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El Palenque Mexican Grill
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for El Palenque Mexican Grill
I would give this place two stars if it were not for the jumbo lime margarita. Those dudes have a slurpy machine in the back no doubt and are dumping cheap tequila and lime cool aide in it. No matter, the margies are worth the visit.
As for the food, the chips were good and the salsa was bland. I ordered the chili verde and they gave me carnitas with a so so flavored green sauce dumped on it. I guess they figured Buffalonians would not know the difference, especially after sucking down that jumbo lime. Since I am a west coast visitor, they were totally busted in my mind. I thought the food was par with a greasy spoon family run taqueria out west.
Best I've found in the area! I loove the food and they have a nice selection of vegetarian options too. The chips are served warm with salsa. I could live on them. The decor is a little.. um.. well.. just go and see it..
Be careful if you get anything larger than a medium margarita though! You WILL need someone to drive you home :-D
I've gone to El Palenque about 20 or 30 times. The first dozen or so visits I convinced myself the food was amazing, better than anything I've ever had. However, it didn't take long to awake from my dogmatic slumbers. It hurts a little to admit it, but the honest truth is that the food is only par. Instead, I realized the real reason for my patronage was the the insanely cheap, massive margarita madness (I suggest ordering "jumbo lime"). I'm pretty sure they're made with Windex in them. Two jumbos and you're the drunkest you've ever been. Three jumbos...actually, I have to admit I never finished three or heard of anyone who lived to tell the tale. Anyone?
Definitely worth visiting this once famous Denny's from Buffalo 66, but leave the judgment and car keys behind.
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.
Stumbled upon El Palenque last summer after driving by and wondering why a Denny's looking establishment was serving Mexican.
Best. Decision. Ever.
The food is fantastic. While waiting for your order, salsa and chips are served. The salsa is quite delish - and addicting. (Be sure not to overindulge before your meal arrives!) As for my main course, I usually end up ordering off of the vegetarian menu and #4 is one of my favorites. The one thing I do tend to stay away from is anything with potato; I find most of those items a bit bland for my taste.
I'm lactose intolerant which makes eating anywhere a pain in the rear-end at times, but the staff here is more than willing to make the menu work for you and your needs. The staff is Spanish-speaking which can sometimes make altering your menu choices a bit difficult, but if it comes to be a real hassle, just ask for the manager - his English speaking skills are a bit more advanced than the others.
Overall, great experience. The staff is friendly, the food is delicious, and the price is just right!
One trip and I'm hooked. I thought that after moving back to Buffalo from Phoenix, I could pretty much forget ever having real Mexican again. I'm addicted to Mighty Taco as much as every other Buffalonian, but I know that it is a far cry from real Mexican food.
And then I went to El Palenque.
Not sure which combination to order, I went with two items my friends recommended and one by which I base my opinion of Mexican food. I ordered the #18 which includes one chili relleno, one enchilada and one chalupa with no exceptions to the meal.
The chips are adequate and the salsa is pretty good. Combined, the two are easily addictive, yet not the best I've ever had. The chili relleno was stuffed with beef and cheese, which is not quite what I anticipated, but incredibly tasty especially after being smothered with the smoky, spicy red enchilada sauce. The enchilada was like the chili relleno with a corn tortilla instead of a egg-battered chili pepper. I liked it, but would have been happier with a different filling to sample. And the chalupa was what I've always called a tostada - a hard-shelled flat corn tortilla piled with beans, lettuce, tomato and their guacamole salsa. To top it all off, my friend ordered sour cream, which to my surprise was authentic Mexican sour cream that is more like cream cheese than our American counterpart. I love this thicker, creamier, less sour version.
I really enjoyed my meal despite the unfamiliar variations and I am definitely going back to try more offerings whenever I get that craving for food from our southern neighbors.
It's the second best Mexican place in town (la tolteca being #1). Rumor has it that the waitstaff & cooks are all puerto rican, which if it is true would explain the good but not quite right taste here. I've always been satisfied with my meals at el palenque but I always LOVE my meals at la tolteca...
In accordance with the previous reviewers, the food is as close to "authentic" as you'll get in Buffalo, to my knowledge. Or as I told my boyfriend (who is from California where they have entirely different standards for Mexican food) it's the least shitty. You know, like winning the Special Olympics. I've all but given up on finding genuine ethnic food in Buffalo, with the exception of a few Vietnamese/Korean places, so I enjoy this place mostly for its value and its giant freakin' margaritas. Almost everything on the menu is under $10, most entrees are less than $8 and they are fair potions as well. For $6 you can get a jumbo (really, they're not kidding here) margarita in a variety of flavors that is sweet without tasting like it's straight from a mix. Really, the food is about 3 stars, but I bumped it up to four just because I love enormous drinks. Subtract another star if you've actually had REAL Mexican food.
Also, someone correct me if there exists in Buffalo an actual legitimate ethnic restaurant.
I do love the food here and will be back, again and again. Amazing carnita in chile colorado (slow-roasted pork in a mole-ish sauce). The salsa tastes fresh and the chips are light-flakey and yummy.
Decor is Denny's cheaply done-over to look semi-mexicanish. Cobbled together mexican chairs, lots of corona blow-up decorations, everything is painted and colorful. Overall scheme is a bit off; the walls are painted "discount institutional light lime green" usually found in elementary school cafeterias. Cheap ass linoleum floor. Fiberboard backed booths.
They serve negro modelos and flourescent lime green margaritas. I found the glowy hue slightly worrisome, but the margo was OK in a cheap-ass tequila kind of way. And they do mean "Jumbo".
Service sssssssssssssssllllllllllllllllllooooow.
Bring me my drink, already. Oh, wait, come take my drink order, already.
Everyone there speaks Spanish (I hear you in the kitchen!), they respond to my *passable* attempts in English. Bah!
Points off for slow service and super-kitschy cheap decor. It ain't fancy.
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.
The food at El Palenque Mexican Grill was fantastic! My friend and I each ordered something different from each other and both dishes turned out to be great. The restaurant was very clean and had fast service. There was a small language barrier, but with some trying I was able to remember enough Spanish to get what I needed. However, if needed, there were other wait staff that knew more English and there would be no problem if you don't speak Spanish! The tables and chairs were painted in a traditional Mexican-American theme which added to the whole experience and made dinner very charming. The price for the amount of food that we got was very reasonable.
