Mother and daughter, Clementina Dumont and Stacy Armenta, are off to a strong start at El Pancho Villa, despite the challenges of opening in the midst of the pandemic. Photo by Cynie Murray

Patagonia has a new Mexican restaurant in town. El Pancho Villa, the freshly painted red and yellow building located at 328 Naugle Ave. opened its doors on January 24, 2021 and has been well received by the local community. Owners Clementina Dumont and Stacy Armenta, a mother and daughter team, jumped in with both feet after getting encouragement from Clementina’s husband Kevin Dumont. 

“What made us decide to start a restaurant was my mom’s husband,” Stacy said. “Kevin suggested the town needed some Mexican food. We were originally planning on buying a food truck. We never thought it was going to turn into an actual restaurant dine-in place. We always stayed positive even though we knew deep down that this was a bad time to open a new business. My stepdad trusted us and helped us get started on this dream. If it wasn’t for him we would not be here today.”  

Clementina and Kevin moved to Patagonia in September, 2020 from Tucson. Not long after, Stacy, still in Tucson with her son, made the move to Patagonia, hoping to be closer to her family, feeling a bit lonely without them. Kevin frequently encouraged Stacy and Clementina to share their delicious family recipes and Mexican dishes with the community. Now they are doing just that. 

The most popular items on the menu are the carne asada tacos and burros. All tacos are served with cabbage, tomatoes, onion, cilantro salsa and a grilled jalapeno on the side. The brown mole, a mild, not spicy version made from an original recipe passed down from Stacy’s grandmother, has also been a big hit with the locals.

Clementina and Stacy are enjoying whipping up their family favorites and sharing them with the community.

“The best part has been seeing this place change and grow and see all our customers happy,” Stacy said. “We love this town and we are not planning on going anywhere.” 

El Pancho Villa’s menu items range in price from $2.75 to $8.00. Breakfast and lunch are served from 6:00a.m. to 4p.m Tuesdays thru Sundays. They are closed Mondays.