Picosa

Ate here recently as part of a group of 20 for a business dinner so menu was fixed.\r Salad could have come out of a bag from your local Cub supermarket. Strip steak was virtually inedible (so I was told), I had the veggie burrito which was fried and totally laking in taste). Desert for a table of 7, consisted of sharing several micro-sized pastries that were about as latin as chicken chow mien\r \r Service was mostly attentive but with a total number of 40 diners, it should be!\r \r I'm certainly glad I wasn't paying, that's for sure. For a Friday night the place was virtually empty and then they cranked up some run of the mill latin music from an iPod... Pros: Location is okay, might be nice in the summer; waitress was pretty good Cons: Food was poor, ambience was fake more

We had a group of 6. We waited for over 1.5 hours for our main dishes. When the food arrived it was cold two sent their meal back to be heated. One meal was so greasy that it was unable to be eaten. They offered to take half off for the meal. After talking with the manager the entire meal was removed. We had 5 different meals. We have told many friends to not go there to eat. They have a nice dance floor - enjoy the dancing and drinks. Pros: nice dance floor with live music Cons: cold food and extremely slow service over 1.5 hr for main course more

Bad service and the drinks are not good. I would not recommend that anyone eat there. The food has no flavor and it takes forever to get served. It is also too expensive with small portions and it is not authentic ""Mexican"" cuisine. \r The DJ was just bad. If thats what is a DJ is - anyone with an Ipod that plugs into speakers could do it.\r Also - the staff was unfriendly and they didnt offer us anything for the inconveniences we went through trying to oreder drinks, food, etc...\r The valet guys were great though.\r \r Pros: Valet Cons: Everything else more

This place was truly unbelievable, cool location and atmosphere, worst service ever! The lack of service completely took away from what would have been a fun night. Every time I needed WATER, I had to ask three times. I asked twice for a beer, only to have to go the bar eventually to actually get it done. Our food was served two hours after we ordered it. Fried plaintains? I'd rather have doritos. The entree itself was reasonably good, but I would never, EVER go back here based on the service, crummy drinks, and terrible waiters. Honestly, after placing my order for braised ribs, they took ONE HOUR to come back and tell me that had none left! We waited nearly two hours for our bill because they couldn't figure out how to run multiple credit cards for one bill. Fellow minnesotans, please beware. If salsa on a Saturday night is what you are looking for, go to the Loring Pasta bar or Babalu. The band here was even mediocre! They played almost the entire Buena Vista Social Club album, but at least two times slower than the album, and then they played ""La Vida es un Carnival"" at the same slow speed. It was thoroughly disappointing. Never again. I caution you... Pros: Location Cons: Almost everything else. more

I work down the street from Picosa's, and while I agree with some of the reviewers that the prices seem a bit high for some of the menu items, I am still impressed with all of the food I've had at this restaurant. I've never had problems with the service, and everyone who works there is more than willing to talk to you, give you pointers, tell you what they like and don't like on the menu, and generally get to know you. I think patience is something which quite a few people lack when going to restaurants nowadays, and a lack of immediate gratification is somehow the same as poor service. There are good and bad days to every restaurant.\r \r The food is amazing at Picosa's; frankly, I'm amazed at how tender the steak is, how juicy the chicken, and how fresh the fish. You can't beat the lunch prices, either. Seven dollars for all the food you can eat, including your drink, is a not to be missed opportunity. Brunch is equally amazing, with eggs benedict on homemade tortillas with pulled pork and spiced hollandaise, perfect french toast, breakfast meats, and eggs to order, not to mention the pastries. Nine dollars, including drink. Again, Picosa's is an upscale value, as far as I'm concerned, excellent food and unbeatable prices. Pros: Food, Service, Quiet Atmospher Cons: Some overpriced dishes. more

