Pancho Villas

Located at 206 West Fairfield Road in High Point (with a sister location in Winston-Salem), Pancho Villas offers Mexican cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. There is a full bar and food and drink specials change daily.

Pancho Villas is one of many Mexican restaurants to call High Point home, but its size and menu offerings help it stand out from the pack. The fact that it was moderately crowded a little past two on a Sunday afternoon speaks to its value and general competence as much as it does to its popularity.

“Big” seems to define Pancho Villas in several regards. There is plenty of parking, plenty of seating, and plenty to choose from on the menu. These offerings include the usual suspects (tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc.) as well as a few dishes I’ve yet to see elsewhere. Elote (street corn) is offered here in breaded bite form, and the menu also boasts of red snapper with diablo sauce and fried Cornish hen. From light to heavy, mild to spicy, and vegetarian to omnivorous, there seems to be something for everyone here.

The “somethings” I had occasion to try for my first visit were the aforementioned elote bites and a monster chile verde wet burrito. The former were amazing: crunch on the outside and cheesy on the inside with just a hint of sweetness. The burrito was appreciably substantial and appropriately slathered (in lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guac). The pork inside was cut in smaller pieces than typical for this dish, but it was no less flavorful. Nothing on the plate struck a false note.

For the amount of food, Pancho Villas’ pricing is more than fair. My burrito (which easily yielded leftovers) came in at $9 while the elote bites (app-sized for two) were $7. As mentioned, it was fairly busy during the visit (and therefore a but loud), but service was up to the task.

Pancho Villas is not the best Mexican restaurant I’ve encountered nor is it the most convenient, but it is a tasty, wallet-friendly option worth going out of the way for should specific cravings (a.k.a. elote bites) hit.