La Tinga

I would give it 6 stars if I could. The best tacos in town, no contest, no one comes close. Real Mexican food. The people that give this place a poor review don’t know Mexican food. Or they are looking for a pretty little place with fancy dancey furniture and expensive artwork and a band. I go for the food.

Authentic tacos, you don’t get much better than these.
Evelyn is your server and cook sweet and funny.
Go for lunch you’ll love it!

Great hole in the wall for an out of towner. To describe La Tinga in few words: Authentic — Well Priced — Fast — Good Olé Mexican Cookin.
I got the chicken and potato burritos with a couple tamales. If the owner asks you if you want the burrito «hot» — believe her! undoubtedly the meal was hot but still fantastic. Tamales came in green chili or mole shredded chicken. Both were corn soft chewy goodness.

This place is legit. I highly recommend getting two burritos (carne asada and chicken Tanga). The food is slightly messy and bursting with flavor, just as authentic Mexican food should be. One of the best experiences was just sitting there, talking with Evelyn. She’s extremely welcoming and makes sure everything is exactly how you want it. I will definitely go back, whenever I’m in Billings.

Best Mexican food in Billings, in a modest and very comfortable setting. I love the huevos rancheros and the tamales Evelyn is very nice and inviting.

Just finally discovered this place and it was great. I’m from CA and had moved to MT in Sept and had low expectations for any good Mexican or ethnic food, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this place. The food is simple and delicious and affordable. And the woman running it is probably one of my nicest people ever. Been missing my abuelita and the Mexican side of family so this place was very comforting on a lot of levels. Def will be a regular now.

I was missing my Phoenix roots and stumbled into La Tinga. Thank you 8 pound baby Jesus for leading me here. Tastes like home with s wonderful lady at the counter. I had the daily special which included 2 beef tacos, rice and beans. So dang tasty! Beef had a great taste, tortillas were just like homemade and the beans were thin the way God intended! I will be back!

Chicken tinga and carne asada taco plus fried beans were great– cooked fresh and excellent taste. Another in my party had a bean and cheese burrito and said it was great too. This restaurant is a hole in the wall-​type but was clean. Restroom was very clean too. There’s not a lot of room in the place, so you can see stacked up dirty dishes– but surfaces were clean — counter and tables. Evelyn is so friendly and treats you like family. She also thanked us for trying her food (maybe they get a lot of regulars there). While I was there, a Spanish-​speaking customer was raving that she should have tried this place before.

Got two burritos that were unwrapped and food fell out not only on foam plate, but on pants and car seat too. The rice was hard and not fresh. The small café style restaurant was a hole in the wall and should not have come up in my search for best restaurants. I will not come back.

I would stop in here for a breakfast burrito in the mornings and it was wonderful. The employees were also very sweet and nice to talk to. Authentic food and taste. Highly recommend.

We were very disappointed in this restaurant. After reading reviews we were expecting a great experience. The lunch menu was very limited. The service was friendly but minimal. The food was not well prepared or presented… just the basics. It was very much self service. The iced tea was terrible. The décor was barebones and moderately clean. bIt was cheap. that’s the best I can say for it. If you have a hankering for a Mexican food I. BIllings, there are many other options. Do not choose La Tinga.

Amazing food. Amazing service. Very personable and sweet employees. Great specials and a menu that caters to carnivores and vegetarians alike. Authentic Mexican food for folks who know what that is.

So tasty! Its a little spot hidden in the heart of downtown Billings. I walked in and was greeted in a pleasant manner, handed a menu and instructed to find a seat and come order when I was ready. I ordered tamales and as a previous reviewer commented they had been made ahead of time and warmed up using the microwave, however they were clearly homemade and some of the best tamales I’ve had since moving away from Arizona. This is one of the best Mexican food places I have eaten that in a long time.

