Los Panchos — Restaurant in Virginia

This has been our favorite Mexican restaurant in the area for years because of the excellent service and food . My wife & I went tonight and both of our dishes were completely different (and unfortunately not for the better). I had enchiladas chipotle - the sauce was almost like a mole but with very little flavor (not like any chipotle I’ve ever had). Perhaps the “sour cream salad with mango sauce” over powered the chipotle sauce. There was significantly less chicken than in the past. The tortilla was corn. In the past they were flour and I do not like soggy corn tortillas on enchiladas (I checked the menu and it only says “tortilla” so I assume this allows them to decide). If the tortilla were the only issue, I would have ignored and made a mental note to ask for flour next time - but the entire dish was terrible.

My wife had Queza Birria tacos. It’s listed as “new”; however, they had a similar dish in the past which was much better. The consume was different from past (garbanzo beans in the sauce) and the rice now has veggies in it which seems more akin to Asian than Mexican. We ordered a side of refried beans and it appears they changed that recipe as well.

We have never gone to Mexican and not taken a to-go box with leftovers. There was nothing either of us wanted to bring home. This was such a drastic change from the many great times we have been there over the years we asked if they changed owners … which we discovered is the case. It appears they have changed most everything on the menu (while most of the menu looks the same, everything we had was prepared differently.

I do want to highlight the staff was great as always. Their salsa and extra hot salsa were excellent. I also want to point out that they refunded one of the entrées which we did not ask or expect. I would rather pay and enjoy good food. It’s worth noting many of these changes may be viewed as positive by some people – but for us, the changes were for the worse so it will likely be our...

So the short version is that the food here is very very good, but my experience with the initial customer service and my placement in this restaurant honestly ruined my enjoyment.

So this place is packed. I walk in by myself, one good table for one. The initial lady asked her manager for a table, the manager came to me and said there are no tables and I have to Go to the bar and eat, or wait 5 minutes. I told him the wait was fine.

The table they gave me was the absolute worst table I can possibly imagine. They gave a table in the MIDDLE of a walkway, not even 2 ft away from the booth and facing it. To best describe it was that my little two-person table was in the position that the server for that booth would be standing to take the booths order. Everyone in that section was staring at me, especially the booth that I was facing. I had to look at my phone the whole time, otherwise I was staring at the family's faces and in the conversation. Runners were having food over my head, and the homemade guacamole lady was making guac right next to me making me even more closed off. My waitress had to put utensils and my soda over my head just to be able to set it on my table.

It was just a miserable experience, and my waitress (who was quick and fantastic btw) could tell that I was in a bad position. I don't blame her for what her manager did, but I wish that this restaurant would not just stack tables on tables, and put people in very awkward and dangerous situations.

So I truly have no desire to come back here again. Even though the food is great, they just pile people in there, and if you're dining for one, maybe two, they will just put you in the middle of the walkway with no care in the world. I refuse to give my money to places that do...

I'm not a real fan of Americanized Mexican. I've spent a great deal of time in MX and they just don't make burritos the size of your head smothered in cheese. However, if I want to dine hang with friends, sometimes I just have to do "Mexican".

I called early in the day to make a reservation, on the patio, for 10-15 people. No problem!

When we pulled into the parking lot, I was a little worried. It was PACKED! Seating a large crowd anywhere can be challenging and my first thought was that there was NO WAY we were going to be seated in a timely manner, but when we walked in, we were guided to a table by very happy hosts, as requested, on the patio.

The menu is expansive. The photos look amazing. The prices are decent, not what I would consider expensive. Most main dishes are in the $11.99-$14.99 range.

The waitress was was super friendly and efficient. She didn't want to, but she cheerfully agreed to do sepárate checks.

The food came quickly and everyone was happy with their meals. At Los Panchos, you get A LOT for your money. The side dishes alone, splayed with gooey refried beans, rice and various accoutrements, were in fact, big as your head. A dish of Fajitas for 2 was obviously mislabeled because it will surely feed 5. I ordered Tacos Al Pastor. This dish neither looked nor tasted anything like the traditional version, but it was delicious. The only thing that tasted Pastor-like was the pineapple chunks. I swear, the sauce had an Asian twist to it....I love Asian food, even in a Mexican restaurant.

Bottom line, our experience was delightful and we will...