La Piñata - San Leandro

We came here a while back basically so I could hang out with my friend on her B-day. She came here to drink, we came here to buy her drinks. It actually smelt pretty good and the food looked alright so I decided to get some food.

I grew up about 1 and a half miles from the border of Mexico in southern AZ. I am Mexican and I have a huge family that loves to cook and it's competitive too lol. In my hometown if you want real mexican food you get it from your family or you go the south side of town because that's where the real stuff is. There are good mexican restaurants all over the place, back home.

I've been in the bay area for about 3 years and to be honest nothing has really been that great. The best mexican food I've had here was in the taco food category at chavez supermarket where I got some tacos al pastor and some lengua tacos. However it's way overpriced and I could get food that is just as good and twice as much back home.

So anyway I am kind of picky when it comes to mexican food. We got a chimichanga plate here and it actually wasn't that bad. If they charged more for it then I'd say it was a rip off but the portions were actually huge for the price which makes the ok food..better haha. The beans and rice weren't half bad either. Can't say I'd come eat here again (I get my fix when I go back home) but overall I was satisfied and as my review says it's a-ok.

My favorite Mexican food restaurant in the bay! Friendly excellent food! I ate there just two days ago! Friendly, great vibe, it's always a fun and delicious place to be and eat!

I highly recommend the Carnitas Street tacos with all of the fixings and black beans on the side.

3.5 stars. I recently started working within walking distance of this place. Given that it's the only food option available nearby to walk to other than the sort of questionable looking taco truck across the street from my office, it's already been my lunch spot a couple of times now. There's nothing like homemade, but La Pinata is a genuinely good option when homemade isn't on the menu for the day.

The first time I picked up some lunch, I did the tortilla soup with a single soft taco on the side. The soup came with a few tortillas of your choice (I went with corn), fried tortilla strips, half an avocado, and a lime. It was packed with vegetables and cheese, but a little cheap with the chicken. But it was piping hot when I got it back to my desk, filled to the top of the container, and really flavorful. I devoured it.

The taco came in a container with a small cup of beans, salsa, and grilled vegetables including a jalapeno, radish, and carrots. The one taco was overflowing with meat, so I used the tortillas that came (at no charge) with the soup to make another taco. I went with al pastor, which was so good.

The second time I got lunch from them, I went with the soup again and was a little disappointed because they forgot the tortillas and gave me what looked like the crumbled remnants of the last batch of tortilla strips, and a fraction of the amount of strips that I got last time. However, the soup was just as delicious the first time.

Both times, I ordered ahead for pickup with DoorDash. My food was ready within minutes. The soup is a good amount of food that has been a satisfying lunch both times, and the taco had a very generous amount of meat. There's a lot more on the menu to try and I'll keep exploring the options here.

La Pinata has has been around for ages but only visited the San Leandro location (recently) for work happy hour. No special menu or pricing just menu of appetizers, entrees, desserts (not all available) and of course, drinks.

Ended up sitting in the bar area with lounge seating (2 couches and a coffee table) which made for relaxed get together...that is, for maybe an hour or 2. Since we ended up being there for 3.5 hours til closing, 9pm (as former colleague had lots to say) it can get a bit uncomfortable.

Items ordered 3 - 3.5 stars:
LA PINATA PLATTER - $26
Quesadilla, jalapeño poppers, potato skins chicken wings, mini chimichangas, nachos with sour cream and guacamole and nachos....Great for sharing and all decent but the chicken wings were super salty!

STEAK NACHOS - $16 - pinto beans, Monterey Jack with cheese, jalapeños, guacamole and sour cream - simple and satisfies the nacho crave

CHURROS with ICE CREAM - fried nicely and delivered hot - perfect

Drinks were good but pricey (hmmm...pina colada $16) and 5 dessert options on the menu but only 2 were available. Our server would return each time saying "we don't have it".... Service attentive and efficient which elevated rating to another star.

Plenty of lot parking with outside dining available but no table service. Order inside and food brought out.

Showed up looking for lunch, ordered to go, fyi the menu is huge!!!!!!! They have authentic Mexican food and some non authentic things too( burgers and wings) this place is a well staked cantina and restaurant. I ordered a super burrito, it honestly looks huge compared to a super burrito from other places. If I was the chef I'd call it the xxxl burrito. It tasted good, just way too big. Staff is friendly,and music was authentic, but I only saw 2 tables sitting down. I would say go, but I would prioritize going if you have large parties or have a lot of drinking to do.

Place look nice first time coming now that its renovated. looks good be is nice beers are cold. Food was amazingNd tasted fresh !! Our server now was nice And friendly service was good !!

We were a table of seven. Service was spot on. Food was good. Because this was a business group, I did not take pictures but everyone appeared to enjoy their food.

I ordered a Combination #13, which is an Enchilada (I got chicken), Chili Relleno, Rice & Beans. Delicious!

Thank you, Heriberto for your great service. Despite being so incredibly busy, we were still very well taken care of. We went there on a Sunday, during brunch / lunch hours.
We had the pozole, it was delicious. Last time we had the red snapper with rice and beans on the side, also very good. Highly recommended.

I haven't been here in years, it's was nice to see how they have remodeled the bar side with new colored tile, they dug out the fire pit that was in the middle and rewhipped everything with a dark grey and black appeal. It's looks really retro modern now. Unfortunately on the flip side the food is less than average depending on what you order. I ordered a carne asada chimichanga with a grilled chicken taco. When Noi our waiter brought the taco, I tasted the chicken, it was super cold. I had Noi to take it away, he asked if I wanted to have them reheat it? I replied no thank you. The lady who also was seated with us ordered the fried fish, chicken wings and a green salad. To her dismay the salad had brown edges and appeared to be old, she too had Noi to remove it from the table. He offered to bring her another salad, but she declined. My friend ordered the crab enchiladas, the waiter Noi came back to our table to ask her was she ok with a different sauce over the crab enchiladas? He explained that they were out of the normal sauce, she agreed with a yes! One reason I gave this review two stars was due to the fact that the women's bathroom was filthy and needed desperate attention. I did enjoy the beef chimichanga and requested a to-go container for the uneaten portion.

La Piñata was a disappointing choice for lunch on our way to the marina for our power walk. The food was bland, and the corn tortilla was inedible. Nachos would have been a better option. Unfortunately, I ordered the red snapper street tacos and regrettably cannot request a refund.
But the upside of the experience, the customer service was decent. There was a beautiful rose on the table that looks to be thriving and out of the corner of my eye the bar looked a little bright and jazzy. So today we have to give them three thumbs down. My lunch companion did enjoy their burrito. But how can you really go wrong with a burrito? Don't my food look gross!!

La Piñata is a local establishment that has had its ups and downs over the years. Their carne asada wet burritos are always good, the chicken flautas are dry, but we order the beef nachos and steak quesadilla every time! Service is usually speedy and with a smile, they can handle big groups, but helps if you communicate.