5 star rating? Who’s rigging this one.
I ate there recently during a biz trip to Billings. Yes the owner is friendly, and maybe she will read this, but the food is not. I love Rellenos, and I saw a review saying it was wonderful and all the reviews stating it was the best Mexican in Billings. COOL! 5 Stars, I gotta go! Walk in, grabbed a seat at the counter, ordered up a Chili Relleno with rice and beans. Out came a plastic container, and the girl puts a fried looking rectangle thing onto a plate, and then it goes into a microwave. Im wondering what it was, certainly wasn’t my Relleno, couldn’t be, Rellenos are fried right? Im at the best rated authentic mexican in the area, a reviewer wrote they go for the Rellenos! Nah, thats not my plate! 3 minutes later out comes the plate from the microwave, she slapped some beans and rice on it, poured some broth (??) on it and then put it in front of me and told me to tell her if it wasn’t hot enough. OMG! Come on, am I on one of those reality TV food shows? This can’t be right, where is my 5 star Relleno? Yikes! so I guess the plate is for me! OK so I added some salsa to the plate and sit down thinking, its going to take a miracle for this to be decent. So I taste the beans first, yeah those are good, then the rice, hmmm… its got a crunch to it, its dried out rice, crappy, they need to go invest in a rice cooker, keeps the rice perfect, if I can own one so can this place. Next I go for the Relleno, and its mushy, really mushy thanks to all the time in the tuperware, the bonus time in the microwave and the broth that was poured over it. The salsa was ok and at this point I eat a few bites of the what is a tasteless mass of old fried relleno, but the salsa helps and then there it is, another taste, but something is really really off, its bad, something in that broth or Relleno has turned bad, the salsa covered up the taste, but its there, this food is old, moldy tasting. I’m finished, I push away the plate and finish my drink, I don’t think giving the owner a critique of the nasty food would make a difference. Nothing would change if I did so I Adiós the place. I’ll never be back and it’ll be closed sooner than later. Ah but then a added bonus round — 3 hours later my stomach hurts, and I have some serious nausea. Its the only food I ate, except for a cliff bar for breakfast so this place gave me food poisoning. Thankfully it passed, but how the heck this place got 5 star ratings? Microwaved old mexican food? Do yourself a favor and run from this place as fast as you can.,

What a wonderful hidden little gem. Their food was delicious. My husband had the chile relleno and rice and beans while I had the daily special and a tallales. Perfect size of meal and great prices. we will be coming back again the next time we are in Billings.

Amazing experience from the moment we walked in the door! The owner was so lovely and sweet. My husband, who considers Taco Bell authentic, was amazed at how good the chorizo breakfast burritos are! I’m so excited to go back and try their tacos and other goodies. Really good prices too, doesn’t get any better!

This is the only place in Billings where I will eat Mexican food. The food Is always fresh, authentic and very tasty. Evelyn is a delightful person who makes you feel like part of her family. If you want genuine Mexican street food, this is the place.

Delicious Carne Asada n Pork Taco’s with homemade corn tortilla’s!~ not a fancy place but a well known secret!~

Some of the best Mexican food I have found in Billings! The menu is simple which was great with kids. Tacos, burritos, tostadas, & nachos. Everything we had was superb we will most definitely make a trip back.
We were there for dinner on a Friday but I am not sure how often she is open in the evenings?
Make this your choice the next time you crave Mexican food in Billings! You won’t be disappointed.

This the most authentic Mexican restaurant I have visited in Montana. The place is so authentic it made me nostalgic for the years I lived in Central America. The only thing missing is the plastic chairs.
They offer tacos, burritos, tostadas, tamales and much more. You can even get basic beans and rice. The hot sauce is spicy and the woman who owns the place throws in «si» and «entonces» while talking.
As I was leaving the owner told me she moved to Billings from Mexico City 5 years ago and they «eat exactly the same down there.» She, also, told me she is willing to make me special order tamales if I give advanced notice.
The prices are reasonable, the place is vegetarian friendly, it has an authentic atmosphere, the owner is accommodating and the location enhances urban qualities. For those reasons, I am giving La Tinga 5 stars.
Billings should be proud to have this place in the community! Highly recommend.