Pancho's Mexican Restaurant

Pancho's is consistently some of the best mex around. This has always been family owned, and other than a small lapse when Grandpa died (he ran the kitchen), you always get what you are anticipating. They make the best hard shell tacos!! Their food is so good that it's something to crave when you are in the area. It's still the same, and I have been going since I was a kid...+/- 50 years. There are no frills here and a very limited bottled beer selection. The parking lot is fairly good size, but the entrance / exit is a bit challenging. For what you get, they are very inexpensive. After getting used to $20 burger and fries at other restaurants, I am always pleasantly surprised when they bring the check. Cash only, no cards accepted and closed on Mondays.

I’ve been coming here for years, but probably not anymore. The tacos are still decent, but the enchiladas are horrendous…way overcooked hardly any sauce and they took an overcooked cheese enchilada and put shredded chicken on the top and called that a chicken enchilada. It tasted bad and it was just weird. This place used to have delicious enchiladas but not anymore. The rice and beans weren’t very good either. I probably won’t go back here.

Six of us stopped here for dinner. We were seated immediately and brought chips and salsa. The staff were all friendly and helpful. Our food was hot and plentiful.

I have been eating here for decades. The food is consistently good and so is the service. The restaurant only accepts cash so when you go be prepared.

I ordered two beef enchiladas based on the reviews, but they fell short of my expectations. The beef lacked freshness and had an unpleasant taste. While the sauce was decent, there was something off about it as well. The rice and beans did not impress me either; the rice was particularly bland and needed more seasoning. On a positive note, the service was good, but unfortunately, the meal didn't live up to what I had hoped for. I won’t be returning.

This is an old style Mexican restaurant. Been in Long Beach for years. It has a parking lot. It's crammed between a motel and a very large apartment building. The dining room is composed of booths and service was very prompt. My husband ordered a beef burrito and I had 2 chicken tacos to celebrate national taco day. I really enjoyed the food and there was a lot. The burrito had a wonderful sauce. Great place for Mexican food and we will return.

Very cozy, Excellent home cooked food just like my mom's and my Nina Teresa ❤️ The Chile Verde is on point and the hard shell tacos 🌮 👌🏽 👍🏼 😀 and the Molé ❤️❤️❤️❤️. CASH ONLY 💸 💰

Great workers! Very clean! Classic feeling. And good food! For a nice date me and my wife we paid $36 and we ate really good! It’s just she order a quesadilla and it had really big vegetables pieces. The best part she said was the tortillas chips with cheese 10/10

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, this is an original place for just that. The food is excellent, not too spicy and very tasty. Service is great with very friendly staff. No waiting. Cash or local check only, but that's ok, it's worth it. Old fashioned decor and comfortable booths.

Meatball soup tasted just like a manhattan clam chowder. Loaded with chunks of tomatoes and celery and carrots. Entrees are Cali-Mex style. Lots of sauce, no heat. I like to add hot sauce myself, so perfect. So much delicious food for not too much money. Great service and atmosphere.

So this place is a short walk from my apt. I thought it was gonna be good but it was mid at best. The rice was flavorless and a little hard. The beans were all right and the tacos were good. Not crazy about the meat being that juicy but at least they were crunchy. My girlfriend's chili verde was no where close to verde, but she ate most of it. The prices are low because they only take cash but they could add some chicken bouillon to their rice and it would be good to go.

Reminds me of college when I had little money, basic taste palette, and a big appetite for some yummy Mexican food. The prices are the best part. Hole in the wall joint with diner-esque vibes. The entrance to the restaurant will cause you to scrape your car, just the way I like it. The beans are bussin', the guac is a funny but tasty green color, and the bag of chips that give you will last you a month. The enchiladas were greasy, cheesy, and wet. I'm getting hungry again and will definitely be back!!!!! So glad this place survived Covid. We need at least 1 good, cheap, Mexican restaurants preserved in our neighborhood!

We have been coming here for years- we brought our kids and now we take the grandkids. Atmosphere is kitschy 70's but the food is the bomb. Best cheese enchiladas ever- get onions in them. Always get Melinda as our server- she remembers everything we order!!

First timer! Have driven by this place for over 20 years and finally gave it a shot; nice place, food was good and full plate and was in and out in 30 mins. FYI - cash only!

The best, Mexican food, hands-down, everything is fresh and amazing from the chips and salsa to the drinks

The food was good and plentiful. Very convenient to our hotel. It was busy but my to go order was ready when I arrived.

This is one of those old school places that to me feels like home. Cash only, their chips and salsa are delicious and the cheese enchiladas are so good. Kind people working there and fun velvet art on the walls.

