We used Los Panchos to cater our daughter's wedding in June. Â I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate Dora Emley's help with this event. Â She is a true professional who will be there to help guide you through the process (for us first-timers!). Â The Mexican food itself was superb and my husband and I received several compliments. Â Truly could not have asked for a better Mexican Food Catering Restaurant! Â Experience was exceptional!
Review Source:Love me some Los Pon...started going here 9 years ago when we moved to Martinez and it's still my favorite takeout Mexican. Â I've also used them for large catering events and they never disappoint. Â Great food quality and decent portions. Â My favorites are the crispy beef tacos, cheese enchiladas, BCR burrito and of course the bean dip. Â Their salsas are tasty as well, and the service is always great. Â It would be nice if they had more places to sit and eat but considering the small shopping center where it's located that probably isn't an option. Â Awesome takeout joint!
Review Source:Overall this was very disappointing. Â I made a special trip to the area to see the beavers in the Alhambra River in Martinez, and made a dinner stop here first. Â I ordered one of my all-time favorites...chicken enchilada dinner. Â I also ordered two tamales to take home.
Details: Â The service was very nice and helpful. Â The people here are great. Â No complaints there. Â The food is incredibly average. Â The highlight was they used high quality meats in both dishes. Â The red sauce they used on both dishes was very bland and runny. Â Very little cheese on top of the enchilada and inside it was only meat. Â I asked for black beans instead of the refried beans, and could only get the whole cooked pinto beans. Â The rice was very good, not too starchy or sticky. Â The tamale was very dense and not very tasty. Â The sauce was present as usual and the beef inside was very good. Â Too bad the tamale wrap couldn't do it justice.
After reading the other reviews I was expecting something special here. Â No dining is available inside. Â Small outdoor tables are set up outside with 2 chairs each. Â It was a beautiful evening, so it a was a pleasure being outside. Â The parking lot is right there, so it's not the most pleasant setting to eat in.
The first time I went to Los Panchos was the day it opened, a pretty long time ago... To this day every time i am in the neighborhood. I stop in and eat... YES it's THAT GOOD! Chicken Tacos... drool...drool... I have never had a meal here that was not awesome, hundreds of meals, NEVER a bad meal. LOVE!
Review Source:I have been to this place a multiple amount of times , it is true their is hardly anywhere to sit its more of a order to go kinda place but the food is good here ...the service isn't perfect not alot of greeting or smiles but I personally would go just because the food is a good price and also good tasting. I can deal with everything else:)
Review Source:Great Crunchy Tacos filled with beef and cheese..OMG..The bean dip is good also. Â Place can get packed at lunch time. Â Call ahead to have your order ready, and yes it will be fresh. Â There is no place to eat inside, a few chairs outside. Â Pretty much order your food to go. Â Been visiting this place for years and recommended to many. Â Im a sucker for good refried beans, boy I tell you, they have some good beans. Â very tasty. Â The parking can be hit or miss, service is good. Â prices are reasonable. Â will continue to visit
Review Source:I have been going to this restaurant for 15 years now. Â My first experience was their yummy chili rellenos. Â Their chicken tacos are pretty good as well. Â They have a good huevos rancheros. Â They have catered on of our company meetings and they were excellent. Â Over all, I think the rest of their entrees are really great. Â However, 2 limitations I think is worth mentioning. Â One is the parking at this restaurant. Â It can be a challenge when people are coming from work and there were times I had to park in the street and walk to the restaurant. Â The other problem that I have experienced is that lately the tortillas have been stale and not as fresh has they have been in the past. Â I would improve on that issue since it is a main part of any Mexican meal. Â The tortillas taste like the ones that are store purchased.
Review Source:Best quality mexican food and at a great price. Â There are a couple tables outside, but it's mostly for take-out. Â They also have a great fresh salsa (mild or hot) station where you can pack up as much as you need. Â
It's my stepsisters favorite and we always have to do a Los Panchos run when she's in town.
