Pasqual’s

The food was average, nothing stuck out. We had the steak fajita burrito (had plenty of refried beans, but barely any steak) and the kids taquito. The rice was over seasoned and dry. We did arrive at happy hour which had nachos and marg for half price. We will continue to look for the authentic Mexican taste in Madison.

We entered as a party of 5 and the hostess did not greet us nor ask anything else as she presented a clueless stare. As I got her attention I advised that we would need a table for 5 outside. It was a glorious afternoon in Madison. We went to the patio and was greeted by a dirty wood slat table that they cleared as we waited. As we were invited to be seated, the entire party noted old food that had dropped from the table from the previous party. beneath and was smeared into the floor. Servers were pleasant but not very attentive to much but bring out the food and quickly counting their tips from the 3 other dirty tables they were clearing while we awaited service. Food arrived hot and pleasing. Tasted okay. I asked for some ketchup and then

Pasquale’s seemed worth a try after hearing about Mexican food and their half priced margarita specials. Unfortunately, the food was really nothing special. No one in my party even took any leftovers home.
I love margaritas, but the margaritas were some of the strongest I’ve ever experienced and not in a good way. For that very reason, I could see how this place would be very popular with students.

Pasqual’s was a wonderful, funky, order at the counter kind of place with very tasty food, for many years at their previous Monroe St. location. They seem to have lost something in their move to the present more upscale ambience. Gone is the deli from which you could purchase yummy guacamole and other specialties. The food is less spicy and tasty overall, and it doesn’t seem freshly made, as it used to be. My black bean soup was way over-​salted, the beans were overcooked, and no other flavors were evident. The blue corn muffin was good though. The friendly but inexperienced waiter brought my dining companion a bean burrito, instead of the beef burrito ordered, and then offered to «add beef» when this was pointed out. We had to fetch our own water, and no butter, salt or pepper was available. There are much better Mexican restaurants in Madison, like the Guadalajara, and we’ll be going there in the future.

Sunday shopping at Trader Joes and stopped in here for lunch. We were 1 of 4 tables yet service was extremely slow. We ordered nachos for an appetizer which took forever to be served. The pork carnitas were good and I liked that they used real cheese and not cheese sauce. I ordered the chicken tamale which was dried out and bland. My husband ordered a chorizo burrito but the meat didn’t taste anything like chorizo to me. Also, the rice on both our dishes was extremely spicy and there was a hair in my husband’s rice!

So, we order the chips. Not a freebies… that’s fine, but they were heavily dosed with chili powder. We wiped as much as we could off. I had the best jerk chicken burrito at Hilldale, but this was hyper shredded and then dosed with chili powder. I couldn’t taste the jerk. The side rice was overly chili powdered and inedible. If I’m craving Amer\ Mex, I’d go to Hilldale, Monroe street was a big salty, chili powder miss.

We’re in the neighborhood and went again the other night with old friends. They had a special with half price margaritas, which were delicious. Years ago, Pasqual’s was one of our go to places. Since we now live so close we’ve been back quite a few times, and the food has been good every time.

Eh. Not that great. We ended up over in the Monroe area and had actually planned on eating brunch somewhere. Well, plans changed and we were starving so there it is. Our waiter was nice, but was not impressed by the food.

Consistently good Tex Mex food and good service. My only complaint and I always say this when I go to one of the Pasquals restaurants, Is they sprinkle a red powder on the chips (that you have to buy extra which is annoying) and it tastes terrible and this time was very salty. You can ask for them to be un seasoned but its a special order that takes time. When Pasquals first opened the chips were part of the order and it was the blue corn ones that are round not triangle shaped ones like these. You can buy a bag of them in the restaurant and I sometimes do and use them at the table and take the rest home. I still love the place, especially this Monroe street location.

The food was mediocre. I have also been to the Hilldale location — which in my opinion was much tastier than here.
We were not served water until about 5 minutes after our arrival and not until after we ordered our drinks (they all came together). The waiter was very pleasant and responsive but also dropped the check off without us asking for it and even before I had finished what I was going to eat of my meal.
Overall, the experience was OK but I will not be returning to this location.

