They gave us something totally different than what we ordered. We would not recommend this place for good food and good service. Not worth the money. They hung up on us when we called back to tell them about the wrong order. read more

We don't eat a lot of Mexican food out so I can't do a thorough comparison, but the two times we've eaten at El Palenque have been great. The food is delicious (my fiance was a little embarrassed about how much he loved their cheese qusadillas...) and the food comes out before you've digested the fact that you ordered. Lots of reasonably priced options and friendly staff. Definitely a favorite in our book. read more

The food is definitely reminiscent of fast mexican food. The food hits the spot, is cheap, and arrived within minutes of our lunch order (if you order off the express menu). Like other reviewers, the chips here are excellent. In fact, I'm pretty sure I ate most of the chips for the table. The $5 margarita was ok, but then again, maybe its my bias against anything tasting strongly of citrus. If you are in a crunch for lunch time and want something filling; aesthetics be damned... then this is your place. The funniest interaction I had with the staff there was when I mistakenly called them twice (after I called to confirm lunch hours) to talk to my dentist but then I couldn't figure out what they other person was saying due to the background noise of the kitchen so I hung up and called again. (They were trying to tell me I had the wrong number). FAIL. read more

Had a really good, really cheap dinner. Tacos de Carnitas had tender seasoned pork. The chips and salsa were fresh and delicious. A big plus to me was the Jarritos mexican sodas - just because I love when there are options other than the same old pepsi/coca-cola options. My waitress was very pleasant and helpful with the menu. The decor is the whackness, but at least it's different and colorful. I'll go back when in the area. read more

Living in Buffalo for 7 years made good, cheap, Mexican food an essential part of my week. I likely visits El Palenque once a week or so. I also got a vegetarian combo (enchiladas with cheese and rice and beans on the side). They had excellent margaritas (HUGE though) and prices were always for the combination dinners. Their complimentary chips and salsa were also good.. my friends and I never left without it all over our clothes; worth it. Service is also very quick if you're in a rush. read more

By and far the best Mexican that I've ever had. Service is always super fast and downright accurate. The restaurant is clean and well maintained-even the bathroom. All the staff is friendly and don't seem to mind teaching Spanish words for things. I had the #29 combo. Highly recommended. Can't wait to go back. read more

I ordered take-out from Palenque last night and i have never been more disappointed in a meal in my life. I ordered 1 burrito, 1 cheese enchilada, and the queso fundidi & chorizo. All of it went straight into the trash. The queso had a good 1/8" layer of red/orange grease which was disgusting. My burrito had sauce on it that had way too much oregano or something on it making it inedible. The Enchilada was barely mediocre. And the salsa had tons of raw onion that was so strong i had to close the container immediately. The chips are good though. In any case i will never eat anything from there again. Scary enough, i say these things sitting in the hospital for the last 5 months. Id rather eat the hospital food than weigh the garbage can down with $14 of garbage they served me. read more

This is where we go for Mexican in Buffalo. This is as close to authentic as you are going to find in Buffalo!! Although, I have yet to try Tolteca on Transit, but El Palenque is far more convenient to get to from the city. I tend to get the chicken fajitas, and my husband and I split a jumbo frozen lime margarita. They make the frozen one fairly strong. The one time we got it on the rocks, we could barely taste the tequila, hence why we turn to the frozen margaritas! This may not be the best Mexican in the states, but it appears to be here in Buffalo, and it definitely satisfies the craving! If anyone finds a better Mexican place, you better let me know!! read more

Bad service. Unimpressive food. Very small Portions. Nothing to write home about. I'd go elsewhere. read more

El Palenque was pretty good when it first opened and pretty close to the Mexican food I've had in San Diego and other parts of southern California. However, it quickly fell off track. Has anyone ever noticed that it's a HUGE menu but it's really just variations of the same thing over and over? It would probably be a great place to watch a game, have drinks and nibble on the chips and salsa, which seem to be fresh and served in plenty. Everything else just tastes as if it's made ahead of time and frozen and then microwaved to order. It's a shame because it really is a cute place with a really nice staff. I want to like it there but I just don't. P.S. and F.Y.I. (Note that this has nothing to do with this review but will henceforth be included in all my Yelp reviews): I'm not sure if there is a "PokéStop" nearby and you have got to be kidding me about the fact that this is a survey question on Yelp! read more

