Don Pablo’s

Part of a nationwide chain, this Langhorne, Pa., eatery offers a festive spot for celebrations and a north-of-the-border interpretation of Mexican cuisine.

By: Sally Silverman

Don Pablo’s

2763 E. Lincoln Highway
(Business Route 1)

Langhorne, Pa.

(215) 269-4976
Food: Satisfactory

Service: Friendly but very, very slow

Cuisine: Casual Mexican and Tex-Mex

Prices: Inexpensive

Ambiance: Festive, family atmosphere

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Essentials: Wheelchair accessible; smoking only in lounge; Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diner’s Card, Carte Blanche accepted; take-out available; full bar.

Directions

   AUTHENTICITY has its place, but there are times when a blatant impostor is just as welcome. Faux leather in place of calfskin. Astro turf in lieu of sod. Tex-Mex instead of authentic Mexican cuisine.
   Although Don Pablo’s calls itself "The Real Enchilada," claiming authentic Mexican cuisine, in actuality, this Langhorne restaurant offers a north-of-the-border interpretation of the real deal, a colorful party atmosphere meant to evoke images of an open-air cantina on a Tijuana plaza at nightfall.
   Walk in the door and you are blasted with upbeat, Latin tunes. Walls treated to look like weathered adobe, brightly colored lights hanging from the ceiling, big palms in multicolor pots and fountains set the stage. There is even an open tortilla stand where the flat breads are made fresh. Retro laminate-topped tables with red and green leatherette chairs reinforce the cantina image. When dinner arrives, it is served on a rainbow of Fiesta ware.
   We started our own fiesta with drinks, important enough at Don Pablo’s to warrant its own menu. There is a choice of six Margaritas and a whopping nine Mexican beers, plus a selection of domestic beers and other mixed drinks. With a nod to our neighbors to the south, we ordered the Real Margarita ($6.59), described as a double shot of tequila, Cointreau and fresh-squeezed lime juice. It went down easily enough — in fact there was no alcohol kick at all — with a balance of sweet and citrus that was almost too subtle. Where was that lime juice? The zing of orange liqueur?
   In fact, the Real Margarita tasted pretty much like the preferred Margarita ($7.99), made, the menu says, with a choice of tequilas, Grand Marnier, sweet-and-sour mix and lime juice. The Real is served in a large Margarita glass. The preferred, and several other Margarita choices, comes in a 16-ounce hand-blown Mexican carafe with a chile pepper-stemmed, salt-rimmed glass on the side. Olé!
   Don Pablo’s menu is big, shiny, colorful and packed with choices: enchiladas, Mextraordinary tacos, fajitas, burritos and chimichangas. There are steak and chicken choices for the gringos, and entrée salads for the health conscious.
   Boggled by choices, our party deferred to the waitress to help us select a few starters while deciding on dinner. Unfortunately, the queso ($2.99 for the half order) and fiesta de mil sabores ($9.99) didn’t arrive at the table until well after our dinner. We had to content ourselves with the complimentary chips — white corn tortillas, crispy fried on site, and a dull, watery salsa that seemed to include little more than chopped tomatoes and a hint of onion.
   When dinner arrived, it was hefty. My flautas y taquitos ($6.99) included eight skinny rolls — four yellow flautas stuffed with chicken rancheros and four red taquitos stuffed with smoked brisket. The tortilla wrapping on both was thick and fried into a tough, hard shell. Inside, there wasn’t enough chicken or beef to offer flavor to the bite. Generous servings of refritos and Mexican rice are standard with each dinner. Alternate sides, chile mashed potatoes, carra beans, Mexican fries, grilled vegetables or salad, are also available.
   Unfortunately, the sides could not redeem the dinner. Because we had to wait so long, I anticipated piping hot food. Not so. My meal, and those of my five dining partners, was tepid, with a translucent film over the beans where they had congealed in cooler air. The beans were pale and pasty, and salty enough to keep me from taking more than one bite.
   My partner’s fajitas were a better choice. The warm tortillas, presented in a covered dish on the side of the sizzling skillet, were on the thick side, offering a pleasant chewiness. Though he had ordered the shrimp and steak combination ($12.49), the dish arrived with steak and chicken. A complaint to the waitress brought four small, skewered shrimp, which she delivered to his plate with her fingers. The platter included plenty of beef, chicken and onions, though the steak was tough and the chicken was dried out, and it was difficult to discern if the flavor was from marinating or mesquite grilling.
   The barbecued shrimp, though colored with seasoning, were equally bland. The fajita platter is served with a side of chopped tomato and shredded lettuce, grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. A scoop of guacamole, an extra, was fresh and chunky, with the pleasing, distinct taste of perfectly ripened avocado. The beef burrito ($7.79) ordered by another party member was plump with ground beef. Bland rather than spicy, as the menu indicated, it was a tastier choice, she discovered, when some guacamole, included with the platter, and sour cream were added to each forkful.
   But what about the ribs that Don Pablo’s suggests with every turn of the menu and a poster by the door? Despite the fact that they are said to be a house specialty, they were sold out. In fact, the manager told us, they sell out almost every other day. Hmm.
   When the appetizers arrived, I had a sense of déjà vu. The fiesta de mil sabores was filled with little flautas and taquitos, exactly like the ones on my barely touched dinner plate. Why hadn’t the waitress told me? It also held three fried jalapeño poppers (finally, something with a little kick!) and four little blue, crisp taco pockets filled with mildly flavored chile mashed potatoes. The warm queso dip was bright yellow, promising plenty of sharp cheese zip. Unfortunately, it was so salty any other tastes it might offer were indiscernible.
   We should have stopped there, but the dessert menu looked so inviting. We decided to share an iron skillet apple pie ($3.99), served hot in a skillet, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If the crust had been flaky to start with, it didn’t stand a chance after swimming in the brandy-butter sauce. The crust was, in fact, thick and doughy, the apples soft and watery, the sauce thin and tasteless. The coffee, however, was rich and piping hot.
   Service was bad. We waited ages for our drinks and almost an hour for our dinner to be served, despite the fact that the restaurant couldn’t have been more than a quarter full. Dessert was served while dirty dinner dishes still littered the table. Our waitress, however, was friendly and cheerful, and despite the fact that she couldn’t pronounce a number of the Mexican choices on the menu, was eager to help with our decisions.
   The staff rallies for birthday celebrations, something at which Don Pablo’s seems particularly adept. A big, embroidered sombrero is placed on the birthday honoree’s head as the staff serenades the table with a loud rendition of a happy birthday song, accompanied by enthusiastic clapping. Snap goes the Polaroid photo.
   Don Pablo’s is a chain with more than 130 restaurants across the country. Despite attempts to maintain a hands-on kitchen where the refried beans, tortillas and salsa are made fresh daily, most of the food is unmemorable at best. Looking for the Real Enchilada? Look elsewhere. But if authenticity is not a priority and a festive spot for a good time is, Don Pablo’s could be just the ticket.
For directions to Don Pablo’s, click here.