Everything was perfect - the food, the service, the lively atmosphere. We went on a Friday evening and it was quite busy, but the staff served us like we were the only ones there. Loved the tamales! read more

The food and the service has gone down as more signs you see outside or in the window.

Drove out here for lunch only to find the restaurant closed. Their website said it was opened so I called the restaurant and the women that answered just said we're closed ‍, nothing posted on the door and she didn't say if it was temporary or permanently closed. read more

This place used to be a perfectly serviceable family style Mexican restaurant but has gone downhill fast, I assume since new ownership as there has been a dramatic change to their menu for the worse. After placing a takeout order in the restaurant last night, I was profoundly disappointed by the quality - multiple items were made incorrectly, or were even cold. My $21 burrito, for example, was missing three out of the six toppings that the menu said it had - and let's be clear, this thing was maybe $14 before the menu rework anyway, so like, who are we really kidding here? Anyway, when my girlfriend went back to the restaurant to get the items we were completely missing (they just didn't give us two quesadilla we ordered) and brought up some of these concerns, the staff tried to gaslight us, saying things like "the burrito shouldn't have beans" (the menu says it does) and "you weren't charged for the quesadillas" (we literally have the receipt with the $8 line item on it, i am not blind). So, uh, not great! Seems like it's really gone downhill. I wouldn't go back here if I could help it, ever. Truly awful. read more

The pork dinners are so delicious. The quac is fresh and delicious. The drinks are large. I love the lemonade. The enchalletta (suo) supreme is my husband's favorite. Great location and food. The waiter is all business and professional, which allows more privacy. We've been here 8 time and always good read more

I used to love this place. I moved away for 6 years and it's not the same. I've ordered out twice in the past few months and went down for a sit down dinner last night. I've been disappointed every time that I order Horchata, they don't have it but still leave it on their menu. I ordered the stuffed jalapeños which I was hoping. Would be actually "stuffed" but it was just a popper that was overly cooked and crunchy with scalding cheese inside and overcooked slice of a pepper. The tacos aren't authentic style either. They're hard shell or big soft shell. Not your typical small tortilla with just your meat, onion, and cilantro. It's pico de Gallo and cheese. It's good but not what I was expecting. I can say the tamales are always delicious!! But $2.50 for a side of cilantro????? A whole bunch is $1.25 at the store. I didn't see the price but she did give me the price for a side of sour cream with was also $2.50 so I had assumed a little side was either free or way cheaper since she didn't seem concerned to say the price to me I want to like it more but we'll see. read more

El Palenque - Poppers - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Service was very friendly and welcoming. Food was served quickly. Cheese enchiladas are very good. Good queso and salsa.

Awesome meal for my wife and I. I had the pollo al parrilla (grilled chicken) in a red sauce. Delicious and perfectly cooked. Wife had the veggie fajitas and they were excellent...served on a hot skilled. Pretty good portions. We are both stuffed after our entrees and our chips. read more

I ordered take out from here with my friend online. When we picked up our food the lady that worked there said we had to pay extra because their prices are wrong online, which was fine, but she seemed really annoyed at us for some reason. Maybe just fix your prices? My friend asked for no tomatoes, but they have her tomatoes. We also ordered a size of queso that was 8$ expecting a decent amount. It is the size of a taco bell side sauce container. For 8 bucks! My advice - just go to Moes! read more

El Palenque - 8$ queso - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I went to El Palenque with 4 family members because I had heard good things. We got there, in the middle of a heavy snowing weekend, and I guess we parked in the wrong place because there was so much snow. The owner could have cone out and said "Could you please park on the other side of the lot? The plow is coming." But instead she came out screaming and yelling for us to move our car. Very RUDE right off the bat, and I would have left, but we were hungry so we sat down anyways. She waited on us and the service was fine after that, and the food very good. Margaritas didn't taste lime they had much alcohol, but still we all enjoyed our meals and would probably go back. It got a steady crowd for dinner. I had a coupon emailed to me from their website and I planned to use it since our bill was over $100. When I went up to redeem the coupon, they said they don't take coupons. I said, this is right on the front page of your website. Woman said "That's not our website." And then I scrolled down to a photo of her holding a Margarita. "You need to print the coupon out!" she blurted. "It says right here that you can scan the coupon." Long story short... food was decent, drinks weak, prices good, atmosphere okay, owners rude, coupons not honored, and definitely don't use the wrong parking spot or you'll get accosted. read more

I've been going here for over 10 years as a weekly tradition with my dad. My two kids come with us now. Unfortunately, since the switch in ownership recently, it has gone downhill. We have come to realize it's the end of an era! We will miss you, old El Palenque! read more

Delicious chili rellanos! My other half enjoyed his chicken enchilada and burrito platter. Service was quick, and our food was prepared and served shortly after, still steaming on a hot plate. This is definitely a place worth visiting time and time again! read more

