El Palenque Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Ohio

My partner and I decided to check this place out after reading rave reviews on several different sites. Being new to the area, I have no good frame of reference for what good restaurants are available to me yet, but I can usually rely on ratings to steer me in the right direction. I can genuinely say I've never been so disappointed in a "Mexican" restaurant as I was at El Palenque. Ironically the best thing we had there were the complimentary chips and salsa. My partner's tacos were flavorless at best. My combo platter was underwhelming and tasted like it was freshly pulled from the freezer and popped in the microwave. The beef in the burrito had the texture of ground dog food and was similar in flavor. To top it all off, we spent the next 24 hours fighting each other for access to the restroom, with him being sent home halfway through his work shift because he looked and felt like death. One star is not low enough. It takes a lot for me to feel the need to review a place, but this one is well deserving. The staff made us feel like we were a burden simply for being there (on a Saturday afternoon), and our server didn't have even the most basic knowledge of the menu (who works somewhere but doesn't even know what protein options are available in each item??)

Super lame. We'll stick to El Parian from now on, at least their food doesn't taste...

Had a great time visiting El Palenque for the first time this past week.

The atmosphere is the most underwhelming part of the visit. It does lack some character within but in my opinion the interior could be brought to life quite quickly.

Service was perfect. Our server was knowledgeable and was not overbearing as most are nowadays in the service industry. She filled drinks as needed and provided adequate information and suggestions.

The complimentary salsa was lacking any flavor identity or thickness. Again, complimentary. I won’t complain about free but it could be improved.

Entree was incredible for my partner & I. We both get identical meals at El Parian & Tlaquepaque and it was truly next level. The seasonings were night & day. The cheese sauce was even better.

They provide the El Yucateco hot sauce along with their homemade hot sauce.

In conclusion, I highly recommend journeying 5-7 more minutes down the road to enjoy a more well-rounded Mexican dining experience at...

1st time visit. This is a new restaurant ran by husband and wife owners. They both are actively involved; serving and hosting. The food was delicious! Their homemade pico and salsa are very flavorful- not hot but a slight kick on the salsa!! My fiance' had the Talapia fish tacos and I had the steak tacos- both were very filling and portions were good. They have flour or corn shells. Menu has a lot of options and most meals come with rice and beans. We will...