Los Panchos Tacos & Cantina — Restaurant in San Diego

This Los Panchos location has got to be the most lit and friendliest staff in San Diego! From the moment my partner and I entered the restaurant until the time we received our check, always good. We liked this place so much, we had gone 4x in one week. Glad we ran into this place. Literally, ran into it during our “date night” stroll on 5th Avenue in Hillcrest. On our stroll, we were actually trying to figure out which restaurants to go to since we were staying at a friend’s condo, dog sitting for the next three weeks.

All staff at Los Panchos have been nothing but welcoming, attentive, accommodating and friendly. On our first night, there were all groups of people dining in this oversized Catina. Several birthday celebrations were going on. The place was lively and festive, with tropical decor. The DJ was jammin’ (everyday, from 7p-midnight). There were a variety of seating areas to choose from including the bar and outside patio. If you wanted to sit closer to the DJ and speakers, that area was also available and it had enough room for dancing. The menu had a variety of Mexican dishes and seafood including drinks. The bartender definitely knew how to make them. She was good (tall, dark hair).

Our order was always on point. My ceviche was fresh tasting and perfectly seasoned. Platter presentation was also on point. I may not have to make the drive to Rosarito anymore to get my seafood fix. Side note, although seafood prices in Mexico are nearly half the price compared to San Diego, I’m ok because Los Panchos took care of our needs without having to deal with the border wait and 20 minute drive over.

Special shout out to Juliette, Jackie, Natalie, Camila and Chewy. You guys have been standouts on all our visits. To the entire evening crew, including the cook -thank you for tasty meals and wonderful and fun dining experience. We even got our friends to join us a couple times. They too liked the place. Oh, and our guy friends had a lot of “eye candy” to look at (just a side-side note).

I would say, Los Panchos has a nice package, offering a little of everything, for everyone. It’s not your typical taco stand, it’s even more and better. So, before you judge the name Los Panchos and what you knew of it 30 plus years ago, this location will definitely exceed your expectations.

A...

Every since I saw a picture a friend took of the food she was eating here, I wanted to try this place. I finally got the chance the other day.

The food was really good and plentiful, and the service was outstanding. All of the folks who waited on us were pleasant to deal with and responsive to our requests. Our experience started with complimentary chips and salsa and a surprise small cup of hot bean soup, which was delicious. The chips tasted a little commercial, not bad by any means, just a tinge of Tostitos flavor. The menu is extensive to say the least but well organized making the experience less intimidating. Our meals arrived, just before we filled up on chips and salsa, and they looked great and were substantial in amount.

I had the Beef Rolled Tacos with rice and beans, one friend had the Chimichanga and the other the Carnitas plate. The rolled tacos were big. I knew immediately I would not even get close to finishing them and I didn't. I enjoyably ate only two. The other three I took home and were my main meal the next day. BTW I weighed those three rolled tacos, and they weighed 13oz. WOW! There was one chimichanga left and that was gifted to me, which I humbly accepted. After eating it as a snack the next day, I could see why my friend couldn't eat all four of them. He mentioned that he could barely finish three of them. The Carnitas taco plate was much to my compadres liking and way too much for him to finish, something he mentioned more than once.

One must realize this Los Panchos is located on a VERY busy intersection yet the only time I noticed it was when an ambulance, sirens at full blast (happened twice in the 1.5 hrs there), rushed by. Parking is tough but there is a small parking lot just to the west. And if you're lucky they'll be space, otherwise it's...

Service is quick and friendly. You can either order ahead and pick up or dine in. Opted to dine in and we were served chips with a flight of various salsas. Salsas were delicious as were the chips. Placed our order and th food came out within a reasonable time and hot. Everything was seasoned well and delicious. Only downside was that the huarache I ordered was overly cooked and a little difficult to cut with the plastic utensils they give you to dine in. I requested a real knife and was given a butter knife with no grip so cutting was impossible and my fork tips kept bending every time I attempted to cut the huarache or the stringy skirt steak. This made enjoying the meal a little difficult so I was unable to finish my meal in house. Also ordered a pepino picoso margarita that was delicious! They did not skimp out on the tequila and it went down smooth. Only downside to this drink was A) My glass had a large crack down the side that was allowing my drink to leak out a bit and B) Our waitress took away my glass before I had finished the cucumber bits and my lollipop that came with the drink. Other than that, the presentation was fun and the drink was great. To recap: Food is delicious, but depending on what you order, eating a $20 meal with plastic utensils is not enjoyable. Drinks are great. Service is quick and friendly. Parking is rough, but this is unfortunately normal for the location. Overall, I plan on going back in the near future in the hopes that my next visit...