We took my mother here for her birthday as she has been going here for many years. when we showed up there was plenty of open tables at 430pm. we all ordered our food & enjoyed their chips salsa with drinks, when the food came it was nice & hot and the food was delicious. My mom enjoyed having us all there eating dinner with her as we had a total of 12 people at 3 tables which was fine. by the time we were all leaving the place was filling up so the timing was good.

A go to place with consistent tasty menu. Everything is reliable and top quality. Add to the food, top notch service from smiling beautiful servers. You can do no wrong by patronizing this Long Beach institution.

It's been 50 years since I tried this place once. At the time, it was so so. But, there's been so many great reviews, we decided to try it, again. Panchos is great! Really amazing and affordable food, great service, and cozy. I can't stand of good things about this place. So happy it's as great as everyone seems to say that it is.

Dined her for lunch with a friend today. Arrived a little before noon and was pleased to see how full it was for a Wednesday. What's the draw about this place? Well, it's considered a Long Beach institution serving our area for 58 years. The charm is the original decor. Brings me back to my childhood. My meal was very enjoyable as usual: Crunchy beef taco filled to capacity and a delicious cheese enchilada smothered with a flavorful red sauce. I always enjoy their complementary chips and salsa. They just know how to make it well! The best part was my lunch was so affordable-- under $15!

Delicious Mexican food served hot. An old school restaurant that has been around for a long time and for a very good reason, great food!

Still my favorite spot in Long Beach. Rosa & Melinda are absolutely amazing. The food is delicious. Parking is easy. Service is 10/10. Chips and salsa is free - don't forget to ask for taco sauce ! && make sure you have cash, as that's the only payment option available.

I went in because I had to park in their parking lot. I alway feel guilty for doing that, don't know why. So I went in and bought a bean and cheese burrito. The reasoning for that choice is simple, I love beans, I love cheese and I was hungry! The size of the bean and cheese was the same size as a Taco Bell burrito but with tons of flavor! I will go back to try other items.

I guess it's a reason why I Never was intrigued to try it. The Restaurant is Very Old and Dated! I guess folks from 50yrs ago and the area still Support this establishment, I tried but it's a No for me. The food looked good but it tasted weird, the Red Sauce tasted weird too, Needles to say I gave my food away to a homeless person, won't be back, Not my type of Vibe, and the food is. The waitress was Nice tho

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pancho's! We have been going here for 20 years since my Hairdresser told me she drives from Mission Viejo to Long Beach (just for Mexican food) I told my husband and he said, we are only 10 minutes from Pancho's, let's try it and Dang, they have the BEST MEXICAN food . Enchiladas, Tacos, Tostadas, quacamole that are 2nd to none!! Oh yeah and the service is very good ( we always ask for our favorite, Joseph

I have been coming to Panchos ever since I was little. Almost all the servers here know me ever since I was a baby. On top of that the service is excellent and everyone is friendly. The food is always fresh and excellent every time I go here. Since this place is a well known Long Beach restaurant it gets very busy on weekends however we were seated quick for it being a Friday night. We always like going here to support local businesses which serve good food.

This little place in Long Beach as a family owned business.food was excellent will be going back

I'm being generous with 4 stars. 3 1/2 would be more like it. Standard Mexican fare. I ordered a combination plate to sample a few items. The crispy chicken taco was big, but the chicken in the taco had little flavor. Asked for a chicken enchilada, they said they could only put the chicken on top of the cheese enchilada. So the cheese enchiladas are premade? No big deal. The best thing about the plate was the enchilada sauce. Really good. Chili relleno was small with Jack cheese. I prefer the Queso fresco. Beans and rice were standard. I thought the house salsa was a little salty.

Don't understand all the amazing reviews, food is just eh. Authentic yes. Good? not really. Deluxe quesadilla is a joke having cheese chiles n raw tomatoes . Gloomy inside and servers don't really care.

They have the best crunchy tacos I have ever had! And the guacamole is amazing. I only wish the has other sauces other than just taco sauce. And the service always great. There other plates are also amazing. Love this place! The food is so refreshing! I will forever be a loyal customer

Came for lunch on Wednesday, parking lot totally full. Decided to pass. Came back Thursday for an early lunch. Plenty of parking. I always order the cheese enchilada and a salad, with a side of guacamole, best in town. Changed my order and had a bean tostada. It was so fresh and delicious. I did a togo order for dinner, cheese enchilada, with a side of guacamole and chips. Excellent service.

Favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. Family owned and operated since 1966. The crunchy tacos are excellent and the enchiladas whether chicken or shredded beef are amazing. Highly recommended if you want a true and authentic Mexican food.