I have searched high and low for a good Mexican and this was not it. I read the reviews on Yelp and thought why not go and try it. It's a dive, but I love dives so that didn't turn me off. We arrived hungry and took our meal home. There was a lot of it, so if you are the type that like lots of food, then this place is for you. I prefer quality though. The meats were okay, bland perhaps, nothing spectacular. After eating only half of my burrito I had to put it down and toss it out, I felt awful, the food sat in my stomach like an anvil. Just look at their pictures, those are food babies sitting in those trays. So my search will resume as I will avoid this place.
Review Source:Loves it!!! I am so happy to finally find a decent Mexican restaurant in the vicinity. There are a lot in the area, but it is so difficult to weed through them, especially when all I want are crunch tacos.
Los Panchos catered to our office a few weeks ago, and the food was amazing. We ordered crunch taco, burritos, enchilladas, salad and chips and salsa. Everyone raved about the food, and it was still good the day after (whatever remained that was). The carnitas in the burritos had so much flavor.
I definitely did not get enough because a week later I returned and got myself 4 crunch tacos. At that time I thought it would be perfect, I was wrong. It was TOO much food for myself. I definitely like the chicken crunch tacos instead of the ground beef. I wish you could do carnitas crunch taco that would be the best.
Just as everyone else says, price is reasonable! And yes parking is small. It is a to-go place, so don't expect to sit and eat. Take it to go!
Best Mexican food for  the best price, period!
Anyone who gives them less stars over 15 cents, or because one time they went in right before closing and the horchata "looked" watered down should have their Yelp privileges revoked. You are reviewing the overall quality of this place, and this is one of the greatest restaurants in Contra Costa County!
If you're looking for world-class Mexican food, you'll be disappointed. That said, I've always had good meals there and the prices are reasonable. The food is not like the little mom and pop joints in Southern California or Mexico, but that's okay with me. Â It's more Americanized than that. I've eaten a lot of Mexican food in the last 40 years or so, and I like this place.
I usually get flautas solo and a chile relleno solo. The flautas are quite good and the rellenos good enough to keep me coming back. I get out the door for less than $6. That isn't easy to do at Taco Bell without starving on sub-par food. They also have a spicy chile verde that's very good. And no, their salsa does not taste like Tapatio. I never eat the mild stuff anywhere, but their hot salsa is a chile de arbol recipe that I just love. To each his own, I suppose.
Don't go there if this is you:
You want free chips
You want 16 kinds of salsa at the salsa bar
You expect a bathroom you can use
You want to sit inside
If you want good take-out food at a decent price without a lot of frills, check them out.
Seriously so good. Best. beans. ever. The BCR (bean cheese and rice) burritos are AWESOME and less than $3.00. I love the Super happy veggie burrito and the crispy chicken or beef tacos. My boyfriend loves the ground beef tostatas and the spicy chili verde plate and burritos. It is always good. Very consistent. Small piece of advice though, Check the order before taking the food home. I have gotten the wrong order, or a missed or added item once or twice.
Review Source:One of the better Mexican restaurants I've been to. I've never had a dish here that I haven't liked. My favorites are the enchiladas and the chimichangas - yum! Good portion sizes, excellent texture and juiciness, and fast service! And it's pretty cheap - can't get any better than this!
Parking lot is kinda small, and there isn't really a lot of places to sit, so I suggest not going during rush hour.
+ The tortilla soup is like crack
+ Chicken crispy tacos are perfection
** Closed on Sundays**
+ Enchiladas are creamy, cheesey and delicious
+ Everything tastes fresh as if Gma just made it
Mexican food is the best food in the world, hands down. This place is the BEST mexican food EVER if you can't make it yourself. Or even if you can its worth the money and you wont regret it!
I was volunteering in the city of Martinez near Muir St. and decided to find a cheap restaurant for lunch.
