'Never enjoyed a Mexican meal as much as this one' at Señor Pancho's in Louisville

When my husband, Austin, and I walked into Señor Pancho's in Louisville on a Monday evening, I was a little surprised at how busy it was. I always expect restaurants to be pretty empty on a Monday, but there were quite a few other diners there when we arrived.

The bright yellow walls, adorned with beer signs and funny sayings, added a fun vibe to the experience. Another surprise was seeing plastic COVID barriers still in place between booths, but I understand.

Before dining out, I always like to look over the menu and have an idea of what I want to order before we arrive. I can be indecisive about food, so this helps.

Menus at Mexican restaurants are a bit overwhelming, with so many options. Señor Pancho's is no different. The menu is expansive.

This time around, I thought I’d try something I don’t usually get. I landed on the Carnitas ($12.99), which are fried pork tips, served with rice, beans, guacamole salad, pico de gallo and tortillas.

With three small, warm tortillas off to the side and a large plate full of delicious ingredients, I assembled my meal. I started with the tortilla on the bottom and topped it with refried beans, rice, fried pork tips, pico de gallo and then guacamole salad. I wrapped it all up and took my first bite.

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It was so good, so juicy and flavorful. I couldn’t get over how juicy the meat was. It’s essentially the Mexican version of pulled pork, but I enjoyed this so much more than a pulled pork sandwich. The meat tasted so juicy and a bit sweet when mixed with the other items on the plate. The refried beans had the perfect amount of cheese on top, giving it a creamy, gooey texture.

The tortillas themselves had a great flavor and were perfectly soft. They came out wrapped in foil, keeping them warm until I was ready to eat them.

When I go to dinner, I often like to order something I wouldn’t be confident making at home. It makes me appreciate the meal more. And this is definitely something that I wouldn’t be able to recreate at home.

I have never enjoyed a Mexican meal as much as this one.

I even liked the chips and salsa served before the meal. Usually, I find the chips at Mexican restaurants to be bland, and the salsa often seems watery and not very flavorful. Señor Pancho's chips were crisp and just salty enough, and the salsa had a good flavor and a nice spiciness to it. I ate much more than I usually do.

Our waiter asked if we also wanted queso for the chips, and we decided against it. I think most people add it, based on his reaction. Now I’m kind of wishing we would have tried it.

Austin tried the chimichangas ($10.99), which come with two chimichangas — one beef, one chicken — topped with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese dip and guacamole. They’re served with a side of refried beans and rice.

He said the whole meal had a nice blend of flavors, and all of the elements paired well together. He liked the chicken chimichanga a little bit more than the beef. He said it just had a better flavor. After trying some of my fried pork tips, he said the beef chimichanga tasted similar in flavor, but it wasn’t as sweet as the pork tips.

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While we were eating, a family at a table nearby was celebrating a birthday, and the crew came out to sing “Feliz Cumpleaños” (Happy Birthday) to the birthday girl. I thought that was fun.

After that, most of the other diners cleared out, and a few trickled in, as well as some people picking up to-go orders.

The restaurant is situated in a small plaza that has a few other businesses, including a My FitLife Personal Training studio. Our table was by the wall of windows, so we saw a few people sprinting by the window, doing some kind of training. We joked that we were having dinner with a show. I was glad we weren’t sitting on the patio because I think that would have been awkward to have them running by while eating.

Señor Pancho's is at 1408 N. Chapel St. in Louisville and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information and to view the full menu, visit senorpanchosoh.com.

Señor Pancho's

Taste: I loved everything. I wish we lived closer, so we could try some more items on the menu as takeout. 5/5 stars

Ambiance: The view of a parking lot isn’t the best, and the decor feels very alcohol forward. 3.5/5 stars

Service: Everyone was friendly and prompt. There were a couple mishaps with straws and silverware missing. 4/5 stars

Concept: It’s not a new concept, but the menu has a lot to choose from. 4/5 stars

Price: Prices seemed in line or cheaper than similar restaurants. Looking at our receipt, one of the meals was a special on Monday. 5/5 stars

Overall rating: 4.3 stars

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Juicy carnitas, flavorful chimichangas at Señor Pancho's in Louisville