Pancita

I was excited to find this restaurant on an Eater List but sad to say it was a disappointment all around from the moment my boyfriend and I walked in. I made a reservation for 9:15pm and we had to wait 15-20 mins for our table. They told us they could seat us at the community table next to 3 ladies (who we were told would leave within 10-15 mins or so but actually stayed just as long as us) or we could wait for a table finishing up/signing check. I made the reservation for a late Valentine's Day date so I opted to wait. The waiter at the front offered us a drink menu and we almost ordered a drink, except he never followed up about the drink menu. From the start, I was already upset that I had to wait that long for a reservation I made several weeks in advance. Before we ordered, a waitress came by to offer us water and we ordered shortly after. Every time I make a reservation, I make sure to put down allergies in the notes and they didn't acknowledge it until I brought it up. We ended up choosing the pork loin as our main dish but I wanted to sub the tortillas for rice. The waitress hesitated and informed us she would check, took the rest of our order, and never got back to us about it. We ordered 3 items: - tuna tostada 5/5 - tetela 3/5 - pork loin 3.5/5Ended up ordering a non-alcoholic drink later: - earl grey horchata 2/5 (way too sweet) Between all the dishes, the tuna tostada was our favorite. The fish was fresh and the dish itself had so much flavor. The tetelas were okay and had a little spicy kick. Texture could've been better ie crispier. The pork loin was p good and very juicy. I liked the mushrooms and the green sauce on top of the dish. The bill came out to be $100 and tbh for a place more expensive, we expected much better service than what we received. I would've expected a check up on if we wanted to order a drink while waiting for our RESERVATION, or for them to even comp a drink. Our food came out pretty slow slow while the rest of the tables around us received their food rather quickly. In addition, we ended up getting our pork loins boxed up (they box leftovers for you) and my boyfriend had to go up the counter himself to get the leftovers bc it was sitting in a bag for awhile already!! I had already signed the check and was waiting for the leftovers. Overall, we just had a poor experience and I wouldn't come back again.

No hard feelings, Seattle - but it's been a while since I've felt this way about a restaurant here. My friend was kind enough to snag a reservation for us. We knew that we wanted to try a lot of things, so we ended up ordering the following to share in order of arrival...-Serrano Caesar-Albacore Tuna Tostadas-Machete-Half Chicken and MoleThe Caesar had some nice crunch from the tortilla crisps as well as a welcomed heat that I'm not used to with Caesar salads. I liked this!The tostadas were pure umami bombs thanks to the fried leeks especially. So, so good and the reason that I've already made a reservation to come back!While I didn't quite know exactly what the machete was, the best comparison was something like a vampiro with crispy cheesy and delicious filling. Yum.The thing is... by the time the half chicken and mole arrived the three of us were pretty stuffed. We ended up taking most of the chicken to-go and just didn't have the room for dessert. When I go again, I'd probably skip the chicken in order to make room for dessert.All and all, the service was friendly and the environment was warm - like eating dinner at a friend's house. I'll be back!

Everything about Pancita was wonderful, from the service to the ambience to the food and libations. However, I think instead of "Pancita" (little tummy) it should be called "Panza Enorme" because you will want to lick every plate clean. I was so happy when I found out that this is their permanent space - they are no longer a pop-up! We ordered the chicken with black and red mole and Manila clam pozole for our main courses. Since the food was going to take about 30 minutes, the waitress suggested that we order something else to nosh on while we waited. We ordered the albacore tuna tostadas topped with frizzled leeks. My husband ordered a sort of piña colada (can't remember the name) and I ordered the passion fruit mezcalita (which was smoky and complex with the perfect balance of sweetness).If I could only eat one thing for the rest of the month, it would be those tuna tostadas. The tostada itself was wonderfully, perfectly crispy - almost Frito-like with an addictive crunch - and topped with kewpie mayo, avocado, leeks, and a squeeze of lime. It was one of the best bites I've had in years. The pozole and mole were delicious surprises. The side of rice was fluffy and flavorful. We had no business ordering dessert but we did anyway: arroz con leche with hibiscus-soaked quince and frutas con house-made apricot chamoy. Elevated. Tart. Tangy. Come with an empty stomach, the intention to have a long, leisurely dinner, and an early reservation! Even on a Sunday night the place was full. Highly, highly recommend!

