No. 12 Sofa de Pancho

Mexican cuisine creates certain expectations itself. These expectations have been satisfied by Sofa de Pancho for four years in a row, each year making it even more successful. So far, no other restaurant specialising in the Mexican cuisine managed to overtake them.

The manager of the restaurant Diana knows Mexico and its tastes perfectly well. She lived there for 3 years and still keeps travelling around this country, communicating with the locals and bringing increasingly more inspiration, ideas and warmth to Lithuania.

Diana could speak long hours about the Mexican culture, its cuisine, in particular. Permanent clients got used to the restaurant – people often do not read menu, any member of the Sofa de Pancho staff can explain it in detail.

The entire team of the restaurant is like a family. Sofa de Pancho is a wonderful example of how a family restaurant has to operate: cosy, unique, delicious; the notion of family encompasses a lot. Family in this restaurant is everyone that is part of Sofa de Pancho.

DINNER.

Typical for a Mexico-inspired menu, the restaurant has meat, fish and seafood dishes prevailing, a number of sauces made of fresh vegetables, chilli pepper, coriander, and, of course, corn tortillas. With regard to the Mexican cuisine, a number of different constituents of a dish provide an opportunity to try a variety of tastes.

The restaurant updates its menu twice a year, but offers a specialty of the day on a daily basis which is not included on the menu. There are also some dishes that are constantly on the menu. Mexico would be no Mexico without them, and a restaurant could not call itself inspired by Mexico if they were not on the menu.

Among these “steadfast” dishes on the Sofa de Pancho menu are chilli curry, nachos (almost every guest of the restaurant orders them as a starter) and tacos.

MYTH.

It is myth that the Mexican cuisine is spicy. It is not the most distinct feature of this cuisine. Besides, dishes are as spicy as the diner desires. For instance, tacos in the restaurant, just like in Mexico, are most often served with a number of different sauces and spreads which are chosen by the diner and portioned as desired.

INGREDIENTS.

Since the restaurant is not far from the market of Halės, the day in a restaurant starts in the market in search of the freshest products. Naturally, a restaurant of a foreign cuisine has to import some products. In this way, the owners also bring more tequila, tortillas, beer syrups, juice and other original Mexican products with them so that those who want could buy some and try at home.

BEVERAGE CARD.

Although most of beverages in the card are wines, the queen of all beverages on the Sofa de Pancho beverage card is tequila. Much of attention is devoted to beer as well. Owners import about 10 different types of Mexican beer. For instance, corn lager Pancho.

Tequila is of course in demand. Besides, guests can also try a local dessert. Before, the restaurant had about 100 types of tequila and 10 different types of mescal. Today the choice is smaller but still impressive. Tequila is drunk without salt in this restaurant (it seems, it is not authentic at all) but a slice of citrus fruit can be bitten.

Apart from tequila, mescal and beer, the restaurant offers excellent cocktails and sangria. They are especially popular in summer.

INTERIOR DESIGN.

The interior of the restaurant, as usual for a family restaurant, was created by the owners using their imagination, travel discoveries and friends’ talent. The hosts of the restaurants made their bar from an antiquarian bookshelf, and bought a heater from the local prominent Vilnius artist.

Once you enter the restaurant, it is hard not to notice a vivid picture on the wall. It occurs that as many as 10 people created this picture. If you look at the picture more attentively, a number of interesting details can be noticed: deviations from surrealism, Mexican symbols, etc.

HISTORY.

Before Sofa de Pancho there was a shoe shop, before the shop there was a bookstore, before the bookstore, there was someone’s apartment, and in the 17^th century there was a Carmelite monastery.

INTERESTING.

Although Sofa de Pancho is a restaurant, there are a number of things that are not typical of a restaurant. For instance, guests are encouraged to eat using their hands. Sometimes waiters do not bring tableware at all. Mexicans do not use them.