Restaurant decorations, Service & food were outstanding. Drinks were excellent . Good location

A couple of friends lured us here. And thank goodness for it. I have driven by a dozen of times and didn't consider stopping in. Walking into Panchos, you are immediately greeted by a bright, colorful and welcoming scene. It gives you the feeling of walking into your tía's favorite old school restaurant. The tables and benches are dark wood. And there is papel picado hanging. It's charming. You get the feeling that Panchos has been around for decades. Apparently, the restaurant has been open here since 2004. And the real star? Our server, whose name I cannot recall. He was equal parts waiter and comedian, a very kind man who was highly attentive and extremely helpful. If you like spicy salsa, be sure to tell him to bring you the good stuff from the back (after he offers you bland Tapatio). The menu is absolutely massive. They have breakfast burritos, breakfast plates, chips and fries, shrimp plates, soups (check with the team about offerings, like caldo de res), tortas, quesadillas and a kid's menu and more. I highly recommend the cheese enchiladas and the chile relleno. The chile relleno is especially good. It isn't your soggy, cafeteria-style relleno drowned in red sauce and regret. It is the best comfort food, and Panchos does it well. There is a generous melt of Oaxacan cheese, the batter is very light without being greasy. And then there was the ranchero sauce! Tangy tomatoes, a hint of garlic, and a tiny bit of chili. So very good. Also popular on the menu is a pitcher of margaritas, which you should plan on sharing with three others. The mango margarita is also quite nice. And they also have a Baileys & Coffee. And you can easily get a delicious, filling meal for $20 or less. All around, a great place. read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Love the chile relleno here. - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Sadly it's not as great anymore it's gotten expensive and quality of the food is going down meat was too chewy. The people working their are nice tho read more

Very good it's all very good with good service and the food is great and reasonably priced with a good brunch on Sundays

We came to Panchos with high expectations with all the great reviews. They didn't disappoint and exceeded some expectations with vibrant fresh Mexican cuisine. The service was timely although they could have been more attentive on the water and chip refills. That is splitting hairs since they did respond when called. We enjoyed the seafood chimichanga, Chili, and a specialty salad. The deep fried ice cream was delicious and just enough. Two margaritas were very pleasant and flavorful. The ambiance was immersive and tastefully elegant with some interesting murals. We shall return and would recommend. read more

See all

Family came in from out of town so we decided to stay local. All these years and I'd never been to this location! Thanks to Yelp gave it a try! It was perfect. We had a nice quiet corner area, which made it easy for a conversation with older people. The waiter was very nice and friendly. The decor was fun and festive, like being transported. Everyone really enjoyed their meal. Mom, my niece, and I had margaritas, which were really yummy. It made for a fun celebration. I had a chicken and the steak fajita. The steak was really good. The chicken was not bad. My brother had a sizzling chicken type dish, I'm afraid I don't remember what everyone ordered. Because the chili was a bit much for dad he and my brother switched dishes and both seemed very happy . In all, would recommend this location. In fact, Mom is talking about adding it into our night out for dinner rotation! read more

See all

Great Mexican food. Friendly service , I will be returning to order more food.the inside was ok.

Order take out first time from Panchos. Great burrito. Will definitely make dinner plans at the restaurant

10:00 to 2:00 on Sundays you get a lot for the $17.49 Get there early I've never found a big line but by the time I leave the place is usually 3/4 full, that must tell you something about what the local community thinks about this place. Tried it on Sunday brunch haven't gone there during the week, but the service in the atmosphere, I'm sure is exactly the same. read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Sunday Brunch Breakfast!! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Stopped in her for the first time. Well the outside of the restaurant needs some kind of face lift . It was much nicer inside so that was good! I ordered the 3 combo plate with a enchilada, tamales and Chile relleno . Wasn't a big fan of the tamales here too much masa and not enough meat and kind of dry. The masa was more like a corn bread than what I'm use to with tamales. Everything else was good though and service was attentive. read more

See all

Pancho's is located on a quiet stretch of Fletcher Parkway in Fletcher Hills. I like driving there from my house about ten minutes away. I had passed the restaurant for many years, but never stopped in. From the exterior, Pancho's appeared more of a "taco shop", which it is not. There is a small parking lot on the side of the restaurant. There is only one handicapped spot. The other places are very tight and narrow. Otherwise, you will need to look for a place on the street, which may be difficult. I like the various stained glass windows, especially in the side room. There are also multiple large murals on the walls which add vibrance to the scene. There is also a bar located just to the right when you enter. Most of the staff is pleasant and efficient, and try their best. However, there is one man who is cranky and unhappy, so hopefully he will not attend to your table. [You will know it if you get him]. They will happily add green sprigs of Cilantro onto you dish, to make it look more delectable and appetizing. read more