This is a hidden gem that has been around for 80 years! Good food stands the test of time! The prices are right as well! Just make sure to bring cash.

This is a great casual Mexican restaurant with good food! I had low expectations going in, but I was pleasantly surprised. The service was good too! The only thing I wish is that they wouldn't spray that strong disinfectant on the tables when cleaning while people are sitting nearby (maybe spray it on the rag/towel and wipe down the table (or get a disinfectant that doesn't smell that strong)...way too strong to be smelling that while you are in the middle of a meal. Other than that, a nice neighborhood gem.

I'm not sure what happened to my review of Pancho's from before... but it's a family favorite!! A family owned joint since 1966. I've been going there since I was 2 weeks old. It was my first job in which I loved! The crunchy tacos are a solid choice. Enchiladas are great. The taco sauce is delicious. Their homemade 1,000 island is my favorite dressing! They have THE best guacamole, hands down!! Note: they are closed Mondays and are cash only.

The guacamole tacos are simply the best around! Service always fast and it's a small place with small booths, not for a big guy at all. I'll call and get mine to go every time.

not a change in ownership. still the same wonderful best mexican food there is. love it. love it.

Ambiance--Mel's Diner (in the dark, since no windows!), and right booths! Service was average, but not speedy...took a bit of time to get the bill. Also, NO Credit Cards accepted; CASH ONLY (be forewarned). As for the food--I tried the 3 hard shell crispy chicken tacos and a side salad (instead of rice and beans). It was DELICIOUS, crispity-crunchity, tender and juicy chicken chunks, and some lettuce/cheese inside (though frying them first made them hard to open and insert the toppings). Still--amazing (probably the 3rd best I've had in Long Beach!). Chips and salsa were also good--with 2 options for salsa: Pico de gallo/light-medium and a more smoky Chipotle-ish thinner sauce that really wasn't all that spicy! This was a strong 4 out of 5, but don't expect a lot from the ambiance (not Mexican, more American diner that serves Mexican), and have cash on hand. Way to go, Pancho's!!!

I once gave this restaurant a 5 star review, commenting that it had been a favorite for almost 50 years! Isn't it amazing how quickly things can change? It is my opinion the restaurant has gone to hell in the short time since the owner and founder died. A testimony how quality and service trickles down from the top. Our last three experiences in a row has been negative. The quality of food has dropped and the service has go into the toilet. This last time there, with four adults and two grandchildren, they sat us in one of the booths with the dividers. When we asked them to lower the diver they told us it was broken and couldn't be lowered. "Ok, not a problem we'll move to that one". No, that one is broken too ... in fact ALL FOUR empty booths are broken. The only one that apparently works is full of people. Understand what I am saying here ... the waitress felt it was perfectly fine that I was about to spend close to a $100 dollars CASH (since they only take cash and checks and I don't even own a checkbook), and she expects me and my wife to sit alone on the other side of a divider, from our kids and grandchildren. NEWS ALERT!!!! The entire reason for going to dinner was to spend time with my son his wife and my grandchildren. So I said we weren't going to do this. And I asked my son what he wanted to, did want to go somewhere else, or ... I was about to say, "wait for the working booth to become available?" ... but before I got out, the waitress slammed something down on the table (I think silverware) and in a disgusted tone said, "Fine, you decide and just let me know ..." and walked off. What the hell? I was not being rude to her, there was no reason for her to cop an attitude and certainly no excuse for her to walk away. The other waitress there, a young girl I never seen before was shocked as well! She just stood there like a deer in headlights watching the waitress walk away. I don't know who owns/runs Pancho's now, but you have a restaurant that was designed with those dividers ... it allowed you to have a bunch of small booths that can be made large by dropping those panels! FIX THEM! Or pull them out and go to tables and chairs And when you serve people, serve ALL the food. Not 5+ minutes between plates coming out. Use that salamander your restaurant has been using for 50 some years. And just a clue ... food plates should be hot and the salad plates cold ... not the other way around as they have been twice one past three visits. And for heavens sake, lose the waitresses that appears to not like their job anymore. I can't count how many times we haven't ate a Pancho's beca of their 'no credit card' policy and now we will NEVER go there with our kids again. There are simply too many good Mexican restaurants in East Long Beach and North OC to put up with this nonsense. In fact that is what we did, we went to another Mexican restaurant that had a booth to accommodate us, service was awesome with a smile, we we able to get a chicken quesadilla for the little one (not available at Pancho's), and hey, they have embraced the 20th and 21st century ... they took my credit card! This event happened Friday, March 31st just after 2:00 pm.