Parking was plentiful and the interior of the taqueria was clean. The line was not long, even though I arrived at 12 noon on a Friday. A good sign however was that there were plenty of people sitting outside the restaurant eating on tiny romantic tables for two. There is no dining area inside, only a salsa bar and a few nice clean benches to sit while you wait for your order. I ordered a super burrito because I wanted sour cream, lettuce, cheese, beans, the works. The burrito that arrived was more than twice as big as my hand! (I posted up a picture). Salsas ranged from hot to mild, plain and full of tomatos and onions. I chose the hot chunky salsa, but it still was probably a notch less hot than Taco Bell's Hot sauce packets.
Besides its giant size, the burrito was just good, nothing spectacular or outstanding. The tortilla was a bit powdery, which was not my thing (I prefer smooth and very warm), because it started to crack whenever I bite. I wouldn't want the burrito innards spilling onto my lap in the car! Anyways, I was able to finish the whole burrito because I am a pig.
If I were nearby and wanted something to fill me up for $7.15, I wouldn't mind coming back. From some of the other reviews, I just might come back to try to potato items.
I work nearby and have been going to Los Panchos for 15+ years and never had a bad experience.  Food is consistently delicious, large portions and inexpensive.  I've tried many things over the years but of course the best item in my opinion is a classic  BCR wet.  The bean dip and salsas are great with chips.  I've had different burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, crispy tacos, tostadas and salads and never once been disappointed.
It's take out only (with a couple outdoor tables) so I highly recommend calling your order in ahead of time for pick up. Also be aware parking is very tight in the small lot and you may need to maneuver around homeless people loitering about, but it's Pacheco that's the norm for the unincorporated area.
The food is not bad at all. However, the prices are a little on the high side. The tacos that we had were stuffed to the brim, but I think $1.50 per taco would have been more reasonable than $1.65.
The killer is the service and layout of the place. It is self-service for your condiments and to-go stuff, but I had to ask for forks because plastic silverware isn't put out with the cups and napkins. No, I don't expect plasticware to be included in an order of tacos.
Speaking of to-go, there's no bathroom and no indoor seating. The salsa cups spill quickly and are tiny: they told us we couldn't fill up in a water cup even though we wanted extra salsa.
Disappointing first-time, but if you are not a salsa fiend, you should be just fine. I'd probably go back under those conditions and if I were in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to return.
Hello food!
Yum! I ordered to go and it took forever to get our order (thus the minus one star) but the food was excellent!
I had a half order burrito dinner plate which came with a huge burrito (who needs two?) which had ground beef in it. it was so filling. It came with a huge helping of spanish rice and refried beans.
I ordered my son two tacos but they were really plain. I didn't see much inside of them except lettuce and meat. He didnt care for them too much.
My bf got two enchiladas which he tore up so I guess they were good!
I like the fact that they have ground beef to choose from. The chips and salsa are pretty good but I wish there was more variety than just two different kinds. I also wish the chips came with the meal. $3 for chips and salsa was sorta high don't ya think?
For three people to eat dinner and have chips and salsa, the bill was about 25 bucks. I think its worth it as a treat for when you don't want to cook.
Anyway, this place will fill you up but you may want to call your order in, in advance.
IF YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE WERE A FRAGRANCE, I'D CALL IT RANK: Â As a business owner, you don't have to 'right' a bad situation to make me happy, but you have to at least pretend like you care.
FREE LUNCH FOR ADMIN PRO DAY: Â Our firm ordered $153.61 of food for our office lunch celebrating Administrative Professional's Day (4/25/12). Bosses picked up the tab ~ I picked Los Ponchos. I picked them because their food is great. My one-star has nothing to do with delicious tacos. Their salsa bar leaves something to the imagination but the chicken crunchies are great!
DO YOU HATE THE EARTH?: Â I arrived to pick up the food which was all ready and asked for a cup for some salsa. (I should've brought my own container). They said I would have to pay extra for styrofoam (4 oz - 8 oz) containers but that I could fill the plastic tiny 1 or 2 oz containers... as many as I wanted for free. I told them there were 13 people and that it made more sense and was less wasteful to just give me styrofoam. We had bought a large catering-size bag of chips, after all!! But no... I sat and filled one of each their hot and mild salsa, for each person in our office: 26 CONTAINERS!!!
