PANCHO’S
TAQUERIA
ATLANTIC CITY
Fabiola Sanchez, who is Colombian, opened Pancho’s
in ;;;; “as a typical Mexican taqueria to serve Mexicans and Latinos who work at the casinos,” says her son,
Joshua Cruz, ;;. Together, they do all the cooking “in
front of our customers,” he says. Even the tortillas are
cooked to order. That is almost unheard of, because it
takes time to roll out the masa dough and cut and griddle
it. But the results are sublime. Last year, chef David
Chang, emperor of the Momofuku empire, visited and, in
a brief review on his Lucky Peach website, called Pancho’s
“the best Mexican food on the East Coast.” Cruz was unaware of the rave until we called it to his attention. (Upon
reading the review, his reaction was, “Wow!”) He allowed
that he “noticed more Anglos came to my restaurant in
;;;;,” but attributed it to earlier attention from local media. Either way, he can certainly brag about Chang to his
famous next-door neighbor, the White House Sub Shop.
But he’s content to keep turning out terrific tacos topped
with tender chunks of brisket or al pastor pork brightened
with pineapple. And his enchiladas in a mudslide of mole
poblano heady with cinnamon and clove are transcendent
enough to soothe even the largest casino loss.—AE
2303 Arctic Avenue, 609-344-2062 ;;;
Joshua Cruz
shares cooking
duties at Pan-
cho’s Taqueria
with his mom,
who founded
the restaurant.
Top: Its now
famous tacos
include suadero
(skirt steak).
Left: Enchiladas
mole poblano
come with the
works.
