Panchero's

In a word: Inferior to its compadres.

The specs: #0468  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at He Said She Said, Yelp; official web site;

Greg ate the chicken burrito.
JM ate the chicken burrito.
Nichole ate the veggie tacos.
Trish ate the vegetable burrito bowl and a quesadilla.
The bill was about $30, or $7.50/person, plus tip.
Trish gave Panchero's a B-; JM and Nichole gave Panchero's a C+; Greg gave Panchero's a C (see our grading rubric).

Latest Panchero's news and reviews

When it comes to interchangeable chain burrito joints, it's all about location. Fearing a missed connection, our companions had called the Fitchrona branch of Panchero's, which was apparently packed, while here echoes bounced off the bright yellow walls of the Greenway spot.

The protocol here is identical to every other build-your-own-burrito joint. One of Panchero's many slogans is "it's all about the tortillas." We were hoping, then, that their tortillas would be better than these crepe-thin flattened flour discs. These had more to do with a Pedro'sesque automated press (oh, we'll get to that) than with good tortillas.

Nichole's tacos were OK. JM's chicken burrito was fine, though it could have used something in the neighborhood of an interesting or distinct flavor. Trish and Greg agreed that the food itself was just plain bland, even with the help of salsas and hot sauce. Not much more to say about it, especially with Burracho's literally across the street.

Another slogan plastered about the place was "Bob my burrito." None of the staff knew what "Bob my burrito" meant. We barely cared enough to Google it, but apparently it refers to the practice of mixing customers' chosen ingredients with a spatula named Bob. That and the Panchero's Hummer are about all we could see that sets Panchero's apart from its cohorts.

Comments

[Amanda]

"Bob my burrito"? Lame. Sounds like one of those slogans that didn't quite catch on... like when United Airlines was trying to launch "Ted," which I think was supposed to be their commuter network or something- get it, UniTED? But that was short-lived because it was stupid. Kind of like Bobbed burritos.

[Kyle]

I can't think about Panchero's without bursting into song--specifically, the old Suncheros jingle from Keebler.

Suncheros! Suncheros, extra crispy 'cause they're made by pequeños Keebleros!

[Jeff]

Free Burrito FAIL - they never showed up today, at least in the 15 minutes I was there

[twitter.com/pancheros]

@Kyle, sorry you missed us today! We were restricted by parking at the original location we posted. We had to move about a block down the road to find a good parking spot that would allow us to be there long enough. If we come back for free burritos hopefully it will be a better spot now that I have personally been to Madison and am a little more familiar with the area. Thanks for the feedback in the post.

-Reid
@pancheros

[JmSR]

Kyle...

You and me both.

[Ken]

These had more to do with a Pedro'sesque automated press (oh, we'll get to that)

I must have missed where you talked about it???

[JmSR]

We'll talk about it when we get to Pedro's.

[Trish]

Hi - re: the tortillas - we had high hopes that they would be great when we noticed they were pressing them before our very eyes, but they were oddly tasteless. It was a bit disappointing.

[Ken]

^^^ Thanks for the info ^^^

[twitter.com/agnesgooch]

Concur with the review of Panchero's and the general blandness. I find that their tortillas are gummy and the beef chewy. The pork is OK and the salsas are serviceable. In the build your own burrito hierarchy I'd have to rate Panchero's near the bottom.

[brad c]

I love the Panchero's in Madison. Maybe I'm just not as picky, but I go all the time. I like the whole "Bob My Burrito" thing. It does sound weird, but it is good that the burrito ingredients do get mixed up if you want it that way.