On the road trip back from Fort Worth—still nursing the kind of stomachache only Pancho’s Mexican Buffet can give—I started thinking about Oklahoma City’s own ill-fated, imposter version of the chain.
The SW 29th Street (fake) Pancho’s never quite made it, though around Christmastime last year, it did save my holiday tamale hunt with a merciful drive-thru dozen.
Not long after, the lights went out for good.
Which brings us to today: the former (fake) Pancho’s space has been reborn as Los Compadres Mexican Food, 2741 SW 29th St. Curious if it could recalibrate my Pancho’s Mexican Buffet cravings to local tastes, I stopped in with my wife.
Definitely not a Pancho’s—the buffet or the imposter restaurant that I came to love—now it was a well-to-do taqueria. As we walked into their festive atmosphere, Los Compadres banners boasted colorful images of all the items I expected, from simple burritos to five different vehicles for steaming birria.
Seeing those menu offerings through my post-Pancho’s-Buffet glaze—and still craving more Mexican food—I set out to see how Los Compadres’ versions of those same dishes might recalibrate my palate to Oklahoma City tastes.
After considering the top three choices, I ordered our meal. While dining a la carte from a menu is pricier than going to a buffet, it’s obvious that the amount of passion in Los Compadres' fare far outweighs the amount of food one can shovel into a mouth. I'm actually relieved it's not a buffet.
With my Mexican Coke at the ready—always refreshing!—we started with the beef Rollers Plate ($11.50), or as Pancho’s called them, taquitos. Ground beef is rolled in corn tortillas, deep fried, and surrounded with shredded cabbage, green sauce, tomatoes and cheese.
Immediately I could taste the difference between handmade homemade and corporate homemade! These taquitos were crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. With the abundance of green sauce on my plate, it was comparable to Pancho’s and then some.
Next, I had the amazing Three Shredded Beef Tacos ($11.99). Three made-to-order taco shells are fried, on the spot, with a healthy amount of shredded beef filling. Garnished with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, seriously, there is nothing fast about these fast-food tacos!
Providing a down-home crunch that I had been sorely missing, these tacos were off the hook! With expertly spiced shredded beef packed in the newly fried taco shells, with only a few toppings, these tacos could take on most contenders, from OKC and beyond.
Finally, the most divisive item of my Pancho’s review—I liked them, she didn’t—were the Chili Rellenos ($12.60). This meal was a whole deal by itself, as two gargantuan chiles are filled with cheese, doused in an egg batter, deep-fried with onions, and pooled in a spicy red sauce.
Game over, man. I had a hunch their chili rellenos were going to be unforgettable simply because it actually looked like a proper chili relleno rather than Pancho’s overly-battered wonders.
My hunch gave way to certainty that it was the real deal when my wife was in love with it! Not a shadow of doubt about her or Los Compadres. With their well-hewn recipes and non-corporate feelings, I forget all about Pancho’s, the shuttered, pretender-restaurant and the defunct-in-Oklahoma buffet.
While I truly loved the Pancho’s of my youth, in my forties, I am all about the current state of authentic taquerias, both in Oklahoma and abroad. With more of Los Compadres' menu to try, you can be sure that I definitely know where the real stuff is and will keep you posted of every Mexican morsel.
Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
