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.