Taqueria Pancho Villa
San Mateo, CA
| Overall Score based on 11 reviews |
6.6 recommended |
Editorial Reviews (1)
Chris's Score: 7.5 / 10 full review...
Pancho Villa is located in downtown San Mateo. It's a great place for a group with many different tastes, but prepare to bring a fat wallet.
User Reviews (10)
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Showing 1-10 of 10 (most recent reviews shown first)
Score: 6.5 / 10 Reviewed by: GrapeSmuggler
I finally gave in and went to Pancho Villa. I have heard great things about it, and always see large lines.
I thought the burrito was good, nothing special. The food took a while to get, and there wasn't even much of a crowd. I got the Chicken (Deluxe?). The chicken had great flavor, as did all of the other ingredients. Burrito held together well, and wasn't dripping out the bottom (one of my biggest pet peaves.)
I would have to say that Pancho Villa is slightly overrated. It wasn't that it was bad, just not as good as everyone says. I definately wouldn't stand in one of those 15 person long lines you often see there.
Score: 5.5 / 10 Reviewed by: rockamole (San Mateo, CA)
As one of the few Taquerias that actually found its way into Zagat and living nearby I was honestly pretty excited to try this place. The first few times there was some good novelty value - large restaurant, many many menu choices, specifically, the 5 or so ways of preparing chicken. Having a chicken mole burrito was, I thought, a cool and not often seen choice. Then I started noticing after awhile that the meat was rather on the dry side, and the guacamole not very thick or flavorful. The pico de gallo was fine and the 10 or so choices at the salsa bar are pretty interesting but even for a "Bay Area Taqueria", albeit a highly touted one, this one seemed to have lost its edge. The aforementioned chicken mole's flavor paled in comparison to others I've had, particularly at Picante in Berkeley - I would describe it as somewhat muted. I'm sure this place will satisfy the need for a burrito fix but this is unfortunately right about there with the rest of the assembly-line burrito places that are endemic to the Bay Area. Some of the dinners, quesadillas, and enchiladas are probably fine - the corn quesadillas are real good, in fact, and of course with so many choices it makes a nice place for families to take their kids. The burritos while okay, didn't knock my socks off.
Make the trek to La Tapatia in SSF for a burrito grilled fresh with lots of flavor.
Score: 8.5 / 10 Reviewed by: neek
My wife and I used to go to Taqueria La Cumbre all the time. They were ok burritos, but whenever we walked by Pancho Villa, we saw the place was packed, so we finally decided to try it. My only regret is that we ever wasted time at other shops. The salsa bar is great, the meat is tasty and consistent every time we go there. The best bet is the Super Burrito with carne asada or spicy chicken. I'd recommend the Suiza Quesadilla with Pollo Asada (grilled chicken) if you'd like to try something a bit different. It's a great excuse to drink down a whole bunch of their salsa verde. They also have good agua fresca drinks and smoothies. The chairs are horrible, I guess they're trying to get people to leave as soon as they're done. And the bathroom... well, let's just say you should never have high expectations for a bathroom at a burrito shop.
Score: 8.5 / 10 Reviewed by: PedroReynaldo (San Mateo, CA)
I've been eating burritos for 30 years from San Jose to Marin County. I regard Pancho Villa's San Mateo store burritos as just plain excellent. Friends drive from as far as San Jose to share a burrito lunch with me here. And, the burrito is the attraction, not me! Because I live in San Mateo, I eat probably 3 dozen burritos a year at Pancho Villa. All kinds. And, I've never had an average one, much less a bad one. The ingredients are first rate and on display right in front of you. The meats are cooked behind the counter too. The burrito is assembled before your eyes; none of that back room stuff. The burritos are a good size. My chile verde pollos have been chock full of great chicken. My favorite is the al Pastor. I've tried all the meats and they've all been good. I can't remember a better salsa bar, although some outstanding hole-in-the-wall places (e.g. Estaban's in Fremont) can have a single better homemade salsa. There's a great agua fresca offering. Prices are typical and the large staff is courteous and friendly. Good people watching if you eat there. All ages, status and ethnicities. Includes a crowd of latino / hispanics to confirm your good choice. :)
On the negative side...the chips are not bad but not the best. While crunchy-fresh, they tend to be a little heavy and oily.Weekday lunch times are extremely busy and noisy; I often go for dinner instead. Seating is crowded at tiny, barely adequate tables.
