Pancho’s Mexican Buffet

FOOD

Enchiladas are a useful introduction to Pancho’s style of Tex-Mex buffet. Cheese, beef and chicken versions belong to its established repertoire, with sour-cream enchiladas also appearing in current meal accounts. The local line determines the day’s varieties; the brand name alone doesn’t settle which filling or sauce is available.

Chile rellenos deserve their own look. The stuffed-pepper preparation appears throughout the group’s published menus and in current accounts of the buffet, including Arlington’s version served with melted cheese. It brings a different shape and texture to a meal otherwise rich in folded and rolled tortillas. With its coating and cheese finish, the relleno is a good choice for anyone who comes to Pancho’s for familiar, comforting Tex-Mex.

Tacos, flautas and taquitos supply more of the crisp side of the selection. Flautas and taquitos are rolled filled tortillas, while tacos give the filling an open shell; Pancho’s lists the rolled choices separately from its tacos. Current Arlington diners still single out the flautas, and Humble’s meal accounts place them alongside enchiladas and tamales. Their appeal is the contrast with the softer, sauced dishes, rather than simply adding three more names to the same kind of mouthful.

Tamales bring corn masa into the meal and can be paired with chile sauce. Rice and refried beans provide the familiar accompaniments, substantial enough to belong with several of these dishes. Chile stew gives the selection another spoonable preparation beyond sauce over an enchilada. Humble accounts also identify green chile stew, but that local appearance shouldn’t become a promise of the same stew at every branch or at every meal.

Chips and salsa are included with the meal, and the separate salsa bar gives that part of the outing a self-serve role. The salad bar and dessert bar are included too. They sit alongside the staffed main-food line and the table’s refill service, so the buffet has several ways of supplying the meal. When you want another enchilada or relleno, raising the flag is part of the format, rather than a decorative joke on the table.

Sopaipillas are the finish most closely tied to Pancho’s own presentation. The fried pastries come with honey, giving you a simple sweet combination after the sauces, cheese and chiles. Pancho’s includes them with the meal rather than treating them as a dessert you must discover on a separate premium menu; leave enough interest for them after the savory dishes.

The separately priced takeout platters and specialty meals explain more of the kitchen’s repertoire, but they don’t automatically expand the unlimited selection. Fajitas, in particular, are advertised as a specialty with their own price. For the buffet, the worthwhile focus remains the local line of enchiladas, rellenos, tacos, rolled tortillas and tamales, followed by refills and honey-drizzled sopaipillas. It’s a specific, familiar style of Tex-Mex meal, with the day’s selection varying by restaurant.