips and salsa! Go somewhere else for dinner! And service! It would have been a one star night, but the chips were warm and fresh and very good! read more

I'm so sad to write this review because I LOVED this place when I went to UB but boy has it changed. Plain and simple it was awful. Our orders came out at different times, the wait was unnecessary long, and the service was basically non existent. We ordered cheese dip to start and it came out cold, so we sent it back to be warmed up (this took at least 15 minutes) the dip came back and it was still cold. We couldn't find our server to send it back a second time so we didn't even bother. Next our add ons to our taco salads came out, still confused at this. 20 minutes later our actual salads came out and they were a poor excuse for a salad. The lettuce tasted rotten and the meat was bland. I'm really disappointed that this place went downhill because it used to be a go to spot. read more

El Palenque - Poor excuse for taco salad - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

We love this place! Authentic food, great portIons and quick service. Last night was our typical Saturday night argument regarding where to eat. My boyfriend said let's go to "our" Mexican place. Sold and we were off. We like to go there when we're hungry because the portions are big! We sat down ordered drinks, they brought the complimentary chips and salsa out. We ordered and snacked on the chips when our food came out. Everything was hot and delicious. We both ordered the Guadalajara Special, if you haven't tried it I highly recommend as it's what I get every time. There were a couple of guys across from us who both ordered the fajitas, they came out sizzlin' and smelled amazing. read more

Boooooo. Honestly, it tasted like a middle school lunch. It was like some old person went to Walmart and decided to make Mexican for dinner. The salsa was so runny, probably from the tears of all the restaurant's disappointed customers. The chalupa? Don't even get me started man. It was beans with iceberg lettuce on top. Both crusty and soggy at the same time. I don't know how they do it. read more

Love to come here for lunch! Free chips wish salsa and cheap and fresh burritos The staff is always paying attention and food comes very quiick read more

I must say I'm not too impressed with this spot. My heart is at Don Tequila. The food is subpar and the service is not attentive at all. I got the chorizo dip as an appetizer and vegetarian enchiladas for my lunch. The chorizo and salsa is their only saving grace. It's disappointing i feel like it's so difficult for a Mexican restaurant to stay afloat and they truly are not doing the best that they can do. Hopefully they will make changes before it's too late! read more

El Palenque - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Horrible. Called on to pay my girls tab while she was out having dinner there with her friends and they said I can't pay. What kind of restaurant doesn't take any and all forms of payment. They must have some side hustle to keep the lights on and employees paid is all I'm sayin'... Well, if I'm going out to eat I'll just stick to chicken finger subs and a roast beef extra juicy on weck.. read more

Passable food and mediocre service. Two of us shared an early dinner. Yummy chips and salsa were brought to the table while we perused the (very extensive!!!) menu. We decided to share a double order of mixed (beef and chicken) fajitas. The platter came out sizzling.... but we then had to wait a while for the accompaniments to arrive. The platter was amply filled..... but it was much more veggies (green peppers and onions) than meat. And, everything was overly greasy. The fajitas came with three small flour tortillas for each of us, as well as refried beans, Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and a teeny bit of guacamole. Passable, but not a place I would likely go to again, as there are much better places for Mexican food. read more

This place is reaaaalllly bad. The chips were stale. All the food was cold. My companion started to feel sick after dinner while waiting to pay the bill. He broke out into a cold sweat and chills on the way home and I actually had to pull over so he could throw up on the side of the road. Really bad and concerning. Do not go here. read more

If you have to decide between this and Taco Bell, go to Taco Bell..at least you know its fake and they aren't trying to trick you.. Seriously the worse "mexican" restaurant I have ever been too. The waitress took our order and that was the last she came to our table..after waiting literally 25 minutes for our check (we were both sitting on our phones playing Trivia Crack so clearly we were done and ready to leave), we had to ask a random waiter for our check. The food was..how do I put this nicely..HORRIBLE. The salsa you can tell was canned. The tacos tasted like they were probably canned as well.. The only decent thing they had was the Guacamole (shocker). I ordered a sangria and it tasted like old semi dry wine. The environment was not welcoming. People who have rated this place more than 2 stars have probably never been to a truly good Mexican restaurant so they have nothing to compare too.. I'm glad I've been here finally so I can know to never go back.. Seriously..go to Taco Bell.. read more

