Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant & Bar (McCandless) — Restaurant in McCandless

Horrible. The chips and salsa were subpar. No kick to the salsa and it was runny. First off, the variety of appetizers and food on the menu was dissappointing in itself. I ordered the Favorito entree. It had very little toppings and was like eating a huge plate of Spanish rice. I couldn't finish it, it was that terrible. It was very bland for Mexican food and was lukewarm at best. The refried beans were awful. They were bland and runny. I can't imagine how one could screw those up, but they did. Also ordered the combo fajitas. They were lukewarm. When they are brought to the table, they should be sizzling in the pan, they weren't. Terrible and bland. Where were the Mexican spices in this supposedly authentic food? Took 5 boxes for leftovers and i wasn't exactly "pumped" about eating them. In fact, 2 days after visiting there, i haven't eaten any of them. This is very unusual for me. I had a Bloody Mary which had a drop of vodka in it. It tasted like plain tomato juice. No flavor or kick. No celery as a garnish, which is a staple in a Bloody Mary. No spice to it at all. Also had the Presidente margarita. No flavor. It was sour and seemed extremely watered down. The service was just okay. No conversational banter whatsoever, no smile. No friendliness. Very stoic server. Not engaging whatsoever. The only way i can completely describe this restaurant is as a travesty and an atrocity. One plus, is the building and it's festive decor is beautiful and Santa was there for the children. That was a nice touch. I only wish the food was as amazing as the building and it's decor. Food was bland and unappealing as were the drinks. Extremely disappointing. I will not revisit this place. If you want authentic Mexican food, i highly recommend El Campesino on McKnight Road in Ross Twp. I have never had a bad meal there. The menu is extensive and there is such a huge variety, there is something for everyone. The service is outstanding there and they treat you like family. They have amazing food. Amazing decor as well. Plenty to choose from. For all of these things and more, make me a repeat patron. El Campesino puts Emiliano's to shame in every aspect. Perhaps that's why Emiliano's didn't make it when they were in McIntyre Square. I will chalk this up to a huge disappointment and a learning experience. I will not return to Emiliano's. For an authentic, family run Mexican restaurant i suggest trying El Campesino. Emiliano's 👎👎👎👎👎 El...

The food here is eatible, but honestly, not that good. I've had better Mexican food made by Americans restaurants, and this is supposed to be a Mexican place. I would not really recommend this place, and would recommend other local Mexican places. I tried the empanada (beef), chicken quesadilla, and tres leches cake.

I will start with what I believe to be the best part of the meal: the tres leches dessert. It was actually quite good. The portion was okay, not too big, but honestly worth it. Nice little cherry on top, creamy, moist, and overall very tasty. If you do come here, order this.

The quesadilla was very mediocre. I've had better quesadilla in American restaurants or even when I make some myself. The size of it was minuscule for the price. Only 2-3 tiny pieces of it. The lettuce served with it (I asked for no lettuce) was stale, the sour cream was flavorless. The cheese was strange and a bit stringy. The chicken was okay.

They did serve some free chips, which I will say was nice, but nearly all Mexican restaurants do this. The salsa was super watery and not very flavorful. Would have liked it to be made with whole tomato chunks.

Finally, the beef empanada was one of the worst empanadas I have had in a long time. It's probably the worst in Pittsburgh. The beef was dry and crumble, the corn shells was hard, too chewy, and flavorless. And once again, it was on the expensive side and small. It had sour cream already on top of it, with some strange cheese as well, and it was very soggy. It being placed on stale lettuce didn't help either.

All in all, this is not authentic Mexican food. It's not even tasty Tex Mex. The portions are small and the food is more expensive here than at some other local places that serve fantastic dishes. I'd recommend...

11/17/2020 - I LOVE Emilianos in Cranberry. Recently I had the misfortune of ordering at the one in McCandless. I ordered take out. When I opened the bag, I found my order was not only wrong, but was put together haphazardly.

First, I ordered a California burrito and a fajita burrito. I have ordered these MANY times. I know the difference between a LUNCH and a DINNER portion. I specifically ordered dinner portions. The order I received was a dinner and a lunch portion, effectively shorting me the food (overcharging me). I called the manager and he explained that they look the same except one has more meat. That's fine, and i know the difference. he then went on to tell me that I didn't know what i was talking about and they I received two dinners. When I explained to him that it surely wasn't the case, he began to get irate. I simply said, "this wouldn't happen at the one in cranberry, and i certainly would not have been talked to like this". In Cranberry, the waitress/waiter would have simply taken it back and redone the meal.

Next, I would not normally complain, because honestly, it all goes down the same way, but the food was all over the containers. Food was on the OUTSIDE of the containers, and the salsa was opened in the bag. So, poorly put in the bag is the basic premise here.

I will avoid EMILIANOS in MCCANDLESS in the future, not because of the order being wrong, but because the...