Las Pencas is Tecamachalco’s largest and best restaurant for both quality of food and variety. The owner and chef, Diego, is also an outstanding host. The wait staff is excellent.
If you walk outside the front door of Hotel Santa Julia, turn to your right and walk up the hill about one block and Las Pencas is on the left. To save yourself the walk up the hill only to find that Las Pencas is not open, it’s best to ask the front desk clerk at your hotel to telephone the restaurant to make sure it is open.
The menu includes steaks, chicken, pasta dishes, seafood, sandwiches, hamburgers, soups, queso fundido (hot cheese with flour tortillas) and salads.
*** NOTE: If you have a large team, be prepared for slower service than you may be accustomed to. With only one chef, if everyone orders a different meal it can slow down the process. Just be patient. The food is worth the wait.
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Casa Laureana – This is a relatively new restaurant in Tecamachalco and one that I can recommend without reservation. I have taken several groups to Casa Laurena and everyone has been complimentary of their food and their service. While none of the wait staff speak fluent English, they have a couple of young people who get along well enough in English to communicate. Plus, the menu contains a lot of photographs of their main dishes. Here are my recommendations:
-The steaks are excellent.
-They have excellent pasta dishes, as well.
-The make their pizza in-house and to your specifications.
-Their salads are outstanding.
-If you want bread and butter, you must ask for it.
-They also have several delicious desserts.
-If you want chips and salsa, ask for “Totopos y salsa.”Early in the evening, the restaurant is not crowded, but the later you decide to dine, the more crowded it will get. Feel free to park on the curb out in front of the restaurant.
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Te Carbón Taqueria – Fast Service now has three locations in Tecamachalco.
- Location #1 (the original) is located on the main boulevard across from the large warehouse store Bodega Aurrera.
- The second location is located on the left side of the road that you travel when driving into Tecamachalco from La Familia.
- The third location is the newest location and is farthest from the hotels. With Bodega Aurora on the left and Te Carbon (original) on the right, drive about 1-1/2-miles away from town and you’ll see Te Carbon on the right. A parking lot attendant will assist you with finding a parking space.
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Hotel del Valle has a restaurant next door that serves a variety of good food, but again, the service may be a bit slow if too many different meals are ordered.
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El Portal is a small restaurant that specializes in short orders and is located just off the zocolo (town square) in Tecamachalco. If you walk toward the zocolo from Hotel del Valle, turn left when you arrive at the zocolo. El Portal will be on the left with seating both inside and on the sidewalk. Don’t expect fast service. But the food is good. Just enjoy being in Tecamachalco and “wait.”
Roast beef tacos are Te Carbón’s speciality. For your initial order, order two roast beef tacos for everyone on your team and ask for guacamole, onions and cilantro on the side.
En Español, say: __ roast beef tacos, with or without cheese (con o sin queso), guacamole, cebollas y cilantro a parté. (a parté means on the side.)
A hot cheese dish called Queso Fundido is an American favorite, served with hot flour tortillas. Spread the hot cheese on the tortillas and enjoy yourself.
Convenience Store
Jaime’s convenience store is located on the corner across the street from Hotel del Valle. Even if you are staying at Hotel Santa Julia you’ll want to stop by Jaime’s little store for ice cream, extra bottles of water, sweets, snacks, etc. Jaime sells just about everything in his store and his store hours are very long. His wife and daughter help out in the store.