Las Velas

If you want authentic Mexican food in Pittsburgh this is the place to go! Food was amazing, portions were big. The salsa and guacamole were delicious.

I work in downtown Pittsburgh and have been to Las Velas several times. Chips and salsa are excellent. Service not so much. The food is average. Good place for happy hour. Wouldn’t recommend for a date night.

Love this place, definitely one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. The waiting area is super small and crowded, but you may be able to snag a seat at the bar while you wait. The margarita choices are great– I love that you can mix flavors. Everything I’ve ever had on the menu has been great (lunch combo, mahi mahi tacos, burritos, enchiladas). Service is good and it’s a nice atmosphere as well. It does get really crowded during lunch time here.

After taking in all of the holiday sights downtown we were starving. Mexican food is our favorite so we gave this place a try. It sits above a seafood restaurant in Market Square. We were given a table at the windows which was nice. We could watch the shoppers walking by
We were waited on immediately. We ordered drinks along with chips and salsa. The chips were tasty and a nice carrier for the salsa. The salsa had a great flavor.
I ordered the Burrito Cancun. It had steak and shrimp. There was poco, lettuce and sour cream on the side. The hubby ordered chicken enchiladas. He had green sauce on half and red sauce on half so we could try both. His enchiladas came with refreshed beans and rice.
I took one bite of my burrito and I was in heaven. I’m not sure how they treated or cooked the steak but it packed a big punch of flavor. It was also very tender. It was excellent.
I tried my husband’s enchiladas. I thought I would like the green sauce better but was surprised that I preferred the red. The chicken, like the steak in my burrito, was flavorful and tender. The enchiladas were spicy but you began to have a slow after burn in your mouth. It was the perfect heat.
We left clean plates and with full bellies. Yum!!!

This is one of my favorite lunch spots downtown. By the look of the crowd that Las Velas gets for lunch, it’s probably a lot of peoples’ go-​to lunch spot. Forget about coming here at 12 pm for lunch and not having to wait for a table. My recommendation is to go early at 11:30 or later around 1 to avoid the lunch rush. The space Is small and you have to climb up some stairs to get to the dining room (but it’s worth it!). However, with this factor, Las Velas probably isn’t handicap accessible.
The food has never disappointed and I’ve had several items from their lunch menu. The best way to start off your meal is to order the chips with either salsa, guacamole or queso. My favorite is the queso. It is oh so cheesy, but a bit chunky with tomatoes, which adds not only nice texture but a fresh pop of color and flavor. Also, you can tell their chips are freshly made in-​house. My absolute favorite lunch menu item is the Pastor Tacos. The pork is well seasoned, but the bits of pineapple and cilantro add a level of sweetness and freshness that just can’t be compared to anything else. Other items I enjoy are the enchiladas and fajitas. For around $ 10 for each lunch menu item, the portions are just right (and sometimes too big). Most of the entrees are served with rice and refried beans, which are pretty good too.
I’ve never gotten anything I didn’t like here. Good service, great food.

RUSHING customers and CHEAP service!
My coworkers and I have been there several times before, but this time I realized how their servers just need some basic training on how to properly treat customers. In terms of food, I give them a 3.5 stars, but the service is 1 star and I would recommend everyone to think 2x before going, especially during lunch rush.
We first arrived when the restaurant was still relatively empty, and after we ordered food it started to get packed and the server also started to rush us. After waiting for 10−15mins for our entrée, literally within 5 minutes of getting our food she came to give us our bill! I totally understand if she just left it there and wait for us to pay, but after another 10 mins she came back AGAIN and told each of us «here’s your bill» as if we’re blind that we didn’t see it the first time. If this is not a sign to rush us out the door, I don’t know what is. Giving us 15 mins to eat our food when it took you 10mins to serve it does not seem like the right way to treat customers.
In addition, we ordered one salsa and one queso for three people as appetizer and we were served 1 portion of chips. That’s okay because we thought we could get more. But then we didn’t ask for more until the end where she already rushed us to pay the check, and at that point the server said we could not get anymore because it’s only for dine in. Thanks for giving us one order of chips for three of us with 2 sauces and not letting us get some more at the end for to-​go. Now we have about a whole bowl of sauce left with less than 10 c hips! If only we asked for it before we paid, she could have given it to us. but we’d just pack it to go anyways. So what’s the difference?! It’s just rude… if you want your restaurant to be more empty during lunch hour, well, your wish came true.
Let’s just say there are also items we found in the food we didn’t complain about or the missing food items that we let go of.

