Arrived at 7:05 PM and regardless of how. Yay it was their waiters and waitress were on a certain pace where you found no gaps in their service. I was pleased with their food. My palette is delicate and must say that this place was not what I expected. I e thing I did not like was the fact that a restaurant named La Piñata he no Horchata which was not a big deal, I w tea and water did the trick. I will definitely come back read more

La Pinata - La Piñata - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Deliciousness - 3/5 Happiness - 3/5 The inside definitely doesn't match the outside. It is very swanky and cool, with an impressive-looking bar in the middle. We went with a big group. Thus, we got a wide range of food - none of it bad, but plenty of it was mediocre. The chimichangas are darn-near-perfect. Too many places lack the crunch a chimi should have. They have managed to maintain the crunchy taste while still loading it with cheese and sauce. The machaca meat was also pretty good, as were the tacos. We ordered guacamole as and appetizer and a few different types of margaritas, none of which were particularly memorable. The waiter was attentive, but over-sold the spice level of the food (I found very few things to be spicy. In fact, I was piling on the pre-meal salsa to my burrito to get the needed kick!). A lot of the dinner entrees also require extra for rice and beans. That said, the entrees are so big and hearty, virtually none of us finished our complete meals (including the heavy eaters in our group!). Also, I love tamales, but don't eat pork. Sadly, this disqualifies many a tamale place and La Pinata joins the group (they do have a green corn tamale too, but I simply don't like green corn ones). The kids meal is too expensive at six dollars, and also overloaded with beans and rice. The bottom line is it's nice food with big portions. The price is also very reasonable (other than the kids meals). It's definitely not the best Mexican I have had in Phoenix, but it has more than enough unique menu items to make it good to go into any good Mexican rotation. read more

Not too crowded when I was there. I went here the day after a business meeting. They are alright when you first get there. After the first 30 mins they stopped coming to the table. I only got one refill on my glass of water. The servers were nowhere to be found. Waitress did not know the menu and couldn't tell me if an item was vegan or not. No options. She didn't even know if butter was considered vegan. I ordered the ensalada chica. There was nothing on it so I ordered a side of guacamole to go with it. Waitress said they use canola oil in their food. Yuck! read more

I wish yelp offered 3.5 stars because that would be my true rating but since they don't I'm gonna give this place a 4 simply because of the great service. Let's start with the food...it's good, it's authentic and it's always fresh. I've had several combos, I have come mostly for lunch. My fav is the ground beef taco (and I don't even eat ground beef) and the cheese enchilada. The portions are huge so you can always share a combo. The chips and salsa are a meal all by themselves so make sure you save room. Now for my no go's at here. The margaritas. Not my fav. For many reasons all the way from mix, to flavor to price. Stick to a beer or wine if you want a cocktail. The guacamole is also not my fav. It's fresh but bland so I don't think it's worth the price of a side of guacamole. Otherwise come eat here the food is good you will be satisfied and you will have leftovers! read more

wish I could give more stars! Been here a few times, always great food! The cocktail menu doe snot disappoint either, exotic & diverse . Staff is super friendly (especially Leticia R.) This recent visit left us WOW'ed at the quickness of food delivery and overall experience. read more

Well was very disappointed to see out favorite ice cream parlor closed but delightfully surprised at how much we like this spot!! Service was FANTASTIC TOP notch!! Taco was great lots of cheese. Freshly deep fried shell not like SO MANY Phoenix mex restaurants use! Enchilada was very good. My wife really enjoyed her chimichanga. My moms chilli reanno was great too. Everything we had so far was great. We will return. Highly recommended. read more

La Pinata - Chimichanga. Very good - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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So third visit. Last week. Decided to just stop in for some margaritas at the bar. ( Thur nite) Sat down. It was only 8:30pm. We weren't even acknowledged. I mean.... no hello.... nothing. There were only 4 others at the bar. Not a lot of tables occupied. Finally I got the gentleman's attention. Yes.... we would like 2 margaritas please. Oh.... okay. ( like why do you think we are here)? Put them down. A young lady went to hand us menus. No thanks... we are just having drinks. You would think we did something wrong once we weren't eating That was it.... never addressed us again. We easily could have had another one.... but no thanks. I'll go someone else. I mean.... $20 for 2 drinks.... you could have made a killing on us. There are people that eat and drink water only! We normally do both!! I hate to say it.... but I think we are done with LaPinata. Too bad. I don't expect a red carpet..... but a simple acknowledgement would be swell. read more

