New Jersey Monthly
The 15 Best Restaurants in Atlantic City
August 13, 2019
“Located next to the famous White House Sub Shop, Pancho’s is an unpretentious stop for excellent Mexican eats. Fabiola Sanchez, who is Colombian, opened Pancho’s in 2006 “as a typical Mexican taqueria to serve Mexicans and Latinos who work at the casinos,” says her son, Joshua Cruz. Together, they do all the cooking “in front of our customers,” he says. Even the tortillas are cooked to order. The results are sublime: terrific tacos topped with tender chunks of brisket, or al pastor pork brightened with pineapple; and enchiladas in a mudslide of mole poblano heady with cinnamon and clove.”
Originally Published Here.
The 28 Best Mexican Restaurants in New Jersey
July 3, 2017 | Appears in the July 2017 issue
“Fabiola Sanchez, who is Colombian, opened Pancho’s in 2006 “as a typical Mexican taqueria to serve Mexicans and Latinos who work at the casinos,” says her son, Joshua Cruz, 32. Together, they do all the cooking “in front of our customers,” he says. Even the tortillas are cooked to order. That is almost unheard of, because it takes time to roll out the masa dough and cut and griddle it. But the results are sublime. Last year, chef David Chang, emperor of the Momofuku empire, visited and, in a brief review on his Lucky Peach website, called Pancho’s “the best Mexican food on the East Coast.” Cruz was unaware of the rave until we called it to his attention. (Upon reading the review, his reaction was, “Wow!”) He allowed that he “noticed more Anglos came to my restaurant in 2016,” but attributed it to earlier attention from local media. Either way, he can certainly brag about Chang to his famous next-door neighbor, the White House Sub Shop. But he’s content to keep turning out terrific tacos topped with tender chunks of brisket or al pastor pork brightened with pineapple. And his enchiladas in a mudslide of mole poblano heady with cinnamon and clove are transcendent enough to soothe even the largest casino loss.”
Originally Published Here.