Definitely an awesome restaurant for Mexican, though creepily besides location most Mexican restaurants around here are eerily THE SAME. Not that I'm complaining. The food is so reasonable it's mind numbing and I love those silly tortillas. I only had water but the fancy drinks looked ridiculous (for some reason wait staff accidentally kept coming to our table when it was for other people) My friend really enjoyed the decor seriously. I thought it crossed the line of kitsch into I don't know, a sort of alternate reality Mexico. I would certainly dine there again though. It was a great experience. read more

This was a great place to go to lunch on a Friday. We showed up at 11:30, just before the big lunch rush. I sampled everything my family ordered: tacos, nachos, quesadillas, rice, and beans. I am not a judge or expert in regard to authenticity, but I thought it was wonderful. The food was a perfect lunch size portion as well. We left feeling satisfied and not stuffed. All the area Mexican restaurants, this one has my favorite salsa. It's not all the salty and tomatoey, it has a very fresh complex flavor. The prices were great as well. I think each entree was less than $7. read more

Wasn't impressed. Greeted by our server who seemed unhappy to deal with us.. She placed the menus on the table before we even were close to it and had already walked away. I ordered a jumbo mango margarita which was $10. While the size was impressive, the drink itself was weird. It wasn't on the rocks but it wasn't frozen.. Just weirdly thick and super syrupy. I ordered chicken fajitas which came with a very large portion but lacked flavor. Our server only checked on us once more than half-way through the meal and we never saw her again. Someone else dropped the check. I wouldn't go back for the amount of money we paid for dinner. We should have probably guessed something was up when it was almost completely empty at 6 PM on a Friday. read more

El Palenque - Chicken fajitas and a mango margarita. - Mexican Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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The BEST authentic Mexican food around. Always consistent and a great atmosphere. The staff is friend and the chips and salsa never stop!!! The queso is delicious and the beef tacos are the most flavorful thing I have ever put into my mouth. Cannot beat it for the price authenticity. read more

Very good Mexican! The margaritas weren't bad either. Service is decent. A great spot to visit.

Authentic Tex-Mex that will satisfy southern folks who have moved north ! Salsa was on point ! Only downside was that restaurant was fairly cold . read more

Worst experience. I have never reviewed on yelp in my life, but I feel like I have to let you know about this place. I used to go there at least once a week and brought my friends there several times. However, I am not going there again due to the most ridiculous serving I had in my life (it was literally the worst in my life). Just get out of there if a guy named Peter(about 40-50s) is serving you unless you want to ruin your day. read more

Had a large vegetarian option menu which is honestly hard to find. Food is GOOD and cheap, too! Service was friendly and quick. It was kinda chilly in there so bring a coat, but above all, GREAT food!!!! read more

Disgusting!! This place is on my top 5 worst restaurants list. Went for dinner with my husband and 2 children. The place was empty, yet the the waitress took almost 20 mins to bring our drinks. The bathroom was absolutely disgusting- it smelled like old feces, the floors were sopped with urine, and the sinks and dispensers were unsightly- covered in thick mold and grime- I should have left at this point. But instead we stayed because the kids were starving. Tortilla chips were cold and stale, the waitress was rude, and took forever to bring our food. I ordered the Carne Asada- it was awful. The steak despicable- it was super dry, paper thin, unspiced and laced with fat. I sent the plate back and hoped that the remaining dinners for my kids and husband would be edible - Husband's burrito was equally gross, with old meat and rotten pick de gallo (no apology for the bad food from the staff) The Cream Chicken that we ordered for my 2 year old daughter was so terrible that is made her VOMIT right in the middle of the restaurant. I'm not sure if it was the cream or the chicken, but something was old and clearly gave her food poisoning. It was awful. She vomited within 2-3 minutes of taking her second bite. The waitress stood over me and smirked as I tried to clean vomit off my baby with the ONE napkin she allotted for the cleanup. She offered no assistance. She was extremely rude, slow and dirty looking. I wouldnt be surprised if her contact with our food had something to do with my baby becoming sick- the woman was clearly not hygienic at all. We paid the overpriced tag of $30 dollars for the rotten food, and left. I will never step foot in this place, and I will be sure to let everyone I know how terrible it was. read more

I come from NYC. I've never in my life walked out of a restaurant before. Today was the first time. My friend loves this place but even he most likely won't go back anymore. The service was so bad it was a joke. It took 15 minutes to get us seated. We got chips and no one brought water or anything. Understanding they were understaffed we waited patiently... 30 minutes went by, no waiter, no water, and people who came in after us got faster service. We just grabbed out stuff and left. Sure we ate the chips but really? We got fed up. Go somewhere else. If I could give negative stars I would. read more

