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| - After having heard many great things about Paco's, we were very excited to try it. Since moving to Charlotte from Texas several years ago, we have not found a true Tex-Mex place that comes close to the real thing. Paco's comes close, but it's got way too much "Carolina flavor" thrown in to truly call it Tex-Mex, or even Mexican, for that matter.
We went on a Friday night. Made an Open Table reservation through Yelp on the same day - super easy and convenient. When we arrived, we were seated right away at a nice window table. My 8-year old was thrilled with the kids' menu/crayon combo, and my hubby and I ordered margaritas and some guacamole to get settled in.
We made the mistake of ordering the Cadillac Margaritas, which were bright blue and way too sweet (they were on special, so we thought we'd try it). Their traditional margarita on the rocks was MUCH better!
Hands down, the BEST part of the meal was the table-side guacamole. Our waiter was enthusiastic about this, and it did not disappoint. He mixed up the guac to our specifications (chunky or smooth? spicy or not spicy?). It was perfectly seasoned and yummy to the last bite. I would go back JUST for the guacamole, it was that good.
Entrees: I am a fish taco fanatic, so I had to order the fish taco. I also got the brisket taco, upon recommendation by our waiter. My hubby ordered the steak burrito. Our son ordered the cheese quesadilla. The food arrived quickly, and was fresh and hot upon the drop. My husband loved his burrito. It was huge! The steak was tender and nicely seasoned. The burrito had a sour cream queso on top, not my hubby's cuppa tea, but he poured some of their house made salsa over it and was happy. My fish taco was supremely good - from the homemade flour tortillas to the crunchy, slightly spicy fried fish (you can also order grilled fish) and creamy slaw topping. I was very happy with this item. The brisket taco was... weird. As I mentioned, I moved here from Texas where brisket is king. So I had pretty high expectations of the brisket. I was surprised to taste something sweet in my brisket, and it was NOT a pleasant surprise. There were caramelized onions in it, and a chipotle BBQ sauce, which made the whole experience overly sticky-sweet and ruined the brisket, in my opinion. I realize that here in the Carolinas, this sort of sweetness in a savory dish is popular, so I figured the chef wanted to appeal to the regional tastebuds. I wouldn't order the brisket taco again, though. But that's because there are several other items on the menu I plan to try! My son's cheese quesadilla was as expected - my little picky eater was pleased and happily gobbled it up.
Dessert: We were stuffed, but we ordered a Trés Leches cake to go. It was perfection, even a day later after sitting in a plastic container overnight. I highly recommend you try this dessert! It's the real deal. The peanut butter chocolate pie was tempting, too.
Service and aesthetic were both excellent. The tables were a little close, and the restaurant was somewhat noisy, but that only adds to the experience.
All in all, while we did not find "the one" we've been in search of, but we were pleased and will return. My husband still favors Cantina 1511 over Paco's, but I would have to say the guacamole was so good that I would go to Paco's over Cantina any day of the week. : )
If you're in the SouthPark area, and craving Mexican, you won't be disappointed in Paco's. Just be sure to read the product descriptions so you're not surprised when your food/drinks arrive!
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