El Pastorcito Mogadore — Restaurant in Mogadore

Definitely an "A" for effort, creativity and friendliness. After continually searching for the next best Mexican restaurant, we found this highly-rated, somewhat remote gem.

There was slight trepidation when pulling in at 7 pm on a Saturday and the lot was sparse. Very unassuming building but upon entering we were welcomed with bright colors, a friendly and communicative waitress plus, an ad hoc maitre'd (a friendly customer) welcoming us in to join the quiet room.

What caught our eye was a slightly different menu offering over all of the "typical" Mexican restaurants. They also had some great specials of which we took full advantage of. Starting with the ubiquitous salsa and chips, we soon realized this indeed would be a different Mexican dining experience. Chips were homemade and very light. The salsa was not your typical red, but more of a brownish red indicating roasted tomato salsa. Both chips and salsa-best we've had and we've had quite a few.

They have some special cocktails, again hand-crafted with infusion being the key feature. We did not try but will on our next trip.

The orders were Chile Verde, Flautas and Fajitas in order of preference. All three of us shared all three dinners. The Chile Verde was a literal flavor explosion. It was a simple mix of pork carnitas and a very bright (both visually and taste-wise) green sauce. The meal came with a genuine homespun cilantro lime rice and black refried beans. All three items on the plate-best/most flavor of any Mexican dish we've enjoyed to date. Absolutely delicious!

The Flautas key feature was their size-huge. They are not taquito sized rather "flute" size as the owner explained what true flautas should look like. (Flauta being the Mexican word for flute.) Well prepared and accompanied with the typical refried beans and Mexican rice. Also on deck was a traditional plate of fajitas that while tasty could have used a bump in flavor after getting spoiled with the flavor bomb a.k.a. Chile Verde.

They also had two extra sauces. One was a green, very brightly and balanced lime sauce. The other sauce seemed to be in the chipotle family-absolute flame-throwing but great taste hot sauce.

The extremely friendly, cordial and appreciative owner stopped at our table for a long chat. Only been in business for a year but it is quite evident he has the foresight to produce next-level Mexican fare. He creates dishes out of customer requests, utilizes family recipes and seems to be in constant development mode as he posts varying and different specials on an ongoing basis. We thoroughly enjoyed his concept and execution. He also is humble and is more than willing to tweak something on the menu to suit your taste. Very much like having your own personal chef but at restaurant prices.

We had a refreshing visit at El Pastoricito and look forward to returning. If your Mexican dining is bereft of intrigue or unique menu options, give this place a try. If something isn't to your liking, they certainly can and will make it enjoyable. Maybe just give a call ahead and ask what their specials are. That's...

This was the best Mexican food I’ve had since I was in San Jose CA for a work trip years ago. It was our first time visiting and it’s a small restaurant but has plenty of seating—the decor is bright and vibrant and the music was perfect for ambiance.

The owner greeted us at our table and talked through all the specials, and he was extremely friendly and even told us how they make their salsas. The chips and salsa are house made—the chips are light and crispy, and the salsa is out of this world amazing. They slow roast the tomatoes and the flavor is so deep and smoky and incredible. I’ve never had anything like it.

We got guacamole with our chips and it was freshly made with discernible onion and cilantro. Delicious!

I had shrimp fajitas (off menu) and had let the owner know I don’t eat dairy when we were talking about the specials, so he made sure to note not to put any sour cream or cheese in my meal without me needing to even say so. He also offered me black beans instead of the traditional beans which were a great choice.

The fajitas were charred, well seasoned, and paired amazing with the green house made salsa they brought to the table.

My partner had enchiladas verdes and requested they be extra spicy. Usually when he orders spicy, restaurants still only amp it up a little bit. These were WELL SPICED! Not just heat, but depth of flavor from the peppers in the sauce. I tried a bit of the sauce and it was so flavorful.

Authentic Mexican food. Like AUTHENTIC. I can’t wait to go back and try more...

Margaritas were ok, could be a little stronger, especially the Gold. My husband got a special which ended up being $25. Our waitress suggested that we really looked at the "specials"board. It was good, not great, but why such a high price? I got the super burrito, which was filled with potatoes chunks. That wasn't mentioned at all in the ingredients. They have an"outdoor" accessed restroom. Really strange to charge that kind of price for an establishment that is set up like a gas station that it used to be. Wouldn't go back. If you want repeat customers to actually survive, I recommend to take a look at pricing, especially upfront pricing. A special shouldn't be some kind of overpriced tourist trap restaurant bait and switch feature. That indicated to me that the other only cares about money and not building a repeat customer base. It was a real turn off and just odd all around. Response to owner, Special is a featured item, never expected a cheaper price although it was easy now than extra were priced and nothing really...