El Palenque - Corpus Christi

Best carne guisada in the city! if they like heat, then try the carne guisada with cheese, speck, fresh seeds in jalapenos and the green hot sauce! you will not regret it!

Corpus Christi is taco land. So many tacos to be had here while everyone trying to stay unique. Last Friday we experienced La Palenque for the first time and we understood the golden reviews indeed. The tortillas were buttery soft, the barbacoa was moist, the carne guisada had great flavor, the coffee was nice and robust –we even took some home with us just as wonderful later on that night. Sigh* I digress one week later we placed a big order for what we thought would be another awesome experience but the disappointment was beyond words, still I will try because as I share this experience the owner was very nice –this morning the tortillas were hard and didn’t have that buttery flavor and they were dry and tasteless. We hailed the tortillas as the best in Corpus all week long to our friends but this was not the same this morning. The barbacoa was dry dry as a board and I am a stickler for “juicy” barbacoa –the moistness in the meat is what lends barbacoa a full bodied flavor experience, but no – not this morning. The carne guisada was in shreds like how roast gets when it sits on the warmer too long – I could have over looked that but it was bland and had no flavor. We kept putting salt and nothing would anything worthy of edible. And the green chili – I just don’t know but the chili was not even hot. We kept putting small cup after small cup and noting was helping. I did speak to one of the owners and again she was nice to deal with and she even offered half off of this experience but we are never in this area of town and the likelihood that we would be there is zip to none. Still I needed to share this because when they are “on” they are wonderful and masterful, but when they are off oh it’s not good. Once you have that great, masterful experience it should be what follows, but it was not. It’s important to know that. I highly doubt we will take the chance again there.

Get the money. eating is good and the staff is very friendly.

I have been a regular for 9 years..gave up my other morning breakfast place for Palenque on my first visit!! Perla,Nena and Esmeralda are the best! Food is great with good portions at a reasonable price and the best service hands down!! They treat and make me feel like family!! Love these people..

It’s hit or miss at this place. Tortillas were okay this time around but the carne guisada everyone raves about had and continues to have no flavor at all oh if you ask for cheese might as well not ask for any at all, you for sure get charged for it but you’ll hardly be able to tell it’s been added to your food.