La Pinata Guzman
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
7383 Thornton Ave(between Dairy Ave & Sycamore St)
Newark, CA 94560 (510) 790-1531
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
91 reviews
Fremont, CA
"One of my favorite pizza joints! My brother, my fiance, and myself worked here in high school. I would recommend a 55 or Veggie for in…" read more »
11 Reviews for La Pinata Guzman
Eh. 2.5 stars. The burritos are huge and cheap... and thats about it. I've tried their lunch special as well and it was just average. I like the Fremont location since it is more lively and they have a tequila bar.
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Here's a hidden litte gem in Newark. The lunch combos are reasonably priced. There's not a whole lot of space at this location but if you're just looking to grab a bite and go it serves its purpose. The portions are huge...I couldn't even finish my burrito. Overall, it's one of the best bargains for Mexican food in the area. I'm definitely going back. The service was a little bit slow but the food made up for it. It's even better when it's paid for by someone else. :)
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3-1/2 stars...
This is a nice basic Mexican place.
The decor is old ratty nagahyde, but it's clean and the food is good.
The waitress was freindly and the orders were correct.
The food came fast. We were able to get our food and back to work with a couple mintues to spare.
The lunch special prices were good.
I had the soft chicken taco. It tasted good, but the tortilla fell apart. That's pretty typical with soft tacos, so I won't hold it against them.
The lunch special came with rice, beans, salad and then the main item.
Corn. Say it with me. Corn! It's a rallying cry, not just because the corporate food mongers try to stuff so much processed corn down our gullets in the form of corrosive High Fructose Corn Syrup, I scream CORN! for the delicious sopes at La Piata.
I have read the other reviews, and I believe you all are missing the point. Get anything at La Piata with corn tortillas. Sopes, tacos, enchiladas...and if you have time get a waffle (I know it's not made out of corn).
They put the Super in Sopes. Seguro que hell yes! Go there with your partner, go there with your significant other. It is a perfect place to lunch and launch you next revolutionary enterprise. It's a fantastic place to ponder politics, write your blog, or write your congressman or woman that the government spends too much money on subsidizing corn farmers and warmongers.
Go to La Piata and have a sope!
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Compare to all the other authentic delicious Taqueria places in the bay area, La Pinata in Newark is definitely a big disappointment to me.
I ordered a regular burrito. The meat was dry, dull, and tasted old. I am usually a burrito lover, but I could only took a few bites and didn't even want to finish it. There wasn't enough sauce or taste in the burrito and I wish there was more veggie. Instead of placing any lettuce or tomato in the burrito, there were several pieces of lettuce on the plate. However, the lettuce tasted unfresh and didn't even look clean. I was so ready to leave after tasting the food and looking at the unfresh lettuce.
I really want to like this place since it's so close to where I live and the people there seemed nice. But after the unpleasant experience with their burrito, I don't plan to come back again.
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Tequila? Nope. Unfortunately, there are no margaritas here at this branch of La Pinata. Fortunately, this Pinata has basically the same menu as some of its sister restaurants on the East Bay. It serves up some good combo plates, burritos, and enchiladas. So, if you're looking for decent Mexican food and maybe just a beer to wash it down, stop here. Otherwise, keep driving to La Pinata in Fremont.
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Have been to pretty much all the La Pinatas and this was the last one that I came too. It's kind of in an odd location and there was no one else when I came in with a friend. We had the enchiladas and they were good. Since we were the only people in the joint the service was very attentive which was great. I almost felt like we were mobsters and had cleared the venue out for ourselves to have a private conversation. The prices were average for a sit down restaurant and to tell you the truth I think I like this venue for it's coziness factor over the newer Fremont venue which everyone loves. No tequilla bar and no margaritas...but you can go to other places for that!
I've been coming to this place for years and years. My favorites are the super burritos (huge!), the enchilada verdes, and the flautas (nice and crispy, served with sour cream and guacamole, as well as cojita cheese). I enjoy their rice and the beans are pretty tasty (I like to order the whole beans instead of the mashed, refried beans). There is always plenty of chips and salsa before every meal and the price is good - for two of us it usually comes in right around $20 depending on what dishes we've ordered and what we got to drink.
PROS:
- The staff is very friendly and the table service is good
- Food is decently priced and the portions are large, I often have leftovers if I order a dinner (you can also order half portions on many dishes)
- the corn tortillas are to die for! They are complimentary (if you ask) with most of the lunch/dinner entrees) and are made fresh and are quite tasty
- seating is plentiful and unless they're super busy they let you pick where you want to sit
- they do take out (you can even call and order ahead if you know what you want)
- good place for large groups or families
CONS:
- food isn't as good as it use to be. It's sort of a hit or miss, it seems like one or two of their chefs are really good and some of the others...not so. I don't come as often as I use to because of this.
- on really busy nights the parking can be tough
Great food and cerveza.
They have some great murals painted on the wall.
I love the ambiance and the food.. the burritos are huge and their seafood selection is delicious... they have Juarittos and Beer.. and its close by if you live in fremont.. I go there quite frequently.. and its never too crowded.. good place to eat for sure
I will definitely not go back to this place.
First of all they are very over priced compared to similar restaurants in the area. The evening started with chips and salsa. Unfortunately, the salsa was poured out in a drink pitcher, already a bad sign, so there was definitely no substance to it, all runny and no vegetables. We then ordered drinks. A soda was $2.25 with no refills. We were surprised at this. Then we had our entrees. I ordered the vegetable soup, which was $3.99. My friend ordered the vegetable burrito, $4.95. I also ordered a side of rice. Once we received our bill, we found out that the side of rice was $4.49, the same price as an order of rice and beans. I decided that I was going to talk to a manager, because I thought they had charged me incorrectly, as I had only ordered rice. I was then told that the price was correct, so I asked to talk to a manager to discuss how their pricing was a bit high for a SIDE of rice. A this time I was told by the waitress that I had to write a note because there was no manager on duty. Come to find out, both owners were on duty and she was just being smart with me saying, "Well you asked for the manager, not the owner." I thought that was a little ridiculous. At this point I decide to talk to one of the owners then. In this process I explained my concern with the pricing, asking how a burrito loaded with vegetables could be only $0.46 more than a SIDE of rice. Then I asked how a soup loaded with vegetables could be less than a SIDE of rice. At this time, the other owner came by. He asked the one I was talking to in Spanish (which they were unaware I understood) what was going on. The one I was talking to said I was complaining about rice and the other laughed and threw money at the other to give to me for being so stupid and complaining about rice. At this point I could not even believe the disrespect I had been given and pointed out my disgust with their service, laughing at me. I walked out not leaving a tip. I told them that I would not be returning and they laughed.
I am writing this because I don't think anyone should go back to this place. You can go down the street to La Cabana and pay less for the same sort of atmosphere, where they at least show respect for their customers.
I recommend that no one ever go to this restaurant, La Pinata.
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