Las Velas

Absolutely loved this place! The food was bursting with authentic Mexican flavor, you can really tell everything is made with care. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere was warm and colorful, and the whole experience just felt special. If you’re craving real Mexican food, this spot is a must!

Located on the upper floor of a building in Market Square, Las Velas can be a little tricky to find at first, but it’s absolutely worth it once you get there. The atmosphere is vibrant and welcoming, and despite being a random weekday, the place was bustling—always a good sign! I visited solo and chose to sit at the bar, which turned out to be a great spot to enjoy the quick service and friendly staff. I ordered the Al Pastor tacos, and they did not disappoint—flavorful, well-prepared, and satisfying. As someone visiting Pittsburgh, I had heard great things about Las Velas, and I’m happy to say it lived up to the hype. I’d definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for delicious Mexican food in the heart of the city.

I like the Asada and Mahi tacos. Meat was tender and moist and delicious. I had Cancun soup was very light, refreshing, and tasty. My boyfriend got Large margaritas and he loved it while watching the birds outside. I had mango margarita and was very good. However I went back for chicken tortilla soup and I was sad that it didn’t have any veggies it was all broth and mostly tortilla strips. I recommend the Cancun better as it has more vegetables.

We went for a Sunday lunch & were the only customers. We were hopeful seeing such high marks for reviews. We were however disappointed. Chips & queso was fine. Tortilla soup was bland. Chili rellenos were fine but the rice & beans were room temperature - not appetizing at all. Twice we had to request our server to come over for things we needed. Maybe we hit it at an off day but this wasn't a 4.3 star experience.

Incredibly friendly staff. Came with a party of six and our food was out very fast on a friday night. My spicy margarita wasn't very spicy and honestly was kind of mediocre, but I thought the food was phenomenal. Their chips and guacamole are worth the price. So much better than the guacamole at other places around Pittsburgh. They have a few labeled vegetarian options that can be easily made vegan. The atmosphere isn't the most interesting but I kind of enjoyed the openness of the space.

I ate dinner here based on reviews. Did not disappoint. Service was extremely fast, but almost to a point where it felt like we were rushed to order. The food was great, however the stuffed jalapenos felt like they were missing something. Couldn't put my finger on it though.

Awesome place, Great Food, Service and Atmosphere. I ordered Chicken Enchiladas Mole... The Enchiladas need to be a little warmer and a touch more salt, the refried beans were Great... I believe they are made in house as well as the great Spanish rice. The Margarita was good too. But most of all my waitress Ash or Ashton was Fast, Nice and friendly and was Amazing to watch her work She had such a Rhythm about her when she was working and never missed a beat, I asked for the manager so I could compliment her to the manager and she said that's me... Amazing experience at this place and I highly recommend this place !!! From me a Top 10 USA Google food blogger Ask for Ash and you won't be disappointed. Way to go Ash !!!

Date night with the wife. Not a spot to take your wife, maybe a friend or co worker. They were under staffed and that took a star away, the food was averaged at best for being so pricey. The photos I uploaded is all we got as it ran us $88 bucks. The only plus was the waitress was very centered and focused as she served half the establishment. That's why you got a 3 star without her it would been a 2 at best.

Great Food and Great Service! Came here for a birthday dinner with friends and the view was amazing :) I'd highly recommend the steak!

Yeas I'm not sure why this place is absolutely empty on a Sunday night... It was pretty dang good overlooking chipotle and most maybe why it struggles? Idk I enjoyed my burrito pastor. Now you know I used these reviews to remind myself of things this is a reminder that I love all things pastor when chipotle does their pastore chicken mwah when last velas does their pastor burrito mwah. Me lady go the three fish tacos and it was too much food to handle so I tried one and yea they were very nice crispy delicious. We also got the queso which yea it was good and yummy. Would come back sad that it was so empty here

If you're looking for mediocre white people Mexican food this is the place. I want to start by staying I did not think any part of my experience was bad, it was just very okay. The service was good, not great. The ambiance was fine. The food wasn't bad but wasn't anything to write home about. I had the al pastor tacos, the strawberry margarita, and the chips and queso. The tacos were a little dry and the queso was just meh. The margarita was exactly what I wanted, a regular fine margarita. I didn't go into this expecting anything crazy so it wasn't bad but definitely not great Mexican food.

