The inside was kinda funky. It felt interesting seeing stained glass in masse outside of a church. The food was great. I got bogo burritos from Uber Eats. I also sampled many of their offerings from the salsa bar. I will admit, I have never seen that many seasoning options on a salsa bar. Very cool to have so many options. My barbacoa was a hit, I'll come back and would be a regular if this wasn't out of the way from me. read more

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The food is amazing! I love the asada tacos!! Service is great. I love the salsa bar.

SOOO good! Got the 3 taco deal with a pop that comes with it! The lady that took our order was so sweet. Inside was soooo cute & wouldn't mind coming back with my family to eat in! I usually always get tacos to go but I wouldn't mind sitting in one time! Definitely will be back to try some new stuff! The steak tacos though? SUPER GOOD. Not much fatty and chewy pieces at all & you could see them cooking the steak right there! That's how you know it's super fresh! thanks guys for the amazing service and good food! read more

This place is a ZERO. We asked them for a bean and cheese burrito to which we then asked the chef directly to his face if it only had beans and cheese because of allergy reasons. He said yes. They bit into the burrito that had other mixing besides just the bean and cheese we asked for. Now we are at the ER with anaphylaxis. Then when we called a lady answered, put us on hold and then hung up when we asked to speak with a manager. read more

I got the California burrito. It was really good. The staff was all really friendly. It was kind of loud in the store and I couldn't really understand them, but they were still really friendly. They were super busy as they should be because of this place is great. It looks really nice from the outside too. read more

Tacos with friends, great fast service, and a refreshing agua Fresca is the key to a legendary meal read more

Pineda Taco - Amazing food and atmosphere - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Pineda had a glow-up this winter and the shop is gorgeous inside! New, simplified menu with the big hitters like tortas, burritos, and my absolute favorite Al pastor tacos. The seasoning used for Pineda's Al pastor is balanced well, the pork is tender, and you get a fair amount of meat in the tacos along with cilantro, onion, and lime. I took my order to-go and didn't wait long at all. Service was great and the people were really friendly. If you haven't been here since the remodel, you must try it and enjoy the beautiful space! read more

Pineda Taco - Al Pastor tacos with cilantro, onion, lime, and radish on corn tortillas - combo #2 comes with house fried chips and a beverage - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Go to the two other locations in Minneapolis. If I could give this restaurant a negative score I honestly would! Worst customer service experience EVER! I am leaving a review for the owner to see his employees behavior. Also, if I could save anybody some gas money and time that's a plus. I love Pineda so after a long day I drove to this location because I was craving some tacos. All I got was a disrespectful employee turning off the sign and locking the door as I parked up. Closing early 25- 30 mins early is an inconvenience to your customers especially when the hours are set both online and at the location. read more

Pineda Taco - this is the employee who locked the door as we parked in the lot 25-30 mins before closing time. - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

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The Facebook menu prices are way off (they have no website). It says $6.68 for a regular burrito , and that is the reason I came here. The price seemed good. I walked in and the lady who took my order barely spoke English. I tried to ask what the price was, because of course individual prices they weren't even posted in the restaurant, but she couldn't understand me. By the time the guy rang me up, it was too late. $10.68 for a regular burrito!! Not even that big either. It's not a good sign when a company who doesn't even have a website can't even keep their Facebook page up to date. I'm from California and I know what "good authentic Mexican food" tastes like. Anyone who says in their review that this place has authentic Mexican food has no idea what they're talking about and has never had such. Taco Bell is more authentic than this restaurant. The burrito was subpar. Store bought tortilla loaded with preservatives. The ratio of rice to everything else was too high and it was over cooked, bland and mushy. The Al pastor had very little flavor and the tomatoes were overkill; sliced instead of diced. Had I paid $6.68 like I expected, they may have gotten 3 stars and I wouldn't be as upset. Charging almost $11 for this garbage is ridiculous. Save your money! read more

This place has good food at a good price, and comes out quickly. I've never had a bad experience here, and the building is kind of cool. I like the enchiladas here, especially the Spicy Pork Enchilada with Red Sauce. If you're on a budget, the ground beef burrito special is the way to go. read more

Wonderful locally owned Mexican restaurant! The guacamole is some of the best I've ever had. The staff is lovely and I've never had a problem ordering, even though it is definitely a bi-lingual spot. It's counter service but really, with the excellent food it's a couple steps up from your regular fast food place! read more

Authentic Mexican food. Extremely friendly. They always open up late. Unprofessional. read more

