Alquisiras Paleteria Review – Mexican Cuisine and Paletas

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on March 9, 2021.

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Alquisiras Paleteria is an unassuming restaurant in Beechview that is known for two things- Mexican food and their namesake paletas.

But while we would encourage you to visit this one for traditional Mexican fare like tostadas, tacos, or tortas, we do have to strongly encourage you to always grab a paleta (or three) when visiting here.

Their namesake popsicles are a winner.

Alquisiras Paleteria Delivers Delicious and Affordable Mexican

Elote from Alquisiras Paleteria

When visiting this one, I ordered a spread from most of the menu which included an elote, two gorditas, two tostadas, a torta, and paletas for good measure. If it sounds like it ended up being a feast, you are right- this one was massive.

We started our order off with an elote (Mexican street corn) which was smothered with crema and a rich pepper mixture that was not too spicy. A lime wedge on the side would've really made this one pop, but overall is the kind of dish we always have to have with a Mexican feast- simple and to the point.

Gorditas and Tostadas from Alquisiras Paleteria

The gorditas were a masa-based pastry that is stuffed with ingredients. During our first visit, we opted for the chicharron (fried pork rinds) with salsa verde filling. As we ordered to go, we do have to note that the chicharron, unfortunately, didn't keep its crispy texture and was soggy by the time we got to enjoy it (so get this one when dining in if you do), but we have to admit the subtle pork flavor with the salsa verde made for a delightful combination all the same.

Perhaps the star of our order was the tostada- an open-faced tortilla that we topped with chicken, lettuce, crema, and avocado. Fully loaded is probably the correct term for these, and despite their somewhat small size they fill you up quickly. Put a nice dollop of their house hot sauce on top of this one and you have the perfect bite.

Steak Torta

Finally, because we very much over-ordered here, we also got a steak torta to wind out our meal. This is one of the only dishes at the restaurant that has an appreciable cost (about $8 during our visit) and you certainly get a ton of food to go along with it. It ended up being a fairly straightforward steak sandwich with avocado and lettuce plus the restaurant's hot sauce (a must) and really allowed for the steak flavors to shine all the same. That being said, we kept going back to the tostadas here.

In my rush to order when visiting, I completely missed the taco menu at this one. The reason for this is that the tacos are under a “specials” menu on the left side of the restaurant near the paleta menus and only had a few proteins listed out in rather small text. 

After already ordering a feast that was large enough for ample leftovers (we seriously had four monster servings in total for about $30), I realized my mistake but was already committed. As such, next time I'll be getting some tacos- plus a few more tostadas. 

While it is entirely likely that you'd visit this one for its delicious Mexican food, you also should not skip out on the paletas. This one is a paleteria, after all!

Don't Forget a Few Paletas

Paletas in Pittsburgh

For those who are unfamiliar, a paleta is essentially a popsicle, and Alquisiras Paleteria has a wonderful spread of flavors (not to mention, ice cream available by the scoop as well). The flavors for these are listed on the wall, but you really don't get the full effect until you are in the store and looking down into their cases which are loaded with these delicious treats.

When I put two and two together here (as my Spanish could, admittedly, be a bit better), I knew I had to pick up a few paletas for dessert.

The flavors here run the spectrum from traditional fruit flavors (think strawberry, cherry), Mexican-inspired flavors (like spicy mango), and even milk-based ice pop flavors (like rompope- otherwise known as eggnog).

As I had literally just bought some spicy mango bites from the IGA down the street, I had to grab one of this paleta flavor and balanced it with a milk-based rompope- another favorite flavor of ours.

If you like spicy things, the spicy mango paleta is for you. This one is about as traditional of a popsicle as you can get with a robust mango flavor and an even more intense heat that does not mess around. The rompope was a rich alternative that can only be described as perfectly creamy. The texture of this one was so good, in fact, that we probably would gravitate entirely to the milk-based pops here in the future.

In either case, if you visit this one for Mexican food, do yourself a favor and add on a paleta or two. And if you are visiting this one purely for the paletas, well, you're in the right place.

Alquisiras Paleteria is located at 2056 Broadway Avenue in Beechview. Their signage is a bit hard to see, but you'll immediately recognize Chicken Latino next door (another great restaurant we highly recommend). 

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