Not good overall, but there were some good elements of our experience. The Good: -The salsa: DELICIOUS. One of my favorites. And the chips are really good too! They were crispy and had a good flavor, almost bacon grease-esque. Yum. -The margaritas: No complaints. For $7, the medium frozen strawberry marg was HUGE. Didn't even come close to finishing it since the brain freeze to enjoyment ratio was too much in favor of the brain freeze. Regardless, this was a pretty standard frozen marg. The Bad: -The portions: Way small. Compared to other mexican restaurants I've been to where you normally get a ton of food for a really good price, this portion was underwhelming and let's face it- not that good. -The meal: I ordered the chicken enchiladas suizas. Was just okay. The chicken had weird pieces of I don't know what... Fat? Veins? Creeped me out. I had to pick through it to eat it. Yikes. Rice was okay, dry. Salad was fresh at least, but meh. Everything was bland. Mom and I split an order of refried beans- they were TERRIBLE. Muddy, flavorless, thin. Just yuck. No wonder they don't offer them on every plate. They're not worth the taste. -The ambiance: At first glance it doesn't look too bad... But when you look more closely, there's broken ceiling lights, nothing seems clean... It's just overall unsettling in appearance. I could see cockroaches loving this place. -The service: Definitely lacking. We got our drink order in and then were forgot about for far too long. The guy sitting across from us was served his meal before the waiter even took our order and he got there 10 minutes after we did. Not okay. Once we did order though, the food came out in just a few minutes. Would I come here again? Definitely not. As far as Mexican restaurants go in Amherst, La Tolteca on Transit near Eastern Hills is WAY BETTER. Don't waste your time or dinero here unless you're just going for chips and salsa and margs. read more

One trip and I'm hooked. I thought that after moving back to Buffalo from Phoenix, I could pretty much forget ever having real Mexican again. I'm addicted to Mighty Taco as much as every other Buffalonian, but I know that it is a far cry from real Mexican food. And then I went to El Palenque. Not sure which combination to order, I went with two items my friends recommended and one by which I base my opinion of Mexican food. I ordered the #18 which includes one chili relleno, one enchilada and one chalupa with no exceptions to the meal. The chips are adequate and the salsa is pretty good. Combined, the two are easily addictive, yet not the best I've ever had. The chili relleno was stuffed with beef and cheese, which is not quite what I anticipated, but incredibly tasty especially after being smothered with the smoky, spicy red enchilada sauce. The enchilada was like the chili relleno with a corn tortilla instead of a egg-battered chili pepper. I liked it, but would have been happier with a different filling to sample. And the chalupa was what I've always called a tostada - a hard-shelled flat corn tortilla piled with beans, lettuce, tomato and their guacamole salsa. To top it all off, my friend ordered sour cream, which to my surprise was authentic Mexican sour cream that is more like cream cheese than our American counterpart. I love this thicker, creamier, less sour version. I really enjoyed my meal despite the unfamiliar variations and I am definitely going back to try more offerings whenever I get that craving for food from our southern neighbors. read more

El disappointment was more like it. We were talking about this place and some people (who hopefully won't read this review) said how good the place was, so all 8 of us went as a group to this place. We waited a bit to be seated, when we got there there was 2 or 3 tables eating, so it really wasn't busy, but we still got no greeting and just stood around for a bit. There's no sign for whether or not we seat ourselves, so I was starting to wonder if we just seat ourselves or what, but we eventually got seated. We were seated at a table for 6, and the host left, so we had to pull another table up ourselves. Gotta love feeling like I'm being a burden to the restaurant. Next we had waited for over 10 minutes to get any sort of service. We had what we wanted picked out, but nobody seemed to care. This 10 minute wait got us so starved that the guy with chips got us super excited. Who doesn't love chips and salsa? We tried to order from him, but he said he wasn't our waiter. Who was, then? Where was he? There's hardly anyone else here! On to the chips. They weren't very good. There was no real taste to them, no seasoning, no salt, nada. Even better I had a few chips that were soggy with oil or grease or whatever. Yummy. The salsa... wasn't salsa. It was runny red water that was worse than Tostito brand salsa and wasn't easy to eat neatly, it just fell all over my part of the table. Next we had our 10-15 minute wait on drinks. We were dying at this point. This would have been an acceptable wait if we were asked what we wanted sooner, but this is almost 30 minutes in with nothing but soggy chips and red liquid. I debated drinking the salsa. We had 2 waters, 2 sodas, and 4 margaritas. The guacamole and a cheese dip someone ordered came with our drinks. The margaritas were on par with the "salsa." It was the kind of margarita you get from your local grocer that comes in a bucket. Not good tasting, either way. It was a sugar drink instead of a cocktail, and it cost me $7 for a medium sized drink. You get a lot beverage, but it's probably only about a shot's worth of tequila and 15 oz of sugar. Not worth it... I should sue for that level of profit margin. The guacamole I did try, and it was the only thing I got that was decent here. I won't complain about the wait for the lunches. Partly because I can't remember how long, part because we had 8 people, and part because I was regretting my margarita. I ordered the La Mexicana, which is supposed to be 1 burrito, 1 enchilada, and rice. However, my burrito and enchilada looked identical, and were both smothered in brown sauce that was just fairly salty, and not very seasoned. Honestly, I never found out which was which, because they tasted about the same as well. I can't even really add more to this review, because it was so bland, and my food was overly salty and my drink was overly sweet. I just didn't feel good after eating. After all was said and done, I wound up paying $19 to feel not good. I've had much better for cheaper at Cantina Loco. Hell, Taco Bell would be a better choice in my opinion, because I know I can feel about the same level of satisfaction for 1/4 the cost. I hope I never wind up back here. I feel just a little ripped off for leaving feeling just gross and with some of the less attentive services I've ever had. I'd say dine at your own risk! read more