Pineda Taco - Fantastic restaurant but they open up so late. It's 10:11 and they're still not open. Unprofessional but the food is great. - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Tonight I ordered a large burrito. I paid an extra almost $4 for guacamole and another dollar for sour cream through doordash. What I got ended up costing me $22 for one pickup burrito (the large burrito is 14.99 before add ons. ) thinking to myself these must be decent people they would take into account just how much money that is for one burrito. What I got were two tortillas filled with rice and two slices of tomato and a near pinch of meat. I hadn't been planning on eating this until I had gotten home and by the time I got around to it the place was closed but the sheer level of anger I felt when I realized what I had received was beyond anything I have experience in any restaurant. There was Zero lettuce, barely any tomato, 0 onion, zero cilantro, zero sour cream, zero cheese, zero guacamole, and zero beans. I have almost ten years of food service experience as a professional cook and knew what I was getting into the second I bit into it. What the actual f*** Pineda tacos like actually I don't usually go and ask for my money back as I assume and give the benefit of the doubt that maybe things might be difficult at the time. But this time I am taking pictures and I will be distinctly demanding my money back tomorrow with pictures of the disgrace you gave me this isn't just disrespect it is straight up robbery. Horrible restaurant, horrible food, horrible employees, horrible management. I should also mention that when I went to pick up my order they barely had any idea what I was talking about when I told them I had an online order. Pure. Shit. It also didn't help that all of the people working there had their masks pulled below their chin rendering them basically useless. Either they are too stupid to know that or assholes that don't care about anyone possibly getting sick. Update: It is now the next day and I have since I woke up been plagued with torturous diarrhea and sick all day. I am so mad at this place. read more

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Delicious authentic Mexican food. Their street tacos are fantastic but the true dish to try is this: half spicy steak, half chopped steak burrito with light beans and light rice. It's chock full of flavor and absolutely amazing. read more

Pure Goodness! Humongous burrito that fit the name- Burro Gordo. This was not the intended destination, but really glad I settled on this place. Ordered J the Spicy Chicken- Burro Gordo. The guy making it was so nice, helpful and generous with the ingredients. It was one big a$$ burrito and money well spent. I was told it had a lot of zip to. The leftovers will suffice for awhile. I ordered the Carne Asada which smelled and tasted heavenly. I love the grilled onions and grilled jalapeno. Such incredible flavor. Comes with 8 corn tortillas or 4 flour. I chose the corn. It's a lot of meat. Also comes with rice and beans. I love their rice and really like that it was plain spanish rice. Exactly how I like it. Plain and tasty without all the frozen confetti looking vegetables thrown in. Service is excellent. Staff is helpful and friendly. Service with a smile and appreciation. For quick, tasty and inexpensive this is a first rate restaurant. Spent the same amount here as I would at Taco John's for much less food and much lower quality. Pineda all the way.. read more

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Absolutely wonderful. Super quality food and it was very filling. Would highly recommend

I love their food and everything but the service is there is are super super terrible I should Not give them any stars those ladies are very unprofessional they are super disrespectful We still 15 minutes to closed the restaurant they said is closed already Which is sad because they acting like they are super kind !!! Terrible terrible customer service read more

Pineda Taco offers everything you're looking for in a hole-in-the-wall Mexican dining experience. Big flavors. Huge portions. Small prices. The menu is huge and authentic. While considering options recently, I watched them prepare a homestyle torta (grilled bread with mayo and topped with cheese, beans, lettuce, tomato, peppers and onion) for the man in front of me and knew that I was in the right place. Everything they make looks good. The meat choices at Pineda are seemingly endless: Chopped Steak, Barbacoa, Mexican-Style Steak, Steak with Onions, Lengua, Tripas, Chicken in Tomato Sauce, Chicken in Green Sauce with Potatoes, Chicken in Chipotle Sauce, Roasted Pork, Chorizo in Chipotle Sauce, Pastor, and Spicy Pork. All of them look irresistible -- including the Tripas, (cleaned, boiled and grilled intestines). My eyes were drawn to the Pineda's super-sized burrito, a behemoth that weighs in at more than two pounds. It contains rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and your choice of meats -- wrapped in two huge, grilled tortillas. I passed on the cheese and sour cream and added roasted pork, Mexican-style steak and chorizo. Adding the third meat was a bit extra...but still a bargain for a burrito big enough for two. Although the restaurant has plenty of seating, it's rarely occupied by more than a handful of people. This place provides brisk, friendly takeout. read more

