The Good: The staff was extremely friendly. And the prices were competitive. The Bad: The food was only so-so. Not remotely Mexican. Taqueria sure, but not Mexican. The cooks did what they could with what they had but it still just was ok at best and not worth the price. The Ugly: The place was devoid of drinks. According to one of the staff they had not gotten their soda order in. But, they also had NONE of their bar drinks or mixer drinks. You can see that the picture has all of it clean and not used in the middle of the lunch day. They also were out of various ingredients to make some of the dishes. While this is occasionally the fault of just not knowing what you need by the manager that does the ordering... it is normally a bigger problem and one that points to a place that is financially failing. I hope that I am wrong and that they were just having an off day. The other reviews seem to point toward a fairly good restaurant so hopefully someday I'll be able to adjust this review. read more

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A friend and I were in from out of town. A quick search and we found this place that was nearby. My first impression of the place was it looked like maybe 20 years about it was a good place. The menu on the wall looked like it had been there for a while and may or may not be up to date. Staff seemed like they didn't care if you were there or not. The only drinks they had available was fountain water or a handful of bottled drinks in the fridge. They have a soda fountain but said that had not gotten their delivery. None of the drink mix machines had anything in them either. I ordered the Nachos with Carnitas, Chips were on the well done size and had some white melted cheese poured over them and the meat, that was it. No other toppings, flavors were alright. read more

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Still arguably the best authentic Mexican in town. A lot of recipes are Mom's or Grandma's. My fave is Asada Quesadilla with Pico The mild avocado sauce mixed with spicy is very good read more

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This is true Mexican food, no Tex-Mex here. The Margaritas are good, too. For me this is a regular stop when in COMO. It's an order at the counter and find a table restaurant. Once your food is ready, they'll bring it to your table. There's no complimentary chips, but you can order a basket and get yourself some salsa from the Salsa Bar. The salsa bar has a variety of at least 4 different salsas and as a bonus, you can enjoy some pickled veggies. My most recent visit was a group of 7 and I was the only one who did not order the daily special. The special was, Birria Tacos with sides of Beans and Rice. I enjoyed the, Shrimp Tacos (street style), with no sides. My tacos were excellent and I was impressed with the amount of shrimp that were put in the tacos. My dining partners aka cousins liked theirs as well. A couple thought theirs was a little overly spicy, but I told them that is the joy of Mexican food. We also shared a order of Beef Nachos and they were delicious. The chips were thick and they were topped with plenty of ground beef and cheese. My next visit, I think I'll enjoy some nachos and a quesadilla. The atmosphere is kind of a dive, but that is part of the charm. I also, like the big chalkboard menus and wish I had the penmanship of the person who writes on the boards. The staff is friendly and I was impressed that one said, good-bye to us as they were getting off duty and leaving for the day. Again, let me remind you, this is authentic Mexican food. It is food that you need to experience, so get yourself here ASAP. read more

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These tacos were fantastic. They were also very expensive however. It took quite some time for us to get our tacos and margaritas, then the margaritas came out warm and very syrupy. I got the steak, carnitas, birria. They were each very good and topping them with the salsa bar items was a nice touch. The inside was very dingy and dark. I would suggest getting takeout. I would come here again for the tacos but the price, margaritas and atmosphere of the restaurant are holding this place back. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Steak, birria, chicken - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Love this spot for an authentic Mexican experience. The street tacos are good and they have a fantastic salsa bar. Only reason for 4 stars is sometimes the quality is better than others. Overall, one of my go to spots for authentic Mexican food in the Midwest! read more

Great service and amazing food! Sat on the patio so we could bring our dog with us and not leave her in the car/ read more

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OMG the food is amazing! This is exactly what taqueria tacos in Mexico taste like. You're always greeted with with a smile. Always a pleasure to go there for the great food, great service and great atmosphere. read more

