Penca Restaurante

Betsy Mendoza a month ago

Not sure how this restaurant got on my radar, but we made the trek downtown from Vail to try it as we are always up for Mexican food. It is what my Hispanic husband refers to as 'fancy Mexican food'. The restaurant is very spacious with high ceilings and a nice large outdoor area for seating (not sure if it is pup friendly or not). We made a rez, but it was not necessary for an early dinner on a Thursday. We had a really nice server, Basil, who was attentive and on top of things. We ordered the Guacamole appetizer that came with 3 additional salsas, the NY strip and a fish taco with a cup of their poblano rice. The guacamole was great, as were the salsas... the spiciest one was not too over the top spicy. The chips were really good and seemed freshly made. I enjoyed my fish taco, made with Rock fish and it sat on a nice hearty corn tortilla. I call that out since many time with corn, they are so thin they fall apart. It was very good, the rice was okay and nothing to write home about as they say. My husband enjoyed his steak but he did say, while prepared perfectly, it just lacked a robust flavor (whatever that means). All in all we enjoyed our dinner, it was good. Prices are reflective of the level of restaurant... a smidge high for what you get but honestly with inflation where it is right now I totally get it. I did order a red sangria which was $14 and mostly ice so that was most definitely overpriced given the glass size.

Iing Yang a month ago

Food is super good (love the pork tenderloin and beef short rib), thus the five star. Ceviche is good too but it has way too much cilantro and we hate cilantro, so that takes some fun out it. Good food aside, they seem to be short staffed… so the service is lacking

Julie Silva 2 weeks ago

Amazing vibe and energy. Service was extremely friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious, I got a salad for lunch and it was very refreshing. I would definitely recommend for a nice lunch or a night out.

Tim Harry 6 months ago

Very dimly lit inside. The staff were very friendly though. The appetizers and cocktails were solid but didn't blow me away. The queso fundido was a bit too greasy for me. The Esquites is good. Unfortunately they were out of nopales and beef cheek tacos, so your mileage may vary on things you want to try bring available. The tacos were the star of the things we ordered though. Id come to just eat the chips and salsa and tacos.

Tiffany Turner 4 months ago

Servers are great. The ambiance is great. The food is also delicious depending on what you order and your palate for a culinary experience. It was a nice date night. Vegan, veggie options are on the menu which is a plus.