I ate meals at this Mexican restaurant two times. I like the chips, salsa, guacamole, chicken quesadilla, and steak fajita. The ceviche was very large and tasted OK but was not as good as ceviches that I have eaten at other restaurants. I did not care for the taste of the soft tacos and did not finish them. Beans are beans, rice is rice, and corn is corn, so nothing special there. The waitress was nice, but she incorrectly ordered my husband’s lunch, so he had to wait for another entrée to be brought out while I ate mine.

Happy hour fans rejoice! This is a great little spot for indulging in some cheap post-​work snacks and libations. Located above Diamond Market in Market Square, Las Velas is a fairly typical Mexican restaurant. Their happy hour runs weekdays from 4−6pm, and I was shocked at how few people were taking advantage of this on a recent Friday evening when I was there (come on, Pittsburghers, I know you like to drink!!)
Anyway, the happy hour specials are $ 2 off of house sangrias and margaritas, as well as half off appetizers (excluding chips and salsa or queso). My friend warned me how strong their margaritas are, and I didn’t want the evening to turn into a dancing-​with-​a-​lampshade-​on-​my-​head kinda night… so I opted for a sangria. And it was delicious! For food, my friend and I shared some chips and queso/​salsa, chicken flautas, and chicken quesadillas.
Considering the happy hour prices, I was quite pleased. It’s not Mexican food that will blow your mind, but it’s definitely decent for happy hour munchies. Their chips are homemade and perfectly thick and crispy. The salsa was typical Mexican restaurant-​style salsa… thinner and more sauce-​like as opposed to thick and chunky. There is a decent amount of cilantro in it though, so I’m a fan. Their queso was very rich and cheesy. It was good, but for my tastes, they could have ratcheted up the flavor and spiciness a bit. The flautas and quesadillas were both also decent… crispy without being greasy, and generously stuffed with fillings. Each also came with abundant guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, and pico on the side to dress them up as you like. The one thing I will say across all of the food is that it was all a little lukewarm. It wasn’t lukewarm to the point of making it inedible, but I think in general the food could have been served at a higher temperature to make it more enjoyable.
As for the service, it was fast and friendly. All in all, my friend and I had a drink (she had two), and a ton of food that left us stuffed and happy, and we walked out of there each having paid like $ 12 or something. For the price, this is definitely a happy hour winner. Bottoms up, mis amigos!

My friends and I love las Velas as an after work spot! It’s a small Mexican restaurant that sits somewhat hidden on a second floor space in market square, and if you can stand the trek up the flight of stairs then it’s worth it! For the prices they offer, you can’t beat it. The queso is ridiculous, and I love the chicken quesadilla (my go to). I highly recommend trying Las Velas if you’re looking for good, quality food, but not looking to spend your life savings on dinner!

I came here for lunch with co-​workers this week, and I was fairly underwhelmed. The staff was friendly enough, but it took an awfully long time to get served food for a place that has such a large customer base coming from businesses nearby. The food itself was just okay. I have admittedly high standards when it comes to Mexican food, because I lived in Southern California for so long, and half of my family is Mexican to boot. It wasn’t terrible or even bad, just it was just «meh», and the temperature wasn’t particularly hot. I suspect that the kitchen got backed up, because the servers seemed pretty on top of things. I’m also not a fan of shredded iceberg lettuce, which I believe has no real place in Mexican food, and the refried beans had an odd taste that I couldn’t quite place. I probably won’t seek this out again; there are too many other good spots in Market Square.

