Las Palmas

This place is the real deal! Best tacos I’ve ever had in Pittsburgh BY FAR. Plus, they are cheap and really large for an authentic taco experience. I haven’t had tacos anywhere near this good since moving back from NYC, and now I’m obsessed. Yesterday after a long bike ride that landed us at REI in South Side Works, we decided we needed these tacos, and went the extra few miles (up hill) to get them. Mind you, he was out of all the usually choices (carnitas, barbecoa, stewed chicken, carne asada, etc…) and only had some sort of ‘whatever was left over’ mixture of chicken chunks, pork remnants, and select veggies — I was skeptical… but it still was amazing! I’ve always found the true sign of a good cook is being able to make the crappiest ingredients still into something delicious, and this dude does. Seriously, good stuff. It’s worth braving the throngs of coeds ;)

Excellent tacos. Right on the road, quite nonchalant street food. Nothing elaborate, pay indoors and pick up outside. Delightful options and you can fill up for 7 dollars. Try the avocado sauce, and variety of freshly diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and top it off with some fresh home made salsa pico. Undoubtedly stands as the some of the finest carnitas I Have ever had, and I am from Southern California! I understand my Mexican.

I live in phila and travel to Pittsburg every month. This place has the best tacos I have ever eaten. I travel a lot and eat out a lot. By far hands down the best tacos I have ever had.

I have eaten street tacos all over the U.S. and these were the BEST I’ve ever had. The authenticity of getting them on the street just added that much more to the experience. I won’t mark them down but I wish they had cold Diet Coke. If I ever come back to Pittsburg, this will be number one on my list of places to eat!

Street tacos cooked and served the way you’d expect street tacos to be cooked and served. This vendor is located just outside a grocery store with a large grill and small buffet table. Head inside and pick out a beverage and then tel the clerk how many tacos you want. $ 2.50 per taco is an outrageously good deal. Top it off by getting unlimited toppings for your taco at the buffet stand. We got steak and chorizo tacos and both were great. There were other fillings as well, including chicken and tongue. This is probably a four star joint but gets the fifth star for its cost effectiveness as well as the fact that I could slather my tacos with pico de gallo and a creamy guacamole, too. Worth your trip off the beaten path and enjoy these tacos. Pro tip: bring some tortilla chips and sample some of the salsas.

Good street tacos – I had the tongue and chorizo. Both had generous portions of meat, and toppings are left to the buyer. I am tempted to complain about the price – 2.50 per taco I’d high for street tacos, but they really don’t skimp on the filling. I’d come here many times more.

oh em gee… finally a taco worth Unilocaling about!
Thankfully I read some reviews before heading over as I probably would have waited in line first, not realizing you have to go in and pay first.
I think my total time in line was 12 minutes, I went around 12:30 on a Tuesday… but now that I think about it… classes are done for the majority of students in the area so I’m not sure how the line is normally.
My favorite part about Las Palmas is the condiment bar… I LOVE cilantro!!! And guac!!! I also love not having to pay extra for these things. Although it wouldn’t have been terrible considering the tacos are only 2.50 each.
Only complaint is that I am short and was not able to really view the meats before selecting. But sadly I’m used to my height challenged-​limitations. Perhaps a dry erase/​chalk board with the days features? Also, would like there to be more vegetarian options!
But all in all, seriously, this place is amazing, you will not be disappointed!