El Palenque - Chili Rellanos - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Decent Tex-Mex. I always like the carnitas. Not over cooked and seasoned well. But there's an orange tint to the beans sometimes. Not sure why. Makes me think they're canned?? Quick service for takeout and fair prices. I'll order again. read more

El Palenque - Carnitas en Chile Verde - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Normally, I would have given 5 stars, but they just weren't consistent in cooking. The fajitas were very good, and my husband loved them. I had the taco salad, and it was disappointing and disgusting. It was like eating a bowl of watery lettuce. I sent it back because there was no meat, and I don't know what the cook did that made it so watery? Only to have they same thing problem back.This place does have good food, but they need to be more consistent in cooking! Change the way they make taco salad! Here is a picture of before and after the Taco salad. I ate the outside shell only. The rest, as you can see, just was not eatable. read more

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This was one of the first Mexican restaurants in the area and I've been going here for like 15 years. It's sad that the parking lot used to be so packed but I do enjoy whenever we decide to go for dinner here that its not super packed. There is a lot of room for parking in the front and back. The ambiance inside is cute and similar to any Mexican restaurant. El Palenque and La Galera have like the same menu but it all tastes delicious but El Palenque has been around way longer so I consider them the OG lol. The food is always super delicious and so are the margaritas ! The jumbo is huge ! My go to is the combination dinner with burrito, enchiladas, no beans and substitute for double rice. My boyfriend had the jumbo burrito he enjoyed it too ! Mmm! We had good service and will be back soon to enjoy some more Mexican food ! read more

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I hate to say it but the quality has seemed to go down. This was my first time coming in years and was kind of disappointed. We were one of 2 tables and the service was also slow. The margarita on ice tasted super watered down and not much flavor. The guacamole came in the tiniest little dish. The enchiladas seemed pretty dry (even with the sour cream on top) read more

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Sadly, I did not enjoy lunch here. My friends said this was their not good Mexican go to close to home place and they weren't lying. I ordered a Beef burrito lunch plate, 3 bites in and I was done. The beef was gross! Rice dry and hard beans a watery mess. The chips and salsa were barely passable, queso was pale yellow water! Seriously soup not even lukewarm. So gross. Everything was not at a temperature that should come out of a kitchen and they were not busy only 1 other person Inside. Everything tasted tinny and just off. read more

This place has the best salsa of any of the Mexican places in Buffalo. Typical menu, free chips when you sit down, and Modelo Especial on draft and bottled. The enchiladas with chicken and salsa verde is GREAT. Comes with shredded lettuce with a serving of guacamole. Nice. The cons to this place is the lighting. I got to tell you, its either blinding lightbulbs hanging over your table on one side or fluorescent lights turning your face green on the other. Another con is the location is tricky because of Niagara Falls Boulevard and Sheridan location. It's easy to miss the parking lot and overshoot; when you do, it's a long drive to go back because of one way streets and the multitude of strip mall parking lots. read more

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I've been here many times, but the past couple of visits seem to have been not so great, hence the three stars when it would ordinarily be four. This is your average Tex-Amex restaurant in Buffalo. They bring chips and fresh salsa out as soon as you sit down. The chips used to be warm and fresh testing, most recently they have not been, they've tasted a bit stale. The menu is huge, of course, with lots of combination plates to fulfill your Tex-Mex meal fantasies. I tried something new this past visit, the pollo fundido- two deep fried chicken burritos with rice and salad on the side. The salad at most places comes with guacamole on and lots of toppings, here it was just shredded lettuce, one tomato slice and a mound of sour cream. The rice was not soft, but kind of hard. The burritos were fried nicely, topped with cheese and sour cream, but the chicken inside was kind of tough. I'd like to give this place a few more chances, everyone has an off day and I get that. read more

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In my experience, a Mexican place can be judged by its guacamole. And unfortunately, guac in here is a green liquid mush that is closer to salsa than to guac. The rest of the food is average. We got vegetable fajitas and bean empanadas. Despite asking for no dairy on our food multiple times, empanadas came with cheese on top. What I liked is that the food came quickly, in about 10 minutes. But I'll be avoiding El Palenque in the future because food and service do not live up to my expectations. read more

In town for a couple days, and missed having Mexican food, so we tried this restaurant, and it was a big mistake. First off when I asked for Agua Horchata. They didn't have any, so then I asked for unsweetened ice tea. They didn't have any. My boyfriend and I both got 3 tacos al Pastor. And he also got a shrimp cocktail. Let me start off by saying we didn't get tacos al pastor we got tacos de adobada. The tortilla was a fairly good size, too bad they only filled it with half the meat it should have had. But the worst was my boyfriend shrimp cocktail. It was served hot. Like literally the water it was in was hot. The pricing also was too much for the quality of food and service we got. read more