Been coming here since i was little. The guac alone is a reason it's my favorite but I also love the red taco sauce that comes with the chips. Will always have a special place in my heart!

We love this family-owned, unique cozy restaurant! The service is friendly and fun, and the food is tasty and authentic. Most importantly, the staff there makes you feel comfortable - never rushing you, and checking in just when you're ready for something. I love their chips too - fresh and crispy, and their salsa always tastes like it was just made a few seconds ago. Seriously, this place is the best. We have been coming here for over 20 years, and even moving cities we still come here!

I'm really sad that soup or salad is no longer included but is an extra surcharge. End of an era I suppose

Stick with the crunchy tacos. Believe the reviews here...

Our favorite Mexican food ever! Service is quick. Restaurant is dated, but clean. Chips and salsa are great!

It's been here forever but never tried them until a friend of mine said it's his favorite. The ambiance inside is very dated with small cramped booths. The food is very bland and forgetful. There are many better options in Long Beach for Mexican food.

If you are into crunchy shell tacos, this is the place to get them. Plenty of juicy shredded beef and yellow cheese. The salsa is simple but gets the job done. They are generous with the portions. Two tacos usually does the job for me. They also hook you up with plenty of chips and salsa. Old school spot with lots of flavor!

Pleasantly surprised. We had stopped by in the past and did not have cash on hand so bypassed. However, my daughter saw a review that the actress Tiffani Thiessen made and we decided to give it a try. Cozy establishment, quaint, and clean. The nacho chips were hot and the salsa was fresh, just the right type of ingredients. I had the Chile Colorado. It's my new favorite. I have been on a constant search to find the right flavor back to my childhood and they are extremely close. I would order again. My daughter had the carne asada. It was tender and she commented that it actually had a good taste. She's a meat connoisseur. Can drinks but that's ok, have ice and that cool with me. Our waitress was fantastic, very friendly and prompt. She was so busy with other guests and always kept up a smile. The cook should be commended he prepared some wonderful tasty food. Pay him and the waitress more. We will be back. Regretting not coming back sooner.

We've been eating here for about 10 years, and haven't had it since the pandemic- until yesterday!! The food is still absolutely incredible! Happy to see the that nothing has changed, and everything was just as delicious as I remember!

Great food and ambience, service is always good. You can drive to Tito's, and LA institution, or you can just sit here in your backyard.

Great Food! Probably the best tasting Mexican food in Long Beach. Seriously!! Very affordable also.

For a Long Beach resident, I feel ashamed to call this place authentic Mexican cuisine. First off, they did not possess beverages for my daughter. They only had soda or water. TERRIBLE!! Secondly, the foods quality was missing that Hispanic spark. The flavors were bland, especially the guacamole. Hands down, Taco Bell is 10x's better.

Favorite authentic Mexican restaurant in Cali, even wish this place was in Vegas. The tacos are great and the enchiladas whether chicken or shredded beef are amazing, the enchilada sauce is perfect too. Always great service. Highly recommend if you want true mexican food, not the americanized mexican food

Personally enjoyed the steak picado (rib-eye) plate with no beans extra rice w/ side of sour cream on the side. The staff comes often to check to make sure the entire visit is on par, plus brings water to fill empty cups. The only reason I'm knocking one star off... well the place is cash only. I'm not really that type of person who carries cash around so I have to be sure to always have cash on hand before coming here.

A long time neighborhood spot; very inexpensive, friendly servers, plenty filling but not very interesting.

Tonight 11/1/2016 I was lucky enough to eat at what the prices were in 1966. Pancho opened this restaurant 50 years ago. Yes he was attendance and he looks great for his age. I have been coming here since I was a small little girl. I remember some of the same waitresses from when I was little. I came here pregnant with my son. My mom even brought me food from here when I was in the hospital. Panchos was the first thing I ate after I had my son. My son is 10 now and loves his place. This is the best Mexican food place in all of Long Beach and the surrounding area. Everything is good here. I have grown up eating here. My mom brought me here when I was little now I take my son lots of memories were made here. Congratulations Panchos on 50 years !!! What to order ... the tacos, burritos, enchiladas everything is good but the guacamole is a MUST trust me !!!

So this place is a family tradition starting back to my grandmother. She first came here when she was working at a job near by. This was her first time having Mexican food. She was hooked. Her favorite were the enchiladas. Even though she is no longer with us, her spirit still shines. All of her kids and grandkids still go here, including me :) I love this place. Their food is delicious and authentic. I've been eating here for many years. The memories that were built here shall forever be in my heart. Thank you, Panchos, for your delicious food, hospitality and memories. The original waitresses are still here. I love that. Miss "J", I appreciate you. I'll be seeing you soon :)