The food here is absolutely terrible. I'd only recommend this place for the huge margaritas, but other than that, this restaurant is horrific. I really wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Mediocre service. Poor presentation. It's not my first time here, but is certainly my most disappointing visit. I had the Chicken Adobe, which tasted good. read more

This place used to be good. Not sure if the owners changed. The food was awful and cold when we got it. The waiter was not that great eother. And manger very rude. Will not be going back. read more

Serious service problem here. Tonight we sat there for over twenty minutes and none of the four staff who were walking around approached to take our order. Finally we had to leave, and none of them asked why. Yet two of the male servers kept stopping to talk to a lone female patron across from us who seemed to be having a liquid dinner. Rarísimo. read more

Two stars because the margaritas were drinkable. (Not very good, tasted pre-mixed). The chips were good, but the salsa tasted like a spicy tomato sauce. The actual food reminded us of lunchroom Mexican. Not very authentic at all and I'm pretty sure I could make a better burrito. read more

Came here on a Saturday at 6pm... Do so at your own risk! This place clearly can't be bothered staffing for the amount of people that can sit in here. First off, this is clearly a Dennys... In fact, the occupancy license still says "Dennys 1984" on it. Bonus: the old Dennys bathrooms are filthy and void of paper towels. Next, we were sat at a table hidden behind another booth (where I'm pretty sure we were forgot because it was so hidden) at a wobbly booth. I can honestly say I've never sat in a booth that wasn't heavy enough to withstand uneven floors until this one. It took 5 minutes before we were acknowledged for chips and salsa, 10 for our drink order to be taken, another 10 for a pre-mix margarita to get there. Once our order was finally taken, it took 50 minutes to get our food, which was served cold. Never mind how long it took to get a bill. The 5 minutes it took for us to eat the lukewarm, mediocre mexican food was not worth the hour and a half I spent in this poorly run facility. There are plenty of other Mexican restaurants in Western New York, all of which will remember which tables actually have people sitting in them. Will not return. read more

I used to really enjoy this place. I think the original guy from the kitchen, you know, the one with the recipes that knew how to cook, moved on. Went last week and the food was horrible - barely edible. I had the Grande Plate - a one of everything combo - each part was worse than the last. The relleno was reheated. The tamale was a commercial frozen tamale doused in watered down sauce. Last time. read more

The bathrooms were kind of horrid. They need some remodeling. I hate the spelling errors on menu's since it isn't a repetitive error. But the salsa and food were delicious. I seem to be obsessed with pork dishes lately. I had the carnitas en chile verde. I wish places would hand make their tortillas. So the carnitas aren't as good as home made, but it was filling, and the portion size was big enough to take some home. The waiter was attentive and checked on the table several times. I would eat here again. I wish the place were cleaner, but the food was good. read more

They serve monster size margaritas and they are cheap. Lime, strawberry and peach, I recommend the lime as the strawberry and peach are on the sweet side. Order the jumbo and finish at your own risk, massive I tell ya. I thought the food portions were SO small for a Mexican restaurant. Any time I am in the mood for authentic Mexican cuisine I make sure I have a lot of room in my stomach because the portions are usually large. Not the case here; the nachos supreme were teeny and the largest burrito on their menu, that three people at our table got was not large at all. The chips were good and the complimentary salsa they brought to the table was really spicy. The food came out quickly but besides bringing out the food, the service was pretty much non-existent. We sat at our table with empty plates for quite some time before someone at our table finally got up to grab the attention of a server and asked for our check. The place was empty on a Sunday around 3:00 too. There are too many better Mexican places nearby so I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but it was alright. read more

Excellent margaritas! The jumbo is enough for 2! Great salsa too! Service has improved.

No. Just no. I so wanted to like this place. Nice look. One of the 3 busiest intersections in WNY. It has to be good right? No. No it's not.

