Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of La Penca Mexican Restaurant, even though it’s not really a new restaurant on Park Street.
See, it began as Taqueria 3 Amigos, then became Arandas Mexican Bar and Grill (no apostrophe). However, the restaurant became confused for Aranda’s Mexican Restaurant (with apostrophe) in DeForest. So we now we have La Penca.
This is an update of my previous review of Arandas. In that first iteration, I raved about the Costillas de Puerco Salsa Verde and the tacos.
For my recent meal, I was disappointed by the carnitas taco. The meat was too dry, and the corn tortillas were so weak that they quickly broke apart. I had my eye on the tortas and wish I had ordered that instead.
Meanwhile, the Hawaiian fajitas ($18.25) dish was a mixed bag. It featured an immense portion of chicken, carnitas, steak and shrimp. I received four flour tortillas, but there was enough for at least eight servings. The chicken and carnitas were dry, the pineapple was missing and it was a little light on onions and peppers.
Next time, I’ll play it safe and reorder the Burrito Deluxe that I previously enjoyed.
La Penca Mexican Restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.
Tags: Mexican, south side
