I've heard so much about El Palenque so I was finally excited to find it sitting on a corner in Mexican town. We ordered about 10 different tacos to try. These were all standard Mexican tacos with various forms of protein,. onions, and cilantro. Their pollo was exceptional, asada good, but had some gristle, and cabeza was succulent and tender. The big turn-off for me is the 3" corn tortillas. These are really to small to handle. It's become pretty much standard for me I'll return to the trucks that serve the 4" and not return to the trucks that serve 3". The salsa that was available was tasty and definitely had a nice bite to it. They already have a large clientele so the food is fresh and the service is very friendly. So yes, El Palenque is a good truck, but it's not what I'm looking for. read more

I'm not sure how I missed this place on my inaugural taco truck crawl. As I was driving from El Paisa to Los Dos Amigos, I traversed along this very intersection. I must have been busy gawking at all the random stuff that was being sold on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. :) On a return trip, though, I made sure to stop by. I'd been getting tacos al pastor at all of the taco trucks so that I could compare them more easily. However, El Palenque did not have al pastor, so I went for the next closest thing - two lomo tacos (and two asada tacos as well). The guys in my group looked at me like I was crazy for getting four tacos. "Dude, FOUR tacos? I got three." "DUDE, I'm starving." I also tried to buy a bottle of water. I rooted around in the cooler but could only find one bottle, and it was the grimiest bottle of water I'd ever seen in my life. It looked like a mechanic had wiped motor oil-covered hands all over it, and the label had a weathered look to it. So I opted for a can of pop and then used the last napkin from the napkin dispenser to wipe the dirt off the top. The tacos came with grilled onions, chopped raw onions, cilantro, red salsa, and radishes and a lime wedge on the side. This made two taco trucks that automatically put on the salsa for you (the other being Los Dos Amigos), as opposed to the other trucks that let you do it yourself. (I don't mind either way; just pointing it out.) The flavors were quite good, especially the lomo, which had a bit of a kick to it. Unfortunately, the lomo was also swimming in bright red-orange oil. Soon my hands were covered in red-orange oil too; it kinda reminded me of blood. It didn't help that there weren't any napkins left. My four tacos ended up being pretty small. Given my state of extreme hunger, I probably could have eaten eight of them in one sitting. Instead, I ordered a quesadilla, figuring the cheese would be a more cost-effective way to fill me up (I was running out of cash). It was pretty good (but then how hard is it to make a bad quesadilla?) and came with a bit of sliced avocado, shredded iceberg lettuce, and sliced tomato on the side. El Palenque wasn't bad - but I don't think I'd go back. I've got other taco trucks to go to! read more

Freshly prepared, kingly flavors, $1, great service, MIGHT have wings. Another beautiful taco truck (no relation to El Palenque restaurant on Vernor near Junction). This one where Vernor meets Waterman St. and splits into Dix. There's a giant sign overhead advertising for the carwash where, at the base of its driveway, Lonchería El Palenque sits and cranks out some mighty tacos. I had the pollo tacos today and they were superb. As soon as I ordered, I could see the fresh raw chicken pulled from the cooler and tossed onto the grill. I'm not saying this doesn't happen at ALL taco trucks, but, because this little micro-truck is so low to the ground, you have a clear view of the process whereas other trucks are raised and out of view. There's also some great orange-covered rotating diner stools they've propped up beside the window. Awesome. The chicken came out slightly tender (so not ALL trucks are serving up the dry-style pollo) and beaming with flavor. It's also served with grilled onions, and grilled jalapeños, cut radishes and lime slices. Salsas are at hand but you almost don't even need them here. And the kicker... the tacos are only a buck! a dollar even! I noticed they also serve burritos, tortas, some kind of potatoes, and a full meat dinner plate (didn't inquire about what that entails). The staff was super friendly and chatty. Encouraging me to return, they mentioned that they're open on weekends, and until 3am on Saturdays! After you're done slamming margaritas at your favorite SW eatery, now you know where to come for a night cap (of tacos)! Lastly, as I was leaving, I spied some small chicken wing bones in the trash... I'll have to ask next time, but since this truck is rather isolated from any other food-serving building in the area, there's a great chance this means they serve chicken wings... how awesome would that be... *CASH only * read more

I've seen this truck on several occasions in a lot across from the Mobil gas station on Springwells & 75. This one day, I finally decided to stop. I had the chicken torta... on a bun... which was delicious. Just a few things, though -- A small font translation of the items on the truck would be nice. The truck is nicely decorated. It looks awesome. The chicken was moist and seasoned to perfection. I had lettuce, tomato, cheese and avacado on mine -- LOVED IT. I'd totally stop again. One day when I'm feeling generous to myself, in regards to weight watchers points. I still have to watch for that. Speaking of which, I would have preferred my torta with a tortilla, which would have been a bit more ww friendly for me. But oh well, I just had to account for the bread and apply a 14 points plus value. Good job Loncheria El Palenque. read more

Thank you my fellow taco-loving yelpers, for the introduction to this gem of a taco truck. I have now realized that the key to a great taco truck adventure is one thing... going on the weekend. The trucks were out in abundance today, but we only had two on our agenda. After our trip to Los Dos Amigos, we headed back onto the main thoroughfare and spotted El Palenque (in the parking lot of the car wash where Vernor, Dix and Waterman meet) in no time, and we were clearly not the only ones. This was by far the friendliest service I've had at any of the trucks to date. The girl seemed genuinely happy to help me. I love that. They didn't have pastor or chorizo, so I ordered one each of the pollo (which I never order) and lomo (shredded pork) tacos and a horchata, since they had it. We only had to wait a few minutes for our food, even though there were quite a few other people there. The tortillas (yellow corn) were terrific. The grilled onions and roasted jalapeno were a nice touch and totally tasty. The lomo was totally out of this world and one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten in my life. The combination of the strong corn flavor of the tortillas, the tender and juicy shredded pork, hot sauce, grilled onion, raw onion, and cilantro was like a mexican fiesta in my mouth! I could easily have eaten several more of those tacos, but instead I just vowed to go back and soon. The pollo was also nice, for pollo, which I'm never a huge fan of in my tacos. The chicken was diced very tiny, which I enjoyed, and it wasn't dry in the slightest, which is the problem I typically run into. The seasoning on it was subtle and again, the combination with all the other great elements made for a great taco. There really isn't anywhere to sit, so we went back to the car and sat in the A/C while we ate, which I think I would have done even if there was a place to sit, not only because it was really toasty out, but there was no shade near the truck. The horchata was not so great, a little too cinnamon-y for my taste, but I've only had it one other place, so I don't even know what they're supposed to taste like. That may have been the best horchata around and I'd have no idea. Bottom line is that this is one of the best trucks in my opinion, so the next time you find yourself craving a taco truck adventure, you should definitely put El Palenque (the taco truck, not the restaurant) on your itinerary. read more