re: TulaneLSU's 2023 Top 10 items at Pancho's Mexican Buffet

There are many new additions to the Pancho’s dining room food bar. At one time, all of Pancho’s food was along the buffet line, but over the years, they have expanded offerings of foods in the dining room. Some of the new foods there include several soups, chicharrones, a salsa bar, and a dessert bar, filled with Christmas Jello, cake, flan, and churros.







After eating 35 different items at one sitting, it is important that there be clean and open bathrooms. I can confirm that Pancho’s has not failed us in this regard. The toilet area was large and had a changing station. It was cleaner than a Bucee’s bathroom, and smelled better too. When I suggested to my server, a delightful 85 year old woman who moved slowly yet deliberately, that they put a sign above the bathroom door that read, like their exit sign, “Vaya con Dios,” she laughed. And I laughed too!



Her name was Ms. Gabriela, and she was a sweetheart. Though it took her ten minutes to come to my call when I raised the flag first, I told she need not apologize. “I am here for the entire experience, not just the food.” I then began to tell her my stories about Pancho’s. After five minutes, I offered her a seat at my otherwise empty table, but she said she was not allowed to sit with customers.



While I did not have time to share with her all my memories, I did share with her my updated Top 10 Pancho’s list, which she said she would share with the owner. I would like to share that list with you now.

TulaneLSU's Top 10 dishes at Pancho’s Mexican Buffet:

10. Chips and salsa



I do not think I ever tried the chips or salsa at the other Pancho’s, but I found them outstanding. If these were served in a trendy new Mexican restaurant, they would be hailed as excellent. Easy to overlook, they are better than any chips and salsa I have thus far had in Louisiana.


9. Taco



Much better than Taco Bell, they no longer offer just tomatoes as a topping, so it has dropped in my rankings.


8. Flauta





Faithful and reliable, this recipe has not changed. I ate four or five.


7. Pancho’s spicy coleslaw



One of the new items on the dining room food bar, the spicy cole slaw was acidic, crunchy, fresh, and hot. It went great as a topping on the tacos. And it was great as a stand alone salad.


6. Ranchero bean soup



Wow! This was like a flavorful and rich Senate bean soup from McGuire’s in Destin. A basic but entirely triumphant soup that would make a great meal on its own.


5. Chalupa



The chalupa was better than I remember. The tortilla shell was fresh and airy, crackery and with pockets of air. The fryer should get a raise.


4. Chile relleno





The recipe has not changed. How ever do they get such a yellow and puffy coating? The coating is a bit much for me, so I always remove half of it. The chile is filled with cheese, and this must carry Pancho’s highest cost to make.


3. Beef tamale



Another old standard, as a child I would usually ask the waitress to load my second plate with 12 beef tamales, one representing each of the disciples. Again, the recipe and ingredients used today are faithful to the original. Some criticize these for being dry, but I think they are excellent. Because husks slow me down, I have always preferred this non-husk tamale so as not to slow down my eating.


2. Sour cream enchilada



Until yesterday, I would have told anyone and everyone, even Ms. Gabriela, that the easy #1 at Pancho’s is the sour cream enchilada. While great, I found that some of the sour cream clumped, which detracted two points from my score. It is another classic whose taste and texture are the same today as they were in 1995.