We sat at the bar. Bartender gave us amazing service. She was on top of everything! Food was wonderful! I got the Yucatán. Highly recommend. Best Mexican food I've ever had. read more

A hidden gem. Small, modern spanish designed restaurant with a great atmosphere, service and food. We passd this place all the time. This time we stopped in for a drink. Ended up eating shrimp fajita. Cheaper and better than our go to place for shrimp fajita. read more

La Pinata - Shrimp fajita - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Had lunch there. What a great little slice of Heaven. Food was unbelievable and plenty of it. Portions are large. Highly suggest the Specialty Combo part of the menu. Great options and with5 of us I think we covered them all! House Margaritas are spot on. You'll love it. read more

The food is always great. It might be a long wait to get in, but it's worth it! (Once you order, it'll come out quickly!) Absolutely recommend the carne asada fajitas or the Tio Pancho! read more

Love Love the new location, artsy, modern with a twist of rustic. Seems to be getting more popular everytime I visit. awesome margaritas, cheese crisp to start, Chile relleno wow! Everything we order is just too good. If I could eat here every day I would. Best food eeeeeeever !! read more

The service was great, our waiter Kevin was fantastic and friendly. He has been one of the best waiters I have ever had! The food was delicious as always, thank you so much! read more

A+ EVERYTHING, my husband and I are Mexican food junkies and this place has it all amazing service and outstanding high quality food with a great restaurant vibe. This place is my new favorite place to eat Mexican food. Please open one in North Phoenix!!! read more

We have been going to La Piñata since the 1970s, long before they moved to the new location. Personally we like the old place better, simply because it was where my husband and I had our first date so it had a lot of happy memories. We actually remember the older gentleman (owner?) coming around to all the tables to make sure everything was OK. We have continued at the new location and it never disappoints. Whoever said the margaritas are watered down??? We beg to differ! And the food is crazy good with huge portions. Now our adult kids are totally addicted to La Piñata too! read more

I was on hold for 20 minutes. Someone picked up after being on hold and hung up. Now I can't get through to place an order. I had a big order to place. Enjoy losing out on that money and tip for your employees. Won't ever try to eat here again. read more

I have been coming to La Piñata for 4 years now and can't believe I have never given them 5 stars! La Piñata consistently has delicious food and great service and is always at top of our list when we are craving Mexican. read more

We stumbled upon this gem on a lucky taco Tuesday. Shredded chicken tacos are $2 and margs are $5 for happy hour. Ambiance is great and food was even better. read more

La Pinata - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Where to start... - They're Margaritas have almost no alcohol in them and are completely watered down. Clearly other people agree because several of the negative reviews touch off on this. Not even kidding. The worst margarita I have ever had in my life. - They're staff is terrible. From sitting at our table for 15 minutes without even a drink order taken, to the "hostess" who couldn't even remember to bring my daughter some crayons. I had to literally get up an go find someone both times (this is a Tuesday by the way). - The place was crowded and loud. They are trying to jam way too many tables into this place. You can't hear anyone talk and I suspect its why our service was so terrible. Don't pack more people in than you can serve. - The parking is terrible. They have tons of wasted space. read more

Four star average is about right. This place is interesting - easy to miss and really strange from the outside. It looks abandoned, frankly. Boarded up. The view from the street is the patio that has been bound up with dark fabric. The entrance, as in any retro Phoenix joint, is from the parking lot and not from the sides or street. The decor outside is bizarre at best - street lamps with the 'light' being cast painted on the wall. The entrance door is so close to a metal grate frame is seems like it won't open or you'll smash some fingers as you do. The parking lot surrounding the place is a bit of a disaster, adding to the derelict exterior. Given all that, I went in... and was super surprised. It's incredibly charming inside! You can tell the owner put some care and effort into the feel of restaurant and the decor. The patio is awesome. There's a working fire place and the dark wrap seen from the outside creates a warmth and seclusion for the patio. Adorable. I ordered the house margarita - bad choice. Avoid it. The bartender needs some education or better support from the owner. The whole thing was a tacky, sweet, neon green mixer. And 16 oz of that. I was hoping for a decent, small, well crafted margarita on the rocks. Not happening. Ordered the chicken tortilla soup. It was incredible. It came with fork, knife AND spoon. I chuckled at first as to why, but it makes sense. It's more like a thick stew. Worth it. Fresh avocado and cilantro on top. The chef has this figured out. My friend got the shrimp tortilla soup and devoured it. It's a very large bowl so she obviously enjoyed it. And my other friend got some enchiladas and her plate was also clean. The ambiance and food are a little gem inside an ugly building. Pretty fun. Maybe be more specific with your margarita needs than I was when ordering from the bar. I would definitely go back - if just for the feel of the place alone. Really nice. read more

