Taqueria La Pinata

Let me just start by saying I LOVE this place. Love love love love. I crave their burritos and salsa ALL THE TIME. I am heartbroken though and need an explanation. Last week I call around 11pm — no one picks up… ok… Tonight I call around 10pm no one picks up again so I go there and they are CLOSED. What is going on??? Summer hours?! There was no sign on the door or anything. I was forced to go to Taqueria El Burrito. Feels like a night spent with an old mediocre fling after glorious nights with my lover. *Tear*

The salsa bar alone is a reason to come back! I was really pleased with the options here– we sampled 4 salsas and they were all pretty damn delicious. Chicken enchiladas were really delicious and the tacos were also pretty good. I look forward to coming back!

Stopped by the other night for a quick meal to go and I was so impressed! The menu is more extensive than I’ve seen at other popular Davis Mexican restaurants and super affordable. I ordered 2 pollo asado tacos and the total was a little over $ 5. The tacos and the salsas from the complimentary salsa bar were all delicious. Overall this place is a great find– can’t wait to try some of their other items!

Got kicked out for bathing in their mango habanero salsa. Best tacos in Davis.
I’ll give you another star for a gallon of that mango salsa.

Ordered their menudo, French fries, and churro and flan. Random assortment of things, but I was having a weird day and craving random ass food haha. Menudo was definitely on the bland side although the portion was huge. I asked for buttered bread instead of tortillas. The tripe in the soup was good, if not cut a little too big. I liked their pickled onions they have at the salsa bar. Other than that, nothing else really stood out to me from the salsa bar. Their French fries are also pretty crispy which is nice. Churro was way better than the flan they serve here. I like my flan silky smooth and delicate, but theirs is more firm/​crumbly. So maybe I’m just being picky. Overall, not bad, not great.

Tacos are pretty bomb here. Surprised it took me this long to finally check this place out since it’s right next to campus, but I’m really glad I did!
The cashier was super friendly and I loved all the different varieties of salsas they had! I ordered two pastor tacos, one carne asada, and one lengua. I loved all of them! They were honestly pretty damn good – arguably the best tacos in Davis. The pastor was super flavorful and they definitely do not skimp on meat here! Each taco was $ 2.20 which is pretty pricy for tacos but it’s pretty worth it imo. Not the best tacos I’ve had and not the best price, but La Piñata definitely puts up a good fight to the other Taquerias in Davis.

I came here recommended by a friend. Let me tell you, the menu is huge. Since I had to many options, my friend and I decided to order three different things: tostada de ceviche, torta de milanesa, and deviled shrimp. The three plates had an amazing Mexican taste. I will definitely come back to try out more things off their menu. I’ll keep you posted
P. S. This Mexican approves

I still love this place! I have ventured out and tried quite a few different items. But I still always get a shrimp tostada as they are just THAT good!
I’m here at least twice a week.

I’ll start off by saying that you get your food right away. Aside from that, there’s nothing to rave about. I received the NASTIEST customer service here and will not be back anytime soon. I ordered a grilled shrimp quesadilla and asked for tomatoes+salsa on the side because I am allergic. I figured I’m paying for it anyway and I could always give it to a friend. As soon as I received my order I checked my quesadilla and what do I find? Tomatoes. Initially, it wasn’t a big deal and I thought it would be easy to make a new one. I brought it back to ask them to remake one for me. The server had to ask they’re manager so I stood there waiting as he asked. He came back to me saying their manager wouldn’t allow them to make me a new one. I told them I can’t eat tomatoes and he went back to tell the manager. As soon as he told her, she turned to me with the dirtiest look and walked over to me. She started yelling at me for asking for tomatoes on the side when I can’t even eat it. She kept questioning why I would do that. I was bewildered by her attitude towards her customers. I simply wanted a quesadilla without tomatoes.
I don’t know where she got the idea that she could be so rude to her customers. She definitely should not be working there. It’s not like their food is top notch where they can afford to act this way. Keep it up and this place is going to the dumps. There are definitely better places in Davis that serve higher quality food while providing pleasant customer service.

