I'm not sure why but we seem to travel in packs these days. When we were younger and working we had way fewer friends, and way fewer people we spent a lot of time with. When we had folks for dinner it was them and us - I know this to be true because the table mats I brought down were in sets of 4. We rarely ever, if ever have only another couple over, it's almost always at least 6 of us, and more likely 8.
So I think it was 12 of us converged on Padres & Grill the other night - and they handled it really well, although in typical gringo fashion we got there about 7:30 which is WAY to early for Mexicans to head out for a meal.
Jose, the owner, and his wife spent quite a few years in Irvine california and have based their business model on CalMex burrito vendors, sort of like the Chipotle chain I am familiar with, although these were not quite like Chipotle.
Tom and I did the Thursday Special which is 2 for 1 Burritos, you each choose your fillers. A wide variety of things were ordered around the table, and everyone was complimentary - there were 2 small comments; the taco salad bowl had a sort of sweetness kind of like an ice cream cone, and I thought the whole wheat tortilla was a bit doughy. When the tortilla was brought up they immediately stated that the tortillas could be cooked a bit more before stuffing. I don't think anything was said about the taco salad's tortilla shell bowl.
Everything is premade, and assembled to your choosing; white rice, black or pinto beans, 3 meat options, cheeses, creams, lettuce, and other veg choices, several salsas, guacamole... I can't remember everything.
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| everything in it's tray, covered, and fresh! |
they have can sodas, water, and premix aguas tamarindo, jamaica, and another.
Let's pause -
SPECIALS
Monday/Lunes - 2x1 Soft Tacos
Tuesday/Martes - Salad bowl 50$
Wednesday/Miercoles - Taco salad 59$
Thursday/Jueves - 2x1 Burritos
Address: Calle 43 #176 Colonia Pinzon, Plaza Altana, sort of in fraccionamiento de Montejo,
So from Centro Merida go North on calle 60/avenida Technolgico, when you see the Chedraui Norte and Mi Viejo Molino restaurant get in the left lane, at the light make the U turn and make the immediate Right turn (all this is before you get to the underpass) You should now be on the South side of Chedraui parking lot. Follow this street for a while, it changes numbers many times so giving you a number just would be too confusing. Go till you see a Pemex then beyond that a Bodega Aurrera store on the Right, the Padres and Grill is on the Left in a strip mall, didn't get the name. Plenty of parking
Hours: noon to 11pm (1200-2300)
Monday through Saturday
They offer Servicio a Domicilio 195-0243 with no disclaimer about distance, but I doubt they'd deliver to my house.
they have both facebook PadresandGrill, and twitter @PadresandGrill, but no web page.
this is a very cute place, both indoor and outdoor seating, clean, fresh, the food was good, the service was good, they handled our big group easily, and we definitely plan to go back.
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| the aftermath, unfortunately I couldn't get anyone to stop long enough to get a photo of the before! |
Also in this strip mall are quite a few other food and bev options, right next door to Padres and Grill is a little pastry/dessert/waffle/coffee shop, Cafe de Bruxelles, several in our group ordered dessert and ALL that did were well pleased if not overwhelmed with the flavors of their chosen treat.
Around on the other side is a Bubble Tea place, unfortunately for me the don't have soy milk.
OK, so many reasons to go there! Padres & Grill first, and all the other stuff to .
This is a relatively new are - and full of all sorts of new and fashionable things we are not going to get in my neighborhood