Good Mexican food at a decent price
La Pinata offers good Mexican food at a reasonable price. It's not too far off US 82, on Park Avenue, near the JCPenny.

Inside, the building is sparsly decorated and somewhat echo-y. When busy, it can get a little noisy inside. There are three sections to the restaurant, which helps with the noise somewhat.

Chips and salsa are promptly dispatched to the table after being seated. The salsa is decent, but not very spicy. There is hot sauce on the table to give it a kick if needed.

The colorful menu has quite a few choices, including steaks and chicken.

On one visit, I tried an Enchilada platter. It included one each of chicken, beef, spinach, cheese and bean. The chicken had a very tasty, marinated flavor and was definitely a winner. The beef was good, but didn't have a very distinct taste. The spinach tasted fresh and tender.

There's also a special burrito, which is beef with onions, peppers and jalapenos, which the menu claims is big and spicy. While very tasty, it isn't nearly as spicy and it could be, certainly not living up to the hype.

Many dinner plates are served with rice and refried beans. I particularly enjoy the beans, which have a nice flavor. The rice is usually a little on the dry side but still decent.

Most entrees are served with a tomato-based sauce which taste like plain tomato soup, kicked up a bit. Not bad at all, but kind of unusual.

A personal favorite of mine at Mexican restaurants is pork carnitas, a marinated cubed pork dish served with flour tortillas. At La Pinata, the port carnitas were on the dry side, but were still very tender. The flavor wasn't intense but was nicely pronounced.

Being a southerner, I'm always going for the sweet tea. Their tea is good if not spectacular. There is beer and margaritas available from the bar.

La Pinata is a good Mexican restaurant with decent prices. The service is usually prompt. Although sparsely decorated, the atmosphere has a certain festiveness to it thanks to the friendly and engaging wait staff. Every time I've visited, there's been a futbol game on the television, adding to the ambience. Parking may be a little tight during busy nights but there appears to be plenty of seating, minimizing wait times in the evening.    [15 Mar 2007 12:22:38]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Burritos deluxe, enchiladas racheros, enchiladas platter

     ­Tom Servo, ChefMoz - MS editor