El Burrito who? Let me begin by saying I typically judge Mexican restaurants by their horchata and piñata kills it every time! It’s big inside, so plenty of room for you and your friends, although the seating in the back is a little removed and sketchy.
There’s a free salsa bar with chips (the good kind)! I’ve had burritos and the steak tacos! The tacos weren’t my fave in Davis, I think guads is better, but the burrito was great! My friend had the torta which she said was amazing and another friend had the taco salad which she also said was good.
They also have mariachi bands that come, which is fun but… a little loud. So if you’re looking for a romantic and intimate burrito night with your partner, call ahead to see if the band is playing.
Atmosphere: not super homey, cafeteria vibes, but on a summer day? Eat outside!
Helpful hint: if you go for a birthday let them know! Free flan!

This place is okay. The staff didn’t seem too happy with their job except for one of them. The place seems so dead & not as lively as I expected. The food as well is okay. The good thing is they have a salsa bar, the bad thing is, the chips aren’t the «authentic» mexican chips you’re used to. Good thing, there’s a bar & indoor & outdoor seating. Bad thing, the food, at least the tacos i got, were bland. Good thing, there’s still plenty of other things to try on the menu. Another plus is that it is located near campus & downtown.

Zero stars if I could!
This place is a huge disappointment!!! Went here last Friday hoping to love this place, after all the menu looked great.
The woman at the register was rude and looked irritated to be there. We ordered and waited for over 40 minutes but never got our food. We asked for our money back but we never got an apology, instead the cashier tried to short change us because she assumed we received part of our order. WE HAD NOTHING! After speaking to the owner/​manager we got our money back and left starving… Yeah I wont be back.

Hands down the best authentic Mexican food in Davis. Finally the Davis Unilocal reviewers got it right! I love the chile relleno burrito, but truthfully everything is good. Be sure to try the flan.
They also have their own parking! So when parking is scarce downtown, it’s a good option.

It was an okish restaurant. Not the best. But, the customer service was excellent. I didn’t like my dish because it included beans that were extremely dry. They were the worst beans that I have ever tasted in my life. They must have been canned beans. Replace immediately!

Great food, the menu reflects a slice of cuisine selections from across Mexico and the open salsa bar has an amazing selection! Prompt and friendly service, clean and welcoming, good prices and quality — coming back here again!

Carne Asada burrito is great. Parking is convenient as well. Would have been better if they had pico at the salsa bar.

I understand that El Burrito is the standard for Mexican food in Davis, but ever since the first time I came here I haven’t gone anywhere else. I typically get their La Piñata burrito, also known as the California burrito. It’s about the same price as El Burrito but tastes much better and is closer to campus. They also have fries inside the burrito, which I thought was a great touch. The green sauce, the one with limes and is marked as medium is actually also fucking spectacular with the burrito. I typically can’t take spice at all, but for some reason I can just keep eating this sauce for days on end.

One of my Unilocal friends recommended this place. She said they have the best carne asada and the best chicken. I went there and wanted to try the grilled chicken.

When I walked in, the menu was a little overwhelming because it was so huge. Thank god I knew what I was going to order already. I ended up getting the chicken fajitas with corn tortilla and
my wife ended up getting the shrimp taco salad bowl.

As we waited for our food I went to check out their salsa bar. I believe there were six different kinds and I put all of them in the little plastic containers and brought them to our table. I also filled up a container with pickled onions.

Our food came immediately and the guy asked me what kind of tortillas would I like with my chicken fajitas. I told him «corn please.» A minute later he came back with some pipping hot tortillas freshly made. Truthfully when I have fajitas I don’t eat tortillas with them. My wife said «don’t waste the freshly made tortillas they made you, you should eat at least a few.» I said «fine I will.» I just don’t like the extra carbs, that’s all. I would soon change my mind when I put together the first fajita and the sizzling chicken. I made sure I drizzled a little bit of the habanero pineapple salsa and topped it with pickled onions. My first bite was really the best. I was so glad my wife talked me into eating the tortillas. Not only the chicken was deliciously flavored, I thought the tortilla was the star of the whole meal. It tasted so much better than other tortillas I’ve eaten in other taquerias. The red and green peppers and onions were caramelized so it gave it great flavor. There was a hint of pineapple while chewing and heat after you swallow it. I ended eating all four of my tortillas using different salsa for every tortilla. My favorite salsa is the pineapple salsa out of all of them.
Overall this was the best fajita experience I’ve had. Will definitely try their carne asada with the pineapple salsa next time I come back.

