El Pueblo and Sammy’s Gourmet Burgers & Beers
WHERE: 776 N. Main S. (Ohio 741), Springboro (in the former Encore Restaurant near Dorothy Lane Market’s Springboro store)
WHEN: 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
MORE INFO: (937) 550-0430
SPRINGBORO — Most restaurants that can’t decide if they’re a fine-dining spot or a sports bar end up doing neither very well.
But El Pueblo Mexican restaurant/Sammy’s Gourmet Burgers & Beers seems to be pulling off the dual-personality concept rather easily, despite the fact that the new restaurant’s owner, Samuel Flores operates El Pueblo Mexican restaurant and Sammy’s as separate restaurants in suburban Cincinnati, but decided to throw them together in Springboro.
Customers in the large (280-seat) Springboro restaurant — it’s the former Encore that sat unused for two years before new owners brought it to life in August — can order from either menu no matter where they sit in the restaurant-sports bar.
The Mexican house specialties shine. Seafood Chimichangas ($13.99) serves up two medium-sized flour tortillas that have been stuffed with grilled shrimp and scallops, deep-fried, then topped with a white cheese sauce. The surprise here is the seafood — the shrimp and scallops are larger than expected, and their flavor is not overwhelmed by the sauce. The dish is served with a decently made guacamole, sour cream and beans.
Roast-pork lovers should not miss the Carnitas Chile Verde ($10.99), consisting of several large chunks of slow-cooked, tender pork shoulder topped with a generous ladling of green tomatillo sauce. It’s served with beans, rice and a too-tiny dollop of pico de gallo. But the carnitas portion is generous enough to share — or to ensure leftovers.
The Sammy’s menu includes burgers in several variations. We opted for the Chorizo burger, served on a bun that has been slathered on both sides with guacamole, then topped with the finely ground and spicy sausage and melted cheese. It’s a messy burger, but utterly delicious. And credit the restaurant for asking diners how they want their burgers cooked. Some diners enjoy their burgers cooked short of the seemingly obligatory well-done, and El Pueblo/Sammy’s at least offers the option.
The sides are generally impressive. Refried beans are flavorful if a bit salty, and the rice is a cut above the dried-out minute rice that shows up on the plates of some Mexican restaurants.
It was hard to determine what part of the Caribbean Slaw is, well, Caribbean, though the cabbage and carrots were crunchy and fresh.
Desserts are also a cut above the norm. Try the well-made (and reasonably priced) Flan ($2.99) or the Sopapilla ($2.99), fried tortillas dusted with cinnamon and topped with honey and whipped butter.
Service during two visits was accommodating. When one member of our dining party ordered a dish with mole — the chocolate-and-cinnamon-infused sauce that American palates may find unusual — our server offered to bring a sample to the table on the spot. It was a savvy move — the diner decided to order something else.
Even with its dual personality, El Pueblo/Sammy’s is worth a trip — or two.
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