The chips and guacamole/​salsa are not free, the waiter charge $ 2.50 for the chips and salsa and then $ 3.50 for the guacamole. It was disappointing since both the salsa and guacamole tasted mediocre.
I ordered a frozen margarita that was more poorly mixed than one I ordered a month ago. My meal was extremely «wet» for lack of a better word. I had a spicy Mahi Mahi dish, which was ok, but not great.

Had my first experience here and it was really good. I started off with a Mango Cayenne margarita. I was really curious about the combination but it was quite good. Just the right amount of heat from the cayenne/​salt rim to add spice but not overwhelm the drink.
The chips and salsa were good, but nothing spectacular.
For the entrée I had tex mex tacos with beef, carne and chorizo. The chorizo was particularly good and the other were tasty, though again nothing spectacular. The poblano side was a real star for this meal though. The poblanos were spicy and the cream sauce was delicious.
This is certainly one of the better Mexican restaurants downtown.

The Mexican food here isn’t going to rock your world but it is decent. The chips and salsa are addicting. The guacamole is good but not amazing. I made a lot of so-​so choices on the extensive menu until one day I tried the mahi mahi tacos, which have become my go-​to on the menu. The tacos have avocado, pico de gallo and some kind of creamy chipotle sauce. Topped with fresh lime, it’s very flavorful. They also come with a healthy side of beans and rice.
The turnaround at lunch is very quick and you can stop here before a show in the evening with no wait. I also love the margaritas, particularly the mango one.

Update …
Sadly had my first bad experience here but only in regards to food temperature. Sadder still, this came on the day I reclaimed my Dukedom.
Maybe it was because I got in for an early lunch and my wonderfully flavored, if under heated, Burrito Cancun was the first thing out of the cocina? Who knows, but tighten it up back there scullery wenches. Your Duke commands it! :-D

This place is pretty great!
I absolutely love the view of market square that the restaurant has. For Mexican food in Pittsburgh, Las Velas does a great job.
I always order the quesadillas and the queso here. I love the fresh taste and great prices! I usually go here around happy hour so my meal (quesadillas are actually an appetizer) is half price!
The service is a little slow at times but the restaurant is usually packed so I understand. Give this place a try!

I’ve been to Las Velas too many times to count. This is my go to spot to take friends for the BEST queso in Pittsburgh! It’s a hidden gem in Market Square. It’s above Diamond Market so it’s sometimes overlooked by newbies to Dahntahn.
Stopped in last night for HH before the Pirates Game. Staff was attentive and friendly as usual. The only drag is that there always seems to be a delay at the bar. Drink refills take a while, which is not a plus during HH. I want to get the most for my money!
My friends and I ordered the following:
Large margaritas– two strawberry, one regular, and one mango cayenne. All delicious! The mango cayenne is my favorite and talk about a double whammy punch to the tastebuds. The alcohol in the margs is strong so along with the plentiful addition of cayenne pepper, it’s a poweful hit to the senses.
Chips, queos, gauc and salsa. The chips were a different variety this time (that’s how often I go there– I even know the chips!) They weren’t the fresh cut & fried corn tortillas. They seemed like the type of bagged «authentic mexican chips» I hope this isn’t a permanent change to the menu! Queso was amazing as always, gauc was fresh with huge chunks of avocado and salsa was mild and refreshing.
Even though we didn’t need it (chips and dip is filling!) we ordered two quesadillas, stuffed jalapenos– stuffed with fresco cheese, ground beef, chorizo and drizzled with tamarindo honey sauce and one order of Sopecitos– 4 corn tortillas, topped one each of chicken, steak, chorizo and carnitas and cheese. The stuffed jalapenos were each large and lit my mouth on fire. Well done, Las Velas! The rest of the food didn’t dissapoint… my go to is usually the Sopecitos!
Once again, Las Velas was a great choice and I’m sure I’ll be back soon!