See all

They have a great lunch specials from 11:30-2:00. I go there for lunch 2-3 times a month. Have specials under $11 fair portion for low price and tastes good. read more

There is room for improvement in both the food and the service. The dishes were not impressive, and the service felt weak and inattentive. While the prices are affordable, the meals lacked appeal and flavor. The location is great; however, the restaurant does not meet high standards of cleanliness. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the experience and was unable to finish my meal. No fiesta ambience! read more

Our family has been going to Pancho's for years. The food tastes great, the prices are reasonable and everyone there treats you like family! After you go a few times, they will recognize you and even remember your order. I recommend Pancho's to friends and family all the time. read more

We enjoyed our dinner at Panchos last night and recommend it as an excellent neighborhood restaurant. Most impressive is the service. The wait staff is hard working and courteous, prices are reasonable and the food is always good. read more

I had driven by this place dozens of times and always told myself that one day I would stop in. Well, last week, I did! It was a good choice! The wife and I had a rare date night while in San Diego and I picked this place for us to go. We were seated in a booth in the front bar area. Service was nice and friendly and you could tell this was a family run operation. I went with a 3 item combo, 2 shredded beef tacos and a chicken enchilada. My wife went with something similar. Had water to drink and my wife had a homemade Cherry Coke (Said it was bomb). Food was great! Tacos were stuffed with shredded beef, the enchilada was stuffed with chicken, the rice and beans were delicious, and they have chunky salsa and free refills on chips. Everything was great! Best part, with tip and everything, it was only around $40.00. Cant beat that at all for a sit down restaurant with great food. I will definitely come back next time I am in San Diego. I enjoyed this meal a lot, and so did my wife! read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - 3 item combo. 2 tacos and an enchilada. Really tasty! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

Food and Mexican ambience so good! Never disappointed, Lourdes is awesome and always had a smile and friendly

What a community staple for almost 20 years! I remember coming here as a little girl after going bowling down the street at Parkway Bowl. The fact that it's still here and still PACKED on a Wednesday night should tell you that this place is great. But I'll continue to tell you how great it is below! When you walk in, it may feel a little dated, but it's spacious, great for groups, and festive. We've never had a bad meal over the years, and the portions are generous, including their soft tacos as well as their guac app! My favorite item is the enchiladas with carnitas, but you really can't go wrong with anything. Their salsa verde for their enchiladas is delightfully tangy too. The staff is very friendly and quick, and the pace of the meal was perfect. Will definitely be back! TLDR: classic and tasty Mexican restaurant with great portions and reasonably priced. read more

See all

Service was friendly, food arrived quickly. My favorite type of place with old school tasty Mexican food. Loved the margaritas and salsa. Will definitely go back soon. read more

A friend and I were on a golf trip (after attending a conference in San Diego); were looking for Mexican food and Pancho's was highly rated on Yelp. So, we put the address into the nav on our rental and had dinner on Saturday (Sep. 3). We were served chips and a very good salsa, thick, rich and just the right amount of heat for us. I had a Corona to start and we ordered the Gordon Platter and the La Especial De Leo. The Gordo platter came with a hard shelled taco, a tamale, an enchilada and a chile relleno; it was a huge serving of food! My friend said the tamale was the star of the plate and liked everything. I sampled the chile relleno as it's a favorite of mine .... I thought the egg coating was too thick as it masked the taste of the chile; it was more an egg omelet to me. I was looking for shrimp diablo but it wasn't on the menu so I tried the La Especial De Leo; a grilled steak with shrimp in a garlic butter sauce. It came with rice and a mélange of vegetables. The steak was tender and the shrimp was fine. No complaints about anything with this dish. What did we think? We had dinner at another place one night earlier and Pancho's is much better. The prices are very reasonable, the service is good and we liked the atmosphere. To us it's an old school Mexican restaurant ... recommended! read more

See all

We really enjoyed this quaint family Mexican restaurant. I can't believe we missed it all these years of being in the area. A tremendous value and nice atmosphere for home style meals that fill you up! That tamale masa was so light and delicious with shredded chicken and green sauce, it was very memorable. Rice and beans are good as well- my taco with shredded beef was also tasty, a very thin crispy shell that does crumble when you take a bite, but I prefer that to the thick greasy shells you sometimes get. Salsa was mild to medium but added freshness to my plate. My companion loved his chile relleno with a surprise veggie option as a side. Drinks and service were on point. A definite keeper in our rotation. read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Chile relleno with veggies - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