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: bigcereal (Des Plaines, IL)
Its been more than 2 years since I've been here, but its a bit tight of a place but decent and clean. Burritos are ready to be made/cooked as you order, and were generally tasty - meat was good overall; steak was good, though my brother or his friend mentioned that the al pastor was the best. LOTS of ingredients to choose from that are displayed over the cook area. Good place to go for a burrito with friends... But honestly, it seems like its a bit fake somehow. Regardless, fairly recommended!
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: KinggSF
Easily my favorite Taquiera in San Mateo so far. I am surprised it is ranked so low on this website as it is always crowded no matter what time of day that you go. That has got to say something about it. Despite the crowd your food is usually prepared very quickly and in about 5 minutes you will have your food. While it is on the pricy side, the selction (all sorts of meat, beans, and salsas) and flavors are well worth it. The atmosphere is ok, the chairs (more like tiny stools) are sort of uncomfortable and I would prefer a backrest, as it is usually crowded it is not exactly a place you want to sit around for a while. I usually spend about 20 minutes here from the time I order to finishing my food.
Depending on my mood, I will usually order a super or deluxe carne asada burrito with refried beans and spicy salsa. While the food is prepared in an assembly line style the ingredients are always fresh. You can witness them cooking as you order. They are very generous with cilantro in the burrito giving a nice cool tingle to your tastebuds to counter the spicyness. The burrito is served in foil making it very easy to eat and keeping it a consitent tempratue. The biggest flaw is that the size of the burritos is inconsistent, sometimes it is really big and other times you are left dissappointed.
The strongest point is their salsas which have won numerous awards at the state fair. They range from mild to extremly spicy, all of them good, and the spicy pico de gallo is what I usually have in the burrito.
I make it a point to frequent this place as often as I can when in the peninsula as I now live in Hawaii a.k.a. the land with no mexicans and no good mexican food. Go here when in the neighborhood.
Score: 2 / 10 Reviewed by: shagnastycracker
This is as love it or hate it place... My ex-wife loved it, but I always opted to walk down the street to get a much better (in my opinion) burrito from Tres Amigos... Pancho Villa has an excellent salsa bar and great chips, but all else is absolutely terrible!! I've tried and tried, but I've never successfully found anything even remotely decent on the menu!
Do yourself a favor and avoid this joint! There are so many great burritos to be found in San Mateo, and to waste your dime here is a mistake.
I'll be generous and give Pancho Villa a 2 just for the fact that the salsa bar is decent.
Score: 5 / 10 Reviewed by: stevieg
Decent burrito but nothing to get excited about. If you like a good salsa bar then this is your place. The menu has everything under the sun but this place is always crowded and slow. Run of the mill burrito with a ton of rice. The Super Chicken Burrito was the best thing at this place and it was just better than okay.
Score: 6 / 10 Reviewed by: countz3r0 (San Bruno, CA)
First off, the Panchi Villa in San Francisco seems to definately have better food. I'm not sure what that means, but take it as you like. I had a Carne Asada Super Burrito, my usual at any burrito place. The meat was sort of cheap and not too flavorful. Size was about average, definately not small though. Very crowded during lunch hours, just like the SF location. Probably wouldn't go back there, there are better places on the same street. Good selection of salsa, with limes, those are a must at any burrito place I go to.
Score: 7.5 / 10 Reviewed by: Dylan (CA)
This is a great Mexican restaurant that offers some tasty burritos made fresh. I unfortunately don't eat beef so all I can say is that the chicken burritos are tasty although not quite as flavorful as some of the other great taquerias in the Bay Area (aka Los Charros). It's been a year since I had a burrito there but I seem to recall there being slightly too much rice. However if you want a "10" from their menu, try the chicken and avocado Mexican Cesar Salad.
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