SOMETHING'S MISSING: Â Then, I arrived at the office to find out they forgot the chips. I called and informed them that it was too inconvenient to return that day but that I'd be back a day or two later.
FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME: Â So here we are Friday and I drive back with my fiance to get the chips for our office, and he kicks something in the parking lot as we're walking. True story - it's the KEY to Los Ponchos' front fn door!!! I'm not kidding. He locked & unlocked the deadbolt before we walked in; it worked!! This was today!!
NOTHING'S FREE: Â We asked for some free guacamole for the inconvenience of not having the chips for my staff lunch, AND having to take time out of my work day to drive back for them ANNNNNNDD for finding their key. The man helping me was nice enough and asked the owner (a rude, apathetic female) if we could have some guac. Â She said we could have a small serving of bean dip.
YOUR BEAN DIP IS TERRIBLE: Â What?!! I wanted to tell her we had plenty of left-over bean dip because it wasn't that popular! We had no interest in trying to convince them that a little customer service goes a long way.
We left -- without salsa!!! Because we again would have had to fill up all the little plastic cups. We were denied the larger containers a second time when the owner walked away from our request, mid-sentence.
RECOMMENDED COMPETITION: Â I'll never go back to Los Ponchos. I work too hard for my money to give it to this business owner. Â But just up the road (going away from P. Hill toward Pacheco, you'll find: El Grullense on the right. They're SUPER close & their soft tacos (street-style) are awesome! And you can't beat the friendly faces and smiles of the guys working there. Today was my first time there. I can't wait to enjoy their food again. I hope they enjoy my business.
OMG! potato tacos?! They are a vegetarians best friend. What an inventive idea! It is creamy potato with all of the taco fixings wrapped in a cripsy corn tortillla shell! SO good!
My co-workers are come here all the time. Not only is their mexican food AMAZING, but they are quick and efficient with both large and small orderes. PLUS-they are super inexpensive
The tacos are $1.50(and two is enough for me). If you spend more than $25 you get a free bean dip which is DELICIOUS. I would also reccommend the Taco Salad. It is filling and oddly refreshing :)
They have two salas that they make on site. a mild pico de gallo and a HOT salsa. The hot is delicious and has great flavor
the only bummer with this place is they charge for large containers of salsa. I know its onlu a few dollars but it makes me angry when we spend $100 and they can't give us a large salsa for free. It gets reiduclous when we are filling up 10-20 of the small containers of salsa. I am not sure why they do that but that is something that needs to get amended!
Guacamole is good as well
Please note that this place is just for pick up. There isn't any place to sit
This is our favorite mexican dive in the area. Beans are perfect, prices are great and the food is awesome. I took away one star because they seem to have a problem getting your order right if you need to make a special request. I am allergic to raw onions, so I ask for no salsa or pico on my burritos. 3 out of 5 times.... i have to take it back to get fixed.
One time I had taken a few bites before i hit some onions and I took it back in. The girl was kinda rude and told me that since I ate so much, she was only going to replace it with a small burrito instead of the larger one I purchased....
If you want some great mexican food at a great price... check this place out. If you need to make a special request... check your order :-)
Warning, Warning, this place is so addictive! It will leave you wanting more the next day and the next day, and the next day!!!
I have loved Los Panchos from the day I discovered it which was over 15 years ago. The quality of the food has never slipped. From when it was a hole in the wall to it's expansive new look.
The all time best is the bean, cheese, and rice burrito. You might ask yourself, "what is SO special about that?" I'll tell you...the rice is cooked to perfection, they use a Mexican cheese (not Monterrey jack), and the beans have a smooth texture. The substantial difference between all other BCRs and Los Panchos is they proportion the ingredients perfectly so each bite has all three flavors of yumminess. Add some salsa or sauce to make it a wet burrito and it is a piece of Mexican heaven.
