Pablos Mexican Bar

December 1, 2023

I heard about this place from a few people and never got a chance to visit until just recently. I never even knew the boardwalk mall existed until the day I went there😅

I thought Pablos was a stand alone restaurant but can you imagine the dismay on my face when I found it in the food court of this mall… a food court?? I’m already very worried.

I will give them props decor wise though, the place looks great and they have ample seating both inside and outside (the outside area saves the whole food court thing). They have a fully fledged Mexican bar tucked in the corner of the outer section, decked out in bright colours, dope lighting and a mix of high tables and booths.

The menu is not small but also not too large, they have a little bit of everything mexican + pizza… which I guess is okay but pizza at a Mexican place… odd😄 My friends and I decided to try a little bit of everything minus the pizza.

We got tacos, some enchiladas, loaded fries, and the 7-layer crunch wrap. I really wanted nachos too but there’s only so much cheese I can take🥲 The chicken tacos (KSH850) come with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. I’m not a fan of a hard shell taco but it’s a popular choice here, I just wish they had both so one could choose between hard or soft. Anyway… the taco itself wasn’t bad, the chicken tasted great👌Although, it was quite small for me, so even 3 of them felt like a snack rather than a full meal, this definitely a starter.

The loaded fries (KSH450) were LOADED, a nice high tower of chips, salsa, guac, sour cream - those fries were really delicious😋

The enchiladas (KSH950) were a nice healthy serving of 3 pieces, we got the chicken ones. I only tasted a bit of it but even a taste had me wanting more. That pomodoro and cheese combo is elite! Next time - that’s exactly what I’ll have, chicken enchiladas🫔

Now for the star attraction - the 7-layer crunch wrap (KSH850)🤩 This wrap is so well constructed and by reading this you may think it’s super large because it’s not but it’s still a good portion and so filling and such a fun meal. It’s a wrap filled with beef (or chicken or beans, your choice), tortilla chips, queso, guac… the works, layers! What I loved about this so much is the crunch of the tortilla chips when you bite into it, it’s such a nice surprise to the meal.

Now the service… isn’t as 5-star🥴 but I also feel that they were quite overwhelmed with how packed the place was. Our first waitress was so unbothered, and I think she realised we were not happy so she gave our table to someone else. The new server though was also taking a while but she had good energy, she would keep updating us on the progress, and warned us that the food will take a while which I appreciate instead of having us eating air burgers in the name of ‘just give us five minutes’🙄

Where things went south… was around 6pm, there was a sudden burst of loud music from nowhere. The 30+ ladies on my table were as discombobulated as I was… why is there club level loud music, in a food court… in a mall?? Wow we were not ready. I was not aware that Pablos - the bar - turns into a club after 6pm on weekends. So many people were streaming in dressed to the nines and I thought maybe they were coming to get a bite and leave… nope… this was their final destination. And that was our cue to leave please because wow, I’m probably too old for this type of clubbing in a mall.

If I’m ever back in that mall though, I want to have the enchiladas again (before 6pm) and also try the Chinese place next - someone had some sizzling beef that was really calling my name🥹