This is a lunchtime staple for the people I work with (over at Carnegie Mellon University). Every year when the weather starts getting nice we head over a few times a month (typically on Fridays for long lunches).
When you first arrive you’ll go inside. I recommend getting a drink (Jumex is my preferred variety), but depending on your salsa choice is not necessary. You then check out with the cashier in the front and tell them how many tacos you want. Two is enough for most people, and three is a good sized portion if you’re really hungry. At $ 2.50/taco, two tacos and a drink comes to $ 6 even.
You’ll then head back outside and wait by the grill for your turn in line. Depending on when you show up and what’s currently cooking you might be there upwards of ten minutes waiting. It gets rough, but it’s worth it. My favorite tacos are the steak and the chicken ones, but you can’t go wrong. After that you pile on the salsas and other toppings. I will warn you many of the salsas are hotter than they look. I stick with the guacamole cream and it’s perfect.
The one thing to be aware of is that they lack vegetarian options on a consistent basis. I’ve been there once when they had veggie options (a potato taco), but I haven’t seen it or other choices since. If you’re veggie, this may not be your place.
Seating is non-​existent. That’s okay. Take your to go container and make the trek over to the picnic tables over at Schenley Plaza.

Been wanting to try this place for a while now. For the price, these tacos are pretty darn good. I love corn tortillas and having two per taco helps make sure the taco doesn’t fall apart. The toppings are truly the best part. The different salsas, cilantro, and lime added so much flavor! If you need to satisfy a taco craving, I would recommend.

Great mexican! Authentic! 2 tacos for $ 5.
Beware: The red sauce will kill you from spice! I had to drink about a gallon of water after this; however, very good… I might have to try it again because so good

I finally tried Las Palmas this weekend, and it lived up to its excellent reputation! It was unseasonably cold, so there wasn’t any sort of a line out front. My boyfriend and I walked right in and paid for three tacos each at the counter before being served outside.
As stated in other reviews, the tacos cost $ 2.50 each and are very generous. You get unlimited toppings (salsas, hot sauces, onions, cilantro, etc) from the topping bar. We sampled the lamb and the shredded BBQ beef. The beef was my favorite, since the flavor was richer and it was easier to eat. The lamb was a bit fattier and more chunky, but still very good. I was hungry but not overly so, and two tacos with a beer back at home were quite filling enough for me. I could see myself eating three after a long run or a hard workout. I can’t wait to come back… most likely next weekend!

Excellent tacos are not that easy to find in Pittsburgh. The tacos at Las Palmas are that. They also pack more meat in their tacos than usual. I’ve found the place to satisfy my taco cravings.

This place is so cheap! Honestly blows my mind why more students don’t eat here. Cheap and delicious.
Yeah, it’s a little sketchy the first time you order here, but once you get to pile on all the homemade salsas on top of your tacos, you’ll forget all about it. Two make a hearty meal for me, and I can’t see anyone not being full off of three. The tacos are probably more authentic than anything else you’ll get in Oakland, are cheap, and fill you up. What more can you want?

Guys, I finally got to Las Palmas.
After wandering down Atwood Street, past my regular stop of Sorrento’s pizza, my friend and I came to Las Palmas. We wandered through the Mexican grocery store to be wowed by the many kinds of hot sauce, and then we ordered two tacos at $ 2.50/taco.
I ordered a chorizo and a pork taco, but the chorizo was the major winner. The pork was really fatty and greasy so I actually didn’t enjoy that taco and would not recommend it. However, the toppings bar is the best thing ever. There were plenty of different salsas, tomatoes, cilantro, limes, pico, and guac. I love toppings so this was the highlight of Las Palmas for me.
The people who worked here were very friendly, and they accept credit cards!

Being a Mexican-​American visitor from San Diego in sunny Cali (where there’s a Mexican place every other half mile) and a constant visitor to Tijuana, there seem to be few places here in Pittsburgh that don’t try to be «Americanized» Mexican places. But with this place, I can definitely say Pittsburgh can be proud to have a place that provides to them the deliciousness that is authentic street tacos. Street tacos normally come in small tortillas (common for Tijuana street cart tacos, with a few here and there that try to be different). For 2.50 here though, you get a more filling and larger taco with different choices of carne o pollo, cilantro, cebolla, sal, limon y rica salsa en dos tortillas de maiz!
Sorry, the enthusiasm got the better of me. Seriously though, this place really provides a great choice for authentic Mexican tacos for those southwestern transplants and Latin people who miss a little bit of home. And the locals here in Pittsburgh can enjoy what we’ve had for a good part of our lives. It may not be the perfect taco, but it might be as good as you can get here (and it’s very good!).

