Pancho's — Restaurant in Observatory

If I could give 0 stars I would. Was there yesterday with my sister and she ordered the enchilada and I got spicy chicken wings to start with. The chicken wings looked terrible but I had an open mind, tough greyish chicken and the most bland flavour I've ever encountered for something labelled spicy. My sister's enchilada smelled GROTESQUE. Had an awful aftertaste or something. I can't even explain. I called over the manager or whoever that man was to take that stuff back, very politely might I add. He tells me that's just how Mexican food tastes and all his other patrons have never complained and I told him I know what good food tastes like and this wasn't it. Then he angrily says something weird to me about seeing me speak to some guy down the street and having heard about me being bad news or something before he STOMPS off in a huff, which is INSANE BEHAVIOUR towards someone who just nicely told you the food was bad. He then tells me he's cleared the whole cheque of food I had ordered that was meant to come after the chicken wings which I suppose was his way of kicking us out. No biggie. This place will NEVER SEE A DIME from me again. Lol...

Wife: As an American who loves Mexican food, I give Panchos 3 stars. The servers are friendly and you get large portions for what you pay. The food is pretty good, however, it is not authentic Mexican. The tortillas are more like pancakes, and spinach, butternut & feta are not traditional Mexican ingredients. If you're going for cheap and large quantity this is your place. If you want authentic Mexican, I'd recommend the Fat Cactus. The decor is on point though.

husband: 5 stars!! since i'm from europe, and have no grid for what 'actual mexican food' (read: american mexican food) tastes like, i think poncho's is great. However, i only come here to order the large portion of nacho's. What i like is the portion size, the fact that they make it spicy when they promise to do so (many places fail in this area), and their chips are great. compare this place to El burro and the fat cactus: el burro is way overpriced and not mexican either, and their portions are tiny, and fat cactus is alright. their nacho's can't compete with...

The place is situated in busy main road in Observatory. When we are arrived the floor manager welcomed us and asked if we had a reservation. You can make a reservation ahead of time or simply walk in. You can choose to either sit inside or outside by the smoking area.

You will find a variety of Mexican options on the menu. All mains are around the same price range. If you choose the R125/R130 option you can choose two fillings. I chose the chilli con carne option and to my disappointment it wasn't chilli at all. Not even a hint of spice. The other half of my flauta was filled with chicken. Even it wasn't spicy the flauta was good. I liked the crispy fried tortilla and it was really filling. The guacamole and the sour cream tasted like lotion. I couldn't eat them.

I didn't order a drink because the drink menu was a bit disappointing for someone who doesn't consume alcohol, coffee or soft drinks. The atmosphere was calm. We had to wait quite a long time to order our food but we got the food quickly.

Overall it was a...