I'd driven past Tequila Panchos Mexican Restaurant, located at 5893 Akron-Cleveland Road in Hudson, about 200 times before finally stopping in. Something about the place (maybe it was the name) just screamed "bar" to me, not "Mexican Restaurant." However, after walking in the first time, I came to realize my mistake. Tequila Panchos was indeed a Mexican Restaurant, complete with turquoise and purple paint, colorful decorations and a full menu of goodies. Plus, the food was in no way disappointing, in fact, it was delicious.
The first thing that arrived at my table was a bowl of tortilla chips, accompanied by a smaller bowl of salsa. They make the chips in house and sprinkle them lightly with cheese before serving. The salsa was just spicy enough -- it had a slight "kick" but didn't burn off my taste buds.
I followed that up with a Mexi-Sampler ($7.99): an appetizer sampler consisting of two Pancho Pockets, two Taquitos (deep-fried corn tortillas stuffed with beef) and two Shotgun Shells. The Shotgun Shells are breaded and fried cheese-stuffed jalapenos that proved to be too spicy for me, but I adored the Pancho Pockets -- described as Mexican "egg rolls" they're chicken and black bean stuffed flour tortillas that are deep fried before serving. The sampler also came with guacamole (which was excellent) and Chili con Queso (also good.)
My main meal was the El Bandito ($9.49) and came with a pork tamale, a chicken enchilada, a ground beef burrito and rice and beans. The tamale was my favorite thing about the whole meal. It was perfectly seasoned and not even the slightest bit dry. The enchilada was a close second, followed by the burrito, which I realized I could make at home. The rice and beans were great, although I didn't have room for most of them after eating everything else.
My husband had the Three Amigos ($9.99), which was a meal with three enchiladas (one beef, one chicken and one cheese) and rice and beans. That's when we discovered the best thing in the entire restaurant (besides the guacamole) -- the shredded beef. It was juicy, well-seasoned, and clearly from a great cut of meat. It tasted like pot roast, only like Mexican seasonings.
Although the food is a bit pricy, you get a lot of it. The service was great and our food came out quickly. The waitress was just attentive enough, and very friendly. I will definitly eat there again.
*** I recommmend: the Pancho Pockets (available on their own, six for $6.49), the guacamole, the pork tamales, and anything with their signature shredded beef. ***
For more information, please check out Tequila Panchos website.
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