We happened upon this hidden gem when Flat Branch was on a 1.5 hour wait when we were passing through headed to Kansas City. We decided that was way too long for he 5 year old to wait and would put us in significantly later. We decided on a fast-casual type and found this. SO. GLAD. WE. DID. Counter-style, walk up, order your food, sit down - they'll bring it to you. Check the chalkboard for specials. This is not a tex-mex joint - it is authentic Mexican food. They have the open salsa bar with pickled vegetables and a variety of toppings and vegetables. They have a wide variety of proteins (pro tip: get the discada! Beef, pork, bacon, sausage, and chorizo) and the tacos are served street taco style and you put the items from the salsa bar on as you'd like. Everything is delicious - the proteins are tender and juicy on lightly grilled corn tortillas. My husband wanted to go back on our way home on our way back from Kansas City! I was so tired and STARVING I failed to get any photos of my delicious tacos. We will definitely be stopping in again as we are through CoMo often now having one in college in KC. "I'll see you tomorrow!" read more

Favorite Mexican joint in Columbia. I was surprised to find some authentic good tacos here in Missouri. I'm from Southern California so almost nothing compares to good authentic Mexican food. This place comes pretty close! What makes it is the salsa. Love the green salsa flavor. The queso was really yummy too - All tacos (4.5/5): love the carnitas, carne asada, and al pastor. Very flavorful. Tacos are my favorite. - Carne asada burrito (4/5): pretty good, filling. Wish there was more inside like rice and beans but still solid read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

The prices were reasonable and the salsa bar was great. However, the Al pastor and asada were not flavorful. Both the asada and pollo were dry. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Asada and chicken street tacos with salsa and beans - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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Best Mexican in CoMo!! This place is the closest to authentic you can get here. All their food is so good. I got the chorizo burrito and (homemade) chips & queso and everything was amazing. The burrito was huge, but the chorizo was still super flavorful! Not to mention, their horchata is BOMB. read more

First time in, I ordered two chicken street tacos, with guacamole and chips, and roasted jalapeños. My husband got tilapia tacos. We both got bottled fruit drinks, and I highly recommend the watermelon one. The taste of the avocado dip was fresh and rich and bright. Paired with amazing chips that are unexpectedly crisp and good. Everything was made fresh. Did I mention the chips are out of this world? My street tacos were large enough to make each one into two, and there were two corn tortillas for each taco! Plenty of ingredients. We were also shown a bar with different selections of salsa picante', pickled onions, pickled jalapeños-- I did not sample everything but what I tried was flavorful and reasonably warm in the mouth. The three men who were working were beyond all expectations. Everyone simply doing the work, the vibe simpatico, the music traditional Mexican tunes, lots of spirit and fun! The staff made us instantly feel welcome. Muy bueno! Muy delicioso! We'll be back (mañana)! read more

Love them tacos And they're OPEN ON MONDAY's again!!! And the service is an A+! Friendly smiles and the atmosphere is Great! And they serv Beer ! read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Chicken Yummy Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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*full disclosure* I was born and raised in southern California. I was very excited to hear about Taqueria Don Poncho being in Columbia. Since 2003 I have been on a quest to find the best, SoCal style, and authentic tacos in central Missouri. TDP did not disappoint! The location is very tiny. Upon entering, the aesthetic evokes memories from SoCal and northwest Mexico. The first item that I noticed was the cart in the center of the building which housed the accompaniments (salsas, radish pickled carrots, etc.). That's when I knew I was in the right place. If visiting with a group I encourage someone in your party to immediately find a table and someone else get in line. The line can get VERY long during the lunch hour, so be prepared to wait. I ordered the tacos al pastor and steak tacos. The tacos are made in the traditional street fashion on corn tortillas with onion and cilantro. At $2 each, they are slightly more expensive than the traditional price, but worth it. Once you order they give you a number and will call out that number when the order is ready. While waiting for my food I stocked up on salsa, lime, radish and carrots. They were even fire roasting jalapenos fresh! My order was completed in about 4 minutes. I also ordered an agua fresca, jamica, which is a delicious hibiscus drink. The food was FANTASTIC! My agua fresca was delicious! For me, the unexpected winner was the pickled carrots. I highly suggest them. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

My second time here and it's just as delicious as I remembered! Love all the sides and sauces! read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - two plates of tacos on a table - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Great little spot for a meal and margaritas. Their asada quesadillas are my favorite, and there's a station to grab any limes, pickled onions/ carrots, and salsas you might want to add to the food. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Al pastor quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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Wow!!! Taqueria Don Pancho lived up to ALL the hype it got. As soon as we walked in a gal walked us through the menu and specials for the night. They had a condensed menu, but I can imagine they've perfected every dish. As we were ordering, a gentleman behind the counter said hello as if we were regulars (smart marketing!!!). I ordered the asada quesadilla, and hubby got the asada burrito. Both dishes tinged every taste bud we had!! They also had an assortment of additional toppings and sauces. The jalapeño and spicy arbol sauces were my fav. Grade A service, food, and experience. It's hard to truly given an authentic Mexican cuisine experience like this one. Loved it. Will be bringing more people along next time!! read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Asada quesadilla, Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Still AMAZING!!! Authentic and delicious, and some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. "See you tomorrow"!

