Mmmm…..Panchero’s
Sara and I tend to eat out quite a bit so I thought I would comment on a few of our favorite local restaurants. I’ll start off with Panchero’s, a fast-casual Mexican food chain started in Iowa City in 1992.

Sara had to stay late after school for parent-teacher conferences twice this past week so instead of making dinner for myself I ate out at Panchero’s twice. My standard order is a pork burrito with a half-scoop of rice, pinto beans, cheese, and hot salsa. Sometimes I add sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, or extra cheese but they tend to nickel-and-dime you for the customization. I also enjoy the quesadillas but they aren’t as much food and are pretty expensive compared to what you get with a burrito. I always use the “bonus burrito card,” buy 10 and the 11th is free.

Whenever Sara asks where I want to eat for dinner I always say Panchero’s. We don’t really eat there very often together, but given a choice by myself I pretty much always pick Panchero’s. I have fond memories of eating lunch at the downtown IC location after a big engineering test or late at night after leaving the bars with friends. In Ames I ate at the original Panchero’s (now closed) when they had the really big 2-pound burritos. A new store in the modern format has since opened up near Best Buy, though I haven’t had a chance to eat there yet.

There are several comparisons with similar restaurants on the web, and there is naturally a Panchero’s index page on The Burrito Blog. I also found a page where you can buy the official employee apparel (I want one of the polos). This site has a nice writeup on the restaurant in general, and this site has a great video tour. All this talk about Panchero’s is making me hungry for another burrito.