Great atmosphere, food quality and service. First time visiting and it was busy. I understand why. Very happy and margaritas were great! Will definitely be back. read more

My husband and I were recently running errands all around town and needed a quick place to grab a bite. There were many options in the area, and a recommendation for Sushi in the area, but we'd had sushi for dinner the night before. We opted to try Panchos. I had 2 fish tacos and my husband ordered a carne asada burrito. Neither of us could finish our meals that also came with chips and salsa. The food was good and plentiful. Way more to eat than we were expecting. The restaurant itself had an old world Mexico vibe with an amazing bar near the entrance. Might have to go back for a sit down dinner. read more

Good food at a Great price. My family andI love this place. I recently ordered the XL margarita and it is my new favorite . My go to for food is the crispy quesadilla. I do also love their combo plates. Enchiladas , Rice and bean combs are great. Prices are excellent. The services is always good too. read more

See all

This restaurant is family owned and has been doing business for over ten years, in itself a miracle after so many pandemic-related closings. I would urge the owner to place a neon "OPEN" sign somewhere on the front of the building or in the window facing Fletcher Parkway, since frankly, the place does not appear very inviting. Although the exterior is not impressive, just walk through that entry door, and find a visual feast. The colors, the mural, arched doorways, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac, all things Mexican. Diane Powers might even approve of the interior decoration. Greeted immediately, since we were the first lunch customers (at 11:45), and the restaurant filled fast. Servers arrived and quickly changed into their work uniform, and orders were taken. A wicker basket of tortilla chips and a container of excellent salsa appeared almost immediately. I ordered the Tostada Gigante ($11.99). Although not quite as large as the name implies, it was excellent. Options are shredded beef, ground beef, chicken or carnitas, at no extra cost. Other ingredients were shredded lettuce (fresh!), and diced tomatos, topped with shredded cheese and two wonderful dollops of sour cream and guacamole. Placed in the standard tostada bowl tortilla, it was a wonderful lunch. Pancho's sports an attractive full bar, and many drink specials are offered. Soft drinks are a bit pricey at $3.25 but can be refilled. Our server was Leo, whose professionalism indicated to me that he was the owner. Thanks, Leo, for such a great restaurant and super good food and service. read more

Good food, excellent service, & reasonable prices. Good Margaritas! This restaurant is decorated so well, it feels like you are in Mexico! read more

I was looking for a sit-down (not in an old Taco Bell building, either) Mexican restaurant last night as my regular place had a 1 hour wait. Sit-down Mexican restaurants in San Diego are surprisingly hard to find, especially those that aren't tourist traps in Gaslamp or similar areas. I ventured outside my typical 5 mile radius from Clairemont and made it to Panchos in El Cajon due to the mostly positive reviews. I'm sure glad I did, and I think I may have found a place I'll visit often . The service, food and drinks are very tasty. My wife and I ordered the Enchiladas Suizas and Enchiladas Del Mar and we shared. Both entrees were very flavorful and tasty. The chips and salsa were fresh and chunky. Margarita was refreshing. Overall, it was a great experience! read more

Ok, my daughter was craving enchiladas when we were visiting her in college and we decided upon Panchos as it appeared to be real Mexican cuisine vs tacqueria style Mexican food. Let's face it, it's different! Things I remember from this place was the following: Restaurant is in a rough part of the neighborhood and there was parking on both sides of the restaurant but I wouldn't call it ample parking. Decor in the inside was dated but felt authentic and festive. Bar in the middle of the restaurant was bustling We asked for beans and green sauce to dip our chips and it was amazing Our combination plates were quite large and amazingly cheap. Two item was $11.99 and 3 item was $12.99. Chile Relleno passed our test with flying colors, enchiladas were delicious with tomatillo sauce instead of red sauce (fulfilled my daughters craving!) Staff was super friendly and we are no longer looking for a Mexican restaurant in San Diego....we found OURS! I will be back and will do a more in depth review of the food items. I still can't believe how cheap our meal was...can't wait to come back!!! read more

Luis was our server! What an amazing man! He was polite, friendly and made us feel welcome The food was delicious and served hot and promptly! I would recommend them! I'll go back.The Margarita was yummy! read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

been going to the el cajon and chula vista restaurants and they both have good service and good food. my only issue and i'm not alone here, is the prices. still trying to get used to up prices in all restaurants. read more

