Listen, I don't know what kind of bruja kitchen magic they're working with at Casa Real, but these…read morefolks are faster than my tío peeling out of a parking lot after a family party. You can order 47 enchiladas, a taco tower, and a whole mariachi band -- it still shows up in like... 2 minutes flat. I blinked and my plate hit the table like ¡pa-pow! We rolled in deep -- hungry, dramatic, and skeptical -- but Casa Real doesn't miss. Food's legit tradicional, not that frozen microwave vibe. Think real-deal molé, juicy al pastor, and rice that didn't come from a box with a cartoon sombrero on it. Drinks? También fuego. Margaritas colder than your ex's soul and strong enough to make you text them anyway. They don't play. You order one, and suddenly you're fluent in Spanish and making bold life choices. Inside? Clean, bright, and cute as heck. It's giving abuela's pride meets HGTV en español. Even the bathroom smelled like lavender and redemption. Boomer-approved AND TikTok-worthy. Service? Next-level amable. They treat you like familia, but like the good kind of family -- not the one that steals your lawn chairs. Our server remembered our drinks before we sat down. I'm suspicious they've got cameras in my fridge. Prices? Bruh. You could feed a family of six for the price of two lattes and a muffin. I don't know how they do it. I'm not asking. I'm just coming back every week. Final Verdict: Casa Real is fast, friendly, and freakin' delicioso. Whether you're a boomer, a Gen Zer, or just someone who appreciates not paying $19 for sad tacos, this place is the move. Come hungry. Leave happy. Question how they got your food out before you even finished ordering. ¡Viva Casa Real!

Disappointing and poorly made…read more I ordered a grilled chicken burrito with onions and green peppers, with rice on the side. Instead, it was loosely wrapped, not even grilled on the outside, and had a terrible, soggy, microwaved texture. They completely left out the veggies and shoved the rice and sour cream inside instead. To make matters worse, my son ordered the beef and cheese nachos, and the beef looked exactly like ground-up dog food. Total waste of money and a really gross meal. Avoid this place.

Los Chamos ("the kids/the guys") is a Venezuelan restaurant on State Street. This stretch of…read moreSchenectady offers some diverse family-owned restaurants - Pakistani, El Salvadorian, Jamaican, etc., to name a few. In this case, the cuisine offered at Los Chamos is Venezuelan. Upon entering the establishment, I noticed a music/karaoke machine in the front corner. Tables were interspersed in the main area which surrounded a bar and ordering station. A preteen sat at one of the tables, playing on her phone. A young man worked the ordering station. Early on a Saturday afternoon, noticing a fridge with beers displayed, I ordered a Modelo and looked through the menu. I ordered a Chile Colorado and empanadas con pollo to go. Two things right off the bat - 1. First taste - It was good food. It was satisfying in a way that spoke of generational recipes rather than or despite culinary training. It is soul satisfying stuff. 2. If you can finish this meal in one sitting, good on you! Generous portions and the heartiness of the meal add to the "warmth" of the experience. A couple of details - the mayonnaise-based sauce for the empanadas was something I'd never tried before - lots of garlic, cilantro, a bit of water to loosen it, maybe some vinegar for acid...I liked it. The braised black beans had a little chili heat to liven it up. I'll definitely go back. I may not be fluent in Spanish or be knowledgeable about Venezuela but I find the food to be inviting and soulful.

