Panchito's Mexican Grill — Restaurant in South Carolina

The service was horrible, the food was incredible, and we gave them the benefit of the doubt that it was just a fluke night as the place was packed. It was mariachi night and a female singer in full regalia entertained the crowd and had people who thought they could sing join her for a few songs. You know the food is good when all the local Mexican folks show up for dinner.

Our server brought us 3 dips for our nacho chips, red, green, and queso. There is also another darker red sauce that is hot like the green salsa. They were all wonderful.

The owner waited on us the rest of the night and explained he was training people and they were struggling to keep up. Nevertheless, our order was correct and hot when it arrived. The enchiladas and veggie chimichanga were mouth watering. The refried beans were not the usual (albeit tasty) slop, they were thicker and still had chunks of beans in them. The rice was adequate and was great mixed with a little salsa. The carnitas and burritos were also good. The portions are very generous.

You might miss the place since it is tucked away behind Carver's and KFC directly across the street from Carowinds. It must have been the hotel restaurant at one point, because it is attached to it. We will definitely be back as we drive from the Raleigh/Cary area a few...

Note that I rate 'conservatively' (not in the political sense), so I reserve the 5th star for 'I was blown away!'. A 4 star review is 'really good - recommended'.

We've been looking for a really good Mexican restaurant since we moved to the Fort Mill area a year ago. The first three were popular and got good reviews, but we found them so-so. Panchito's was better. We will return and try more on the menu.

What makes it better? Taste. I had a chicken burrito, and it was really good. The chicken seemed especially fresh, and lots of it. The only odd thing was that the beans were 'runny' or soupy. They tasted fine, so it wasn't an issue, just unusual.

You start with chips, of course. These were fresh and tasty, with the bonus of three sauces - mild, medium, and hot. All tasted good. 'Hot' was maybe 🔥🔥 or 🔥🔥🔥, but not scorching.

Panchito's might be hard to find. It's tucked around back behind the Clarion hotel, accessed by a somewhat awkward intersection on Hwy 21, very close to the I-77 on ramp. There are a couple of little signs along the access road (Foothills Way) to guide you, but you can't see the restaurant until you're in the parking lot, shared with the hotel. A landmark is the Jimmy John's across the street. It's worth the effort.

We will be back, and maybe adding...

I placed an order today for my lunch break and when I got there my food was not ready and nobody was on the floor to service customers, I called out for help about 3 times no answer, so I left and called back to complain because I am not able to take my medication without food. When I called back a very rude waitress answered and said that the manager is not here and to call back as if since the manager was not there it gives them a reason to not service properly which makes NO sense! I am thinking about a civil lawsuit at this point because the waitress hung up on me 3 times and even threatened to call the cops all because I was irate and adamant about speaking to a manager! I will never be back and please be careful of these types of restaurants because the workers seem to never treat black people good and I saw that first hand TODAY! The “Manager” is always always professional and nice but the ones he has working for him are not and will bring the business all the way DOWN if you don’t go through more evaluations and continuing learning courses! It’s all about showing empathy, professionalism and great customer service without that you...