Exploring the Neighborhood: Cancun Mexican Restaurant

This past Friday, Aaron and I needed to get some dinner and decided to go out somewhere new.  I love Mexican food and figured it was as good a time as any to try to the Mexican place in town! 

Cancun is practically within walking distance from our house.  I read some reviews online ahead of time and decided to give it a go...  Most of the reviews said it was decent Mexican for Central PA.  A few reviews mentioned that it was "pretty much an El Rodeo" which is a local chain of Mexican places; El Rodeo restaurants are pretty consistent, most meals are pretty good, and, overall, I recommend them so I figured that Cancun would work out just fine for my taste buds.

I didn't get any pictures of the interior, but it was pretty typical for a Mexican restaurant.  It had some bright colors, a decent amount of "kitchy" decor, and some banners; also, I have to note that they already had Christmas decorations up...  That said, it was a little more toned down than some of the El Rodeos in the area that I've eaten in.  More important, however, than the decor was that the place looked clean and well-kept.

As I mentioned, the reviewers had mentioned that it was "pretty much an El Rodeo" and I quickly learned how much...  Our waitress came over and plopped down two menus that said "EL RODEO" right on the front cover and the menu was exactly the same as all the other El Rodeos in the area!  Aaron ordered a Sprite and it came out in an El Rodeo cup - literally, it had "El Rodeo" printed on it!  I ordered a strawberry margarita and asked what size - small, medium, or jumbo.  I went for medium and (see the picture to the right) curious just how big a jumbo is as my "medium" was pretty "jumbo" to me!




The waitress came by with our chips and salsa (see the picture to the left) that is pretty standard fare at any Mexican restaurant.  The chips were exactly like we have gotten at El Rodeo, a little warm with a nice crisp and just the right amount of salt.  The salsa, on the other hand, was a bit different; it was hard to place what the difference was but I can say that it was a bit sweeter and I didn't taste as much cilantro.  The salsa was good (tasted nice and fresh) but just different from what I've had before.

Aaron and I didn't even get to finish our basket of chips before our food arrived.  The service was quite fast...  The restaurant was fairly busy when we were there (about 3/4 of the tables were filled) but the food arrived fast and hot.  Aaron ordered a crab quesadilla which I failed to take a photo of; he said that it was alright but didn't quite finish it so I'm guessing it wasn't all that fantastic...

I ordered the Pollo Chilango which is described as "Grilled strips of chicken over a bed of rice, covered with melted cheese. Served with guacamole salad, sour cream and three flour tortillas."  I've ordered this dish before and it's a favorite of mine so I had to try it here to compare to the other El Rodeos. 

It smelled delicious and I dug right in, forgetting to take a picture first.  However, I did remember to snap a picture after I had already eaten one tortilla (see the picture to the right).  The chicken was deliciously moist and perfectly seasoned; the cheese was melted nicely and in just the right proportion.  The guacamole salad was very fresh as well.  I must admit, I'm not sure how they really intend you to eat the Pollo Chilango, but I put a bit of everything (some chicken, cheese, rice, lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream) into the tortillas, wrap it up, and enjoy! 

Finally, the portion size of the Pollo Chilango is quite large and I'm always stuffed by the end.  On the negative side, the meal is just over $12 which is expensive to me for Mexican food...  However, there are plenty of cheaper options on the menu if that's what you are going for...

Overall, Cancun IS El Rodeo - make no mistake!  But, hey, that's not a bad thing!  We had a fairly cheap meal and the food at El Rodeo is very consistent.  I have never left an El Rodeo feeling like I could eat something else and this meal was no different.  In addition, this meal was every bit as good as the other El Rodeos I've been to.  I'm sure we'll be back and this very well may turn into one of my "standbys" (you know, the restaurants you automatically gravitate to when you decide to go out for some dinner)!