It is good to see, at long last, a Venezuelan restaurant in New York's Capital District. You may…read morefind yourself meandering by on the State Street sidewalk, with tumbleweed of cigarette butts and trash blowing across your unsheathed feet, and pass by Los Chamos. It is indeed worth going inside for a delicious meal. Los Chamos' menu has a good selection that includes many traditional Venezuelan dishes: pabellón, arepas, cachapas, tequeños, empanadas. There is also an extremely disconcerting section of the menu devoted to seemingly-Mexican dishes. Perhaps that is to attract customers in an area with a smaller Venezuelan population and a small population of people who are familiar with Venezuelan cuisine. I don't know. But I also don't care. I was, of course, able to sample the pabellón criollo and the tequeños. Astoundingly, tequeños can be a good indicator of quality in Venezuelan restaurants in the US, and these ones pass the test. They also have moñongos, an item from Zulia (and it shows) that is effectively a thick tequeño with ham and plantain and meat as well. Healthy? Tasty. The venue has a decent amount of seating and the staff are friendly. They also sell a small selection of Venezuelan products, such as ovomaltina and Savoy chocolates. If you live in the area and have never tried Venezuelan food, now is your opportunity to do so. It's not spicy either, for those of you with weak stomachs. Overall, I would highly recommend Los Chamos. Hopefully their business succeeds.

The advertising sign at the front of the restaurant highlights pupuseria and Latino food. OK,…read morethat's what I ordered. Pupusa - El Salvadorian specialty - griddled corn masa cake. Other ingredients like cheese, beans, greens, and/or meats are mixed into the masa and cooked on a flattop until crisp on the outside. Since the "mixins" are varied, these are made to order. I had a Revuelta (queso, chicharron, beans) and a queso loroco (flower bud of a vine which grows in Central America). The tastiest portion for me were the almost burnt caramelized cheese bits on the outside of the pupusa. Honestly, the loroco was more of a textural component rather than a taste. It seemed mild. I'm sure they were canned. I don't think loroco grows around this area. The pupusas were served with a cabbage slaw (curtido) and a light tomato salsa. Pernil - a marinated pork shoulder, slow roasted until tender then usually blasted with high heat to render crispy skin (cuero). Slow roasted tender pork - yes. Rendered crispy skin - no. The generous portions of yellow rice and refried black beans rounded out the meal. One thing I noticed, the refried beans had a very slight sour note, vinegar or age, I don't know. I still ate them. No ill effects. Conclusion: I'd go again.

Food was great but the waiter I had was not so great ! She was so dry . The place was definitely…read morewas clean

I ordered 2 burritos. Rice and beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacomole, sour cream, jalapenos and…read morecilantro. I went over it with the person taking the order three times. When I got all the way back to the South End of Albany, I opened my burritos to find this: beans, a little bit of cheese, some cilantro. That's it. I called immediately to tell them what happened and she told me to drive back and hung up on me. I called back and asked if they could deliver because I can't drive 30 minutes, Nope.

La Mexicana is not just s specialty grocery store, it is also a hidden gem Mexican restaurant. The…read moreunassuming restaurant entrance would have you thinking it isn't open but, I highly recommend venturing in and trying their authentic menu. The menu is small but very every thing I've tried has been absolutely delicious. The servers are such a delight and happy to answer any questions you may have. I always get tacos (as an appetizer) and then either a burrito or chimichangas. The sauce on the chimichangas is out of this world, the best queso I've had. Stop over to the grocery store and pick up some tamales for later, they store very well in the freezer.

Tiny's make a killer freakin taco pizza…read more As a lazy Sunday evening feast for 4 roomates, or one last meal to remember before college graduation, a Tiny's Taco Pizza occupied many happy days (and most of my intestinal tract) during my college years. I know it was pretty cheap 10 years ago, but no matter what the cost, the sheer mass of the pizza (which amazingly seems to double once its in your stomach) makes it a bargain at any price. Three suggestions for any newbies: 1. Get extra napkins. After a few bites you will have taco sauce (ok...grease) dripping down your fingers (ok...arms) which may stop you from eating (ok...you won't care). 2. Careful when you pick up your piece. Without proper support, half of your topping will slide right off. Which is really fine because fighting 3 other guys for the slop left in the box is part of Tiny's charm. 3. DO NOT order a soft taco with your pizza. As fantastic as they are, after seeing and devouring the pizza you will try and twist your torso in an attempt to consolidate the food in your gut and clear a small corner of your stomach for the remaining taco to no avail. Unless you're like me. Then order 2. I also suggest you order in and not actually go there. Go armed or stay home. Both with a weapon and some disinfectant.

