La Penca Mexican Restaurant 1821 South Park Street, Madison, WI 53713

"First time here, will not be coming back. I was trying to figure out where to order food to-go but the server got confused. When we clarified, he started giving us attitude, gave us menus, and walked away. We were able to place an order to go and we waited 25 minutes for a taco and quesadilla! After waiting for that long, I received almost no meat in my taco."

"I’ll start with the good. The chorizo taco was good. Now for the bad… The beans had good flavor but they seemed to come from a can as there was a bit of metal in them (photo). The pastor taco definitely tasted like carne asada and it lacked flavor. The chicken enchiladas were awful. The sauce was okay but the chicken was a chunk of what seemed to be boiled chicken without any seasoning and it was only in the middle of the shells. I have no idea how this restaurant has such high reviews."

"We had tacos, pastor, steak, bbq, carnitas, and chorizo. Favorite ones where chorizo, bbq and carnitas. All great taste, authentic Mexican. Their salsas are amazing. We also got Jamaica and horchata drinks, very big glasses! Totally recommended and will come back!"

"Very good soft chicken Tacos! Fresh, flavorful and ample fillings. The second menu item was delivered as a ground beef (instead of shredded beef) quesadilla with a liquid cheese sauce (not melted cheese topping). Although still a totally edible meal, just not what was ordered or expected. Nice beer selection, all drinks seen being served looked refreshing and delicious. It was very chilly inside, the outdoor temp was 37°, and inside felt like 50°. The ambiance is definitely "hole in the wall", but it was clean in appearance. Seating was adequate and in good repair. Tables, booths in the back dining room,, and an 8-10 bar stool counter in front with a few tables & booths in smaller front entrance dining area. The cook and waitstaff know how to hustle, food was delivered within 12 minutes of ordering. The other large customer table showed the steamy hot bowls of some soups and sides of rice that were added. It looked and smelled wonderful. Will definitely return! Small parking lot, shared with ajoining business, parking might be difficult at certain meal times."