I have wanted to try this place for a while. We were in the area and looking for something different so decided to stop in. My initial impression is that the restaurant could use some updating. It looks a bit tired and worn. Look's aren't everything though and when we were brought our chips and salsa I thought things were looking up. I was impressed that we were given a small carafe of salsa. At other Mexican restaurants I've run out. Our Margaritas were huge and very good. Our server was spread a bit thin on her tables but still managed to keep up. I guess that's just a sign of the times with labor shortages. Kudos to her on her ability and efforts. Our meals though were a bit disappointing. I had enchiladas. I thought throwing a little Mexican rice and possibly some refried beans on the plate would have gone a long way to enhance this meal. I actually left a little hungry. We frequent another Mexican restaurant in Niagara Falls on Niagara Falls Blvd near Military Rd and always leave with leftovers of their excellent food. We didn't experience that here. read more

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Absolutely amazing!! Highly recommended! The waitress was very kind and respectful and the food came out beyond delicious! Glad we made a decision to come here! read more

El Palenque - Absolutely amazing! From the waitress to the the food everything was perfect! Highly recommended! - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

When the waitress came to the table to ask what drinks we wanted, one person replied they wanted water and she walked away to return with waters for the entire table (party of four). Not a big deal, two others ordered drinks when they placed their order. Our fourth person was a toddler who was ordering a children's meal. The menu stated that the children's meal included a drink, I then gave the option we originally wanted to order. The waitress then pointed to the children's size water on the table saying that we already ordered the drink. 1) No we did not. One person in the party ordered water. 2) Water from the tap with ice and a straw should not constitute as the drink that is included in a children's meal. 3) The waitress was rude. While both ordering from here and dining in several times, the food is good but service is often rude. Waitresses/cashiers often misunderstand orders (it happens no biggie) BUT them being rude about it is a deterrent. read more

We ordered take out and I think they forgot to cook the food. Food was cold, cheese never melted, still had its square shape so it had never been melted. Maybe they think I am going to cook it when I get home? the reason I get take out is I'm tired after working and I am paying for the convenience of just sitting down and eating. I ordered Pableno peppers which were good, just cold. They give you about a tablespoon of refried beans and rice. Disappointing. read more

The best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. Good tilapia when no other place can get it right. Everything hits with flavor in all the right ways. read more

**I am giving four stars based on a combination of all my experiences here, because the most recent one was a little off, but we have always had a good meal in the past. Who doesn't love a good Mexican joint? Unlimited chips and salsa, a huge menu with endless choices and combo options, and friendly wait staff- you cant go wrong. I am a hungry man and i can never choose. I want one of everything, and I'm not willing to sacrifice. The only option for me here is the special dinner- includes a chalupa, chile relleno, taco, enchilada, tamale, and rice and beans. I also add a crema salad on the side for a little freshness and the sour cream, which is necessary for me. This equates to 2-3 plates of food just for me and it's okay! Generally speaking it is very good and i never leave unsatisfied. read more

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I've been here a couple of times now, mainly for the margaritas (more on this later) but also I've managed to get a couple of meals in. My wife doesn't care for Mexican food but it's one of my favorites. If I ever get a chance to go out for it, this is the place to go. It's usually pretty busy which sounds like a negative but gives you a pretty good idea of the food quality. The first thing you get when you sit down is hot chips and their really good house made salsa. Leafing through the menu you'll see tons of options at really good prices. I've had two or three meals now and each time it was great. If I am ever able to get my wife here it's because of the margaritas. While she hates Mexican food, she absolutely lives margaritas. We both agree these are some of the best in the city, both in taste and quantity. The jumbo margaritas you can order here are massive and still very reasonably priced. read more

El Palenque - Jumbo margarita and large queso - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Garbage. Should be zero stars. I should have known when there is never any cars in the lot when I drive by and 1 table inside when I got there. I think you'd be better off ordering Mexican food off the wish app. The birria tacos were terrible, there were more onions and cilantro than meat. One tortilla so when you pick it up it breaks and everything falls on the plate. And it was barely warm. Don't waste your time. Totally sucked. If you want the real deal go to Taquito Lindo on Grand Island. read more

El Palenque - A sad attempt at birria tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What a disappointment. The service at El Palenque has really slipped. The portions are also smaller. Last night, we stopped in for a quick dinner and the place was packed with a very large (and VERY loud) party of some folks that wworked at a bowling alley...and talking like they were from the gutter. The place was oddly filled with a greasy smoke, and no explanation was given. We wouldn't even carry on a concert because of the noise level. After a 40 minute wait, the waiter brought our food which was only about 1/3 prepared. No sides, no finish, just a plate that looked vaguely like the idea of what we ordered. Most of the other patrons looked irritated or angry, so we left and likely won't be back. It's sad to see this staple take such a slide. read more