Great meal and plenty of food to take home. Kevin waited on us, very polite and attentive. I had chicken picado and my spouse had chicken and steak fajitas. Both delicious. Need to come back more often. read more

Authentic enchiladas with lots of pulled chicken, mild and delicious! Ranchero beans were very good, a twist on standard refried pintos with a smoky kick. Tasty rice, guacamole, and lettuce/tomato garnish. Super fast delivery! I loved it! read more

so good. so cheesy. 10/10 recommend great drinks, great peeps, great atmosphere, large shareable portions , spicy queso, skinny margs read more

La Pinata - LOOK AT THE CHEESE - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Always an excellent Mexican meal here. Kid friendly with a great happy hour and delicious chips and salsa

Okay seriously.... my ultimate favorite place for Mexican food! On this visit I strayed away from my usual "La Piñata" chimi. Wanting to try something new, I got the steak fajitas. I was nervous for the change but when I had my first bite, wow! The flavor combinations were out of this world and I was not disappointed! Now I have a second favorite dish here & I'm excited to try something else next time! read more

La Pinata - Steak Fajitas. So good! - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Picked up a to go order. Service was quick. A suggestion for whoever is taking orders. If someone asks what is in the beans or rice, what kind of lettuce do you use, this should be known. If not, then find out., not just say ' I don't know 'and stand there like I'm wasting your time. Better yet, include these items on the menu for those diners with allergies or sensitivities. Roseanne(sp) was very helpful. read more

My rating for La Piñata is 0/0. I used to love this place growing up and always had excellent customer service. A few weeks ago I went for lunch and requested a booth. The host kept telling us it would be another 5-10 minutes. We patiently waited... a few minutes later one of the managers came up to us and told us the the booth we were waiting for could not be given to us due to the owner would be coming in soon and the booth had to be ready for them when they walked in. This could of been told to us the 40 minutes we were waiting.. I do not recommend this place , made management , and turn away business. Will never come to La Piñata again. read more

So I was coming from Portland on a weekend trip and wanted some good Mexican food. Not nouveau, authentic, fancy, Mexican. Just honest to goodness tasty Mexican food. And a margarita or three. I did a lot of research and talked to many friends and finally settled on this place. Mostly it was the pictures of the beans and rice. I like my beans pinto and mashed. And I like rice that is not in the shape of an overturned bowl, meant to look fancy. So we get there on a Friday night around 7 and I'm expecting a wait because the parking lot if filled. We enter through the back and immediately the fresh smell of peppers hits us and I know we've made the right choice. We were immediately seated at a nice table by the bar and it was our good fortune to have Gabby as our server. She was very sweet and had a can do attitude! She recommended several dishes and we decided to start with the Mary Lou Christmas tree. It's basically a fat quesadilla served with beef and red sauce on one side and pork and green sauce on the other. It was phenomenal and a ton of food! Seriously we would have been full from that, but my wife and I love enchiladas so I ordered the red/cheese with beans and rice. She ordered the chicken ala carte. Again, very, very good. Great salsa and chips too. We wound up taking at least half the food home and had for lunch the next day. The margaritas were just ok, not fantastic but the service was A plus! If you're looking for good, down home, tasty Mexican with great and friendly service with huge portions at a very reasonable cost. this is the place. There, aren't you glad I did your research for you? read more

TERRIBLE evening! I took my partner there for his Birthday January 25th. I called prior to deciding on making this a special dinner for him to see if they do anything for Birthdays. I was told yes so we arrived early at 4:30pm. As we arrived I told the Host that it was my partners Birthday so he could let the server know. I wanted it to be special as we had just moved to Phoenix in November and had been here 1 time before as we live around the corner. We ordered drinks and food and the drinks and food came out at the same time. I was not happy as I wanted us to have a couple drinks. Before my partner was done with his dinner our check was on the table and she did not say anything about a Birthday and did not even ask us if we wanted desert. I could feel myself turn blood red as I knew she was pushing us out to flip more tables and I was hurt that I did not give my partner a great Birthday experience at a place we liked. I guess it was the staff that did not provide that but I still felt bad. I told the host as I was leaving, a tall blonde guy and he just seemed like he did not know anything and looked off into space looking to see the next table opening. He said "sorry." Well that was not enough and I will never go back or recommend this place. I had given it 5 stars prior but this was just bad all around. The server was bad, the host was bad and whoever this tall guy was, maybe manager was bad. I sure hope he was not the manager. I have managed restaurants in my past and I never let a guest walk out like that, I at least tried to fix the problem. I own an Airbnb business in the area and this will not be a place I will promote to any of my guests staying in any of my 18 Units. I hope this is not a pattern for the place and if so they are in trouble. SAD read more