How much unadulterated joy can eight pounds of mostly solid matter bring to man? If said matter…read morehappens to be in the form of a Tiny's Taco Pizza, quite a lot. In fact, if you are lucky enough to have experienced the thrill of digestion of even a portion of one of these pies, odds are that, like me, you wouldn't be able to summon a recollection superlative enough to do it justice. Perhaps this mnemonic conundrum arises as a result of the tender love with which this heavenly foodstuff is prepared, or it may be due to the weighty (heavier than your average pair of month old twins) apportioning of mexican-style toppings (available in your choice of 1; cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, black olives, seasoned ground beef, sour cream and jalapenos, or 2: something inherently inferior to choice one), or, (and if you can follow the clauses of this sentence, congratulations) it may be due to the sheer heft of uncontrollably consumed Taco Pizza sitting on the nerve that connects your stomach to your brain. In short, if there is in fact a God, and he does in fact order take out, and he does not, by presumption, have nasty smelling farts but rather well fragranced ones which draw smiling people from afar, he calls Tiny's every Thursday or so for a sampling of crusted nirvana. Seriously. This is good stuff. But like most good stuff it comes with some caveat emptor that should not be ignored : The Tiny's Taco Pizza is both exemplary and coveted, but the premises of Tiny's Tacos and Pizzeria itself is not for everyone. Unless you're willing to forego its enjoyment, and risk using this exemplem of epicurean mastery as an ordinary 'blunt object' or 'defensive strategem' (and such reduction in stature is unadvisable for such a fine victual), this critic recommends the sometimes punctual and often effective (although some lesser adjectives may apply) home-delivery service, and the enjoyment of your inevitable post-meal immobility where it's most convenient. on your couch.

This is my favorite spot locally. Huevos Rancheros is my go-to breakfast here dine in AND take out…read more Great service, friendly people, and prices are hard to beat!

Cute local place no frills. Local local with ok Mexican option…read more Good value for money.

Best chicken tacos I had. Great casual place to bring family and friends. Ambiance is very nice and…read moreplenty of options. The kitchen was also very clean and open for public to see. Will come here again for sure!

Over the holidays a friend was raving about these Birria Tacos she had at La Capital Taco in the…read moreGalleria 7 Market on Rt.7. The description had my mouth watering. We were in the area and stopped to see what the hype was about. I'm so glad we did, those tacos were magical flavor bombs. Tender meat, melted cheese, chopped onions, cilantro and I could have drank the Consommé for dipping. I am also a queso connoisseur lol, and theirs was creamy and the chips had to be homemade. Service was fast and friendly. If you haven't been to Galleria 7 Market it's a cute cafeteria type atmosphere with seat yourself tables and so many different food vendors to choose from.

I love getting the empanadas from here. They are authentic crispy fresh and gluten-free. I also…read morelove their salsa. Very good. Definitely recommend trying a few different ones. This restaurant offers walk in or to go and offers a lot of indoor seating options.

The woman who took my order behind the counter was just so friendly, and she had a smile the entire…read moretime we talked. After I placed an order for 2 empanadas, she pointed to a blackboard I had missed to let me know I could convert that to a lunch special which included a small salad and a lemonade, which I did. For a salad that, as far as I could tell was just lettuce, shredded carrot and dressing it was quite tasty, and I wonder what their dressing is. The lemonade was mango infused. I do not like overly sweet lemonade, and this had very little of the overt sweetness you might get elsewhere - all flavor. The empanadas are well made. Of the ones I tried today, I preferred the chorizo and cheese, which had a taste and texture of meaty and gooey. I had expected the chicken in the other empanada to be a bit firmer, until I remembered that it is more of a chicken stew. Both were very good, and I enjoyed both of the sauces that came with them. It's getting tougher and tougher to come to Galleria 7 and know what I want to get, all the choices are so tempting.