Let’s toss this fact out there first: authentic Mexican food is extremely tough to find in the state of Florida. I am talking about pure Mexican: not Tex-Mex—there is a total difference. Unlike the Wild West states (Texas, Arizona--ugh, New Mexico), Florida has a smaller number of Mexican restaurants that we can call legit. That being said, the highest-rated restaurant in Kissimmee happens to be a Mexican joint. So I decided to make the trek down the infamous 192 and find me among the top-rated Kissimmee restaurants in the internetz.
El Tenampa is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cuisine institution. This spot is hidden in the bowels of 192 close to the massive Wal-Mart and Medieval Times. But once you find it, you’ll then notice the plethora of cars parked in the small lot. Then you’ll notice that the sign for the restaurant is so small, it was a miracle you found the darn place. However inside, the ambiance totally changes. Mexican music can be heard in the background, Mexican television can be seen everywhere, and there’s so much Hispanic flair that you’ll be speaking Spanish involuntarily. The place is packed with a mix of locals (mostly Hispanics) and tourists (who were whether lost or feeling quite adventurous).
After a brief wait we were seated and immediately greeted with chips and salsa. Both salsa dips were good, with one being spicy enough to melt tables. The menu is quite extensive, as they range from tacos to quesadillas to traditional Mexican dishes to even entire pages dedicated to food combinations and seafood. More so, they have an abundance of massive, massive platters that can feed entire families, and they are mostly less than $25. Not bad. As a matter of fact, most of the menu items are in the cheap range. I ordered the Tenampa Sampler and then went with the chicken Torta (To tell you the truth, I thought it was something totally different). Michael orders Taquitos Dorados and then the grilled beef ribs. Josh orders the shrimp nachos and the chicken quesadillas. The waitress (who was very delightful) warned us that we were about to eat a lot of food. After previous engagements I’ve encountered, I wasn’t scared.
The pineapple juice I ordered was pure to the core, as it had plenty of pulp, plenty of fresh flavor, and pineapple chunks to sprinkle the cup along with the ice. It was fantastically rich. After a brief wait, we get our appetizers. Michael’s taquitos dorados were good but nothing to brag about. They were small fried pieces with chicken inside. All our appetizers came with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, among other things. Josh’s shrimp nachos were fantastic, as they mixed the best of Mexican nachos with some seafood flair. His plate had it all, plenty of greens, plenty of cream, and plenty of shrimp. His dish required sharing, but they were so good I didn’t get much from him. Lastly, my appetizer sampler was huge, and all of it was quite good. With quesadillas, golden tacos, nachos, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, beans, and tomatoes rapped into one plate, this could also pose as a fun meal.
The hit of the lunch was Josh’s chicken quesadilla order. His dish came with rice, beans, lettuce, and a hearty helping of quesadillas. His quesadillas were off the charts, as it was loaded with chicken and cheese, and was toasted just right for a nice warm melted flavor. The best part? The entire dish was less than 7 bucks. Not bad, eh? My chicken torta wasn’t exactly something worth bragging about, but it was still an interesting meal. At $6, I get a taco-like sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, chicken (or whatever meat you desire), avocado, cheese, sauce, jalapeno (I chickened out and didn’t ask for them though) with fresh bread holding it together. It was good, like a very soft taco, except bigger and badder. Just not what I expected. For some odd reason I was anticipating something more in the taco family since these two items are joined together in the menu.
Michael’s steak melted like butter. It had a nice char taste to it while the meat was very tender, very soft, and juicy. Michael even ate the vegetables that came with it, and he never eats vegetables. Overall the meal was very satisfying, and with nobody’s bill coming out to over $20 (before tips) it was very satisfactory for our wallets too. Next time however I am definitely tackling the drink menu. They have alcoholic concoctions at less than $6 and beer at less than $3. You are definitely getting your money’s worth.
Bottom Line: The main draw of El Tenampa is its very forgiving price range, and plethora of food that follows. The menu is extensive, the food is as close to pure Mexican that I’ve gotten to outside of that country, and the entire experience is a very nice one considering its location. With so much food to choose from, you might need multiple visits to truly get a grasp of what this place is capable of. But I do recommend it, as its one of the better Kissimmee restaurants out there.
Final Verdict: Recommend
El Tenampa Mexican Restaurant
4565 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
Kissimmee, FL
(407) 390-1959
we'll have to see about authenticity wont we!
ReplyDeleteYou have to check out Mi Mexico(Main st. Apopka FL, 32703) it seems like a grocery store but it has a side restaurant thats pretty good in terms of Authenticity! only place with decent Mexican food that I've found.. and Im mexican and picky about my tacos.
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