Pineda Taco - This burrito was huge on flavor... But mostly just huge. @yelpmps - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

This is pretty authentic food wise. It was really good rice and beans. Their medium salsa is salsa verde which is not a favorite of mine. The guacamole was excessively chunky the tomatoes were too big but the flavor of the quac was good. But the chips are handed to you in a lunch sack even when eating in. I ordered the enchiladas and they were ok my brothers ordered the chimichangas same thoughts good but not great. It wasn't bad but little things could really improve it. Like a good cleaning of the booths and the window area. Dried pieces of gum stuck and dirty tables. The people were nice and glad we checked it out. read more

More ethnic food surprises on South Robert St. We stopped in Pineda on a whim because the parking lot was packed on a cold Sunday afternoon. The building looked like it had once been a mid-century modern coffee and breakfast place, but inside was a sizzling grill and a warm ambience. A mother was ordering her family's meal in Spanish, and the non-Spanish speaking kids seemed to be familiar with the amazing array of meats and fillings in the metal tubs. This place gives a certain national chain burrito joint a run for its money. My husband had an enchilada platter, and I ordered a sope (not to be confused with sopa!), a made-to-order thick oblong corn pancake topped with pork, cilantro, fresh onion, cheese, and sour cream. There were four kinds of pork, and I had never seen most of them before. The slow-cooked pork was fantastic. The enchiladas were also wonderful. The red sauce didn't taste like the tomatoey sauces we've had in other Mexican restaurants, so we concluded that must mean it's authentic. The chicken in the enchiladas was also very tender, and not overdone. They had Mexican soft drinks, and the food is cheerfully heaped on a plastic-coated paper plate. The food reminded me of Mexican food I've had at the Midtown Marketplace. We really got a kick out of the ski lodge roof and the bright colorful stained glass windows. The one downside is that the seats were not terribly clean, much like many other inexpensive ethnic (and non-ethnic) food places. Clearly lots of people eat here, though, and the crumbs on the seat weren't a big problem for us. I'm bummed this place isn't closer to where we live. Otherwise, I think I'd be coming here often! read more

Great food. Great service. Great price. I love ordering food from here. The chimichanga is the best.

Straight up good Mexican food. We had two different burritos & some tacos the last time we ate lunch here. All delicious & authentic. The people who work here are always friendly & the service is good. The place could use a deep cleaning & some updates. They are always busy so maybe put some of that profit aside & hook it up a bit nicer! ;) Robert St. has some good restaurants & this is one of them for sure! read more

Pineda Taco - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Pineda dishes up some fairly tasty, fairly authentic and overall very affordable Mexican eats. Their tacos are on par with most of the other local taquerias and are priced a little over $2 a pop. They are simply, and rightfully, adorned with the traditional cilantro and onions and they have a decent amount of protein options available (carnitas, chicken, lengua, etc.). I wouldn't place their tortas near the top of any list, but they aren't bad and are pretty affordable. Other menu selections include burritos, various asada and shrimp platters, etc. Ordering is counter service only, but always comes with a smile and food is made available quickly. The interior ambiance is nothing to write home about, but at least it's clean. The facade of the building is a bit of a different story, as the architecture is certainly unique with its pseudo-pyramid shape. Definitely not a bad option if you're in the area, but certainly not worth making a trek for. read more

I'm adding another star to hopefully increase the hype, the place deserves it. For all of the Mexican places that have been reviewed on yelp I feel like this one is missed in the mix. The food here is stellar. The garlic shrimp tacos are outstanding, btw. read more

Never eating at taco Pineda again the employees do not care about costumers. yesterday I bought two tacos. & the lady the made them I witness her. clean the griddle with a really really dirty rag. she was doing that in front of everyone in the restaurant. which is disgusting !! I am feeling sick in my stomach...today thank you!! I am totally disappointed I bought two tacos only ate one because no limón and I am sick today. owner please check on these chicks to treat us costumers. at list are food the person The makes it. To be someone the cares.I am not hating or anything because I can care less if you care or not for your business. But not coming back for a while . read more

Pineda Taco - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Surprisingly disappointed when trying Pineda Tacos. Rice was dry, beans were dissatisfying, and the carne Asada tacos were the nastiest tacos I've ever had. The guacamole was salty, and distasteful and even the limes for my tacos were dry and lacking lime juice. Never again. read more

