La Penca Mexican Restaurant Verona — Restaurant in Verona

We had catering from La Penca for my 18 year old’s highschool grad party. The owner, Jesus delivered and set up on my modest back porch. I did not have a lot of space to work with, but he was very open and willing to work with me. He brought everything needed to serve and display the food while keeping it warm all day long. All I needed were the tables to put the food on. And when I tell you the food was a hit!! Everyone loved it and asked where it was from. So I asked him to bring a menu to display. We accommodated carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and pescatarian diets. It is truly the best authentic Mexican food I’ve ever had! I asked him why the shrimp is so good, and he explained to me how he doesn’t just buy the cheapest shrimp for his restaurant, but he gets the quality shrimp, that are larger. Haha, it’s just so good. And the meat eaters loved the steak and chicken!

We had a full fajita and taco bar with everything from steak, chicken, shrimp, beans, rice, mixed California seasoned veggies, fajita peppers, and every topping you can imagine. He provided more than enough food, and I could not have been more pleased with the experience from the initial meeting to pickup of the serving pans.

The restaurant menu has really flavorful vegetarian and pescatarian options as well. Which is not always easy to find! 10/10 my favorite Mexican restaurant, and Jesus the owner just makes it that much more...

I saw the reviews, so I gave it a shot. Let me start with the fact that I was pretty hungry to begin with, and I'm a foodie. I sat down here during slow hours (~7pm on a Monday) with no expectations. Within 60 seconds I had my water (no ice) in front of me, with the chips and the queso (I requested the queso). Within another minute someone was ready to take my order. I asked for their opinion and they said the burrito diablo. Less than 10 full minutes from walking in elapsed before my food was given to me. Now, as a person, I'm chronically online- always. I scroll through my meals 95+% of the time. While I ate this burrito, I forgot my phone and the Internet existed altogether. I had only one mission: eat this food for all it is worth. And I did. Before I could finish a handful of chips after the burrito, they kindly brought the check over and made sure I enjoyed the meal. Total cost for the burrito diablo + side of queso (queso is typically supposed to be shared): $22.30. The service was great, the food was phenomenal, and I certainly wouldn't get my food faster at any other restaurant. 10/10, I'll be going here...

La Penca is a traditional Mexican restaurant in Verona off Verona Avenue. It's just across from Farm & Fleet. I went there with some friends on a Saturday at lunchtime and was seated immediately. Someone quickly put quite abundant chips and salsa on our table and a waiter came by quickly to take our drink orders. A while later after some other friends arrived, the waiter came by to take our orders. He was friendly, and just fast enough without making us feel rushed. When we finished our meal we were not pressured to leave. I ordered the enchiladas rojas (enchiladas with red sauce). I asked for two chicken and one cheese enchilada and they accommodated me without any pushback. My cheese enchilada was great. The cheese had real flavor. The chicken was a little disappointing. I think the chicken was a little overcooked because it was a bit tough. There wasn't much seasoning on the chicken either, so it was a bit bland. The plate also included rice and beans which is always tasty. If you're looking for a good solid Mexican restaurant in the Verona area you won't go far wrong...