The lady at the front was very rude. First she didn’t ask me if I wanted my meal for here or to go. So she packed it up and told me they where closing when it was barely 10. Then when I opened up it was lengua when I clearly asked for asada. After telling her about the mistake she was very confrontational and told me I asked for lengua and was sure of it. After a very tense confrontation she snatched the burrito and walked away. I hate lengua and would never order it. When she brought back a new burrito I felt so uncomfortable I couldn’t even eat it. Also, I didn’t trust her and didn’t want to risk eating a burrito she messed with in the back.
When I asked one of the cooks for her name (which he told me was Marta, however I’m not too sure if that’s true) she came out from the front to continue to yell at me about how she did everything right. I walked out because I could not deal with her anymore.
This was the worst customer service experience I have ever received. Honestly just go to el burrito. This would’ve never happened there. I will be calling the owner to notify him of this experience, let’s hope he handles it better.

BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN DAVIS !!!
I absolutely love their burritos and their salsa bar!!!
I usually order their carne asada burrito or their tacos. Their grilled chicken was also very delicious, but their carne asada is AMAZING! I also love their marinated pork as well. They have a big variety of different meats and options on their menu.
They use to have pico de gallo for their salsa bar but now, they no longer have it there. I love their green salsa though, THEY USE AVOCADO IN IT!!! It’s literally like guacamole, but more liquidy. Love Love Love all the food here.
Service here is also great! AFter you finish eating, the employees walk around and take your plate/​trash for you. They also often times walk by and ask if you need anything like a box or bag if you did not finish your burrito.
Their horchata is also very delicious! The right amount of sweetness and cinnamon in my opinion.
Their location is a bit far from downtown, but it’s only a 5 – 10 minute walk away from campus. They also have free wifi!!!

Another mediocre Mexican food establishment in Davis. My party and I ordered the Chili Verde plate, carnitas tacos, and a chicken super burrito. None of us were impressed. After reading the reviews I thought this place was going to be fire, it wasn’t not even close. The Chili Verde was salty and did not have a traditional flavor, the burrito was meh, and while the carnitas were good, the tacos as a whole were not impressive. The food at Taqueria La Piñata is not even close to the best Mexican food in the Sacramento area, or in Davis.

Best Mexican food in Davis, one of the best in the valley! Seriously. I’ve been to hole-​in-​the wall kitchens where no one speaks much English, I’ve been to high class Mexican cuisine, I’ve eaten all over Mexico and all around California, the valley, sf mission, San Diego…
The carnitas have that nice fried crunch to the edges, the salsas are made in house with local peppers (holy **** that pineapple habanero is good), they have homemade tortillas on the weekend, mariachi on Thursdays, great people behind the counter.
Favorites: ceviche tostada (which is hard to get right!), super carnitas burrito, pozole, chorizo and eggs for breakfast, actually it’s hard to go wrong here, which is weird because most Mexican places have only one or two really good items. Piñata!

I must have been jealous of all the traditional homemade tamales my friends were making/​eating over the Christmas holiday… had a particular hankering for tamales and ended up trying this place out. Honestly, no downtown parking near the place I originally was headed to, so circled back here. When I was an undergrad it was still a phở place, and then more recently the short stint as a Japanese restaurant. Latest incarnation is Mexican. They do have a huge menu, but I settled on combination plate #3, which was 1 enchilada and 1 tamal — I chose park carnitas for both. Comes with refried beans, rice, lettuce/​sour cream/​guac/​salsa. Spa water complimentary. Also, salsa bar with unlimited tortilla chips available too. A little bit pricier compared to the 2-​item plates at Guadalajara, but still hit the spot. Location close to campus means more students so it can get busy. They also have a stage for mariachi band performances! Same parking situation as before, about 10 – 15 spaces right in front of the building. Not bad!

