Ask anyone who half pays attention to the local food scene what characterizes the past year, and they might say, “Too many Mexican restaurants.” They’re not wrong, exactly. It becomes a bit numbing to keep writing that such and such spot will become yet another Mexican restaurant.
Yet, the experience of eating at most of these places is pleasurable. Mexican food is delicious and, at least theoretically, varied, even if most of these places are drawing from the same well. It works for vegetarians (mostly). It works for bringing your whole family and enjoying a margarita at the end of a long week. The audience is there. There’s a reason Athens keeps opening Mexican restaurants and, although I also want Greek and Burmese and dim sum, at least while I’m eating at a Mexican restaurant that I enjoy, it’s hard for me to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Anyway, here are two new Mexican restaurants in Athens, both of which are pretty good.
PANCHO’S TACOS AND TEQUILA (675 Pulaski St., 706-215-9579, panchostacosandtequila.com): This restaurant moved into the former Pulaski Heights BBQ, which I dearly miss. The space isn’t that different, apart from the brightly colored textiles that cover most surfaces.
The second half of the name wasn’t yet accurate when I went, but the liquor license was only days away, according to staff. But the big, pleasant patio was empty, despite gorgeous weather. It seems like the restaurant just needs to find its audience, and it should because the food is legitimately good. Digging into an al pastor taco, you’ll find not only an intense maximization of surface area for the Maillard reaction on each morsel of meat, but also tiny bits of traditional pineapple incorporated throughout. You can add cilantro and onions and salsa, but you don’t need to. The lengua is nearly as good, again really digging into exterior caramelization as its predominant flavor. Shrimp doesn’t reward that kind of sear as much and is a step down, but still tasty.
Eat in the restaurant rather than getting takeout, and it’ll become clear that the tortillas are made in-house, each one slightly imperfect and varied in thickness, but all with a beautiful chew and a waft of masa. They come on the side of many plates, including the delicious barbacoa, and it’s easy to focus on the side over the main, eagerly tearing off bits of tortilla and dunking them in the brothy refried beans or wiping the meat juices from the plate, chasing each lovely morsel. Wait a while to eat them, even if they’re wrapped in foil, and they lose this immediacy.
The empanadas are also worth your time: big, thin-skinned, extremely crisp and hot from the deep fryer, their crust puffed with oil and their tasty fillings eager to burn your tongue. Get the timing right, and it’s thrilling. If you live nearby, and you’re not going, GO. Pancho’s is open approximately 11 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, although it seems to open as early as 10 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. some days.
TRES AMIGOS (350 E Broad St., 706-215-9961, @tresamigosathens): This was less promising—designed to reach students, keeping late hours for the bar crowd downtown, occupying a space that has seen a series of places come and go. And yet it is far better than it should be or has to be, with the kitchen dialing up shots of acid to invigorate the food. You can order a plate of sliced cucumbers heavily sprinkled with Tajin and drizzled with chamoy, for example—an extremely simple side that is perfect for summer, marrying crunch, tang and vegetable sweetness. The lengua and the shrimp tacos are nicely caramelized, perky with flavor and well sized. A salsa bar near the ordering window includes limes, sliced radishes, onion, cilantro and a few piquant sauces, plus an array of bottled condiments. The bread for the tortas is briefly toasted on the griddle, but is mostly too floppy, shedding ingredients all over the place, and I’d argue in favor of more pickled jalapeños in the fillings. The al pastor is fine, but nothing compared to the version at Pancho’s. Add a side of esquites to your tacos, however, and you’ll be delighted by the kitchen’s heavy hand with the Tajin. Creamy, crunchy, salty, acidic—it’s a great snack, whether you’ve been pounding margs or not.
I’m not sure you need to go out of your way for Tres Amigos, but if you are downtown already, the service is speedy and the food plenty decent. It’s open Monday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
