Tell me, in your opinion, what is the best Mexican restaurant in Ktown? I've tried Don Pablo's and it's fairly good, though I'd like a little more for my money and I'd like to preferably eat a more local based place rather than a chain.

Did you know Don Pablo's at Downtown west closed?

I like Pelancho's. We go there quite a bit. The people there are VERY nice, and the food is really good.

As the resident Mexican who grew up with her grandmother cooking authentic mexican and texmex foods, I would say Pelancho's is one of the best I've had. I never eat out mexican because its usually not "like grandma used to make" so I can't review many places. I think I also have enjoyed Che Guevarra (if its still open I haven't been there in forever).

Make sure there are authenitic mexicans somewhere in the restaurant. Those white-owned/run places are nasty.

I have to agree with Pelancho's as far as restaurants that are still open.

I used to love Mexicali Rose when it was open. It was the only Mexican restaurant that I could get my ex, who grew up in New Mexico, to eat at. It used to be owned by a former state trooper from that area. Needless to say, the food was quite authentic, cheap and really good. I miss the place.

I have heard that Maryville has some good Mexican restaurants, but I have personally not tried them myself, and the people that gave me the reviews are very hooked on "americanized food", so I don't know if they are actually any good or not.

I'll have to check out Pelancho's this weekend. Where is it located? I'm a big fan of authentic Mexican. I was curious what a chain like Don Pablo's had to offer, and I got just the mediocre experience that I should have expected. If I had been familiar with any of the other Mexican places in town, I would have much rather tried those out instead. There's a really nice, Mexican ran, local chain up here in Crossville called Cancun's(I think they have Harriman and Oak Ridge locations as well). The food is always primo, but if Pelancho's can beat that place I've found my new favorite restaurant. Thanks for the suggestion, guys. Also, thanks to Karla for informing an out of towner that Don Pablo's has closed down.. incase some friends try to drag me back there. It was probably for the better. lol

g0dz3lla wrote:Also, thanks to Karla for informing an out of towner that Don Pablo's has closed down.. incase some friends try to drag me back there. It was probably for the better. lol

That could be interesting considering that it is about to reopen as a nightclub. If a friend of mine is correct, the building that used to house Don Pablo's on Kingston Pike is being converted into a place called Roxy's.

shadow dancer wrote:

g0dz3lla wrote:Also, thanks to Karla for informing an out of towner that Don Pablo's has closed down.. incase some friends try to drag me back there. It was probably for the better. lol

That could be interesting considering that it is about to reopen as a nightclub. If a friend of mine is correct, the building that used to house Don Pablo's on Kingston Pike is being converted into a place called Roxy's.

Yeah, it says it'a a tapas bar and nightclub. They've put those obnoxious, neon palm trees out front.

Jason and I always said that space would make an excellent club. But, ewwwwwww........

I'll probably go to try out the food though. I'ma foodie.

ok im totally lame, but what is a tapas bar?

i mean is it supposed to sound like topless bar so people randomly wonder in looking for boobies?

tat2jay wrote:ok im totally lame, but what is a tapas bar?

i mean is it supposed to sound like topless bar so people randomly wonder in looking for boobies?

That is exactly what the men I work with thought when we were discussing it.

I'm probably not the best to describe this, but in my description, a tapas bar usually has many different things on the menu that are appetizer size, served at appetizer prices. A few of those appetizers can usually make a really good meal. Not to mention, if the people you are dining with all get different things, there are lots of different kinds of food to share.
Cha Cha's is the only other tapas bar that I am aware of in Knoxville, and I thoroughly enjoy eating there when the patio is open. I usually save that for a warmer weather place. If anyone is ever in Atlanta, they have a great one near the Buckhead vicinity called Eclipse De Luna. Some friends of mine and I went there before we hit a strip club, so I guess you could say that we went to the tapas and topless bar that night.

thanks for the info -

buckhead is to jay , as holy water is to vampires

i am more of an east atlanta type person - the earl is one of my favorite placed to hang out. period.

tat2jay wrote:
buckhead is to jay , as holy water is to vampires

Agreed on that one as far as most nightlife and restaurants go. Come to think of it, I'm that way with most of Atlanta, but one of my best friends lives there, so I end up in it from time to time. Eclipse is actually in a hidden little strip mall shopping area, so its not that obnoxious.

i'm addicted to LaCaretta. Theres one in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and of course up here in Gatlinburg.

tat2jay wrote:thanks for the info -

buckhead is to jay , as holy water is to vampires

i am more of an east atlanta type person - the earl is one of my favorite placed to hang out. period.

Yeah, Buckhead is pretty ...um...."off", but Tori took me to this GREAT place to eat there. It's called The Landmark Diner. It'a a 24/7 Greek restaurant that 's run by a bunch of old, Greek men. TONS of food, reasonable prices. *sigh* Must. Go. Back.

Ooo... I know which diner you're talking about. I ate there back in June. I went there to see VAST and some online acquaintances showed me the way afterwards.

As I understand it, a tapas bar is called that because you use a piece of bread to cover your wine glass - to keep out the flies. It's something to do with the Spanish word for top, or bread, or something like that. I don't speak Spanish, so I don't really know.

As for Mexican places, my favorite is Monterrey. It's not even remotely upscale, just good simple food. Try the Chorizo Mexicano or the Camarones Diabla if you like it hot.

It's at 105 cedar lane - just past where it changes from Merchants.

g0dz3lla wrote:Tell me, in your opinion, what is the best Mexican restaurant in Ktown? I've tried Don Pablo's and it's fairly good, though I'd like a little more for my money and I'd like to preferably eat a more local based place rather than a chain.

Without question, the best Mexican restaurant in Knoxville is Pancho's Mexican Grill here in South Knoxville. It is family owned, authentic, and the portions are very generous. I get take-out from there almost once a week, because it's only three minutes from my house.

AM

I think I found my new favorite Mexican restaurant. Me and the b/f tried out Pelancho's Sat. night before Temple. The local authentic restaurant up here is pretty good... but darn, I was impressed. The queso was el mejor. The quality and select blending of the cheeses was most apparent. The salsa was the thickest I had ever had at an authentic place. The nachos were pretty good, too. I had to try my usual dish, the Chile Colorado. The quality of the steak and the way it was chopped was superb(and was the same price as the local chain I usually go to), though the sauce could have been a bit hotter as it seems it may have had a little less pepper than what I am used to. Nevertheless, it was still a great version of the dish in comparison. The portions of beans and rice were indeed plentiful. I always order a side of queso to put on my beans and rice, but when I received the dish there was already quite a bit of queso on the beans, and nearly a solid layer seperating the rice on top of the beans. Mmm. I was tempted to order the flan for desert, but I couldn't handle it after only eating about half of my dish. Excellent food at comparable prices.

Though, Vader, I will have to try out the Chorizo or Camarones as I like it as spicy as it comes.

Am I a sell out for loving Taco Bell? I know it's far from authentic or high quality, but I love it.

Meximelts ROCK!!!!!