The other dishes are fabulous too! I love their enchilada sauce. the crunchy tacos are really good but hard to eat and very messy! When you have a big appetite, the happy burrito is muy bueno!
This restaurant is to go only. If you're lucky you may find an outdoor seat or two. You can call ahead to order. The number is tatooed on my brain.
We wanted some quick food to pick up and eat in our way to Tahoe, I saw the reviews for this place and we got a happy burrito with chicken and a super burrito with beef.
The chicken had huge pieces of fat in it, I had one bite and throw it away.
The other burrito was pretty bland.
We also tried their fried bean dip and it wasn't anything special, anyways ended up throwing everything away....
For those of you looking for delicious mom & pop place, this is not one of those, looks like it's more of a huge portions, not tasty and who knows what's in the food place
THE GOOD: The size of the burritos is quite large.
THE BAD: Tasteless microwaved food. Tough bland carne asada. Salsa that tastes like Tapatio. Gummy tortillas and expensive prices. I have no Earthly idea why anyone would want to eat here (and why this place has such a high Yelp rating).
THE BOTTOM LINE: Do yourself a favor and head over to Concord (on Monument) and hit up most any of the burrito joints there.
Tried this place for the first time and would be the last time tonight!
I ordered pork enchiladas for my boyfriend (which was decent) and chile verde for me.. But instead they gave me a red sauce dish? Isn't verde means red?? Hello! My order was awful: meat is chewy and rice is clumpy. Also, chips are extra?? Their salsa bar is not a whole lot to chose from. I had to ask for lime which took forever!! NO BUENO.....NO Mi GUSTA!
Ugh, its a shame that this place can't get an order right. The food itself is really good, but the service here is just consistently bad.
How hard is it to get a burrito with no pico?? Sounds pretty simple but instead, I have received it with, no beans, or no rice, extra pico, or once, they just gave me a tortilla with carnitas in it, nothing else...so obnoxious. They take forever and are always crowded. Parking sucks.
To me, its just not worth trying anymore. Sorry Los Panchos, I really want to like you.
I did a Harbor Freight run today and decided to I drop in for lunch. Â On today's menu, a "happy burrito." Â The burrito may have been happy but I certainly wasn't. Â
The wrap job on my burrito was turrible (in my best Cleveland voice.) Â In addition to that, my burrito was constructed in a manner which allowed me to have a bite of either meat and rice or beans/lettuce/guac/sc and rice. Â There was no way to get a bite of everything without having everything spill out the side of this monstrosity. Â The cherry on top of this sad, messy, mexican "delight"? Â The tortilla wasn't even warm.
The salsa's available were neither interesting nor were they tasty, also, no chips!? Â :sad life:
If this is what people in and around Martinez call delicious, I sincerely pray for your taste buds. Â I've had better burritos from a food truck. Â I will revisit because I find it hard to believe a place so popular can serve food so terrible. Â You've got everything you need to make wonderful food here, so I don't understand what is going on. Â
P.s. I thought a "restaurant" was supposed to have indoor seating. Â (No, those park benches that serve as a waiting area don't count.)
Kudos for personality.
BLT Â Carne Asade Guacamole Fries, that's new to me.
The cashier is a champ . She had a really charming smile and seemed to be doing 10 things at once. It was impressive that she had my tedious order down pat. Â
This shop was named 2011 Small Business of the Year by The Contra Costa Business Association but it's Concord so...that doesn't really mean much to me.
Standard & Clean.
It's all good.
Cool Beans.
Black Beans.
Cheesy?
Yeah.
The Best Mexican Foods Are Nestled in A Corner, Next to a 7-Eleven
This place was Busy!!! So much traffic going in and out...I was excited because this means it must be good!!