We were in town for Picklesburgh and thought we would go upstairs to Las Velas for some food and drinks. When we were sat, we sat at our table for almost 10 minutes before we could get someone to wait on us and half of the tables in our area were empty. There were two servers in our area and the female server would literally look at us and either look the other way or turn around and walk the other way before coming to our table. After about ten minutes we asked her if we could place an order. She said yes and walked away. Thank God she was not our server. Another gentleman came over to take our order. We received the wrong drinks, which he fixed but we asked for water as well and he never brought them. The food was okay, but nothing I would go back for. Not sure what they are like when they are busy, but I don't think I would want to see either. When we did get the right drinks, the Cheladas were very refreshing.

Came here for a Friday lunch and was blown away. The server was so attentive. They had many margarita flavors to choose from. I had mango and it was delicious! The food was one of the best I've had. Definitely a must try in the area!

Mediocre Mexican food. Nothing special to talk about. Staff was friendly but I wasn't impressed enough to go back.

Great location overlooking Market Square. Lunch was fast and excellent. The chips & salsa were soooo good. Both homemade for sure. Restaurant was very clean too. Will be back!

Always feel like home here. The staff treats you so well, the margs are unmatched, and the food is enjoyable. You gotta come here!

Went to La Velas in Market Square on a Tuesday afternoon after work. The place was empty (I think the location is kind of hard to find and it doesn't stick out) so a large party of us were seated very quickly. The restaurant over looks Market Square so it's a great view! For a drink, I got a Paloma but it just tased like a margarita and was too sweet for my liking. For food, I got a Barbacoa, chicken and mahi mahi taco which were all delicious! TLDR Service - 5/5 Ambience - 5/5 Food and Drinks - 3/5

Decent Mexican food in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh Pros: good to downtown restaurants busy again at lunchtime. Las Velas offers a nice, compact menu, offering a taste of some of the regions of Mexico. Their huarache was pretty good. Lunch prices were reasonable. Cons: restaurant seemed understaffed. One pet peeve of mine when dining Mexican is if there is an up charge for chips and salsa (which were average). Summary: everything was slightly above average, but not exciting, hence the 3 stars.

This place is so cute and has amazing service and wonderful food! Staff is so kind when I came for a friend's birthday. Located in a really convenient spot

Very fine staff and service. Excellent menu and comida/ meals. Very fine bar. Enjoyable view overlooking Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh. Intend to return often!

Ava is a really good waiter! food is amazing and so are the drinks! get place for family gatherings

Awesome service and such nice people!!! The food is delicious. Can't wait to go back! Ava and Ally are the best servers. I love going back and see everyone. The ambiance is great woohooo!!!

Best Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh! This was the only Mexican restaurant I could find that had more than just tacos. The food was delicious and authentic with a variety of options. Not only was the food good but their margaritas were fresh and big! They use fruit purée in their margs rather than syrup and I loved it, we got the watermelon and raspberry. If you're craving Mexican food bypass Condado Tacos and come to Las Velas.

I LOVE the enchiladas! Juicy on the inside with pasty bean mesh. I got there around 1pm and got seated by the window, which gives me a peak into the gorgeous plaza. Food is served with speed, in less than 10 minutes. They played cozy Christmas themed music in the background, very calming,

My boyfriend and I were so excited to have a date night. I wanted Mexican, so he suggested Las Velas because it is his favorite Mexican restaurant. The service was good and we ordered our drinks and chips, salsa and queso. Everything up to this point was great. We ordered our main entrees. I went with the tamales, which said " Cornmeal tamale baked in banana leaf. Chicken, pork, or veggies. Rice and beans". I have a known severe peanut allergy, so I thought this to be safe. When the plate came out, it was covered in a dark brown sauce. Knowing food, I assumed it was a mole sauce. I was right. I know other restaurants that serve mole will indicate if there's peanuts in their sauce. So, out of caution we asked. They confirmed there was NO nuts in the sauce. So out of caution, I pushed most of the sauce to the side and took a few bites. Immediately I felt my throat and tongue start to itch. I walked up to the manager/ host again to ask about the ingredients. She told me again there were no nuts. I asked her to double check. She went to the kitchen and asked again. She then gave me a 3rd confirmation that there were no nuts, and handed me the recipe sheet. I quickly google-translated each word on the card, because it was in Spanish, and found "5 cans of mole". I asked to see the can of mole, and lo and behold, the can of mole ingredients included peanuts. My boyfriend and I rushed to the hospital, where they gave me life saving epinephrine and Benedryl to keep my throat from closing up. We will not be eating here ever again, and I caution anyone with a peanut allergy to eat here. We tipped the server on the cost of the bill that we were not charged for, because we work in the industry and it was not his fault. It's now almost midnight, and my boyfriend and I are still at the hospital. So much for a nice date night. Hopefully they start taking allergies seriously, correct their menu to actually include all of the ingredients of each dish, and know that if they're just doctoring-up a jarred mole sauce, to actually know if this store-bought sauce ingredients have an allergen to indicate to customers.