This place is definitely one of the more authentic mexican restaurants I've been to. The waiters are hard to understand but super friendly all the same. The jumbo margs are amazing and a decent price. The queso was right up my alley as well. read more

El Palenque - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The frozen Margarita's are delicious. The spinach and cheese quesadillas fantastic. Chicken tamales wonderful. Service friendly. I enjoy this restaurant a lot. My husband had steak fajitas Which he loved. Sopallias were wonderful too!! read more

El Palenque - These were served hot! Soo good. - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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El Palenque is one of the better Mexican restaurants in Buffalo. The food is delicious. The servers are always really friendly and cheerful. The meals are also insanely cheap, without making any sacrifices regarding quality of the food. The unlimited chips and salsa at the beginning of the meal are my favorite. The salsa is homemade with the perfect veggies and spices. My favorite meal to order is the Crema con Pollo (Chicken in Cream). The meal is basically strips of juicy chicken in a sour cream sauce. It comes with peppers, onions, rice, beans and hot tortillas to make a wrap. I'm obsessed. Another charm of this restaurant is the decorations. The restaurant is painted with bright colors and patterns. There are ponchos, sombreros and painted murals on the walls. It's a really casual and fun atmosphere. read more

El Palenque - Crema con Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Very rude....made us switch tables mid-meal. When we asked to sit at a specific table they told us no, even though there was literally no one else in the entire room. I asked for no quac and got quac. My nephew asked for no tomatoes and his burrito was covered in tomatoes. Good thing we had no allergies. The queso was good. read more

Horrible service!!!!! Gave me the bill right after I ordered my drink. I had to stop them and say "hey we would like food too." It was bad to say the least. I also brought a gift card & they didn't accept it Bc it was 3 months old!! WARNING DO NOT GO HERE!!!! read more

I have been here half a dozen times and I've always been pleasantly surprised. the food is real, authentic mexican food and the waiting staff is always extremely attentive. the wait is never that long either! read more

Me and my friends went to have dinner at El Palenque and we were rather excited about it, because in the past the food was great, that was not the case this time. The server, which we later learned is the owner, was rushed and rude. The guacamole seemed odd in color and flavor. The entrees s were dry and bland. When we addressed her with our lack of satisfaction we were met with an abrasive demeanor. I am an advocate of supporting local businesses but this local business will no longer be receiving my support. Anyone reading this, I suggest you go to Aguacates on Elmwood, Rancheros on Niagara St or Don Tequila on Allen st. Sadly, id even suggest Taco Bell or Chipotle over El Palenque read more

El Palenque - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

We're right around the corner. we like the folks who run the place and enjoy the food. So while we can't get into the specifics of the food, my rating does suggest that we can find what we need to leave the place feeling gratified and full. read more

El Palenque is our go to neighborhood Mexican place. We enjoy many of the dishes here, but there are some things we recommend, and some we don't. The Good: We LOVE the Carnitas in Chile Verde here, especially when the chef does it right and lets the pork get nice and crispy. Closest thing to real Chile Verde we've had in Buffalo. I love their pork dishes: Burritos and stuffed chile are good. They also have a fantastic Chorizo. Any dish with Chorizo there is great (Pollo with Chorizo and the Queso with Chorizo are really good). I've enjoyed many vegetarian combos, Mushroom and Spinach are my favs. I also love the beans. I've often enjoyed the seafood, very fresh and tasty. Queso is great. I like the fajitas. You'll probably enjoy the strong fish bowl margaritas. I really like the Xanga dessert of fried cheesecake. Chips are fresh and salsa is homemade, though a bit too onion-y. The Not so Good: Your traditional Buffalo Tex-Mex combos are underwhelming. Usually huge, but just meh. I'm not a fan of their beef or their chicken tacos and what not. They are OK, but not great. You want a great taco, go to La Davina. Basically, what I'm saying here is order something more of an authentically home-style Mexican food and you will probably love it. read more

El Palenque - Pork in Chili Verde - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Question. If Elle MacPherson was called Elle Palenque would she still be as hot? Answer. Yes. I usually only give family businesses a 3 at minimum, but not only was this food bland American Tex Mex, but despite the cheap prices, our bill came out to more than we expected. We didn't enjoy a single bite of it. I've only eaten here once, and won't again. And the guy serving us acted like he could not possibly dislike us more, even though we were perfectly friendly to him. When we asked him for recommendations it was like talking to a grunting wall. A wall of beard, actually... lol. So yes, this place disappointed me, the service was rude and the food was the standard Americanized fare, not really Mexican :) I call it El Plankton. For no reason other than I am weird. It's not real Mexican food (try Valle Of Mexico on South Park, or go to Medina for Mariachi De Oro, or better yet Lorenzo's in Albion), but you can get better versions of faux Mexican in Buffalo (on Allen St for example), and you can get much, much better service too. read more