Los Pinos Mexican

YUM! I love Mexican. This was my first time getting Rellenos which I ordered with shrimp with green sauce. SO much food. The dish was delicious but bc I couldn’t finish it all, I decided to dig down to just the pepper itself. That alone was hidden with all the other flavors but by itself, it was just as delicious. I regretted not being able to finish the whole meal.

I come here for one thing and one thing only, the Spicy Jumbo Shrimp Dinner. Holy hell it’s so good. Excellent happy hours that on some nights last all day. Sometimes I run into bad service but it depends on who you get. Try the Spicy Jumbo shrimp! The salsa is freaking delicious. Warm chips. Breakfast tacos in the morning with their salsa is also amazing ! Enjoy.

Los Pinos makes the best salsa and chips that I have ever tasted. We eat here every other week.

Great food. Cute little place off the beaten path. The food is great. The service is prompt and courteous. Highly recommend trying this little gem right off 620

Great hole in the wall mexican food with full bar! Excellent service and breakfast tacos!

Normally I love this place. Wonderful fresh made flour tortillas with melted white cheese… and …my favorite ingredients… but not today. Amazing how one employee can ruin a reliable breakfast stop. Attempted to order my usual 4 item breakfast taco… and I wanted two of them this time. Breakfast tacos are $ 1.49 for two items and $ 0.49 for each additional item. That would be $ 2.47 each ($ 4.94 plus 0.41 tax = $ 5.35). She places my order and asks me for $ 8.02. I ask her why she is charging me an additional $ 2.67. She tells me that is how the system is charging for the two tacos with four items. I show her on my phone calculator how the math is incorrect. She continues to tell me that is how the system is charging for two tacos with four items. I tell her I have been there everyday this week and have never been charged this amount. She stares at me. I tell her I have never seen her before. She tells me she works weekends (I feel sorry for the weekend crowd if she is overcharging them as well). I asked for a manager to help with the situation and she tells me she is the only one there (she apparently does not know there are people in the kitchen).
It is unfortunate when an employee is left to manage a restaurant alone who does not understand how the register works and cannot confirm that she is incorrectly operating the system. Even a simple math explanation fails to solve the problem. I am now uncertain what to do. When I go back again, and she is there to assist me, I know I will get nowhere with this situation.
Unfortunately for me… I went on down the road to find breakfast… as I do not have an extra hour each morning to work through this issue. Mr Maldonado… I am a business owner as well… and I understand how my employees can positively or negatively affect my business. I enjoy your restaurant… but I cannot tolerate an employee who does not understand her job and who does not care.

It only took us 7+ years to go the mile or so to Los Pinos… why did I wait this long?!?
Sure, it’s a dive, who cares. The mole is beautiful (I had it on the chicken enchiladas). The tamales were exquisite (two of the kids grabbed those). The beef fajitas had it all without the nasty over the top accoutrements of other restaurants. The salsa was incredible, the chips perfect.
Oh, and the price. We have a family of five with three young boys and out meal was under $ 50. Wow.
My only regret is waiting this long.

One of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve ever been too! Everything was authentic and the service was great! Next time we are in town, we will definitely go back to Los Pinos!

This is a great place that we have been coming to for years. Reasonably priced and really good breakfasts (great breakfast tacos and the Chilaquiles Verdes is terrific). Also agree with other posters that the Mexican Martini is one of the best in all of Austin. If it’s not breakfast, get the chicken verde. They usually also have some creative dinner specials worth trying.
AWhy not a 5-​star rating? At breakfast you have to wave a flag to get your coffee refilled. The staff there, I’m convinced, are not coffee drinkers. EVERY time I go. It’s just not a discipline that they have in place. Drives me crazy. You have to walk your cup up to the kitchen counter and ask for a refill.

yes yes yes and YES. Los Pinos is definitely a hole in the wall joint, but also the hidden gem that is Mexican food. I know I brag about a lot of drinks but Pinos has the best (and reasonably priced) Mexican martini.
Their homemade salsa is spicy but delicious! Dare I say it; Pinos is home to my favorite breakfast taco’s as well. On top of all of that, the service is also great, the same people have worked there since my first visit many moons ago and it is great to see them every time.
You must try this place if you haven’t already!

I’ve worked in the area for almost 19 years and Los Pinos has been the only stable tenant at this location.
Price wise you’ll be hard pressed to find anything close to the price point for what you get.
Quality wise I find it as fresh as any other Mexican restaurant around. I’ve never had a bad meal here.
Service is always with smile.

