Pancheros Mexican Grill - Cedar Rapids 1st Ave

We are here at 11am. The manager was holding that place down almost by herself. She was cooking, prepping meat, training, and had to clean the press since it wasn’t done the night before. She had to put a lot of elbow grease to get it clean. I felt bad for her.
Our food was delicious. The staff was friendly and playful with us.

If the manager hasn’t gotten a raise- she needs one. She’s a huge asset to this store.

This location loaded up my burrito! I don’t get spoiled with Pancheros very often since I only come back to Iowa every few years. Got my burrito to go and didn’t eat it for 20 minutes and It was still delicious. I love the fresh tortilla. Wish they had Pancheros in more states around the US.

The Manager is the best!!! She is always killing it and truly works really hard and always makes my experience amazing!!! 100% the best service around.

We stopped at this Pancheros before going to the hospital to have baby #3! This Pancheros will always hold a special place in my heart. The people are so kind, and the food is so good. Definitely one of our favorite restaurants!

Atmosphere was a fun good vibe. The people were friendly and the service was fast. Our food was ready by the time we got there for our pick up. Good job 👏🏾

My office is very close to a different location but we choose to go out of our way to eat here instead. The employees are nice, the food is good, the place is clean, and they drain the beans/meat before adding it to your meal. Always a good experience here.

The food here is great, but I will say the staff is a bit on the less than tidy side. They don't do a very good job keeping up with cleaning as they go. But I can say I've eaten here plenty of times and never had any issues and I have a sensitive stomach. They can be pretty busy at lunch time but other than that they get you through fast. I personally think this is the best fast burrito you can get in town.

Staff (Juice) is nice. Food isn't as good as coralville store for some reason. Not sure why. Portions were smaller than normal.

It's Pancheros, come on, we all know the food is going to be good!

What's even better is the staff! Even through lunch rush or supper rush, they know how to keep their cool and help you out as much as they can. I don't think they're doing dine in at the moment, but everyone wears their masks, and they speak loud and clear over the glass while tending to you. This is why its one of my favorite places to go.

The people working there are really efficient. They were quick and accurate. The burrito I got tasted fresh and was well portioned. I also enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the restaraunt. I'll probably be back.

To me, far better than any other standard chain/fast Mexican restaurant. The fresh pressed tortillas make a huge difference, and their meats generally seem higher quality. I go almost specifically for their queso, it's literally the best.

Never had any issues at this specific location. 👍🏻

So good!!! And the staff is a lot of fun. They must have been having a great night! They joked around with the customers and themselves and kept us laughing the whole way through. I love their quesadillas with chicken and veggies. I also get some queso added on. It's great.

Always get something from my OG fresh tortilla chain!

I’ve been a fan of Pancheros since around 2000 when I frequented the location in the Ped Mall. My favorite part is the consistency, as the 1st Ave location taste just as delicious as I remember my first bite did nearly 20 years ago. Staff was friendly and fun and the experience is consistent.

6 stars if I could.

Good quick food!!

For it being my first ever experience here, it was pretty great! The food was absolutely fantastic, great prices, and most importantly the staff always had a smile while helping me with my order.

I've been coming here at a minimum monthly since 2008. Consistently good food never run into that fast food stigma of will my food be right or actually good this time. Great portions. Great employees over the years even through changes.

Always satisfied with this location. Get a double pressed burrito for a dollar more. Usually takes me 2 days to eat it. Now that I'm writing this review I would enjoy another burrito :)

My absolute favorite place to go for quick Mexican food. I have never had a bad experience with Pancheros. The meat is always freshly prepared and the veggies crisp and fresh. Good place to eat.

As I've stated about other eateries in the Marion, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City and Manchester areas my expectations have been smashed. In fairness partly due to my lack of reading the ingredients or asking the server questions.

Pancheros has boosted my spirits re-affirming you can get a very good Carnitas [pork], Carne Asada [beef] or Polo [chicken] Mexican meal.
I've visited several stores in the area all were up to the standards I'd expected. Clean fresh amply stocked ingredients were at the different stations.
First I must admit this is another one of my stable comfort foods an immensely well stuffed burrito.
Upon entering your guided by a partition towards the hot table serving area. But first you must decide on how HUNGRY you are because you must choose your flour burrito size.
Options are a 1, 2 or up to 4 press tortilla, meaning they have a warmed plated tortilla press, if you choose a double press not 1 but 2 flour pucks are placed into the press. They're heated and squeezed into one very large tortilla.
Now fill it up with black beans, rice, your choice of the 3 proteins mentioned above, cheeses, sauces, spicy salsa, mild to flaming hot sauces making this establishment a hungry man's eatery.
The orders can be for dine in or take out. I caution you seating is limited its difficult to find a table during peak times. The beverages are on a self serve basis.

All in all give Pancheros food portion to cost isn't an issue. When you can get two meals out of one its well worth the value.
Give Pancheros a whirl I don't think you'll be disappointed when you pick up and feel the weight of your 3 to 4 pound double/triple pressed stuffed burrito.

Happy Trails Folks