If you're looking for the usual run of the mill Mexican fare, this is not the place for it. But if you want to experience elevated Mexican cuisine, Pancita is the place for you. They are a small operation and they let you know that you have the right expectations. The cocktails are innovative especially the Mezcal ones. And the food is amazing as well

From start to finish Leo, server helped us navigate the menu. Confortable, family style seating and bar. Opened with the daikon radish, rainbow veg appetizer paired with spicy pepper dip. Followed by both albacore and brisket tacos. Then we moved to the scallops smothered in a poblano, corn cheese sauce. Pork chop strips in a mushroom, spinach, salsa sauce. Dishes accompanied by fresh made tortillas, and rice. Selected the chocoflan with caramel sauce to finish the meal. Every morsel was beyond delicious.It's clear to me why Chef Janet is a James Beard nominee in the Emerging Chef category. This is a must stop on your restaurant list.

Delightful. Warm, cozy, friendly and delicious food. A bit loud but not obnoxiously so. The Serrano Caesar is outstanding, and I could live on those the pinto beans. Drinks were so inventive and fun! A new favorite.

What a great experience in all areas...food that was terrific and flavorful, service that was perfect, and an ambience that was extremely comfortable. The tables for two are large and there is plenty of room next to the other tables next to you.It is easy to see why Pancita is still scoring 5 stars on Yelp. Everything my wife and I had last night was memorable. The service by Tim could not have been better. His timing and knowledge of the menu was what perfect service is, and he had a genuine sincerity that we appreciated.We started by each having a Paloma, and they were refreshing and perfectly balanced. My wife, being a vegetarian, had Arroz and Frijoles Charros, accompanied by four, made in house tortillas. I had the Mad Hatcher 1/2 Chicken in Mole sauce. WOW!!! So much flavor and I also received four of the fresh tortillas that were simply incredible. For our meal, my wife had a Fort George IPA, and I had the El Caporal red wine, which was ideal with my chicken. We capped the excellent meal with the Chocolate Tamal, which consisted of miso caramel, whipped sour cream. (we skipped the walnuts that are typically on the dessert) Again, so full of flavor.Pancita is the kind of restaurant that you wish was in your neighborhood, as it is that good, and you want to frequent often. While it is 13 miles from home, it is a restaurant that we will revisit again soon.

We made reservations online for Saturday night which is a great tip as we saw a party of two walk in and was quoted an hour and half wait. We came 10 mins early and got seated right away. For appetizers, we got the asparagus ceviche and it was probably one of the best ceviches I ever had. It was the special of the day however they need to add this to the permanent menu if they can. The sauce was perfectly seasoned and the depth of flavors was awesome.Next, we tried the tetelas which was beautifully plated with different sauces. The tetelas was stuffed with veggies and cheese. So good! I love the house made tortilla.For our entree we got the chicken and mole which is half of a chicken so definitely a plate you share. The mole had a lot of flavors and they serve it with tortillas.For dessert, we got the fruit bowl with housemade chamoy. It was refreshing to eat at the end of the meal.Service was attentive and kind. The ambiance was cozy. We will definitely return!

Tasty, painstakingly slow service (if you're going to come, you better come with people you're excited to have conversation with), friendly service, cute cozy vibes. We were a table of four with a Saturday 5pm reservation. We ordered two cold dishes (2x dip w veggies), four garnachas (sorta like taco variants which came with two each), one entree (scallops), and two desserts (2x chocotamal).You will want to at least get a cold dish because it took forever to get the first warm dish.LOVED: albacore tuna tostado, possibly their best itemAlso great: tetelas (basically their little vegetarian quesadilla)Scallops: The best part was the very delicious and unique sauceDessert: Chocotamal (like a cake with miso caramel and what looked like marscapone but was named "amaro whipped cream). It was good, but also, you can't possibly justify paying $14 for fruit with chamoy, which was the other dessert optionJust ok: Brisket suadero tacos (decent, nothing crazy special)Meh: Sikil pak (watermelon radish salad, a dip with raw veggies! At least it came out quickly)Yikes: earl grey horchata, way too sweet

Absolutely mind blowing cuisine. I would definitely recommend bringing a friend, as the plates are more sharing sizes, but honestly the mole chicken tasted great the next day reheated in the oven. Still amazingly moist for white meat. Prompt friendly service as you would expect, and a simple ambiance, as the food is the star. I'll call out the spicy Ceasar salad as a truly unique dish that was surprising in the best way.