Yikes! I went to Pasqual’s with friends for dinner to catch up. The one good thing about this place is the location which is probably why they continue to stay in business. Minus the crappy parking on Monroe Street, the area is filled with local shops, coffee lounges and so fourth. Pasquals is the only «Mexican» restaurant in the area.
We started off sitting ourselves because there was no one at the hostess stand to seat us. I will give them a pass for this. While the restaurant wasn’t terribly busy, they only had 2 serves and 1 bar tender for the entire restaurant so I am understanding in this regard.
The biggest downgrade is the fact that chips and salsa are not complimentary with your meal. This was the first time I have ever gone to a sit down Mexican restaurant and not be served free chips and salsa. So, I bought an app for the table. Think it was about $ 4. Excuse me for expecting something spectacular but there was nothing special about their chips/​salsa. The salsa is basically watery tomato sauce with some chunks of tomatoes and the chips where super thin. Save your $ 4.
As for our meals, I was the only person to not send my food back due to taste. Granted it was only 3 of us but when more than one person complains about their food per table, you’ve got some serious issues. My friend who is a vegetarian stated his veggie taco had meat flavor causing us to believe they cook it on the same grill as the meat. My other friend chorizo tacos apparently tasted like they had cinnamon in it and weren’t spicy at all. I order the steak fajita burrito which was 95% filled will onions. I had to dig through my burrito like a tunnel just to get to the steak which I found clumped up at the very end. Rice and beans were very cold. My black beans looked like they had been sitting under a burners roasting for hours. I didn’t send my food back. I was just done with the entire meal. We did voice our complaints with our waitress who was very apologetic and tried to accommodate us as best as she could. For that, I was very appreciative.
I cannot justify ever dinning at Pasqual’s in the future. I really do hope management and the kitchen can get with the program and revamp their entire menu. The prices are ridiculous considering what your actually meal entails. ONE veggie taco being $ 7?! WHAT?!

I found Pasqual’s to be… average in nearly every way. Not bad, not excellent, just somewhere in the middle.
Food was OK, portions were big but the flavor was missing something. I had a burrito with the bean mash and it reminded me of the frozen mushy stuff in the frozen microwave burritos. Chips were good though, did enjoy those before the meal and my margarita was nicely made.
The atmosphere doesn’t factor into my review because I was seated next to a couple children who sounded like a cow trying to chew through a concrete block and being noisy little buttheads. I hate being sat next to children but if I choose to go to a restaurant that’s kid-​friendly there’s really no choice but to deal with it (and I know full good and well the staff are expressly forbidden from saying something to obnoxious kids or their equally obnoxious parents.) One of these obnoxious uncontrolled children ran into a server with a full tray of food and was knocked over… I’ll admit that made me happy.
I wouldn’t say no to a return trip here if somebody suggested it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it either. The food is OK, drinks are good, but it doesn’t really stick out in my mind as a place to frequent.

The costumer service is perfect and the waiters are very friendly, the food quality is really good compared with other places, but for me the best of Pascual’s are the tortilla chips that they make, and the best is that they can also be found at the grocery stores in Madison.
The location is good, because you are so close to the downtown but you can park very close to the restaurant, and nice views to the street.
Actually the best restaurant in Madison!

Perfectly OK, no better. Outdoor seating is a nice option when the weather’s nice, but even with open tables we had to wait to be seated outside (there was no wait for indoor seats). They then seated a group who came in after us first.
You can order their menu items a la carte if you want to mix and match or don’t want the sides. I was disappointed that the only seafood options were fish and shrimp tacos. Would really have liked shrimp fajitas or enchiladas. Although the slaw on the shrimp tacos is good, there’s far too much of it and not enough shrimp. The cheese enchiladas with red chile were far too salty, drowning out all other flavors.
Chips are great.

First off you have to pay for chips and salsa… what kind of Mexican restaurant charges for chips and salsa? When you ordered the $ 4 chips they weren’t even any. good. the food was mediocre at best and the worst is the double charged me for my child’s meal. We asked them to take it off the bill they said no. do not go here!!!