Long story short, my husband got VIOLENT FOOD POISONING ALL. NIGHT. LONG.
We went to try Piñata last night after so many Unilocalers saying they preferred it over Taqueria El Burrito, which is where we usually go for Mexican in Davis. The facility looked clean and the salsa bar looked great. We waited for our food by playing with the fancy Coke machine. Food came out in under 10 minutes. So far, so good.
Hubby ordered the California burrito with carne asada and I ordered the super quesadilla with chicken. A burrito, a quesadilla, and 2 sodas totaled $ 19.15. A little high in my opinion.
My quesadilla was a disaster. It was made of two 6-​inch flour tortillas that weren’t grilled crisp or even warm, and there was hardly any cheese. It was stuffed with so much lettuce and pico that it was more like 2 chicken soft tacos sandwiched together. Bleh.
My husband thought his burrito was just okay, but quite bland. He said it wasn’t anything a bunch of salsa couldn’t fix, so he poured it on and finished it and went home. And then became incredibly sick and was up puking all night with food poisoning. 12 hours later, he can barely keep any fluids down.
I’m pregnant and we have a toddler at home, so we’ve had to quarantine my husband in case its norovirus or something contagious and he’s going to have to miss work. What a disaster! We will never be returning!

First off I must say I’m a Taqueria Davis fanatic but this place is a block from my work and the photos looked very appealing.
My first visit here I ordered the shrimp tostada and my friend ordered the ceviche tostada! Holy smokes! Everything is fresh and crisp. Plus their prices are OUTSTANDING! I was very impressed with how clean, prompt and tasty their food is.
This building has had quite a bit of turnover in the past few years (Vietnamese, sushi and now Mexican) and it’s not very appealing from the outside but look past that! I really really hope this place stays!

I’m from Bakersfield, which has a very large Mexican population. It’s also a short drive to Los Angeles, which has an even bigger Mexican population and vibrant culture. As such, I’d say I have a very varied experience with Mexican food, and I’ve definitely been «spoiled» by great Mexcian food. I was worried about finding good Mexican food here at Davis, but it turns out there is nothing to worry about.
La Piñata has a HUGE menu– while this can sometimes be indicative of low-​quality food (which my girlfriend who is from San Diego mentioned as a concern), it definitely wasn’t in this case.
I ordered the Super Burrito, Wet (there is a $ 1.25 up-​charge) with Pastor meat (which was recommended to me by the cashier). I also ordered a Michelada and a Lengua (Beef Tongue) soft taco.
The food came out in about 5 – 7 minutes after we sat down, which was really nice. My michelada took a little longer, but it was no big deal. The taco was very good, but maybe a little pricey (it was like $ 2 – 3 for a palm-​sized taco). The burrito was AWESOME. The enchilada sauce was very good, and the insides of the burrito were even better. My michelada was great, too. It had tamarindo candy wrapped around the straw, a shrimp on the rim, and a cucumber.
Overall, it was a really great experience. A couple other good things:
It is SUPER close to campus. Like, one block east of the edge of campus on 1^st street.
They have a free chip/​salsa bar, so you can serve yourself as many chips as you want with your food.
They have a Coca-​Cola Freestyle machine, the ones that have a super big variety of Coke products to choose from.

Not sure if I’ll ever go to El Burrito after eating here…
The place itself is a little strange. There’s a stage in the back? The layout of this place is kinda odd too. Other than that, it’s really colorful and I get a nice vibe there. When I went around 6pm there were a lot of people in the restaurant. Which is always a good sign.
I suggest taking a look at the menu before you come or else you’re gonna spend a bit of time trying to figure out what you want. They have soooooo many options. I ended up choosing the shrimp enchiladas. My friends ordered the cubano torta and a carnitas super burrito.
Their chip and salsa bar was really good. They had your usual salsas and they have a special pineapple habanero. If you love spicy, definitely try it. I didn’t think it was that spicy but it’s so good. The texture was really nice with the subtle pineapple flavor.
Our food came out fast. I was really pleased with the large portion of food I got for my plate. Their red sauce is tasty and the shrimp was perfect. It had a nice grill flavor to it and it wasn’t over cooked. I was really really pleased and satisfied with my food. I took a bite of my friends food and it was just as delicious. I got a feeling that pretty much everything on their menu would be tasty and well made.
In comparison to the other Mexican restaurants, this place does not over salt their food which is a plus. I felt good eating their food. Definitely stop by and satisfy your Mexican food craving. It’s also college friendly, prices are reasonable and you do get a good amount of food plus the chips.
For sure my new go to Mexican restaurant.