This is a surprising little place. I honestly wasn't expecting much when I decided to give it a shot (call me jaded) but I found myself really enjoying the food. The people that work there are polite but there's definitely a tad bit of a language barrier. I felt like both of us were having issues understanding one another. That being said... they don't skimp on stuff here. You get good quality hot food in nice quantities. The steak and onion combination is incredible. I don't know that I would recommend dining in. It just didn't seem like a sit down sort of place to me (even though the option is there). The prices, as with most Mexican restaurants, are cheap. Stop by this place if you've driven by it a thousand times and just thought about it. You might be surprised. read more

Really good authentic Mexican food. This isn't like my review of http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-margaritas-restaurant-cottage-grove and other lame Mexican restaurants that buy all their food from the same Mexican food vendor and re-heat and reserve. THIS STUFF IS GOOD! My wife and I ordered Quesadilla's, and Taco's each. We ordered 3 of the 4+ variation of pork they offer - All REALLY good and tasty and the seasoning was on. One of the pork's that we ordered was very spicy which was a very nice surprise. Wife didn't care for that one but agreed it was still tasty - and I got to finish it up. ;) It's a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant; it's nothing special by any means - but so what? The food has plenty of personality and authenticity and I really look forward to going back and trying something new! Side note: before they add the pork to your tacos or whatever else you want it added to, ask them to press out the fat, because it's really sitting there swimming in fat, unless you like all that greasiness... So really, an honest review. GOOD FOOD here. Will definitely be back. read more

Employees are horrible. Not worth it at all. Food is decent. Go to el taquito down the road better food and service!!

If St. Paul had kids, West St. Paul would be the one that was forgotten in the forest, left to ravage around and roll in the dirt. This side of St. Paul feels beaten down and aged, much more so than the east side, which shows early signs of gentrification. (Eek.) So if you're looking for polish, or mainstream hipster, or if midway or East St. Paul makes you uncomfortable, stay away. Leave Pineda Taco to me and the likes of me. It's delicious and we don't want you anyways. read more

Worst carne asada I've ever had. Came for dinner on a Friday. Dead inside. Watered down beans. Rice was okay. read more

Pineda Taco - Burnt little pieces of carne asada. - Mexican Near Me - West Saint Paul, Minnesota

Pineda Taco ironically has the best burritos in the East Metro. If you love burritos and you are sick of the chain stores check out this place right on So. Robert Street. They have incredible choices for your burrito such as chopped steak & carnitas...not to mention cow tongue. A must stop in if you like mexican food. read more

Funky 60s moderne building resurrected as a grubby but delicious taco joint. Tacos are good, but the enchiladas made us swoon! Hubby thinks many patrons look like characters from Breaking Bad. Says, "I wouldn't ask these people what they do for a living." We eat there during daylight hours. read more

Pineda is the place I go for really good flautas. You can choose from an arrangement of meats including steak, pork, chicken (spicy, mild, hot & maybe regular I'm not sure). I choose spicy & the platter includes rice, beans & toppings. I have to say the rice looks crunchy & not very appetizing every time I visit, but I get it anyway. The cheese & crema that melts over my flautas is seriously the showcase to this platter! Oooh! The fresh avocado slices, tomato, lettuce & onions is something I should order extra next time! Now, the customer service is a hit or miss as with many places. I speak fluent English AND fluent Spanish, yet this one particular lady pretends she can't understand me! Once I ordered the flautas & she kept responding "fajitas!" Until she gave up & said they didn't have either lol. Even though both were printed & described right above her head. Hmmm. I think she doesn't like me. She doesn't keep me away though when I'm craving crunchy deep fried corn tortillaness. I have yet to try anything else. I'll read some reviews & expand mi munda a la Pineda! read more

YUM! I am used to going to loc ocampos but we pass this place weekly so decided to stop in. if ambiance is you're thing don't go here. seats are ripped. its in a funky building but one of the workers was cleaning heavily when we ate so cleanliness is not an issue. the food was good! similar menu to los ocampos but you can see the food. almost laid out chipotle style. i opted for authentic tacos with corn tortillas, chopped steak, onions, cheese and cilantro. came with rice and beans. finished my plate, the steak had almost no fat ( a pet peeve of mine). my husband opted for hard shell tacos. half chopped steak, half spicy chicken. the spicy chicken is AMAZING. not only spicy but VERY flavorful. so yummy. my husband ( who is from texas and socal) was in love. we will return here many times :D read more