We were visiting Pittsburgh for the weekend. We stopped here after the pirates game freezing and hungry. The fajitas totally hit the spot. Service was fast and friendly. Prices were very reasonable.

We had the greatest service here at a dinner before a show in the cultural district! She let me sample one of each type of tamale in the order of two- chicken in mole and pork in green sauce. Unfortunately the tamales were hard and dry. I'm not sure if they were really steamed inside the leaves or just laid on top of leaves for show as a steamed item should not be so dry. The mole sauce was pretty good but the chile verde was tasteless. My husband also thought his enchiladas were tasteless. His favorite part of his meal was the elote corn on the cob -- don't get the esquites. Although served in a cute little tortilla dish, it was like canned corn with a tiny sprinkling of seasonings completely unlike the seasonings and cheese on the elote. The salsa, guacamole and queso were each very delicious with the chips -- however it was a bit expensive for the small amounts. We ordered on separate checks and the waitress nicely split the cost of the Trio of dips three ways without being asked. It's a great location, ok food and great service.

Food was average for Mexican, definitely for the price have had better. There was an up charge for chips, who does that at a Mexican place!? The burrito was more like a wrap, very small. Nice location and good atmosphere. The waitress snuck in a 20% tip for over 5 ppl and she was not great. Won't be back.

It is Thursday night and I was hungry for Mexican. The great thing about Las Velas is they have things other than the standard tacos of all the other restaurants in downtown. I have had enchiladas in the past here, but tonight I opted for the Chile Rellenos. I had mine with pork and they were delicious! You can also get steak, chicken or shrimp. They use real poblano peppers which is always 5 stars for me. Believe it or not, some places I've been to use green bell peppers. That is not a Relleno! These were coated with the traditional egg batter and fried, but they weren't greasy at all. The pork was really delicious and tender. I also got the chips and salsa. Of course, I couldn't eat it all and they packed me up fresh chips and salsa to go! The bartender, Philippe, made me a very tasty and different cilantro margarita. I loved it! Service was fantastic and very friendly. I sat at the bar which is always my first choice. I happened to sit next to the owners nephew who is attending Duquesne. We had a lovely dinner conversation. I think Las Velas is much better than Condado and Tako is way over priced. This was perfect!

The staff & service are very nice! The drinks are worth the price. The menu selection was good but the food we received was all very cold. That didn't make it very enjoyable as we tried to finish our meals.

Solid Mexican food option in downtown Pittsburgh. Food was tasty. Drinks were reasonable. Nothing fancy but a good value especially given the location.

What a great treat!! Went to dinner with colleagues and thought why not Mexican?!? Landed here didn't have high expectations but it was absolutely amazing. Their drinks, service and atmosphere was on point. Everyone enjoyed their dish and the shareable apps were delicious. My Carne Asada was incredible! Perfectly seasoned and full of flavors. If you've never had Pas Velas and you're craving Mexican you will not be disappointed!

The food was pretty good! But it wasn't out of the ordinary, if you are feeling like eating Mexican food this place is what you are looking for. The service was okay but the restaurant itself is really nice as it's on the second floor!

excellent service and food note hard to find its above babk of america ......................................

Enjoyed the food and the Cadillac margaritas. Some in our party were served cold food as there were two large parties (11 & 23) that night seated at similar times. I would not recommend ordering premium tequila as they were refilling the bottles with lesser tequila. When asked if they had an unopened bottle for a side by side comparison they conveniently did not have one. I would return just on a quieter night and stick with the standard drinks.

Stopped here on a Saturday evening after the Christmas Market in Market Square. Great location with large windows overlooking the Square and PPG. Tri d tone of their many seasonal cocktails and enjoyed their chips with Queso, guacamole and salsa. Will define come again to try their dinner items. Quick friendly service!

We came here right when they opened on the weekend for lunch, and it wasn't very crowded. This is a hidden gem that is tucked away on the second floor. I got the taco pastor and it was really good. I liked the pineapple with pork. It came with two sides of your choice. The waitress was very nice and the food came out reasonably fast. The tables were spread out sufficiently. This is definitely one of my go to spots downtown.

