The Capital District has a host of excellent eateries, and they cover pretty much every sort of cuisine easily found in this country, as well as the entire spectra of price, classiness, and overall quality. One area in which this region is weak, though, is Mexican food—not that what’s available is bad, but there are very few options. So, when I discovered a Mexican restaurant in Clifton Park that I hadn’t been to before, I grabbed the wife, rounded up a couple of friends, and hopped in the car.

(Actually, to be honest, Mexican food was the aforementioned wife’s idea. Credit where credit is due.)

Pancho’s Mexican Cafe is located in a strip mall. Perhaps I should have taken this as an obvious hint of things to come, but I figured, hey, it’s Clifton Park—everything’s in a strip mall. So we went in.

The restaurant itself is pleasant enough—lots of tables and booths, plenty of space between tables, well-lit and clean.We were seated in a booth, our beverage orders were taken, and the first test had arrived: chips and salsa. The chips were fairly ordinary corn tortilla chips, but the salsa was pretty good—slightly spicy with a good bit of cilantro.

Our drinks came in these huge glasses—not much need to worry about refills here, though they are free for most beverages. We put in our orders—”If you’re going to review this place, we have to try the nachos”—and chowed down on chips and salsa for a short while until the nachos arrived.

This was the first inkling that maybe our meals wouldn’t be so impressive. Four and a half dollars bought us a plate not-quite-covered with a single layer of the same bland corn tortilla chips drizzled with something that we swore up and down was melted white Kraft singles, but which the menu claimed was Monterey jack. Even the “nachos” sold at my workplace’s cafeteria are better.

Well, we held on and waited hopefully for our food, which arrived quickly enough. Actually, let me take the opportunity to laud the service we got—friendly, efficient, and unobtrusive. If only what they were serving was better...

OK, I exaggerate somewhat. Certainly our meals all looked fairly good. And I really didn’t have much problem with mine (enchiladas supreme); it was merely uninspiring. Worth noting is that the chicken enchilada was actually pretty good—if you go to Pancho’s, I’d suggest trying a chicken dish.

No one else was as lucky. The vegetarian nachos ordered by my wife were covered in a mountain of unnecessary lettuce (sounds like a football penalty gone horribly wrong), and while the refried beans were OK, the cheese was the same second cousin of Velveeta that was on our appetizer. Our friends ordered “El Vegetariano” (a spinach and cheese dish) and quesadillas supreme. Both of these dishes are very heavy on cheese. Both had the same problem: Kraft-itis.

Prices at Pancho’s are typical for Mexican restaurants in this area: All of our entrees were just under $10, as was most of the menu. Steaks and seafood were a little bit more.

It’s not really a place that I would recommend, unless you go to Mexican restaurants all the time and are sick of the three in Albany, or perhaps if you live in Clifton Park and don’t feel inclined to drive very far. Either way, if you do go to Pancho’s, I’d have to say that you should ignore the advice of the American Dairy Council and forget the cheese.

Pancho’s is located on Crescent Road, just off the Northway in Clifton Park. To get there, take Route 7 west out of Troy into Latham. Take the exit for I-87 North towards Saratoga. The first exit off of I-87 will be Exit 8—take this, and turn left onto Crescent Road. At the second traffic light, turn left, and then make an immediate right into the strip mall driveway. Pancho’s will be directly ahead of you.

Editor’s Note: Have a favorite restaurant you’d like to see reviewed in The Poly? Send your suggestions to restaurants@poly.rpi.edu.