Cuisine: Mexican
Restaurant Features: Counter-Service, On-Site Parking (West St Paul location)
Locations: Minneapolis, Plymouth, West St Paul ( MN)
Addresses & Maps:
Minneapolis- 2150 E Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 729-5320
Minneapolis- 311 E Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 825-7466
Plymouth- 60 Nathan Ln N Plymouth, MN 55441 (763) 545-1977
West St Paul- 1304 Robert Street So. West St Paul, MN 55118 (651) 455-6833
Hours: 7 days 10am-10pm
Atmosphere: The West St Paul location is located right on Robert Street and is very easy to spot from the road, with its unique slanted roof. The counter is just to the right of the main doors when you walk in, and there is a large menu board overhead. There are a bunch of booths set up around the space, with glass privacy separators around each. The bright stained-glass windows give the West St Paul location a somewhat festive-feel.
Menu: Mexican sandwiches include choice of Ham, Cheese, Breaded Steak, or any of the combination sandwiches including the Chilanga, Mexicana, Hawaiiana, Cubana and Three Meat. All come with your choice of fixings: mayonnaise, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno, cream and beans.
All tacos, burritos, tortas, and chimichangas come with choice of meats: 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, Mexican Sausage in Chipotle Sauce, Pastor, and Spicy Pork.
Taco options include soft Corn or Flour Tortillas, Hard Shell, Tostada, Nachos and Quesadilla.
Burrito options include Bean/Rice/Cheese, Regular (one meat), Burrito Gordo (two meats and avocado), Veggy (cheese and avocado) and the Birrote (two tortillas, two meats). Any burrito can be made into a chimichanga, served enchilada-style.
Meat Plates come with rice and beans and include Meat Plate, Beef Fajita, Chicken Fajita. Alambre, Quesadilla (choice of meat), Carne Asada, Green Sauce Enchilada, Red Sauce Enchilada, Chimichanga, Stuffed Poblano Pepper, Garlic Shrimp, Devil's Shrimp, Breaded Shrimp, Shrimp Fajitas, and Flautas (chicken or potato).
Price guide: Sandwiches $6-8 Tacos $2-5 Burritos $4-9 Meat Plates $9-10
What I ordered: I had previously tried a burrito at Pineda one other time and really enjoyed it. This time I wanted to try the burrito chimichanga-style. I ordered it with spicy pork, Mexican rice, pinto beans, cilantro, and hot salsa. The outside was slightly crisp and flaky from being fried, and topped with a light amount of enchilada sauce and melted Mexican cheese. Lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole were served on the side. I enjoyed the chimichanga quite a bit. Despite the fact that both the chimi and the burrito I had tried before were filled with nearly the same ingredients, it was a completely different experience to be able to add the cold condiments to the hot ingredients instead of having them all mixed in.
One of my companions ordered four tacos: one chicken in tomato sauce, one spicy pork, and two steak. Each taco was served on two white corn tortillas and topped with the customary cilantro and chopped onion, with wedges of lime on the side. They were all very good, especially the spicy pork. The chicken was tender white-meat marinated in a light tomato broth, mild but flavorful.
Another companion also ordered four tacos: two chicken and two spicy pork.
Service: Pineda has counter service that seems to go pretty fast, as they make the tacos and burritos directly as you order them. Free soda refills
Overall Impression: Pineda offers a wide range of delicious meats for tacos and burritos, with generous portions for the money. They have some of the best burritos I have had. The spicy pork is my favorite.
Recent Comments