El Palenque is my favorite place for my friends and I to go to for Mexican food and margs. All of the food is fresh and delicious and I really think you get the full experience with how authentic the food is. The portion sizes are ginormous as well as the margaritas. The margs come in many flavors...strawberry, peach, mango, or original and you can have them blended or on the rocks. The menu is very big so there's something on there for everyone; tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chicken entrees, beef entrees, combo entrees, etc. The service is very quick and super friendly. I've never a had a bad experience when visiting El Palenque. And on top of everything, it's not even a five minute drive from my house...very convenient! read more

El Palenque - Margs - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What El Palenque lacks in curb appeal it makes up for once inside the restaurant. The casual and colorful decor complement the extensive menu and friendly service. With 32 "Combination Dinner" options you would be hard pressed to not find what you are looking for in standard Mexican fare. The menu also boasts three more pages of offerings including fajitas, house specialties, steak, chicken, and seafood entrees. On a recent visit my friend ordered the small shrimp nachos ($4.25) and a Jumbo Lime Margarita ($7). I tried the Taquitos Mexicanos ($8.50) and a Jumbo Dos Equis ($7) and was very happy with the dish. Coupled with the great chips and salsa, we left more than satisfied and our wallets were happy too. The chips and salsa are some of the best in town; the jumbo drinks are HUGE and a great value. I will definitely be going back to El Palenque. With some upgrades to the exterior, bathrooms, and more consistent service this could become a 5 star favorite. read more

I've gone to El Palenque about 20 or 30 times. The first dozen or so visits I convinced myself the food was amazing, better than anything I've ever had. However, it didn't take long to awake from my dogmatic slumbers. It hurts a little to admit it, but the honest truth is that the food is only par. Instead, I realized the real reason for my patronage was the the insanely cheap, massive margarita madness (I suggest ordering "jumbo lime"). I'm pretty sure they're made with Windex in them. Two jumbos and you're the drunkest you've ever been. Three jumbos...actually, I have to admit I never finished three or heard of anyone who lived to tell the tale. Anyone? Definitely worth visiting this once famous Denny's from Buffalo 66, but leave the judgment and car keys behind. read more

The queso was cold and the guac watery and looked like it came from a tube. The salsa was wayyyy too hot and clumpy. We decided to leave without ordering and when we told them they still made me pay $4 for a soda. Ended up going next door to El Toro... not sure why we didn't just go there in the first place. read more

After going to Mexico (not the typical Mexico most people visit - Volcano hopping across central Mexico) this place is true Mexican Food. If you think tex-mex is mexican you need to try their food to see if you really like Mexican food or not. :) I enjoyed my visit and need to go again soon!! read more

When we arrived we were left standing at the door for at least 5 minutes while the staff argued over where to seat us (I think). There was a Canadian couple at the register that could not get their card to work, so their two small children yelled and howled by the door for the majority of the time we were there. (Not the restaurant's fault, but it definitely added to the cacophony of TV's all tuned to different stations. The acoustics here are rough. Also, the light above us kept flickering, making me wonder if I was having an aneurysm) We were finally seated by a flippant waitress who, before I could even sit down, had moved onto the next table and backed into me with her dirty dishes. She came back a couple of minutes later, absently tossed salsa into the bowl without so much as a greeting, and walked away again. After nearly 5 minutes someone came by and asked what we would like to drink. We were then left to contemplate the menu for nearly TWENTY MINUTES as we watched all the servers stand around the podium, talk on their cell phones, stroke their goatees, and generally ignore the patrons. We walked out. We will not be back. Good luck. read more