Pinches Tacos

Great fresh food. Often poor parking options.
Last time were there was before moving from BHam. Probably about in 2012 or 2011 or so

Amazing Mexican food! Please do reopen!

Despite having mechanical difficulties and a partially closed kitchen, the owner (blonde hair and pony tail) let us in and let us choose from his modified menu. Fantastic! No trip to Pinches Tacos would be complete without a Blood Orange margarita. Just don’t quit at the initial drink of almost straight tequila.

Good food in general. Not crazy about the beef tacos, but boy ! The flan is awesome. Veggie tacos were also good, eggplant and peppers.

So if you’ve read my last 2 reviews for Pinches, you’re probably wondering why I have flip flopped so much between 5 stars and then 2 and then back to 5. Well, thankfully the 5 stars are here to stay. I was blown away by Pinches Tacos on my first few visits and then severely disappointed one time, to the point where I didn’t really want to try it again. Well soon after my last review, the owner Ty contacted me and apologized for the poor experience. He explained that consistency is always an issue in the food industry and something they strive for. He talked to his employees about it and then offered a gift certificate to repay us for a last meal and in order for us to try it again at no cost. At this point — I would have given them 5 stars regardless of what the food tasted like at my next experience because it showed that their management cares enough about their customers to read these reviews and also to compensate poor meals. Customer service is huge and he went above and beyond in this category — also showing that if you did have something that wasn’t good you could probably bring it back and they would let you try something else, no questions asked.
Well we were finally able to go back last Friday and I was so glad we did. Instead of going with my normal wheelhouse of menu items, we asked Ty what he would recommend. He said the shrimp burrito and al pastor torta are some of his favorites. So we got both of those, along with some guac. The chips and guacamole were perfect to snack on as we were waiting for our meal. I’ll be honest and say I was a little hesitant about the shrimp burrito. I’m not a big fan of burritos because of the carb overload that comes from rice + tortilla but this one had a delicious and fresh slaw in it instead. We were so impressed with the flavors and freshness of this dish. The shrimp were lightly battered and perfectly cooked and every bite of the burrito was a perfect bite. If you like shrimp, order the shrimp burrito!!! I will get this every time I go to Pinches. To say that I was pleasantly surprised with this dish would be an understatement. It also was a reminder to ask the people that know the food best about what to order. I would have never ordered this otherwise. The Al Pastor torta was also delicious — well cooked and seasoned meat on a melt-​in-​your-​mouth soft bun.
In summary, more times than not my meals at Pinches have been very very good. As with any restaurant, there may be at times issues in consistency but their phenomenal customer service takes care of those issues so well. That customer service coupled with great tasting food will give them 5 stars every time!
Thank you Ty & Pinches for getting us to come back and try menu items that we hadn’t had before. We are so glad we did! Can’t wait to come back for brunch and the Chilaquiles!

I moved to Birmingham from Southern California and was THRILLED to find a restaurant with the type and quality of Mexican cuisine that I enjoyed back home. During the two years I spent in Birmingham, I found no other Mexican restaurant that rivaled Pinches in freshness, quality, or taste.
As an added bonus, the margaritas here are amazing.

Pinches Tacos was not what I expected, but that’s a wonderful thing. Located in a happening part of Homewood, this taco mecca is a festive place that’s ready to fulfill your authentic Mexican craving.
Obviously, you can’t go wrong with any of the tacos. The pescado (fish with slaw) and the pollo mole (chicken with mole sauce) are tied for my favorites, with the nopal (cactus!) taco coming in a close second. In case you were wondering, cactus is kind of like the green pepper’s more flavorful cousin. The Mexican corn on the cob had the perfect amount of cheese, cream, and spices and was a great addition to my taco plate.
My dining companion noted that the chicken quesadilla was hefty on chicken and spice — quite the opposite from your typical Americanized-​Mexican spot. As others have mentioned, you won’t leave Pinches Tacos with that typical «burrito bloat» as everything is so fresh and light.

Nice change from the «southern» Mexican food found throughout Alabama. This place was fresh and refreshing. Excellent.

The blood orange margarita was awesome and food was phenomenal!

This place was amazing! I ordered chicken flautas and the boyfriend ordered steak tacos. We ended up eating each others’ meals because everything was so darn good. And fresh! The steak was really tender which is a big deal for me. I would go back tomorrow if I didn’t live out of town!

I love this place!
Great service, delicious food, and great margaritas. They often have a Groupon or TheSuperDeal coupon.
I only wish I was in this neighborhood more often.

Pinches would want you to think you are getting «quick», very casual Mexican food, but don’t be fooled. This is the real deal, authentic Mexican cuisine. Don’t get me wrong, you get your food fast and can stop in while out on a run, but the food is anything but «fast food.»
Go ahead and throw a dart at the menu, you can’t go wrong. If you decide to look and try to make a decision, I suggest the flautas. They are the sibling of the Taquito, but made with a flour tortilla. If you’re really hungry, go for the burrito. It’s big enough for two or three gringos.
Something about the way the food is prepared makes it seem ALMOST healthy. It’s not greasy and doesn’t leave you weighted down. If you’re looking for a bunch of melted yellow cheese, you should run for the bor…