Bland food. Bad service.
Disgusting chips and salsa were $ 3.95. There should be no charge for chips and salsa. If there is a charge, wait staff should not be instructed to upsell it at the table.
Chocolate milk was loudly offered as an option to my son. I don’t want my son drinking nasty chocolate milk and don’t want it loudly offered.
Empty plates and glasses stacked up and were not removed.
Confusing children’s menu referred to a two quesadilla dinner option that came with a serving of chips and a children’s drink. I ordered one with extra cheese and one with chicken. A single plate was served with a huge chicken one and a huge cheese one. A lot of food for such a small plate I thought.
When the bill arrived, I was surprised to see a charge for two children’s dinners. When I asked to have it removed, I was informed that the children’s dinner includes only one quesadilla with «two flour tortillas.» I had read the menu wrong. At the time I ordered, there was no request for clarification or indication that I would be billed more than one meal. Since I had ordered two dinners by mistake, I would have expected the dinners to be served on two separate plates, with two sets of accompanying chips with two children’s drinks.

Overall, I really like Pasqual’s. First of all, my old man and I went to New Mexico on our honeymoon, so anytime I see green and red chile on a menu, I always order it. It’s nostalgic. :)
I also like that Pasqual’s is laid back, affordable, and makes hella strong margaritas. (really, they’ll knock you on your ass, so be careful)
The Monroe Street location is warm and inviting. The food is great and I appreciate the option to have smaller portion sizes. I like that I can get a filling meal for only 7 or 8 bucks. Combine that with half-​price Margaritas on Tuesdays, and you have one happy (and drunk) Elise M.
I don’t like that Pasqual’s charges for chips and salsa. It’s always bugged me! I could understand charging after the first basket or something, but the fact that they make you pay when all other Mexican restaurants in town don’t, is kind of lame. Also, some of the items on the menu are bad. For example, one time I had the black bean soup and it literally tasted like partially blended canned black beans. No flavor. Lacked salt. Gross. Another time, I had something with pulled pork that I didn’t really like. However, most times I think the food is pretty tasty and it seems fresher than the fare most other Mexican joints in town. My go-​to order at the Monroe Street branch is the chicken tamale with green chile sauce. I get the black beans and rice on the side. It’s nummy!
NOTE: I’ve been to the Hilldale location 10 plus times in the past 5 years, but I never **really** liked Pasqual’s until I tried the Monroe St. location only recently. The Hilldale one is loud and echos a lot. It always feels cold, and I seriously think the food is not as good. I actually used to somewhat dislike Pasqual’s until I went to the Monroe St one. So, if you’ve only been to Hilldale and not been impressed, then give Monroe St. a try before writing it off completely.

Here I am, sitting at a table with my buddy at this location, writing this review because we are bored. It is 6p on Sunday, and this is the worst service that we’ve had in a long time! I only see two waitress in the whole place (one is the bartender), and we need refills. By the way, they don’t have ground beef?
It’s now been 1 hour since we ordered, and nothing.
Finally got our food. Nothing special. Expected better! Took forever for our bill. We won’t be coming back anytime soon.

I’m not one to write reviews, I figure if I frequent enough it should always be the same or maybe better, not in this case. I have been to both Hilldale and Monroe many times and usually always have the Huevos Racheros, and every time I get the same response to my asking for poached eggs, «we don’t make poached eggs here.»
I don’t have a problem if it’s not listed on the menu * eggs made the way you like them* Now, it’s usually a hit or miss depending on the server, but this time just rubbed me the wrong way, and the way our server said, well you may have gotten them at another location but we don’t serve poached eggs, we only have a grill here.” What, a kitchen doesn’t have pots for boiling water?
The food was great, service was lousy, and inconsistent, and if you put a statement on your menu ALL your locations should follow suit.

A-​OK is a good way to describe this restaurant. We only go here on Mon or Tues when they have their margarita specials. The margaritas are really good, but the entrees are a little less of a good value, so it balances out.
Order the chips. They are not free, which is unusual for most Mexican places in Madison. However, the salsa is excellent. Ask for the extra hot, since you can buy the other salsas in Madison grocery stores, but not extra hot. Guac is good too, no unnecessary fillers, mostly avocado (as it should be! $ 5 house margaritas, as I mentioned before, are awesome and taste fresh.
For entrees, you typically get a lot of options with filling types (beef, chorizo, chile pork, etc), tortillas, and beans. I recommend ordering enchiladas, burritos, or fish tacos. For the other taco types (chicken, beef, etc) you can find better tacos at the little hole in the wall Mexican places in Madison.
This restaurant was a better value when it had counter service. The current waiter service does not enhance the eating experience and of course adds extra cost for the diners because of tipping. They added tipping costs but no free chips!
My advice: Go here on Mon or Tue and chill with a margarita, load up on extra hot salsa with chips, and guac.