Mr Pancho's Mexican Restaurant and Grill — Restaurant in East Alton

The atmosphere was nice and very clean restaurant but the prices are outrageous and my food was made wrong! I walked in and placed a to go order while I went next door to Dollar General, I ordered a simple Grilled Chicken Quesadilla (only chicken and cheese) with some chips and salsa (which comes with every order). When I paid for my food my total was almost $11 for just the quesadilla. I had already ordered and my 3 year old was so hungry I just paid and we left. When we got home and opened our container we had a grilled chicken quesadilla with so many more additional things inside of it (sour cream, pico,lettuce) and so much queso cheese poured all over it that it was EVERYWHERE! I called back up to the restaurant and spoke with a female who informed me I was given a Grande Quesadilla instead of what I wanted and she said I could bring back the food and she would make it right which was what I wanted. When I had brought up the price situation I had figured it cost almost $11 due to all the additional things put inside the quesadilla so I asked if I could get 2 grilled chicken quesadillas instead of trying to do a refund for some of my money back. She then informed me that it would be the same price for either quesadilla. I was so shocked! How could a simple Grilled Chicken Quesadilla cost almost $11 when at the Mexican restaurant we usually go to cost me $4! I explained if that was the case I would not be coming back because that is outrageous and not worth my drive back! She had nothing else to say other than that was the price for either quesadilla even though one had WAY more things in it than the simple one that I had ordered! The food was so thrown together I couldn't even try to salvage it so that my 3 year old could eat it! It was thrown in the trash and $11 was wasted! Needless to say we will not be returning and I will drive out of my way to go back to the place we used to go even though my family likes the salsa at this restaurant! Not a satisfied...

I have heard amazing things about this restaurant and while visiting family thought I would visit to try the food since I heard so many accolades about it.

First- 5 stars for ambiance and the outdoor seating area! Love love love the outside seating and the feel of it all!

We did order-pickup. What brought the rating down to 2 stars?!?!?

2 things:

I was put off with the waitress giving me an open margarita (no lid) to take to-go. I asked "don't you have to seal this since we are taking it to go?" She said "you can do what you want with it" and winked at me. I felt very VERY uncomfortable with this, and we asked for a lid and a plastic bag to wrap the cup in, and we placed the cup in the trunk just in case we got stopped for any reason on the way home. I feel like this practice truly borders illegal, but I am not an IL resident, so I am not fully sure how this works. However, I find it strange that a restaurant that offers to-go alcohol does not have some safe container method to provide to customers. In addition, I was charged for a 32oz margarita- the margarita was 16oz at best.

The other reason for the 2-star rating....to be honest the food is not that great. I don't know if the raving about the food is due to a lack of variety in this area, so this place is the best of what is offered? I don't know. It was not the worst, but by far, not the best.

And watch out, because they add a takeout charge to your receipt (without telling you)...which kind of blew my mind since I am sure takeout is overall cheaper for the restaurant than eat in due to no dirty dishes...

Let me start by saying that I hardly ever complain because I’ve been in the business before but when the Mexican restaurant hires people that do not know how to read their own menu or understand what my wife ordered and brings her something completely different and basically said it was my fault then after she and I explain to him by getting the menu and showing him what she ordered which by the way were three deep fried tacos then he Brings out three soft tortillas with beans and cilantro and said this is what she ordered and we said no she did not we wanted three deep-fried tacos then he takes them back and brings back Three old El Paso taco shells with the beans and cilantro scraped into the middle of them and try to serve them to us then once again once I pointed out it was wrong After he proceeded to do that we ask for someone who could understand it then after we’ve already told the other guy what we wanted the other one came and ask what either chicken or beef luckily the person was behind him with the meal already made otherwise it could’ve got ugly Charge me for a drink I didn’t get and no discount didn’t know how to use the clover app Needless to say we’re gonna find another...