In the area for the natural history museum and had a desire for Mexican. Unilocal sent us to this location, is a site that sells tacos on the front sidewalk. One main tip is that you pay inside each taco is $ 2.50. Then you proceed outside to pick the meat. Went with the steak and onions, ground beef, carnitas and chicken. I don’t love the double soft shell tacos, they seem to get soggy and wet by the time we walked to the car. We loved the toppings bar nice and easy! fresh and tasty.

For the first timers– walk past the taco stand outside and into the market, pay for the food, make your way back outside, hand over your receipt, pick your meat, then prepare yourself to devour into your taco (s)!
You get a massive taco for $ 2.50! I was like «shoot, I refuse to ever pay less than $ 5 bucks at a taco spot» so I got 3 tacos. I think I would have done just fine with just one.
The tortillas that they use here are bigger than the usual palm-​sized ones you find in other taco spots. And boy do they make sure to fill the sucker up! I had a hard time choosing which meat I wanted. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get our meat cooked upon request so I chose based on which looked the freshest. I got the carne asada, al pastor, and the fajita mix. Carne asada tasted a bit bland for me. Thankfully I got a little too happy at the toppings bar (as I always do) so the sauce covered it up. The al pastor was delicious! When you have grease running down your fingers, you know that’s a tasty al pastor! The fajita mix was better than I thought it would taste. The onion & peppers definitely brought out a special charm in that taco.
I’m a slow eater; so with the size of the taco and massive toppings/​sauce on it, it gets soggy fast. Have a fork handy in case your tortilla rips like mine. Also there is no place to eat your taco there. You gotta either find yourself a spot on the curb or prepare to use your car trunk. Las Palmas is smart. They get free promotion/​advertisement with people standing around eating their tacos throughout the street. I had 3 random people come up to me and ask what I was eating.

Best tacos in Pittsburgh. I’ve had almost all the meats but the chorizo was especially memorable! Would say authenticity is comparable to the tacos I’ve had in Southern CA. Would come here everyday if I could. :)

Every once in a while, I feel incredibly stupid for not coming here more often.
Reasons why I am stupid:
— This place is literally just a walk down the hill from me, and it should be super close to most Pitt students.
— The tacos are delicious and freshly made.
— The toppings are unlimited (literally, you can pile it on until you’re forced to use a spoon/​fork). Like, as someone conditioned to paying extra for guac at Chipotle, I’m pretty happy with unlimited amounts of slightly more goopy guac here.
— Each taco is only $ 2.50. But let’s be real, the base price is more like $ 5 for two tacos because who comes here and just gets one taco?
Pay inside first, hand the receipt to the guy doing the grilling, and then enjoy your tacos, you lucky person you.

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of every broke college student squealing in ecstasy over TACOS FOR $ 2.50. Come hungry, because these are filling. You can order as many tacos as you want (though three makes for a heavy meal), with as many toppings at you want. Let me repeat, FOR $ 2.50. I want to emphasize that the appeal does not lie only in the price. I’m unashamed to say Las Palmas has made up a considerable part of my diet for the past year, and I’ve consistently been impressed by the freshness and quality of the ingredients.
I suggest mixing it up — try a different meat for each taco base (there’s usually a selection of 5 – 6), and challenge your taste buds with their range of salsas and fresh toppings. Brace yourself, they mean business with the spicy salsas.
Warning — It’s a stand, not a restaurant, and offers no seating, so you’ll have to take your tacos on the go. But despite being covered by only a small awning, Las Palmas is opened year round. (Yes, even when Pittsburgh becomes an arctic wasteland.)
Overall: believe the hype. This place is the stuff of dreams.