It’s always been a struggle getting Don Day’s Wife to El Pato. Despite the fact that it’s one of San Miguel’s most acclaimed (currently #2 on Trip Advisor) restaurants, it takes some very serious arm twisting to get her there.
Primarily it’s the distance. We live in the southeast corner of San Miguel de Allende. El Pato is in the northwest corner of San Miguel de Allende. I call that a jaunt. Don Day’s Wife calls it a journey.
There’s a frequently running bus that takes us all the way to the town’s most celebrated barbacoa from a bus stop just three blocks away. But one of those blocks requires climbing what I call a hill and what Don Day’s Wife calls a cliff. Obviously, it’s another stumbling block.
So I traditionally go to El Pato with the guys. Sometimes even solo. But never without a request from Don Day’s Wife to bring back a half kilo of barbacoa and a half litre of consome.
El Pato is owned by Pilar Ortiz and Jose Luis Argueta. They are not only two of the town’s most charming restauranteurs, they are two of the town’s most enterprising restauranteurs. So, when the rest of San Miguel joined Don Day’s Wife and all but stopped going to El Pato a month or so ago, Pilar was one of the first to sign up with Uber Eats.
The average weight of a lamb at slaughter is 60 kilos (132 pounds). For El Pato’s barbacoa, Jose Luis cooks lambs that are only about six months old and only weigh about 35 to 40 kilos (80 pounds). Throughout the world, in countries that consume a considerable amount of lamb, that would be considered the ideal age.
El Pato calls its Barbacoa Estila Hidalgo. I’m not sure what this exactly means except that Hidalgo style always seems to be cordero (lamb) and it’s always done very simply with little or no extra flavors except a few chiles, perhaps some onions, a couple of aromatics, and the flavor that comes out of the maguey leaves that are wrapped around the lamb. El Pato serves their barbacoa very simply, on handmade tortillas (“…absolutely, definitely must be handmade” Pilar will tell you.) A mild green sauce, a not so mild red sauce, onions, cilantro and lime are available as toppings.
The result is the ultimate in the only two things that really matter with barbacoa: Taste and tenderness. And barbacoa travels well. So eating it at home rather than at El Pato, all you’ll probably miss a lot is Pilar’s warm, welcoming hug.
Delivery from El Pato is available through ubereats.com from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday. You can purchase their barbacoa by weight or by the individual taco.
Thanks much for “highlighting” places some of us might never find or consider going to without a recommendation. I think this is especially helpful for everyone during this difficult period we are all experiencing. For me it’s hard to just look at a picture on Uber Eats and decide to buy something not knowing much, if anything, about the place.
Thanks, Connie
Don Day, I just LOVE that you’re being so persistent about telling us house-bound SMA folks about all the wonderful home delivery options we have. I’ve tried several, and granted, some work better than others but … they’re doing the best they can to stay afloat! And I’ll mention that Smoked n Low BBQ is open, and delivering. You can get out of your house and sit under their beautiful spreading trees and keep a safe distance. Denver’s is also doing deliveries and has expanded his menu with several new items. Carry on, carry out, keep up the great work, and thank you so much!
It’s a 45 minute walk from my place, slightly above el mirador, to el pato, and one of my favorite journeys for the reward at the end. for me, barbacoa must be eaten at el pato, not taken away. you need the freshness, the atmosphere and a smile from pilar.
is it a different el pato? the is one salida a la estacion.
thenks
That’s the one.
My husband and all the guys in our group of friends started going on their own a few years ago, mainly because there were NO washrooms, and the owners (maybe not the same ones) had to go around the corner to buy beer as ordered. This was a chance for the women to go for a “girls” lunch, which suited us just fine. Now that it has been improved, including adding washrooms, we see no reason to change the tradition. But I am pleased to know there is takeout. If we ever get back to SMA, maybe we’ll tell the guys to bring some lamb home.
I’m quite certain that you took Sandra, Lorenzo and me on this journey when we visited last year, and we had an excellent soup and the tacos with the toppings.
Your emails are the first ones I open. Gracias for keeping us informed on where to get great food and for supporting the restaurant owners in SMA.
thank you for this post. I’ve heard about this restaurant but never tried it. I’m happy to learn they deliver.
Heard distressing news from Pila in March. She advised that the property owner on which the barbacoa is situated wants the land back for development. At that time she had not located a suitable new site. Anyone heard an update on that news?
Pilar wanted me to let you know that, in addition to Uber Eats, you can also call El Pato direct for delivery at 415 117 3774 or 415 150 7613.