related items
- Address:
- 6340 Ridgewood Court, Jackson, MS, 39211
- Phone:
- 601-487-8388
- Overall User Rating:
-
(0 ratings)
- Hours:
- Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.pacosmargaritas.com
Paco’s Margaritas is a fairly new establishment at the Ridgewood Court location previously home to Garfield’s and Zydeco. The owners have done a lot of updating to the site, adding festive Mexican décor, and have created a nice come as you are Tex-Mex eatery. That being said, there’s not a lot to distinguish Paco’s from most other Mexican eateries around the metro—they serve the expected dishes, and, as their name implies, a variety of margaritas.
Truly though, the Mexican restaurant experience isn’t exactly a wheel that needs reinventing—as long as the prices, service and atmosphere are agreeable, you’ve got a winner. So how does Paco’s stack up?
The food: Paco’s menu is quite different from the other local eateries as it is not nearly as expansive, which isn’t a bad thing as long as they nail what they offer.
They have appetizers of guacamole, queso, bean, spinach, and a spiced up queso dip. They come in a small and large size and of course you will be served a basket of chips with a house pico dipping sauce. We found the queso dip to be a nice thick blend that wasn’t too hot and spicy and easily used for the chip dipping. Other starters are chicken wings, cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, or a combo platter that’s great for sharing ($2.99-$7.99).
We tried the cheese quesadilla ($8.99) which was quite cheesy and large enough for a hearty meal. My dining partner decided on one of the lunch specials, Pollo Azado, a nice size chicken breast served with beans, lettuce and a choice of white or yellow queso sauce ($6.99). They offer lunch specials daily for under a $5 spot, to get you in and out quickly.
The other lunch specialties include tostados, burritos, tacos, chimichangas, enchiladas, fajitas, salads and quesadillas ($5.25-$7.99). They also offer lunch combinations with choices of beef, chicken, or cheese dishes and all are served with a choice of red rice, black or pinto refried beans.
The quesadilla offerings are cheese, fajitas, chorizo or shrimp, and salad offerings are Azteca, tuna or a regular tossed salad for a lighter meal. Nacho offerings are beef or chicken or a combination of both.
They have their own names for the specialty dishes that include steak and mushrooms, steak and shrimp, beef kabobs, and a chipotle steak that we shared on one visit that we found to have a pleasing amount of flavor ($12.99).
If you are a veggie lover you can feast on spinach, cilantro or mushroom enchiladas. If you prefer pork, they have seven pork offerings as well as chicken, shrimp and steak fajitas. If you enjoy picking a few different items check out their pick two, pick three, or pick four for a bit of all they have to offer.
Desserts can also be had of cheese cake, sopapillas, tres milk cake, churros, fried ice cream, flan or plain ice cream to end your meal with.
In all, Paco’s food is tasty and affordable but doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. In fact, it seems somewhat second banana to the establishment’s star attraction—the margaritas.
The drink: As their name implies, margaritas are the main feature of their full bar so name your favorite and they will be happy to concoct your favorite libation. They have a nice selection of domestic and import beer as well as the liquors you would be looking for in a full service establishment. A variety of soft drinks, iced tea and juices are also available.
The scene: Paco’s has a very open and airy feel to it, they have a nice outside side deck where you can eat, meet up with friends, and enjoy the good eats and drink. The staff is friendly, yet service could use a bit more experience with being able to answer questions, which should improve with a bit more time. The atmosphere is relentlessly festive, and is not for the quiet lunch or dinner time. There must be 100 televisions situated around the restaurant which makes it perfect for the sports lover, yet not conducive to easy conversation time. It is good for the party scene or the support your favorite sports team time.
The bottom line: If you think of Paco’s more as a bar that serves tasty food rather than a restaurant that serves great drinks, you might appreciate it more. As it is, we enjoyed the food on our visits but doubt Paco’s will replace our regular haunts unless we’re in the mood for knocking back a few while watching the game. If you’re looking for a quiet, relaxed meal, steer clear, but if it’s an all-out fiesta you’re in the market for, Paco’s has more than got your covered.
Add a comment
Please log in to comment