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.

I think I know what real Mexican food is. Nothing else compares to it. My favorite dish is pollo en…read morechipotle; that creamy chipotle sauce is simply delicious. Also delicious are the chicken tinga tacos and chicken tinga burritos. Absolutely delicious for Mexican food lovers.

They have moved to a spacious new location. Such nice people, beautiful ambiance and excellent…read moretacos. The corn tortillas are perfect!

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.

Great place. We've been for Mexican groceries (I don't know anywhere else around you can get a lot…read moreof the peppers etc) and for another time for takeout tacos. We brought the tacos over to The Other One brewery next door (which they allow) and had a fantastic date night. The al pastor was delicious, we both found the barbacoa a little boring and I'd skip the guacamole entirely next time. However the house made tortillas and other bread goods are so soft and flavorful. We'll be back.

We haven't been here since they've expanded and it's much more comfortable now! There is room to…read moresit and enjoy a meal separate from the grocery portion of the restaurant. We all really enjoyed our meals. Most of us ordered the three taco combo (any three tacos on the menu) and a side of rice and beans! While the tacos are very simple, they are quite tasty. The carnitas pork taco is really tasty, especially with the pickled onions! Yum!! The steak tacos had good flavor, but there was definitely grizzle to be found in them! The chicken was great! All of their tacos are served in a double soft corn taco, which helps them stay together through every bite! Overall, the tacos here are truly authentic, full of Mexican flavors, and perfect to cure any taco craving! Now, the only thing they need is a liquor license to serve some delicious margaritas to wash down the tacos!! . Service was okay. They forgot silverware, so we sat for a bit unable to eat our rice and beans (or add them to the tacos, which is what I do). They also forgot two side of rice and beans, brought one after a reminder, but the final one was never received! We all left full and happy, so that's great! We will definitely go back again! PS. They have a full menu, much more than just tacos!! **We were so hungry that I forgot to take pictures!

I was in the mood for a quesadilla so I decided to give Tacos Diablo a try…read more With that known, I ordered a chicken quesadilla and it was fine. To explain, the tortilla was fresh and cooked perfectly. However, the quesadilla was very thin and didn't have much in it. The only thing inside the quesadilla was chicken and cheese which led to it being a bit dry. The quesadilla definitely needed some type of sauce. At least the chicken itself was flavorful and tender. That being said, it was simply an average quesadilla. To be brief, Tacos Diablo has acceptable quesadillas, but they are nothing special.

Decent take out. I ordered a chicken quesadilla and added jack cheese to the included ingredients…read more He had a chorizo burrito with the hot salsa and enjoyed. We wanted variety and shared an order of three carnitas tacos- that was the hit for me. I liked that the tacos are double soft tortillas which keeps them from falling apart. A side of rice and beans at a very reasonable price but would love to know why the rice is green- maybe cilantro. It was all good. Overall decent at a fair price.

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!

Just a group of three girls searching for margaritas and authentic Mexican food! Our server was…read morescarce through out the dining experience. However the dining room and to go orders appeared non stop and she served us everything with a smile. The queso dip was more bland than I expected, no Chiles or tomatoes. but had a creamy stick to the chip consistency. You can notice the chips are made to order and served piping hot. My double beef enchiladas fell apart easily and the beef did did not offer any particular flavor. The yellow rice was very fluffy and not gummy like some places. They offer a pretty good deal on margarita pitchers too. The large raspberry on the rocks runs 30$. My friends liked their entrees, chimichanga with rice and salad and also a flautas combination. The total tab for the pitcher queso and 3 entrees was 99$ and we had left overs for later.

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.

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.