Another restaurant in this spot again but maybe this one will actually last? La piñata is the best restaurant that’s been in this spot since I started college four years ago. Davis doesn’t have a shortage of taquerias but this is one of the better ones in Davis. It’s close enough to campus if you wanted to walk but if you wanted to drive you may not be able to find parking in the lot out front but there is parking nearby. Interior is a bit meh but at least there’s plenty of seating. Their salsa bar is average-​above average and the prices are decent. Service wasn’t super nice but not bad. Now onto the food!
Beef Tongue (Lengua) Taco: Delicious! Beef was really tender and well seasoned and a great salsa.
Mixed Seafood & Meat Molcajete: Never had this before so gave it a shot and I could eat this for days. I expected a much smaller portion, it’s definitely enough to feed 2 people and they do not skimp on the meat. Super delicious but really heavy.
Overall great place, nothing fancy. Just good food. Hope this place will last.

+/​-​THE FOOD
The food honestly wasn’t too bad but I expected a lot better. I ordered the regular chicken burrito bowl to go and I was so taken aback by how small the portion size was compared to other restaurants I’ve been to. I didn’t like how the regular burrito doesn’t come with lettuce and you have to pay $ 0.90 to have it added in. There was also barely any salsa. The burrito bowl tasted decent but a little bland. The chicken was juicy but not flavorful enough.
— THE ENVIRONMENT
Way too dreary and gloomy looking on the inside. They need to employ the usage of brighter lights so it attracts people to come in! Every time I pass by the place, it looks so disappointing. If they brighten up the place, maybe they can finally lift «the curse» and not become one of the many restaurants that have failed at this exact location.

Nice! Compared to the other places in the Bay, this place is a 3 but in Davis it’s definitely a 4. The food here is good, very spacious, and a salsa bar!
I got a super burrito and the carne asada had a delicious slight crunch to it. It was cheesy with just the right amount of rice and everything else. It was wrapped tightly and stood tall.
The salad bar had plenty of different salsas to choose from. My only complain is none of them were spicy :(still good though.
Friendly service and good food. Probably one of the better ones in Davis.

This place is doing great so far! They have exemplary service. They have a variety of food items with items that you cannot find anywhere else in Davis like molcajetes and bionicos.
If you’re wondering whether you should go to El Burrito or Piñata, hands down Piñata!

I came here with a group of 7 on a Sunday night and they had a good flow of customers. It does take a while to figure out what you want, their menu is ridiculously large, with different combinations and such. And the text is so small! I recommend grabbing a take out menu and having a seat first if you want to stand there awkwardly for. I don’t know about you but I suffer severe indecisiveness especially with huge menus! (I also posted a pic of the menus here)
They have dishes and meats not offered at many of the Mexican places here in Davis, including the molcajete. Which I will have to try next time! I ordered a super burrito with Cabeza and al pastor. You can get a combo of meats at no additional charge! The Cabeza was super tender, I would totally order it again! Their al pastor is different than other places, not so red and a little drier. Tastes okay, but I don’t prefer it.
I also ordered a horchata for pretty cheap! And it’s only 20cents extra for a large. I’d say go for the large, it’s perfect amount of sweetness, not diluted, nor too cinnamon-​y. They also ask you if you like ice in it or not, thoughtful! I personally don’t like ice in mine because it dilutes it. And I have a sweet tooth.
The only slightly confusing part was my friend and I were to «share a number card» even though we paid separate not really a big deal. The guy who brought our food wasn’t very fluent in English so there was a little bit difficult communicating about our orders. There was a mix up, my friend wanted a burrito bowl, not a burrito. He took it back and emptied the contents into a bowl. I think it was supposed to come with lettuce?
Other than that, the flavors are there. There’s plenty of seating. There’s plenty of options to choose from. But the parking kinda sucks. It’s meant to be a one way so that its slanted to for entry from 1^st St.

Trying out this new taqueria place in downtown Davis. It has a interesting environment. Before this, it used to be a sushi restaurant and before that it used to be a phở place. The food is okay, not my favorite. But guess what?! They serve BUCHE!!! And that is something to rave about because not a lot of places serve it. However, I didn’t try it but instead I tried their tacos and I got a chicken taco and it wasn’t outstanding but this place is relatively close to campus so that’s a plus for students who want authentic Mexican food. Also, I forgot to mention that they have a full chip and salsa bar! Yummy! Free chips and salsa! I’m in!
However, there are limited parking — about 7 parking spots at most, so it would probably be best to just bike over. I would return to this restaurant if I was on campus since it is within walking distance.