Best TexMex in Texas. I have been eating here every week for the last year and the food is awesome. Their tamale (pork in my case) is awesome and the fajita taco is a great compliment. Tonight the crunchy beef taco. You can’t go wrong.

Hands down the best grilled fish tacos I’ve ever had. There were amazing roasted peppers and caramelized onions in there too, and paired with their house salsa… it was heavenly. I wish there were more of these places around me!

This place never fails. Great authentic food and great service keeps us coming back every week. Love Los Pinos. Best Margarita in Austin!

Imagine me with a fork in my right fist and a knife in my left. I’m pounding the table rhythmically chanting «Chicken Verde! Chicken Verde! Chicken Verde!»
This place is AWESOME! Definitely off the beaten path, but so worth it. Like another review said, the homemade corn tortillas are outta sight. My hubs ordered three breakfast tacos. He only finished two because they were so big.
Amazeballs!!!

Great food, service and price. I need to come here more often!

Los Pinos is the average run-​of-​the mill Tex-​Mex joint. Enchiladas, quasadillas, burritos, chalupas, fajitas, blah, blah. So when I am craving a Tex-​Mex style gooey cheese enchilada, and I’m the Hudson Bend area, this is where I go (the «authentic Mexican» restaurant across the street with far superior food doesn’t have cheese enchiladas).
I’ve been to Los Pinos a handful of times and I did get my processed cheese fix. I always ask for chili con queso AND chili con carne as my choice of sauces; however, carne never seeks to make it on the plate. Overall food quality is what I would expect to get from any Tex-​Mex chain (think El Fenix or the like).
Queso on enchiladas is bland, lacking in flavor. No chilies, no onions. Filling is nothing more than a congealed clump of queso blanco. Pretty sure tortilla chips come straight from an industrial sized bag. Appears the salsa is housemade. Refried beans are surprisingly good. Mexican rice needs some spice or something. Overall plate = large portion of A-​OK food for just under $ 10.
Service is always mmm… hit or miss. Sometimes great, sometimes just OK.
So, why have I been to Los Pinos so many times if I don’t find the food fantastic? Convenience = close to work.
MY BREAKING POINT: Instead of dining in, I got takeout for lunch the other day. After they brought the bag and I paid I noticed there were no chips and salsa. So I asked for some. «$ 3 please.» Jaw dropped. Well, I neeeeeeever!!! I have NEVER EVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE been charged for chips and salsa — to go order or not!!! Perhaps they justify this because they figure if I dine-​in I’ll order a drink and they can make $$ off me that way? What if I order water? Am I going to be charged for chips and salsa then? And once I arrived back at work to eat the chips were stale!
I’m sure they charge everyone; however, I couldn’t help but feel personally insulted a bit. Adiós Los Pinos! Congrats on losing a customer over a whopping 3 bucks! Es el principio = dos estrellas.

Fun joint to get saucy, and I’m not talking enchiladas! The food is superior across the street at Don Mario… but here the drinks are cheap, some waiters have David Beckham style mohawks that will make you jealous and feel inferior. I want to be here when USA plays Mexico in Soccer, or shall I say «Fotbol»
Al pastor is very good, chips are warm and keep coming… tortillas are homemade and delish. There is a non posted happy hour, save a bit on beer!
Hasta luego!

This place is pretty darn good!
The chips and salsa are tasty. Little spice. I love that.
Their queso is scrumptious.
I had the spinach and chicken quesadillas last time I went. So Fresh and Melty.
My boyfriend swears by this place. He’s had a lot more of their entrees and loves it all.

If you are finally tired of the Taco Cabana/​gringo chain Mexican restaurants that dot the Four Points area venture over the dam to Los Pinos. Full disclosure I have not dined here since their fire-​remodel.
Well their lunch menu has improved along with the décor. There were several chef specials along with the some traditional enchilada type offerings. Their chips and salsa were fresh and the salsa was hot and spicy, which was a welcome change from the traditional tomato soupy like salsa that is usually served at other venues.
Two of us ordered a baked chicken dish that was perfectly cooked and smothered with a zesty sauce. Our third order a chicken dish with a habanera sauce that had just right amount of cilantro in it. We ended up using the sauce as our dipping sauce as well it was so good.
The adjoining table ordered the tacos el pastor and fish tacos and they commented that they were both «off the charts.» Their dinner menu has many traditional interior Mex. offerings I can’t wait to return for dinner as they supposedly have a mole to die for!
They are open for breakfast as well and offer a full bar. Prices are a tad higher for lunch than others but well worth it.