I can't believe I have been frequenting this restaurant since 2007 and never wrote a review. It's because their food is delicious and I never remember to take a photo before swandiving into it. I finally remembered last night to take photos. I went there with 2 of my girlfriends who had never been. Sure, from the outside-it doesn't look like much, but we mustn't judge a book by its cover. It's inside where the magic is, haha. This restaurant is right across the street from the 99 cent store and near the Beef n Bun on Fletcher Parkway. The same staff have been here since I have been coming here since 2007. They are pleasant and are consistent in providing good service even when it is slammed. Last night I decided to order outside of my usual, which is the shredded beef tostada. I ordered the shredded beef chimichanga. You know me and my love for high temperature food. This food was HOT, so you already know that this place is high on my totem pole. The chimichanga was crispy and not dry. The beans and rice were perfection. We also ordered the guacamole, which is a MUST when coming here. It was enough to keep 3 foodies happy. I did enjoy as one of my friends was investigating the guacamole for little slivers of onion and pulling them out, that's like eating crab legs man, too much work for me hahahahaha. We all decided to eat half of our food so we can save room for dessert. We ordered the fried icecream and flan. I'm going to be honest, I have never ever tried their desserts for all the 15 years of my coming here. Now that I tried them I am pretty sure if I keep coming here and ordering desserts from here I will be having my own episode on my 600 lb life in about 10 years (just kidding). Seriously, the flan and fried icecream...this wouldn't be such a bad place to get dessert. Seriously. They also give you free chips and salsa. I swear they changed their chips. The chips seem store bought now whereas years ago they used to make them. Salsa is delicious and I have to ask for more because I'm stingy and don't like to share my salsa. Anywho, 10/10 for this restaurant. Remember folks, not much to look at on the outside, in fact half the time you're not even sure if they are open because there is no way to see inside the restaurant from the outside. Never judge a book by its cover :) read more

See all

I was looking for a Mexican restaurant that wasn't drive thru or fast food taco shop. The cold draft beer was $3.75, what a deal! I had the Enchiladas Suizas. My sister had the seafood chimichanga. They used the same sauce for both. It was green tomatillo sauce with corn. My enchiladas were disappointing, the chicken was over cooked and I'm not fan if it's not all white meat. The seafood chimichanga was good but could have used some sauce on top. I was won over though by the staff and how welcoming and friendly they were. The service and the cheap beer will be the reason I go back and give it a second chance. read more

See all

Ordered a Cali Burrito, Rolled Tacos and Enchiladas Food was amazing! Service was attentive and we all enjoyed our lunch read more

I purchased a bowl of Albondigas and the meatballs were store bought frozen meatballs. I could not believe it. When I told waiter I did not like and why she was kind enough to change for something else but she also said she couldn't believe I didn't like them because it was a favorite there. Trust me I have bought frozen meatballs before and these were not homemade like she said. Another important thing was that it had a musty old dirty smell to the place which grossed me out. As I looked around everything was very dirty and they still had popcorn ceilings which was really gross. Shows how long it's been since they remodeled. Sorry but I had to share this! read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Here's a picture of Albondigas. If you've ever purchased frozen meatballs you know! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Great food, wonderful service. Nachos as an appetizer are highly recommended. Prices are competitive

There is a sign in tile over the bar: Save Water Drink Margaritas. This is extremely good advice, as the margaritas are delicious. My wife ordered one with a premium tequila also. There is a menu item where you choose items together with rice and beans -- the standard idea. But, hidden in the fine print, you can replace the rice and beans with sautéed vegetables. I had those and was surprised at the variety and quality of the veggies, and the perfect al dente sauté. One one visit I had two excellent ground beef enchiladas, while my wife had two chile rellanos. The red sauce was excellent. On our next visit she had the same thing. She's on a hopeless quest to duplicate the taste of that dish that she got in northern New Mexico when we lived there nearly fifty years ago -- hopeless because there they use local chiles and not the ubiquitous poblano one finds elsewhere. But apparently the taste is close enough to suit her. I tried a compuesta burrito with carnitas. This is a "wet" burrito with rice, meat, tomato, and lettuce inside, guac and sour cream on the side. The meat was a little salty for my taste but the whole experience was amazing. It was so big I got two meals out of it. The desserts we have tried were a good ice cream and a really rich-tasting flan. The atmosphere is delightful, full of color, and quiet enough for conversation without feeling alone. The servers were great. Parking on the side. read more

Panchos Mexican Restaurant - Dining room -- colorful - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

Great food and service! I love coming in for Sunday brunch. Such a great value for a brunch.

La comida está bien chingona. Pedi carnitas Al estilo Michoacán y La verdad que si se la rifaron pensé que estaba en mi pueblito humilde otra vez. El mesero fue a toda madre con nosotros. Siempre al pendiente. Seguro que vendré otra vez. read more

Yummy!! We've ordered 3-4 times already, always something different and delish every time. The salsa is extra good too!

Great food and service! Nice place to take the family. The lunch specials were plenty to nice and filling