Texicano Internacional — Restaurant in Santa Pola

I have had Mexican and Tex-Mex in over twenty countries, I have ordered Nachos and Enchiladas dozens of times and these were without a doubt the worst approximations of these dishes I have ever seen, which may well make them among the worst in the world.

I will start with the Enchiladas, well on the menu that is what they are called however, rather than being served the classic, rich corn tortillas wrapped around a deep and aromatic filling and dressed in a robust red sauce, The plate delivered to our table contained three anemic tacos smothered in melted mozzarella cheese and sour cream, to call this travesty inedible is being generous.

When I discussed Nachos with a family friend in my teens, a man who happened to be the owner of some of the best authentic Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in the United States (A man I will always credit with my love of Mexican food and what drove me to train to be a chef).

He explained: “Nachos are among the most versatile and flexible dishes, from the very first cheddar and jalapeño on a single chip that was the inception of the dish, to the modern meat and cheese laden varieties there are only two cardinal rules 1. The cheese needs to be predominantly cheddar as the fats and flavor and richness goes well with the spicier toppings and 2. The chips must never be soggy, so we always cook them flat and layered.”

The menu listing had all the hallmarks of proper Nacho craftsmanship, it mentioned cheddar cheese and fresh chips and I had them add chicken and I eagerly awaited one of my favorite dishes…what was set before me was a bowl, topped with so much mozzarella like white cheese that I mistook it for the cap on a French onion soup.

The chips buried under that undulating mound of hot pale cheese had been stewed by the steam trapped by said cheese cap, making them pasty and flaccid, the flavor of the chicken (if there had been any to begin with) had been steamed out into the milky runoff at the bottom of the bowl.

I tried, I genuinely tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but after a few bites I could no longer stomach it, my wife and I paid the bill and left.

The only admirable part of this experience, was the bartender / waiter who was attentive and friendly, when our appetizers came out and one was stone cold in the center he had it re-fired quickly and he made good conversation overall a great job.

I’m the end, I paid fifty Euros for the privilege of food so amazingly terrible that I left the restaurant, dropped fifteen euro on ingredients and made the dishes properly...

I ordered a "Vegan" Enchilada, and I made sure to check that it had no animal products before ordering "no cheese, no eggs" etc. The waiter said that was correct. But then as I was eating it, I noticed there was this cheesy texture, so I asked the waiter what it was and he said it was cheese. Needless to say I got very angry. These people don't know what vegan food is. They just use the term as a marketing buzzword to sell more food to those who don't eat animal products. If I was allergic to milk I could have had some...

We had such a good time at this restaurant, and the food was so inclusive for my allergies (gluten free and egg free) and so delicious that we came a second time on our last night! Very friendly and non-judgemental staff, food so so delicious and massive cocktails (only 6.5€ per cocktail) I wish we stayed longer so we could eat here again. Fully recommend it❤️ For meat eaters my friends recommend the ribs. I recommend the nachos...