Second trip was back amazing.. as expected. I ordered the three tacos. It was so hard to choose I wanted everything on the menú. I loved the tacos! Everything is so fresh. The lime potatoes are still one of my favorites on the menú. I also ordered a mango salsa as my side. The sides aren't very large. My side salad and mango salsa came on the same plate as my tacos. At a glance I thought they were missing. Sometimes I forget so always pull up the menú of the restaurant before I write my review - as a refresher. The website has the menú but the sides aren't listed. They are one of my favorite parts of the menú!! So if you are checking out the menu on line - there is more to the menu than what is online. The portions were plentiful and we had enough to take home for dinner. I look forward to returning.

Nice basic Mexican meal after theater... some times I find Mexican food heavy but burrito and filling were light. My wife especially enjoyed her rellenos ... seeds removed We will return in future

Best Mexican spot in Pittsburgh!! The drinks are amazing and the food was so tasty. Beware the habanero sauce is sooooooo spicy, a little goes a LONG way. Cute little spot in Market Square!

I came during the lunch rush and was still served quickly and the food came very promptly. I ordered las flautas and they were AMAZING. Seriously, this is now going to be my new lunch spot. I also ordered their flan and it was good as well. Would HIGHLY recommend!! Update: Have since gone back and tried their chips and salsa too, hands down some of the best salsa I have had.

I was on a layover in PIT Cinco de Mayo and selected this restaurant because they had Sopes on the menu. Got there and they had a limited menu, disappointed, but the food I had was horrible and flavorless. The soup tasted like they took chicken broth and threw in some days old rice and rubbery chicken. The flautas were wrapped in flour tortillas and burned to a crisp. The filling tasted like they used American cheese. The bartender was so inattentive she didn't address that I hadn't eaten any of the food when she brought me the bill. No manager in sight to address any concerns. Terrible all around.

I love coming here! I've been here more times than I can count and have never had a bad experience. The only bad thing I have to say is it's too hard to pick what to get to eat because everything is so darn good! I love their margaritas, queso, guacamole, quesadilla, tacos, fajitas and salads! It's conveniently located in market square and is easy to walk to from most places downtown. Its a great place to meet up with friend after work for happy hour. This place is a must if you are visiting the downtown area.

This is a must every time I visit Pittsburgh. Love the Filet Mango tacos and the fajitas. The rice and beans are amazing. Fresh chips as well. Customer service has been "meh", but the food is good!

The food was pretty bad. The waiter disappeared for like 30 minutes and I didn't get any water. The prices on their menu are wrong and they overcharged us. This is also not handicap accessible as you have to climb up stairs. The place was pretty small inside.

We arrived at 2:30 pm on light up night. Six of seven tables by the windows were open and we requested one but were told no. I asked multiple times and only told no you can't. five remained open while we were there. food was average. came out lukewarm. used to be much better. seems to have gone downhill recently.

Came here for lunch with coworkers. Ordered the chip and salsa and the carnitas fajitas. Service was very friendly and pretty quick considering It was a lunch rush. The chips and salsa are addicting and our table went through 3 baskets of chips and salsas lol! Free salsa free refills by the way! And then came my fajitas. They were very very good. The meat was amazing! Tons of peppers. Albeit overall a little oily...It didn't detract from the flavor. And the pricing was great for lunch. The portion was so big I had leftovers! The seating area is nice and I never knew this place existed! Will definitely be back!

Great tacos and lots of variety for lunch. I loved that the service was fast and easy with our sever.

Food was horribly mediocre :( the tacos had little seasoning and the salsa was not very flavorful. The staff was t able to answer some questions regarding allergies. Cute atmosphere and great location tho

Yum. Love their guacamole- it's amazing. I usually get their fish tacos or the mahi-mahi tacos and every time I love them. I wish I could order the tacos à la cart though because I'm not crazy about the sides options. Their margaritas are also bomb. Careful though they are not playing around. They may taste like they aren't strong but they'll get ya - you've been fairly warned! On Saturday night, this place turns into a dance party and it gets packed.

I've been coming to Las Velas multiple times along with their other locations around Pittsburgh. Las Velas was always the best when it came to the food & service, although I am quite disappointed from my last experience, especially while it was during a slow lunch day. Thankfully I was able to see on my receipt the name of my Cashier, who I am assuming served us last. I have had plenty of energetic, attentive servers (at las velas specifically)...yet when I come again in the future I will look to be served by someone else. Again, the food was outstanding, came out quick, and was warm but the service was very slow (and we were the only table in the restaurant!) ...not to mention, she was listening to music or something on her headphones while attending to our needs.? I am not sure if it is just a thing now in the service industry generation wise or because it was slow, but I was definitely taken back! Initials of waiter was PI...Hope next time server is friendlier.