Wanting to try something new and simple for my birthday, so we decided to stop into Pinedas. On approaching the entrance, we see a man with a guitar wandering amongst the tables, playing and singing. I open the door and am hit right the nose with a smell that immediately brings me back to Mexico. The restaurant is setup cafeteria style; place your order and walk along the counter as they prepare it, then pay at the other end. I got the Chicken Enchilada, and was offered 3 levels of spice for chicken: Medium, Mild, Hot. Normally I like really spicey food, but I know enough about authentic foods that I should test the waters with a Mild first. Honestly, the mild was a perfect combination of deliciousness and spice for most Minnesotans. Next time I'll get the hot. As we were eating, the man with the guitar appeared next to our table, and my friends let him know it was my birthday. Well, this meant he needed to sing me Happy Birthday every possible way that he knew. He was doing renditions of The Doors, and The Eagles, but would replace the words with his own way of saying Happy Birthday. Needless to say, it was pretty fantastic. We chatted with him for a bit, and then headed out, but thanks to him and the good food, I will most definitely be making my way back here. read more

Three stars because the Pastor (pork) was tender and full of flavor and the guacamole was fresh made. A little surprised that nachos included...cheese sauce. A little disappointed neither of my favorite Mexican desserts were available (flan or tres leches cake), instead an offering of cheesecake. read more

Pleasant surprise. We were looking for a quick lunch in the south east metro. My dining companion has wanted to try Pineda for a while and I'm always game to try new places. We came to Pineda around 12:25 on a Saturday. The place was not very busy. I thought that was a bad sign. After we ordered it got busier. At Pineda you order at the counter and wait for your food like at Subway. It was kind of cool because you get your food pretty quickly. I ordered three crispy tacos, 2 beef and 1 spicy chicken. There was a bit of a language barrier and I had to repeat my order several times, but it was correct in the end. I enjoyed the shells and the filling in the tacos. The beef was tasty, but nothing special. The spicy chicken had a really good flavor and a little kick; not too spicy. Dining companion got a toastada with the spicy chicken and agreed and the flavor and spice. If I was in the area and was in the mood for a quick lunch, I would come back to Pineda. read more

Recently, my wife and I decided to give a little taco shop on Robert Street a try, and we were both happy with our experience at Pineda Tacos. I was there once before years ago, but had forgotten how good it was. When we walked in, I knew we were in the right place based on the clientele. Any ethnic restaurant should have customers of that ethnicity as regulars. If you specialize in authentic Mexican food, but no authentic Mexicans eat there then you have a problem. So when Bombshell and I walked into the Pineda Taco and there was more Spanish than English being spoken I knew we were in for some good food. Pineda Taco is set up like a deli- you head to the counter, place your order, and they prepare it as you move down the line to pay. After perusing the menu, looking over the options, and asking for a recommendation we made our decision. This was not easy. There are nine different choices of meat on the menu, and four different pork choices. Needless to say, I was in trouble. I wanted to order 5 or 6 tacos, but also wanted to avoid a meat coma. After some internal debating, Sara decided on a chicken and rice Chimichanga, while I went with a beef tongue taco and a chipotle pork taco.The chimi was great. Moist chicken and rice surrounded by a crisp shell and smothered in a smokey enchilada sauce. My wife was very happy, and impressed with the sauce. If there is one thing Bombshell enjoys its a good enchilada sauce, and Pineda's did not disappoint. My tacos were awesome. I'm not a fan of chipotle peppers but I went with it based on a recommendation from the cook behind the counter,and I have to say it was very tasty. The chipotle did not overpower the pork, which was tender and delicious. The beef tongue was glorious as well. If you haven't had beef tongue I highly recommend it. It has a great beef flavor but a soft, velvety texture. SO GOOD! Add a little fresh onion and cilanto and I am a happy camper. Overall, Pineda Taco offers a little something for everyone. Whether you're looking for authentic options, or something a little more Americanized, Pineda has you covered. read more

When someone asks me where to find authentic Mexican, Pineda Taco is where I send them. I also warn them to check their expectations about the decor at the door. The former Embers restaurant hasn't seen a remodel in a long time, certainly it was still an Embers the last time anyone updated it. Forget all of that, you're there for the food. This is authentic Mexican, it's fresh and spicy and different and if you're on a budget you can eat here on the cheap. I go for the tacos-they're loaded with onion and cilantro. They have five different types of beef, including tongue (I'm not that adventurous), five types of pork and three types of chicken. With prices that low, you can experiment. Get out of your Chipotle comfort zone and walk on the wild side. read more