Avoid. I've been here a few times -- the food is bland, the service sucks and there are far better options. Food: Flavorless. The refried beans are in such a smooth, fine puree that it looks like baby food. The refried beans do not resemble actual beans in any way and they also have no seasoning or flavor of any kind. My cheese "quesadilla" was literally a small tortilla folded in half with some cheese inside -- not served with any lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc. The table salsa also has no flavor -- it's like eating crushed tomatoes in tomato juice. The enchilada sauce is similarly bland. Everything tastes incredibly subpar and cheaply made, like they are nickle-and-diming to serve their food at the lowest possible cost. The food is just bad and the portions are small. I think they skimp out on ingredients and portions to maximize their profit margins. If not, then they must be intentionally making horrible dishes. Service: Awful. I ordered pickup recently and was told 25 minutes. I showed up 30 minutes later. I proceeded to stand around in the restaurant for another 25 ADDITIONAL MINUTES waiting for my food to be ready. So I was told 25 minutes and it took almost an hour. When I got the food, it was cold. Did they acknowledge how long it took them or apologize? Of course not. I would've been better off using that extra time to drive to La Tolteca on Transit for my pickup instead -- and the bonus is that La Tolteca's food actually tastes good. During this same pickup experience at El Palenque, I asked for additional salsa and the kid running their counter (who looks about 12) poured salsa from an already-used salsa container that appeared to have come back from cleaning another table. Disgusting. Inside: Old, dirty, gross. Bright light bulbs hanging low enough at each table that you have to stare into it the whole time. And a weird layout where people that come in have to awkwardly stand around waiting for someone on staff to spot them and seat them. Other options: This location may be convenient, but you'd be better off going to Mighty Taco or Taco Bell instead. A step up from that would be Moe's and Chipotle. If you want "real" Mexican, do yourself a favor and go to La Tolteca on Transit Road. El Ranchito on Main Street in Clarence isn't bad either. Bottom line: This place used to be a Denny's, which is exactly what it looks like. But Denny's probably had better Mexican food than El Palenque does now. El Palenque sucks. read more

The food is AMAZING but the service sucks. We waited 20 minutes just to be seated and then another 20 just to get someone to take our drink order. I had to say something to even get someone to come over to our table. Hoping next time will be better. read more

Not impressed. My friend brought me here because she raved about how good it was. The decor is very nice compared to the Dennys it used to be. Service was meh. I ordered a chicken burrito and chicken enchilada. For $10 not bad! I was served two chicken enchiladas that was pretty thin and they had a little sauce on top. It was good. Not $10 good. I was a little confused so at checkout I mentioned it and said I thought it came with a burrito. Our server treated me like an idiot because apparently I did get a burrito (?) one was a burrito and the other was an enchilada. What separated them was one evidently had a corn tortilla. I'm pretty agitated being treated like I'm an idiot. I paid $12 including tip to be treated like I'm stupid for assuming I'd get a burrito with my chicken burrito and enchilada meal. Maybe 1/2 cup of shredded chicken, 1/2tbs of sour cream and a splash of sauce on a couple tortilla shells is not a great deal to me. Not going back, do not recommend read more

Had gone to this place a ways back when it converted from Denny's back then it wasn't my favorite, didn't look clean etc... However, we went there the other night for dinner (yelp says they are closed on Sunday but their website says they are open and they are indeed open). They have just recently remodeled and no longer look old, outdated and dirty. The staff is really nice. We had the special enchildas and special Texas. The good was good, served hot and tasted good. Chips and Salsa were good. Now that they have remodeled we will go back and give them a try a few more times. read more

Food was plentiful, however, they could improve some aspects like the restrooms which were a bit dirty and not functioning properly. Not a fan of Mexican food but it felt satisfactory. read more

This restaurant has the most authentic mexican dishes I've seen in the Buffalo/Niagara region. The food is amazing. I found the chiles and tamales to be exquisite! Try a lunch here, you won't regret it! read more

Pretty good for Buffalo standards. Solid chips/salsa for starters. Exterior decor screams Denny's, interior decor says legit. Everything on the menu is cheap (standard for Buffalo fare). I went w/ the lunch special #21 which was a beef tip burrito topped w/ lettuce, tomato, sour cream w/ a side of rice for $7. The food was subpar to California expectations but I would've gladly accepted this food anywhere outside of my home state. I wasn't used to not being able to pick up my "burrito". It was more like an enchilada that I had to eat w/ fork and knife. But I do like that the place has an authentic feel to it - from the decorations to the service. I could see myself coming back for margaritas. read more

I gave this place way too many chances (due to co-workers). Bland rice and beans. Steak is not great. Chicken has been dry in the past. Carnitas is probably the most passable as Mexican food. Portions to go are pretty weak. If this place had any competition in the area... we wouldnt be talking about it. read more

I have been to many Mexican restaurants in my lifetime, growing up in Tucson, AZ. My main courses of Three Cheese Enchalads were good, my order of Three Tamales were good, my side order of beans were good, the side order of Sapeapes were just a brown on both sides flour tortilla, not the light dough puff ones that is cook in oil to a nice light brown, I would recommend that you should skip that for desert. Cheif you need to read how to cook it properly. read more