No. 13: El Parian Mexican Restaurant
2585 N Donaghey Ave # 101
(501) 513-1313
The Situation
He Said: There are somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand Mexican restaurants in Conway, so it’s high time we reviewed one. El Parian is a good place to go for lunch because they are extremely quick. We decided, however, to give it a try for an evening meal.
She Said: El Parian is definitely in our rotation of restaurants we frequent. We go often for lunch or even during the week, but this was a Saturday post-movie, and I was, as always, craving a margarita.
Ambiance
He Said: It’s colorful and kind of cliché, with booths brightly painted with stereotypical Mexican scenes, and TV sets usually tuned to soccer games. But it’s a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.
She Said: I like the colorful carved booths and the openness of the restaurant. On this night, someone seemed to be setting up for karaoke, but nothing happened whilst we were there. Too bad; we have a mean version of “Jackson” we could have busted out.
Drinks
He Said: You’ll have to ask my wife about the margaritas. For myself, there are a number of soft drinks available, as well as iced tea and lemonade. I had the unsweetened iced tea, which was just what you’d expect unsweetened iced tea to be. It was not sweet. And it was tea. And there was ice in it.
She Said: I went with my regular drink here, the large, frozen mango margarita. It was delightful. It’s like grown-up ice cream. It’s definitely large, but I didn’t need a second drink.
Food
He Said: The menu has a lot of choice for a fairly typical Mexican place. There are a number of vegetarian combinations on offer, and you can get tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and fajitas with chicken as well as beef. The salsa is fairly bland, and if you like your Mexican food laced with a lot of hot sauce you might be disappointed, though you can probably add some heat yourself with condiments. The fajitas are a particular favorite here, and my daughter will order them every time. This night I did a personalized combination, ordering a hard-shell chicken taco and a chicken enchilada with red sauce (you can also have the option of cheese sauce).
The combo came with Mexican rice and refried beans. I found the food satisfying and palatable: it is “authentic” to the extent that non-Mexican North Americans might like it. The rice and beans were a cut above most places, the red sauce was tasty, and the chicken was lean and tender.
She Said: I ordered vegetarian combination A, which includes refried beans, a cheese enchilada and a chalupa, which is nice, because it includes guacamole. The combinations include the choice of red or cheese sauce, and since I don’t like tomatoes, I always choose cheese. It’s good, and I like being able to easily and deliciously avoid meat. There are a number of “vegetarian” combinations (one of which includes shrimp… ?), and I always order one of these platters. The variety and portions are perfect. I think it’s a tasty supper. It’s not particularly fresh and light, but in this vein of Mexican restaurant, that’s not to be expected.
Service
He Said: The service is always great here. The waiters pride themselves on getting to you quickly and filling your order fast. We waited just over five minutes to get our food. I did have to remind the waiter that I had ordered an iced tea, but he quickly brought it after the reminder. This kind of speed, as I mentioned before, makes this an ideal lunch place for those poor souls who have to get back to work. And the food is quite inexpensive here, not really much more than fast food except you get waited on and can have a drink.
She Said: I think the service here is always stellar, friendly, without being overbearing: fast and attentive. They check on you, but never hover. A lot of restaurants could take service lessons from El Parian.
What We Got and What We Paid: Two combination plates, one with chicken taco, chicken enchilada and refried beans with and Mexican rice plus iced tea, and one with refried beans, cheese enchilada and chalupa, plus a margarita for $27.41.
He Said: Still probably my favorite Mexican restaurant in Conway. Or at least the most reliable. I expect to be back, especially for lunch.
She Said: Yes, it’s old reliable. Heavy, but tasty, with a delightful mango margarita to boot!
So…He Said and She Said: Go here for quick, affordable “American-Mexican” food, tasty drinks and great service.