Don't be put off by the location. Â A small/slightly dirty parking lot, bordering 7 Eleven means excellent Mexican food. Â I got a bean, cheese, rice, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole burrito. Â Hello!!! Amazing taste! You may be saying to yourself...it's just a bean burrito, how good could it be? Um...it was VERY good. Â AND, Hub ordered the combination enchilada, burrito, and chicken taco plate. Â Unfortunately for him, I got to the taco before he did. Â The chicken had delicious flavor, fresh lettuce, lots of reaaaaaaaally good cheese, not dripping with oil, it was so good! Â As for the other items in his combination, there was nothin' left on the plate. Â
Parking can be tricky, but it's worth the hassle. Â There is really no seating so make sure you grab napkins for your car because you're definitely not going to be able to make it to your house before you scarf down your food.
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero y Felicedad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero y Felicedad
I try to always celebrate my last working day of the year with my beloved Pancho.
Today, the # 23 Chicken Taco dinner with mole sauce on my rice and beans, a medium extra iced Horchata, A bag of fresh chips with 20 of the small containers of salsa on the side. Â You know the ones out in the lobby where you are to package up one or two self service to go with your meal. Â Well me? Â I make 20 of them, then pour them in a bowl when I get back to work and voila.....chips and salsa. Â Yes it is a lot of work but I save 2 bucks and I am GHETTO like that. Â YESIDID! Â And I betcha!
Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant Review
Let me start with the positive.
This is the 2nd best taco in the bay area after the "Taco Dorado" at El Faro in SF. Â The chips are usually superior and most other items on the menu are worthy. Â The Burrito is a touch to much rice and filler but not horrible. Â The salsa rivals El Faro in SF. Â (Note: Â El Faro in Martinez or Pacifica doesn't serve the best Taco, the "Dorado," and the salsa is inferior to the SF franchise.)
Negatives:
Service is horrible.  The two counter pay and pickup is absurd.  Just switching the two counters would help immensely.   The organization of labor here is horrendous  with 4-6 workstations with microwave at each.  People are randomly walking around wasting time.  Go look at the assembly line frescos by Diego Rivera in Detroit, or hire a Taco Bell manager to reorganize.  Of course, you wouldn't be attempting to match Taco Bell quality or production but the idea is still better than randomly walking about several stations in an attempt to produce a taco.  My guess they could actually triple their production speed while increasing quality (I have had several meat-light tacos cause the improperly apportioned their meat while producing a 20 taco order.)
Show up early to pay the bill? Â Be prepared to watch them walk around aimlessly looking for you bill. Â A computer order system might help out. Â
Spoon your own salsa bar is made for midgets which is universal in California at 6'6" I actually reach over the glass shield versus under cause it just too short. Â This station is a mess, always dirty, the dishing out spoons are mis-sized to the little take home cups and stirring the batch up will frequently causes spills. Â It is time for the Mexican restaurants need figure out a solution to apportioning out the salsa. Â I suggest a Daiquiri constant stirring machine with a pour spout and a pop machine like self draining grate below. You could watch the salsa levels from behind the counter too. Â The Guacamole is weak too.
Now I'm gonna put you in the pickle:
I think it's great that Los Panchos closes down for the lord Jesus Christ's Sabbath day. Â And I celebrate our Latina brothers and sisters' deep faith in a time were staying open on Sunday is the norm. Â On the other hand Los Panchos showed their hatred of this country by shutting down several years ago for the Mexican/ Latina national Strike Day. Â This protest was called for and lead by Anti-American, white hating, communist leaning organizations (read the statements by the leaders, it's all documented.)
I have not gone back to Los Panchos since they displayed their hatred of our country by participating in the strike. Â I miss the 3x a month 20 taco orders. Â Please don't tell me if El Faro went on strike too because it's my only taco left. Â Do you hate my review and want to show your support of Los Panchos and the strike? Â Chances are you probably don't support their Christian faith. Â But to show your support for their honoring the strike you have to show support for their deep deep Christian faith. Â Ahh, the dilemma is delightful. Â I made my choice. Â If they would like to display a flag in the window and say they are sorry for supporting the strike, I'd be glad to resume my patronage. Â
Until then I'll miss the tasty tacos but not the service.
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