I was really sad when the cigar bar and brew house closed down years ago but was really happy for a Mexican restaurant to pop up in it’s place. Unfortunately, this place has proved disappointing on many occasions.
The first time I ate at Las Velas, I had a really great experience. I ate really light but it was really good. All I ordered was the tortilla soup and I stole some bites of my cousin’s refried beans. Both were excellent.
A few months ago, I met a few friends for dinner at Las Velas and did not have the same feelings about the place I had initially had on that first visit. The food took forever to come out and when it did, I had wished it away. The Seviche was disgusting. I love seviche but this was a soupy mess. Nothing tasted fresh about it. The very look was off-​putting. All of our tacos and tostadas had dry meat lacking any true flavor. It was a disaster of a meal.
I did try and go back. I understand where a restaurant may have an off day and was willing to give this place another shot. Unfortunately, when I stopped in the other day I was sat at a dirty table and handed a dirty menu that I stared at for 15 minutes (in solitude because a waiter never came) before walking out. I can only give a restaurant so many chances before I just don’t want to risk spending the money on a potentially disappointing meal. Save yourself some frustration and walk over to Bea’s Taco Town on Smithfield. You’ll be much happier and satiated.

It was ok.
The chicken for the quesadilla didn’t really look freshly made. It looked like the pre-​made chicken strips that can be bought in a grocery store. It was good, but could have been better.
The margaritas were good with a nice combination of alcohol incorporated into the drink. I tried the raspberry, mixed berry, and plain lime.
The refried beans were also tasty, and the chips and salsa were very good.
I’ll definitely give this place another go!

Bobby and I stopped in yesterday. I read online that they had good happy hour specials and we havent stopped in for awhile (New Years 2013 was our last visit I believe.)
So for happy hour, the appetizers are half off (besides chips, salsa and queso) The maragaritas are $ 2 off– both small and tall. A small is normally $ 6 and a tall is normally S10. I believe the same price goes for the sangria which is also $ 2 off for happy hour. They also had happy hour specials on some beer but i cannot remember the beer or the price.
Bobby ordered the margarita and I ordered sangria. I loved my drink and Bobby had no complaints about his. The drinks were strong and we felt a little buzz off of one so I bet after two we would’ve been *turned up* :p … We had somewhere to be and could not be on that level though, lol.
We also ordered chips and queso. I’m really picky about queso (Moe’s=ewwww) I really liked Las Velas’ queso however. We finished it with some chips to spare so we ordered salsa. It was good. not chunky though :(I love me some chunky salsa haha.

Being another single digit February day, I decided that some Tex Mex lunch was in order to warm the day up. I ventured out to Market Square to give Las Velas a try. It may have been a cold day but it didn’t keep this place from filling early. I was hoping to get a seat by the window (or at least a table seat in the dining area) but the bartender /​server, noticing that I was solo and «encouraged» me to have a seat at the bar. I thought, «okay, so they want to ensure that couples and groups get a table… I’ll play nice».
After looking at the menu, I ordered three tacos Tex Mex style (one steak, one ground beef and one carnitas) with hot salsa. The meal came with two sides so I chose the Esquires (Mexican style corn) and black beans.
It took about 25 minutes for my order to arrive which I think is a little long to throw three tacos together and when the dish arrived the tacos were sitting in a pool of juice from the corn making them all soggy on the bottom. I propped my plate up on one side by putting my phone under it so that the corn juices wouldn’t continue to assault the tacos. Other than being soggy, the taco’s tasted okay, the black beans were uneventful and sadly, the corn was the highlight of the meal with it having a tangy, slightly salty zing.
I feel I’m being generous by giving Las Velas a three stars rating. If you were looking for Mexican food in the downtown area and you stopped and asked me, I would point you in the direction of Bea Taco Town on Smithfield over Las Velas (unless alcohol was a deciding factor). They put out a higher quality product with more attention detail in a much shorter wait time.