Went to Pinches Tacos this afternoon for lunch — What’s a Saturday without a little Mexican food, right?
Most might not know the traditional SoCal taco, but they do at Pinches. I know everyone is yapping about the fact that the owner/​operator of this Pinches isn’t Mexican — take that talk somewhere else! No. Big. Deal. Ty Taylor is FROM Homewood (kudos right there for coming BACK to AL from CA to open this restaurant). He lived in SoCal for like 12 years and worked in many Mexican establishments. Ya gotta hand it to the young lad — he took the time to learn, partnered with the Anayas (originators of Pinches), and brought it home. And I think he and his team are doing a great job. I’m gonna say this is as good as it gets in its category — because nobody serves tex mex quite this authentically.
The décor is great — upbeat, colorful, fun. Cute little funny signs all over the place — and it’s a very clean restaurant. The game plan goes something like this: You go to the counter, order your meal, get a little card thingy, and grab your drinks (if you’re having a fountain drink — they’ll give you your marg) then you sit down and it’s delivered to you. Not unlike some other southwestern restaurants you might be aware of that scream WELCOME when you walk through the door.
I was forewarned, and knew that I wanted the blood orange margarita ($ 6) for starters. It was yummy for sure! Not too sweet and not too tart (juuussssst right!) We also took in some guac and chips with our salsa ($ 2.50). Loved the salsa, by the way — very fresh, and the chips were crispy and not too greasy! For MY lunch I chose three tacos — pork, steak and veggie — Those will run ya about $ 2.50-$ 2.95 apiece, and three was way too much to eat. Good portions.
So — all in all, my experience was near-​perfect. For a refreshingly-​pleasant, definitely welcome alternative to the chain southwestern place, with authentic cali-​mex (or tex mex with a fresh twist, if you aso choose), you need to check this place out. It’s a keeper. I just hope Homewood can remain hip and fun to ensure Ty stays home! ;-)

Always appreciate fresh, authentic style tacos and Pinches delivers on both accounts. Good prices (lunch special is a great deal) and I love restaurants that commonly do Groupon and Living Social deals!

The overall experience was fun.
The ½ price pitchers of margaritas were awesome to split between the group and the food was fresh and tasty. There were no complaints from anyone… except:
When we stepped up to the counter for lunch at 1:30pm, we were informed that they were out of chicken!
If it weren’t for that, this place would have likely been four stars.

I like their sense of humor more than their food. The signs on wall are really funny

A sign on the wall reads «Real Mexican Food by Real Mexican,» which basically means that the food will be authentic and delicious. And it was.
The décor was modern– geometric lanterns adorned the high ceiling and the space was open. After ordering your meal at the counter, you take a number (actually a playing card type thing), grab your beverage of choice, then the staff brings your meal to the table. I ordered the Ensalada with Chicken (sans tortilla strips) and OMG it was divine! The house-​made dressing perfectly complemented the über-​fresh lettuce and grilled chicken.
I appreciated that everything was corn-​based, and that you had to request wheat tortillas (as a gluten-​free girl, not having to worry about a mistake with the tortilla is huge), and everything sounded good (especially the tortas and the little desserts… oh and the margaritas!), so I will absolutely be back to Pinches for lunch, and brunch on weekends. I’m excited there is a somewhat upscale, very clean, yet authentic Mexican joint close to me– woot!

Fun and Fresh Mexican Restaurant
Pinches Tacos was a great place to meet up with my girl friends. We all ordered at the counter and then sat together which makes check splitting super simple! The food tasted really fresh and had plenty of cilantro! I really enjoyed my shrimp taco and you could tell the chips were made in house. The décor was really cute and bright. I will definitely go back with my family!

This place is not your taco bell, nor your chipotle, nor even your average independent Mexican chain.
Intrigued by the neon blue exterior, I took the first opportunity I had to stop in for dinner. It was so memorably neon that it only took a few hours to find such opportunity. The inside is nicely decorated with an admittedly odd combination of further neon color schemes and tons of dia de los muertos themed art.
First trip in, I ordered my benchmark but boring usual at Mexican places purporting to be authentic: horchata and a couple of kinds of tacos. (If they don’t have horchata you can basically just leave.) The tortillas were soft, moist and yummy and the meat and mole and slaw were some of the best I’ve ever had. Whether it was made from a mix or not, the horchata tasted like my seminal horchata moment at Sol de Mexico on West Valley, the truest Mexican restaurant I’ve ever visited. That was a good moment.
But Pinches Tacos deserves more than comparison. Indeed, it deserved a second visit for lunch the very next day. This time I got an asada sope and the strawberry water, touted in colorful dry-​erase on the featured drinks board. That board advertises the margaritas pretty heavily, but I just haven’t been in the mood, the company, or the time of day to try ‘em. I was a little turned off by the stinginess of the happy hour discount ($ 20 pitcher instead of $ 22?).
Anyway, I’d never had a sope before, but it was so good that I want to change my default order from tacos to sopes! The food here is simple yet supple, reasonable yet yummy. The strawberry water’s actual strawberry flavor surprised my trained-​for-​syrup taste buds (don’t worry, they have Jarritos if that’s your thing).
Give it a shot and you’ll probably be back for more.

Wow, what a cool place. Authentic Mexican w/​a West Coast flair meets Moes. The ONLY similarity to Moes is the counter service ordering. The menu is NOT typical Tex-​Mex with loads of shredded cheese. They do feature dishes with fresh ingregients and a tasteful presentation. Plus, I gotta say Delicious!
On the recommendation of the counter lady, I tried the combo which includes your choice of 3 tacos, beans, rice, chips & a drink all for $ 10
I just say that everybody should try out Pinches Tacos.