Love love love this place! Great authentic tacos. There are a lot of Mexican places in Columbia, but this is my favorite. Ask for the extra spicy chili sauce if you're daring! read more

I went here with some work colleagues for lunch one day. Everyone enjoyed their food. I had chicken nachos, there were some burritos at the table, as well as the meat plates. We all really enjoyed the salsa bar that had all sorts of salsa, pickled veg, and sauces to add to your dish. It is an order at the register situation but the food was brought to our table, and very quickly I might add. The outdoor seating was perfect for a nice spring day! I definitely want to go back for dinner! Drinks are cans or bottles and not fountain. read more

It was disappointing. They were out of tamales and churos, and couldn't serve alcohol, so I assume they got a liquor license violation. Diet Coke was actually root beer on their fountain. They just seemed out of sorts and struggling. They were very nice, but there is a better Mexican in town. read more

Was hoping the reviews were right the standard street taco was good I would eat that again, but the birria taco was not done right at all no dipping sauce and red enchilada style sauce on it. The salsa bar was ok but been to others with more variety . Our friends left the whole pitcher of margarita. They said pure sugar mix no flavor at all. we won't be back I hope they get the small things ironed out. They do have good street tacos with good meat. read more

Quick and delicious. Perfect after a day of moving in to campus. Authentic street tacos. The guacamole and chips are tasty. I'll be back read more

Speechless. Food was so good I forgot to take a picture! Came here with my boyfriend and it was a 10/10 for service, 10/10 for ambiance, 12/10 for deliciousness. Condiment bar was amazing. Try all their salsas! Best Mexican food in Columbia hands down. Definitely bringing everyone I know here! Thank you Taqueria Don Pancho for my new regular spot! read more

Have you ever had a craving for some really good food then forgot where the food came from? Only to realize the restaurant was far away? Shame on this restaurant for only having 1 restaurant! The food was absolutely amazing! So much that during this Covid-19 outbreak, I started craving condiments from the salsa bar. The creamy texture of the quesadilla I had. Oh my my my. Tasty is the perfect word. I hope they bring a restaurant to the St. Louis area. The Grove would be perfect for this place. For now... I'll have to dream. When you visit this restaurant you definitely should peruse on over to the Salsa Bar... I thought that everything on the Salsa Bar would be too spicy. In fact...the carrot/onion combo is NOT. It's just soft sweet marinated CARROTS. WOW!! I've been staying far away from salsa bars because of the smell of the spicy peppers. I've been missing out. Ohhh...but with Covid-19...I hope that the future won't take away the salsa bar!!! read more

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Best tacos in Columbia in my opinion!!! Service is always great and I can rely on being able to pick up my food fast during my lunch break!

So good and such nice people. We're from out of town and tried a couple Mexican spots and this one is by far our favorite. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Tacos te asada y al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Let me start with the food here is excellent. Best tacos I've had in Columbia for $1.85 each. However, it's clear they just opened and don't have it together yet. One cashier was cash only, the other took card. We gave our order, and then realized it was cash only. They don't have their liquor license yet, even though they have margs and beer on the menu. We ordered 8 tacos, paid for 8 tacos, and got 6. I was not able to stand back in line for 10 min to get this sorted out. Sauce cups are tiny. The ladles are large, so it's very difficult to get them into the cups. The man behind the counter cooking meat was yelling at the younger man making tortillas in Spanish. If you have an open kitchen, please be nice to your workers. I'll give this another try in a few months, but they have miles to go in terms of service and operation. read more

