by Bottom Line: The Fish Tacos from Taco Palenque are both hefty and tasty, and their salsa bar offers plenty of options to kick them up.
For the longest time, Taco Cabana was the king of Mexican fast food (as opposed to Taco Bell’s “Mexican-inspired” variation) in San Antonio and throughout much of Texas. But these days, there’s a new chain in town named Taco Palenque, and they seem to be drawing in quite a few customers. Case in point: this past Sunday, I stopped by the Taco Palenque near me around 12:30 PM, and it was packed, with barely an empty table available, and the drive-thru had a pretty long line as well. Meanwhile, just a short distance away in the same parking lot, there were maybe two or three cars in front of Taco Cabana and none in the drive-thru when I passed by on my way home.
Taco Palenque was created by Juan Francisco Ochoa, the person responsible for the secret chicken recipe served at El Pollo Loco. The first location opened in Laredo, Texas in 2017, and the chain has since spread across the state and into Mexico. They serve authentic, “Fresh Mex” cuisine with a focus on beef and chicken fajitas and pirata tacos (which include beans, cheese, and meat). They also have a magnificent salsa bar (with free chips), which I’ll discuss further below. I’ve sampled multiple items from their menu, and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far. And just recently, they added fish tacos for the Lent season, so I decided to stop by and give those a try because I love a good fish taco. Here’s the official description: “Crispy fish stick taco in a corn or flour tortilla with cabbage and our secret special dressing topping it all”.
To start off with, this is one hefty taco. They are under-selling it by calling it a “fish stick” because the taco has two large planks of battered and fried fish, and this thing is really a two-hander. The batter has a good crunch, and the fish inside is nice and flaky. It’s not greasy at all, and it’s lightly seasoned so that it delivers good taste. The cabbage is fresh and brings some crunch, while the sauce adds some creaminess. The corn tortilla is fairly standard, but it’s up to the challenge of holding this sizeable taco together without falling apart halfway through. There’s no heat from the sauce or seasoning that I detected—not even getting the taco to Mild on my scale. But not to worry, because you just need to step over to their salsa selection to find plenty of options to kick things up.
The salsa bar has been a fixture at Taco Cabana since that chain opened back in the 1970s. But Taco Palenque has taken that to the next level, most importantly by including free chips. It has six different salsas along with sliced jalapeños, roasted jalapeños, pickled onions, fresh diced onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. You could make a meal out of the salsa bar alone, but they do prefer that you buy something first!
I’ll start with their Red Hot salsa because that’s my favorite. It’s made with dried chilis, and I assume that includes chile de árbol. It has a nice, earthy taste along with some tang, possibly from tomatoes. It also has just a touch of sweetness along with good heat, getting close to Hot on my scale. This one went really well with the fish tacos, and it will definitely kick up anything it’s added to.
Next up is the Tatemada salsa, which is made with roasted vegetables. It has a fresh taste with some sweetness and the rich flavor that comes from roasting the veggies. There’s also a hint of garlic in there, and this one gets up to Medium on my scale. It also went quite well with the fish tacos.
Then they had the roasted jalapeños (Toreados), which are cooked until they blister, and sautéed onions are included as well. Those deliver good roasted pepper flavor with a touch of smoke, and they have a hint of salt and lime too. They’re not too hot—about Mild on my scale—and these also paired well with the fish tacos. (I only ordered two tacos and wished I had ordered a third to try more of the salsas with them.)
I also tried the Pico de Gallo, which is nice and fresh, with the flavors of the tomatoes, serranos, and cilantro all coming through. That one was a little above Mild on the heat scale. The Salsa Roja is fairly standard, with good tomato taste, a touch of sweetness, and a slight kick. That one is right about Mild, and it’s a good starter salsa for those who don’t crave the hotter stuff.
The menu does not show the calorie info for the fish tacos, but they are quite hefty, so I’m guessing around 400 cals each. The salsa doesn’t add too many cals, but those chips do, so I was probably over a thousand cals total for my lunch. I headed for a siesta afterward, but then I started planning my penance in the gym!
At $9.99 for two tacos and a drink, that’s a bit on the high side for fast food. But this is high quality for a drive-thru joint, and when you factor in the chips and salsa, I did okay. You’ll pay a little more at Taco Palenque than you will at Taco Cabana and even some hole-in-the-wall places. But the food is definitely worth it, as is the salsa bar. Somehow, this is only the first review I’ve posted for Taco Palenque, but I’m planning to make this place a regular stop. They have a few items that look like they deliver a kick—especially their enchilada selections. So stay tuned as I take a deeper dive into their menu! You can check for a location near you at the website.
