Pancho’s Taqueria
7023 Michigan Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46268
http://www.panchosmexicantaqueria.com

If I had a list of my favorite foods that I like to eat, burritos would be firmly planted towards the top.  Even a bad burrito can be palatable.  When I talk about Mexican food in Indy, I always get recommendation to go to Pancho’s Taqueria.  Indianapolis Eater already gave the Allisonville location a try and gave it a WIBIA-Yes rating.  I tried it about three years ago and it didn’t leave any lasting memories, so I thought that I would take another swing at it.

What I Ate: Lunch Special #12 – Burrito with sour cream and lettuce.  Drink was included; $7.90 with tax.

Now, this was a little misleading.  A sign on the front said they had specials from $4.99, but I didn’t see any lunch specials for that amount.  Also, the sign said that all lunch specials were served with refried beans and rice.

As you can see, no beans and rice.  When I opened my burrito, there were beans and rice inside, so I would assume that is what the sign meant?  Kind of confusing.  Pancho’s has a salsa bar with seemingly freshly made pico and four different types of salsa.  I tried the pico and the “salsa for chips.”  Looking at my plate, I thought…what am I going to do with iceberg lettuce topped with sour cream and a nasty looking tomato?  I opened the burrito and dumped it all in and with a full scoops of the above mentioned salsa.  The burrito shell was slightly grilled and made it difficult to reassemble with the increased amount of ingredients.

Pancho’s gives you the ability to choose from about seven different meats.  Normal fare includes chicken, steak, ground beef, chorizo, carnitas, tripe, etc.  The carne asada (steak) was cooked well and cut into very small pieces.  I picked a few pieces out to taste them outside of the burrito and I found it to be a little bland.  However, the meat was gristle free and had very little fat.  The beans and rice were filler.  If you have had ‘em once, I guess.  The pico brightened it up a little and the salsa made the burrito a little too runny.

Would I Buy It Again?  No. This was a boring burrito.  $7.90 for a burrito and a drink is about as much as Chipotle and I am not sure if I would pick Pancho’s over Chipotle.  For burritos or tacos, I prefer neighboring El Pastorcito or even El Taco Torro.  It wasn’t a bad burrito and you should give it a try to see if you are with the masses.  I found Pancho’s to be a step above the El Rodeo’s of the world, but a step below the burrito elite in Indy.

-Wibia

El Taco Torro
79th and Michigan
Indianapolis, IN

My first review/visit was a mixed bag.  I liked the burrito, but some of the tacos were filled with low quality meat.  At the end of the review, I didn’t think that I could give it a wibia-yes or no.  I decided to give it another try thinking that a second visit would help me make up my mind.

The chips and salsa are still pretty bad.  They give you a red salsa and a green salsa and cold chips.  At Mexican restaurants, I commonly eat so many chips that I don’t have room for my entree.  Here, I just push them aside, not worth the calories.

I ordered two chicken tacos, an al pastor taco and a carne asada burrito.   The tacos are served with cheese, lettuce and sour cream…not an authentic preparation of just cilantro and onions.  However, I liked the chicken more than the al pastor and I would say that both meats were of average quality.  They use a full-fat sour cream and it makes the tacos a little too rich for my taste.  With the sour cream and cheese, I tasted more dairy than I did meat.

Mirrored from my last visit, the burrito was slightly above average.  This version had a lot more pinto beans.  The shell was warm and there was a good meat ratio to the beans and rice.  They throw a little lettuce in for crunch.   I wouldn’t say that it is significantly better than surrounding taquerias, but for $4.99, it is a great value.

Would I Buy I Again?  I hate to say it…Yes and No.  Overall, I would give this meal a 6/10…slightly above average.

Yes: A solid burrito alternative (to Chipotle and Qdoba) on the NW Side.  Cheap.

No: All the meats are average.  I prefer neighboring El Pastorcito for tacos (directly across the street).  Chips and salsa are horrible.

I wouldn’t have any reservations visiting El Taco Torro, but at the same time, it is not my go-to taqueria in the area.

-wibia

El Pastorcito
7876 Michigan Road (Right across from El Taco Torro)
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Website

There is a ton of competition in this area for taco joints.   Head down to 71st and Michigan Road and there is a Pancho’s.  El Pastorcito is one of those places I knew existed, yet never heard anything about and after about 8 months of knowing that it is there, I made the decision to stop by.   You can get take out here or you can eat in with table service.   The staff is friendly and during my visit, there was a young kid running around that I would assume is the owner’s grandson.  Even though it is a little unorganized and has loud music, we found it to be pretty welcoming.

Menu is mostly a taqueria (tortas, burritos, etc.), but there are house specialties as well.  They had about six seafood items on the list and 8-10 options that had enchiladas, menudo, etc.  Chips and salsa will cost you about $2.00.   I say skip the chips (straight out of a bag for $1.25) and get the three sauces and get ready for your tacos.

I enjoyed the sauces, but my wife strongly disliked the red.  I thought the pico was pretty fresh for this time of year and had the reverse opinion as she did.  I liked the red and didn’t like the green sauce.

I was in a taco eating mood (as I am almost everyday) and they had some pretty off beat stuff as well as the standards, so I thought that I would give a few a try.  They were $1.65 each.  Going rate in Indy is about $1.50, so this is a few cents more.

My first bite was of the pastor.  Really good, the meat was cooked to perfection.  The only part of it that I didn’t like is that the pineapple was left in the taco.  It is layered with pineapple and onion, but you usually just get the meat with a touch of sweetness to it.  Very good though, but I am being pretty picky.

Second, I went for the goat. Wow, this was a show stopper.  Really deep flavors, and again….cooked perfectly.  If you like lamb, then you will love this.  Honestly, it tasted just like lamb to me.   The red sauce was a perfect match and I could have eaten a ton of these.   Probably one of the better tacos that I have ever had.  A+++

Third, I dug into the carnitas.  Again, the preparation was dead on, IMO.  I like it when it is a little crispy on the outside of the meat because it holds in a lot of flavor.  Very lean pieces, very tasty and some of the best carnitas in town.

So I saw brain on the menu and thought, I have never had a brain taco, so I need to check it off my list.   The taco arrived and it smelled horrible.  Wow, a really strong stench.  I took a bite and I just couldn’t eat it.  I hate really soft meat, and brain is one of them.  I am sure that it is a good version of brain, but after one bite, I was done.

My wife had a chicken burrito.  It was good, but I didn’t love the burrito as I thought that the beans and glop took away from the meat.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, oh yes. I was pleasantly surprised here.  All three meats were prepared with such care and accuracy and you just can’t help but like it.  If someone told me that they think El Pastorcito has some of the best tacos in town, I really couldn’t argue with them.    This is a really nice find on the northwest side.

-WIBIA