One of my longtime favorites! We love family owned restaurants who care about quality food! Their new location is beautiful and very clean. Thank you Ya Piñata ; ) we look forward to every visit! read more

La Pinata - 2018 La Piñata Menu - Mexican Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Good Mexican staples, always flavorful and a nice ambiance. Eggs and chorizo is delicious, as are the beans and chimichangas.

Me and my family have been coming here regularly and have never had this type of service before we went on Sunday to have dinner and as we are eating our chips and salsa we notice there was a piece of someone else's bitten chips submerged in the salsa bowl to our knowledge that means your reusing and combining salsa from other peoples tables that's disgusting . We tell a server she tells us she'll get a manager and doesn't so we flag her down and we told her about the incident and she didn't apologize or handle it the way a manager should of handled it instead she rudely reached over the table and said give it to me so I can take care of this.Her response to us it was horrible.she was non apologetic We waited for the food quite a while and noticed everyone that came in after us got there food Pretty fast.No one checked on our table or told us anything So we decided to leave. We went to pay for the drinks ,Then the host in front who had nothing to do with our situation because our waitress told him we didn't want the food gets mad starts shaking his head muttering under his breathe like we did something wrong. And has a tantrum slams his clip board in the bar table. In front of the manager, And she did nothing to correct him. Can't say we will be returning back due to the horrible service we experienced love the food and all but just horrible. Me being a manager myself I would have never handled that situation that way she did or let my employees act that way in front of a customer especially when we were not being disrespectful in any way. read more

I've gone here about 6 times now, and I can honestly say they're food is consistently great! Anyone who likes fajitas needs to go here!

This place has quickly climbed the ranks of our favorite Mexican restaurants in our neighborhood. We haven't found anything on the menu that we haven't liked yet. Being parents of young children we rarely get to eat our takeout when it's still hot and it's still delicious lukewarm or reheated. Day after leftovers have been on point as well. Most importantly, however, is that ownership and staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. A super clutch pandemic find for us! read more

This place is pretty good! For starters we ordered the cheese crisp. It was very cheesy and surprisingly not burnt like most places are. Then I ordered the Tio Panchos pollo con queso. Nicely seasoned and very tasty. I even liked the refried beans which were "smoky" in taste. My wife ordered the red burro, taco, and bean tostada combo meal. She says she liked the red chili meat in the burro. The only thing I feel they could improve on is their salsa. Both the regular and hot salsas were lacking flavor and "punch". read more

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Eh...not sure what happened. Came here last year before moving to AZ..me and my homie had an amazing azz meal. I came 5 months ago..food was on point. Came here today excited to have some slamming fajitas and it was a fail. I was expecting that beautifully seared and juicy flavorful steak along with the usual tender flour tortilla. Instead I got some funky old steak that tasted like it week old re-fired steak. It even smelled "off". I took two bites and concluded that, despite the meal being $18+ (minus a drink), it was not worth the calories. I salvaged the rice and drove 5 miles to El Pollo Correteado for a proper meal. Perhaps there low on ingredients due to Coronavirus? Who knows, but I'm not in Vegas and i'm not in a gambling mood with my money. This was the worst meal i've had in months. The chocolate chip cookies that I bought at Ampm gas station mart, before driving 40 mins here, had more flavor. Going to have to unfortunately cancel this plate. 2 stars, and not 1, to respect what this place once was. read more

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My favorite Mexican place in the valley. I dream about their chimis and love the vibe. Part of me wants to keep this place a secret, but the secret is out. read more

By far the best Mexican food in the Phoenix area, hidden gem! Watch out for the margaritas, only drink one if you are driving! Be sure and order their specialty dishes, a great change from typical Mexican food! read more

Been going since it was on 19th ave and Osborn. The marinade on the steak fajitas is absolutely insane. The red chili Mary Lou is my favorite app. You can get flour tortillas here as well! Highly recommend! read more

Just love this place and the owner is always soooo pleasant. The best beef fajitas, love the taco salad and green chili chicken burro!