Came here for a saturday night dinner with my parents. We were seated immediately and the ambiance was ok. The issue was the flying bugs around our table that made the food less tempting. Also, the food was not as flavorful as I would expect from Mexican food. All in all, not somewhere I would want to go back to but made for an ok experience.

I was in town and was looking for a good Mexican restaurant. This was recommended to me by a local I met. The location was great as it was in the middle of market square. It was on the second floor which was cool as you could look at the square from above. I sat at the bar as the conversations are a little bit better and you can get a glimpse on what really goes on. Overall the place was ok. My biggest issue was that they didn't provide chips and salsa (free). Don't get me wrong, I am not cheap but WHAT MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANT DOESNT PROVIDE FREE CHIPS AND SALSA????? The obvious answer is this one. I got the 4 Enchilada plate (2 chicken, 2 pork) with verde sauce. The chicken was a little chewy but the pork was pretty good. It also came with 2 sides so I got the black beans and cilantro rice. Overall it was pretty good. They could do a few more things to make this place good.

I stopped in for lunch and enjoyed the visit. The service was good, I was greeted immediately and we ordered the chips and salsa (nope, they aren't free...kinda bummed about that). The chips are thick and fresh. I really liked them. They are very crunchy and don't break when being dipped in salsa. The salsa was so fresh. All that being said...they are totally worth ordering. I mean what's a Mexican meal without starting with chips and salsa?! For lunch we tried the shrimp and chicken fajitas and the fish tacos. I really like you get to pick your sides. Even better that street corn is an option. It was soooo good. Order it. Honestly, both were very good and arrived to the table nice and hot. I'd definitely visit again when I'm in town!

This place is probably the best for fajitas, "HUGE" margaritas, soup,, and burritos I've tasted in quite some time. They have quite the menu and I will say.

I stopped by here a couple of Friday nights ago with my wife for dinner. We knew that we were going to be downtown on this evening and so picked out that we wanted to head to Las Velas a couple of days before hand. Part of my motivation is that it was in the Enjoy book but I also remember having some good food here in the past. Las Velas is located on the second floor of a building and can be a bit tricky to find if you don't know where to look. Hint, it's between the diamond market and the original oyster house. In any case after heading up the stairs we were greeted by a hostess and sat at the last table available. Due to that, I can't say that it was the greatest table or that I could see much of the restaurant. We were seated without a wait though and so you won't see me complaining. For dinner on this day my wife and I decided I split the chips and salsa (bottomless) for an appetizer. After looking over the menu for awhile I also decided to go with the most expensive thing on the menu, the velada. While it sounded good on its own, I was also influenced a little bit by the little fire sign next to it which I assumed meant spicy. Our chips and salsa came out first and I rather enjoyed them. The chips seemed to be freshly made and the salsa was blended quite smooth and was flavorful. As we were on our second basket of chips our entrees came out. What I wasn't expecting was the show that came along with my food. It was described on the menu as half of fresh pineapple shell filled with chicken, steak, shrimp, chorizo, grilled peppers, onions and cilantro all topped with melted cheese and served with sides of tortillas, guacamole, sour cream and pick de gallo. What it failed to mention is that there is a tequila sauce that is prepared table side and then poured over the dish. This preparation consists of the tequila being added to the sauce and then lit on fire before being poured between two gravy boats until the alcohol was burned off. Overall it was a pretty cool presentation that I can't say I was ready for. The sauce they made from it was dynamite though and had a nice tequila flavor with most of the alcohol being gone. Everything in my dish was delicious, especially whenever it was combined with that sauce. I think my favorite of the meats was the shrimp (I got 3 of them) due to their natural sweetness. The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. Both my wife and I enjoyed our food and the dining room has a nice view over Market Square.

I've been here a few times and I always enjoy myself! They have a great happy hour and good food. I always get a margarita when I go, they have 2 sizes and a variety of flavors. My favorite is probably the traditional mango. They are super strong! And still have good flavor. This last time I went I got a burrito, it was delicious! Good flavor and quality for the price. My friend got chips and queso so I tried a bit of that as well, and really enjoyed their queso. Their chips are interesting, I believe they're fried so the texture is a little different than most tortilla chips, but still good! My only knock on it is that they don't always have the best service. A lot of their staff speak Spanish as a first language I think, so Ive had issues ordering before but they do their best. It would never stop me from coming back because they're very friendly and I enjoy the food and atmosphere.