EDIT: This has moved locations and now offers inside seating as well as carry out. They are waiting on their liquor license but plan to offer that in the future as well. Taqueria Don Pancho is so good that simply paying for the food doesn't seem like enough compensation for the flavor and quality it brings you. I have now gone four times in the last two weeks because I am absolutely sold on it, from the friendly and quick service you receive as soon as you walk in the door to the variety of salsas you won't find anywhere else, let alone with the food. The in house, fresh made pico de gallo alone is worth the trip and I would buy jars of it as Christmas presents if I could. Each time I have gone, I have ordered three tacos and split nachos with a friend. I have tried the asada, al pastor, barbacoa, carnitas, chorizo, pollo, and descada (beef, pork, bacon, sausage, ham, and chorizo), with the stand outs being carnitas and chorizo (but the descada is exceptionally great on nachos). I plan to come soon to try the burrito and eventually on a Thursday to try the Tamales on special. For the combination of price, quality, taste, and service, there is not a single better restaurant in Columbia. I very, very much recommend Don Pancho. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Three tacos and descada nachos - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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I can't believe this place is my weekly go to for tacos and I haven't left a review! My go-to order: Taco Asada Taco Barbacoa Taco Pastor Chips & Queso This place is ALWAYS busy during lunch on weekdays. They have shaded outdoor seating which I enjoy. I also appreciate the drive thru but after you order you park in front and they bring you the food (no complaints here!) The meat on each of the tacos is so flavorful! I'm Mexican and I know authentic Mexican food. This is where I go to get those tacos that remind me of Northern Mexico. Each taco comes with onion and cilantro. I ask for the guacamole salsa and red salsa. I'm one of those people that loves to add pickled red onion to everything so I layer on more onions on top of that. One of the great things about this place is that they DONT skimp on the meat in the taco. It's always so full! My mouth is watering thinking about their food! Their queso reminds me of Chipotle but this tastes much better! read more

Very authentic which is exactly what I wanted! So glad we stopped! They don't hide their food under a bunch of cheese and grease! So much flavor! read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Tacos I said give three of your choice and all 3 are great! No cheese or sauce needed for me! - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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This was our first time here. We had a variety of street tacos and they were all amazing! People were great too. A must stop in Columbia.

Amazing!!! You must go. Great serving sizes. Great value and the food is so good. The chips and tortillas are freshly made. They also have a size selection of sauces that you can mix and match. Very casual atmosphere. We are on the patio which was lovely. Dog friendly on the patio as well. read more

Stopped by for a quick drive through burrito. I got the carnitas with everything and salsa verde on the side. It was fantastic. The burrito was grilled perfectly. Carnitas was tender and tasty. The salsa inside was fresh and tasted just like homemade. I loved the spicy verde for dipping. Thank you everyone for a great quality quick lunch read more

Most Authentic Mexican I've found in CoMo. They have some beers and Fresca drinks along with a good horchata. I've tried most of the meats on the tacos and like them all. Pricing is average for what you get. It has some patio seating and about 8-10 tables inside. Staff is friendly and quick read more

Pretty good food overall, with friendly service. First thing you need to know. It's inside of a liquor store. There are no signs showing it's their business. Secondly, They don't take cards. It's cash only and they have an ATM in the store you can pull money from. Other than that, it's really cool they have a little toppings bar that you can grab what you want from. They have pickled onions and pickled peppers, which I found kind of strange because usually these veggies are grilled with tacos. But I brought the peppers home and threw them in a hot skillet for a minute. I ordered nachos and asked for my cheese on the side. The nachos are literally just chips and meat. So if you order these, make sure you add whatever toppings you want (like onion, cilantro) before you leave the place. My BF got the tacos and they were pretty good, definitely the best in town, BUT, not the best I ever had. The guy cooking is super friendly and pretty funny. He was like "have a nice day, see you tomorrow". Which got a chuckle out of me. Overall 8/10, would recommend because it's the only authentic Mexican food you will find in Columbia. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Prices changed so I took a picture of their new menu. - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

Best tacos in town, I don't want to go anywhere else now. I drive clear across town for these!

I got some food Togo which was no problem but both me and my friends burritos were really salty and mine did not have much filling. Did not come with any sides or anything which I think it should have for the price read more

Chicken burrito was stuffed full of chicken and had lots of flavor. The shrimp in the tacos were bouncy and perfectly grilled but the tacos as a whole needed some more seasoning. Also I wish it came with some cilantro and onions. Service was 5 star though, the staff greeted us as soon as we walked in, very friendly and food came fast. read more

Taqueria Don Pancho - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, Missouri

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