Paquitos

Reviews

Name: Héctor Mañón
Occupation: Student/Cook
Lives In: Hialeah
Restaurant Pick: Paquito’s Mexican Restaurant 
Reviewed Paquito’s Mexican Restaurant: 10/28/12 at 6 PM

Upon pulling in to the parking lot of Paquito’s Mexican Restaurant, I did not expect much as the exterior was simple and the logo, cartoonish. However; I was pleasantly surprised with all of the decoration and the apparent Hispanic, if not Mexican, descent of the wait staff. The restaurant was quite homey and I was seated at once. Honestly, the menu was just a tad bit busy for me but as I grew accustomed to it, I had no issues navigating through. I decided to have the sopes de chorizo to start and the mole poblano as an entrée. The small, thick tortillas were topped with refried beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, chorizo, and sour cream. I am glad my entrée came shortly after as I could have easily had more sopes! My chicken with mole poblano sauce was very tasty. The chicken? Tender. The mole? A multitude of great flavors. The veggie rice that came along with it was not a traditional pilaf and I was able to see and taste the subtle use of tomato. I had a traditional and refreshing Mexican soda to wash it all down and my crepes with Mexican cajeta (a version of dulce de leche) was a nice finish. With a final check that did not hurt my wallet much, I would definitely return and recommend it. One could not go wrong with delicious food, live music, and a great locale!

Name: Rashida Polk
Occupation: Student/Project Manager
Lives In: Jupiter
Restaurant Pick: Christopher’s Kitchen
Reviewed Paquito’s Mexican Restaurant: 10/28/12 at 2:00 pm

Paquito’s is tucked far away in the corner of a nondescript strip mall off of busy US1. From the outside, the restaurant seemed like it could hold maybe 15 tables. Once inside however, it appeared to be much larger. Instantly you get hit with the décor. Instead of the hacienda type feel some Mexican restaurants go for, Paquito’s had a sort of Cinco de Mayo on steroids feel to it. Every inch of the walls seemed to be covered in some sort of paper decoration. I We were immediately greeted by a friendly hostess and seated quickly. I did not enjoy the sort of cheap lace tablecloth decorations and the cave-like darkness of the restaurant. I wish they had a few candles or lights to liven up the scene so I did not feel I was having Sunday lunch in a wine cellar. The waitress quickly took our drink order. The sangria came in a ½ carafe at a decent price. It was not the best sangria but at the price, we complained very little. The shrimp ceviche was a little too sweet and could have used a little more acid. We devoured the chips and salsa. The salsa was perfect, not too spicy but still with enough kick, full of fresh cilantro and onion. The entrees came out quickly. The flautas were huge and not greasy and the tacos were also served in a generous portion. The refried beans tasted more authentic than what I typically find at other Mexican restaurants but the rice was very disappointing. It was a little bland and seemed to come out of a prepackaged mix. The guacamole served with the flautas was lacking in flavor as well. I scooped some more salsa over the top for a little flavor. All in all, Paquito’s seemed to be the kind of place I could kick back and enjoy some margaritas, chips, and maybe share a tamale with some friends. The food was above average but pretty standard. The prices make up for some of the low points of the meal.

Name: Jordan Acosta
Occupation: Student/ Substitute Teacher
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: Papa Piccolo’s
Reviewed Paquito’s Mexican Restaurant: 11/4/12 at 2:30 pm

I will try to write this review as objectively as possible, detailing the good and the ad when we first walked in; I was hesitant because it was very dark, especially for lunch. Darkness in restaurants is a pet peeve of mine, and it was way too dark. Luckily, we were sat in another room with a large window that let lots of natural light in. the décor of the restaurant provided for a festive atmosphere, almost like the Mexican restaurant in EPCOT. The Décor was unique. The walls and shelves are full of Mexican dolls and other souvenirs. Some people may find some o the décor elements peculiar, such as statues of saints and portraits of Jesus staring at you while you eat. Service was excellent. We didn’t have to wait long for our food.

The chip bowl was replaced just as we were finishing the first one. The staff was very attentive. I had a Beef Taco, Steak Tostada, and Refried Beans. The steak on the tostada was very well seasoned and had a nice taste to it. However, a few hours later, we both began to experience symptoms of food poisoning, my girlfriend still in agony. Sure, the restaurant is cute and the food is affordable, but after experiencing the effects of food poisoning, there is no way that I could endorse eating at this restaurant.

Restaurant Information