by Kate

Pittsburgh offers a great deal of excellent ethnic cuisine- especially if you are in search of a pierogi. Looking for a taco? Well, that’s a bit tougher. At least, it used to be. Earlier this summer, my husband discovered Las Palmas Groceria and Carneceria in Brookline.

 

Ever since he did, we’ve been heading out through the tunnels to Brookline on Saturday morning every chance we get. Saturday morning is when they open the taco stand.

The tacos are two bucks apiece, and they are incredible.

The corn tortillas come off the grill warm, fragrant, and perfectly textured. Las Palmas is a Carneceria, or butchershop. The meat they use is very high quality, and expertly prepared and seasoned on site. Their chorizo is incredible.

Then there are the vast array of (hot!) sauces and fresh vegetables and limes to choose from. I am generally unable to choose, and heap on as much as humanly possible.

The street is full of families waiting in line and satisfied customers.

Inside, the Groceria is bursting with color and vitality.

My husband is not available for purchase, of course… but you can find all the ingredients you need to create incredible Mexican food. The prices are low, quality is high. The shelves are packed in close in an entirely un-American manner, but that adds to the excitement of the experience.

The produce is fresh, abundant, inexpensive, and excellent quality. I say this with a great deal of authority after spending ten years of my life in the Produce Section at high end grocery stores. This produce is clearly loved and carefully tended. There is even fresh cactus available.

Dried spices of all sorts line the walls.

But perhaps the real glory of the store is the long butcher counter that runs across the back of the store.

This is a real butchershop with a huge variety, reasonable prices, and great quality.

I don’t know what everything is, but every time we have tried something it has been excellent. 

lf you are looking for Mexican food in Pittsburgh, I highly recommend that you head out to Brookline to check out Las Palmas. If you are looking for tacos, make sure it is Saturday. Looking for votive candles? Those are available every day of the week.

You can never have too many votive candles.