Palenque Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Liberty Lake

My mother and I went for Mother's Day and boy do I feel bad for making the choice to eat there. It was the first time for both of us and they have been there for years so I assumed it must be good. It was about 3pm when we got there. It was a very bar atmosphere the entire time. Loud, maybe a little tipsy talkers. A toddler crying too. Busy. I was suprised how little of selection the menu had. Took me forever to decide on something to order. I asked for mild salsa but it wasent mild. Asked for pico de gallo instead but it tasted terrible. The tomatos were green and orange. Not ripe. Yuck. Asked for a bean dip. It was a little spicy but better of the other 2 choices. I ordered a blackberry margerita. The picture on the menu looked so good. A deep plum color. My margarita was white with a few streaks of plum color. WASENT ABLE TO PUT THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FLAVOR IN IT. Had to send it back. ???? WTH? My mom ordered a tostada. When she got her plate, it looked like a plate of basic bagged salad mix. She couldnt find the tortilla. She asked the waiter and with his help she was able to find it. WHAT??? We ordered some carne asada fries, California Fries they call them and I had no words for what they gave me. If you search google for carne asada fries images, you would never find anything that looked like what they served me. Fries, cilantro, steak and a light layer of grated parmesan cheese. Like you would put on your spagetti. WHAT??? I ordered nachos and the meat had a different taste to it. Looking at the texture, I would say it wasent just ground beef but I dont know for sure to say for sure. My mom didnt finish even half of her "tostada" and didnt want to take it home. Took the fries home with plans of making them the "carne asada fries" they were supposed to be. HOPE! We had originally ordered an order of nachos to take home to my dad but after the meal so far we canceled those plans. Im posting some pictures but I dont think the pics get attached to the exact review that they were posted with but I hope so so that people are able to see. And after all that, $70 bill. Make me sick to my stomach. Everything about the experience was not good....

Service was nice, as they tried to accommodate for the food, which was sub par at best. Ordered the combo chili relleno and shredded beef chimichanga with refried beans, and hubby had combo taco and chili relleno. His shell looked and tasted like box shells and came cracked. Manager without asking was kind enough and brought a fresh taco, but we didn't want to complain cause shell was not the only issue. Mngr said, "every time the shell breaks. Always." Well when they're not fresh made, they will. The chips and salsa had a lot to be desired too, was runny and just 2 pieces if onion in it, very mild, so we ordered pico de gallo, but the bill had a $2.50 charge on it for it, which they did not inform us of. It was mostly white onion and tomato, no cilantro to speak of, or any serrano or jalapeños at all. Chips were served cold and hard, and tasted stale. Mngr warmed them which helped, but I've had better bagged chips sadly. The beans were watered down and just tasted weird. I've had better canned, again sad to say. Chili relleno was just ok, and not very good if I'm being honest. Chimichanga was okay. Just beef inside. Price point 16$ for 2 items and beans and rice. Pics will look ok, but taste is surely lacking. We had high hopes for this new restaurant to the Liberty Lake area, but I'd suggest keep looking or cook at home if you want Mexican food. We won't be...

If you order take out.. the chances your food is not as good as you’d get it in-house is VERY high.. cmon now let’s use common sense… hot food inside a container will get soggy & wet, so understand that & stop complaining just because you spent money somewhere YOU CHOSE to spend money on.

If you don’t like spicy, cheesy, or meaty/non-vegetarian or vegan foods… then definitely consider not going to a Mexican restaurant. It’s not their fault they can’t accommodate to your personal diet, that’s your preference not theirs.

Also, treat the restaurant as you would your friend’s house…because we ARE your friends ☺️ would you go in your friends house & be rude, short tempered, or demanding when they openly welcome & invite you to meals & drinks they’re hosting for you? On busy days & nights at our house it’s difficult to be perfect for you so please give us some patience & leniency, we love you if you give love to us too❤️❤️

Palenque is a very loving, welcoming, & inviting family of workers who are here for you 7 days a week. But if you choose not to be respectful, considerate, or loving in return, don’t be upset with us, because providing everything you want is what we WANT to do for you. So let’s be practical & fun together & for each other 😇😇 Thank you! I love you...