Ponchos Mexican Buffet Buffet
Mexican · 260 FM 1960, Humble, Texas 77338
★★★★½ 1 review(281) 446-4048
Menu Items
Reviews
-
Visit To One Of The Last Locations. Sopapillas Are Still Amazing!
An old favorite, Panchos Mexican Buffet. The last one closed in San Antonio around 2017. On a recent trip to Houston, I made a detour north to Humble, TX, a suburb of Houston, to eat at one of the last remaining Panchos locations. Panchos used to be a multi-state operation, with numerous locations in almost every major city in Texas and New Mexico. Today, only the Humble and Dallas/Fort Worth locations remain open.
When I arrived, the parking lot was nearly empty. I worried it was closed but found the doors open, with only staff visible inside. I walked to the ordering area and saw all the familiar items from my childhood (the '80s) up until they closed in San Antonio.
My first plate consisted of a cheese enchilada, a Tex-Mex enchilada, a taquito, a crispy taco, and a side of rice topped with red chile stew. At my table, I immediately ordered sopapillas—the main reason for my visit—as I remembered them being the best I’d ever had.
Sopapillas
A few minutes later, a basket of freshly made sopapillas arrived. So fresh that when I poked a hole in one to add honey, a cloud of steam escaped. They were still the best I’ve ever had, and after finishing my meal, ordered another basket for dessert. They are always fully inflated, the texture is soft and flakey, you can pop them open with a finger, yet they don't collapse. No one else makes them like Ponchos does.
Enchiladas, Tacos, Taquitos & Rice
How did the old favorites hold up? They were just as I remembered. The red chile stew seemed slightly different, but everything else remained unchanged. The cheese enchiladas, while not spectacular, were the familiar queso-style I expected, with bits of green pepper in the cheese sauce. The rice had good flavor, the taquitos were flakey & crispy with a shredded filling, and the crispy taco tasted exactly the same as remembered.
I ended up ordering another taco, and another enchilada, mainly so I could raise the flag on the table. Oddly enough, while the food isn’t the best Mexican food around, its unique flavors hold nostalgic appeal. Many of us enjoy the items despite none being extraordinary — except for the sopapillas, which remain exceptional.
The price was surprisingly reasonable. I expected the buffet cost to have doubled, but it was about $12 — a good value post-COVID inflation, as I recall prices were around $9 eight years ago and $7-8 in the '80s. Considering this, I was surprised the restaurant wasn’t busier.
The employees were super friendly, joking about me making a TikTok video as I filmed the buffet line. I chatted briefly with the waitress who made my sopapillas about how they used to give out free piñatas on birthdays. She pointed out the now-empty hooks on the ceiling where they once hung. She remarked that the explosion of fast-food options starting in the '90s probably led to Panchos' decline.
Worth Visiting Just For The Nostalgia
Overall, it was a nice trip down memory lane, bringing back memories of Friday night family dinners, meals with grandparents now gone, and gatherings with family friends. The food was decent — better than a TV dinner or Taco Bell for that matter, but not as good as an authentic Mexican or even Tex-Mex restaurants. It’s hard to classify what this style of Mexican food actually is — maybe fast-food? But I'd prefer it over Taco Bell, which costs $8-10 for just a few items these days, and if a location were open in San Antonio, I'd still eat at it ocassionally.
My real-time post to my personal Facebook account and a New Mexico group attracted many comments while I was still at the restaurant, with hundreds of likes as of today. Panchos is missed by many. So if you’re in the Houston or Dallas area, consider making a trip out to one. It may not be fantastic Mexican cuisine, but it’s a nostalgic and satisfying experience. I almost felt like I was time traveling when I sat down at my table to eat.
Ponchos Mexican Buffet (Humble TX)
Tex Mex Enchilada, Cheese Enchilada, Taquito, Rice & Red Chile.
Sopapillas
Taquitos, Flautas & Enchiladas, Chile Rellenos
The Flag! (Raise to get service)
Table
Chile Rellenos, Flautas, Rice
Dessert Bar
Calabacitas
Cheese, TexMex, Chicken, Enchiladas
Dining Area
Murals
Dining Area Murals
More Sopapillas.
Menu
To Go Prices
Catering & ToGo Counter
To Go Family Pack
To Go Party Packs
— Paul