The first time I went there to eat, I was unimpressed with the food, especially for the price. Then there was cause for concern - a tablemate of mine had ordered Fish Tacos, only to start pulling fish bones from her mouth. Not only was this unexpected from a ""high end"" restaurant, it was DANGEROUS.\r \r The second time I went was to their new lunchtime buffet. I thought, at least I'm choosing my own food and I will see if something is bad... and was wrong. There were meats for ""build your own tacos."" Chicken, sure, looks good. Until myself and my tablemate found a large amount of cartelidge & bones in the meat! We were both spitting out into our napkins, and stopped eating the meat. Still hungry, and since I paid a flat buffet rate, I thought I'd go make a vegetarian taco. I put some guacamole in there. Bad idea! There's few things in the world as unappetizing as biting into avocado rind. I felt that that was my last straw.\r \r The food is sloppily prepared. I'm happy I never got really sick from anything I've eaten there, but I have been scared. You couldn't pay me to eat there again. Pros: Kind waitstaff Cons: The food. Stay away from the food. more

This restaurant is perfect for large parties! Spacious bar & dining area with a private area in back for those VIP's when their in town! The staff genuienly cares about this place & it shows through their service.\r Pros: Free parking in heated ramp behind restaurant more

Having this new restaurant in the neighborhood has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We recently had a Stepper Set hosted here and the owner could not have been more accommodating! I hadn't tried the food yet, but having enjoyed myself as much as I did I will be back! Pros: Location! more

We get together with friends that worked together years ago for dinner on a regular basis. Each time we try a different restaurant. We made reservations at Picosa for Saturday evening on the patio with a clear understanding that if it was cold or wet, we could move inside. The person who took our reservations for 8 people assured us that there would be no problem accommodating our request. \r \r When we arrived at 8pm, we learned there was a wedding reception. The staff could only seat us outside or in the bar. Now this is a fairly upscale restaurant that has prices that reflect it. We opted for the bar because it started sprinkling and it was chilly outside. A few minutes later I asked to speak to the manager. A woman came out and I explained the situation to her and stated that I wanted to let her know how disappointed we were by this huge mistake. Her response was to glare at me and say ""I appreciate you telling me this."" End of discussion.\r \r We've eaten at most of the best restaurants in town and I would not recommend Picosa. Not only was the manager discourteous but the food was mediocre at best. The only saving grace was that our waitress was very attentive and worked hard to provide us with excellent customer service. \r \r The chicken entree was bland, the empanadas were tough, the chicken tenders were no better than McDonalds and a regular margarita was $9.00. The party agreed that none of us would go again. The value and service for the price was not there. \r Pros: Our Wait Person was very attentive Cons: Manager was snooty and disrespectful, food was flat, untrained and novice staff, value was not there for the price. more

\r Been reading how excellent the service is at Picosa however we didn't experience it. Sat and waited forever. The poor young waite staff seemed to be doing their best but it was obvious that they couldn't come close to keeping up, why?, well I didn't understand until I passed the bar on my way to the rest room. The waite staff were mixing their own drinks, not a barender in sight. Now I know that it been tough for the owner, Lindell Mendoza to keep up with his new place but I've also hear he un-fit to manage, yelling at his help constantly, problems with pay. \r \r Presentation, presentation, presentation - key to the restaurant business, but if you can't keep the staff to serve it, what's the use. Pros: Beautiful view if you bring a bag lunch Cons: Management more

I dine out at least once a week in Minneapolis, and I can say that Picosa is easily the worst restaurant I have ever been to.\r \r Had (what they called) sea bass. I'm not sure what kind of fish it really was, but it was awful: there was not 1 piece of fish, there were several that were fused together. And it was extremely greasy, which was very odd. I ate only about 1/3 of the meal, and the server did not even ask if there was a problem. I wouldn't be surprised if they get so many complaints about the food that they stopped asking. For $24/entree, I expected much better. I definitely will not return. Cons: poor quality food, incompetent service more

it really is amazing how people's experiences differ... i have been to picosa's serveral times and have yet to be disappointed. the employees are fun, professional and aim to please (i asked for ""this on the side"" and ""that not too spicey"" and was gladly accommodated). the outdoor patio is great, but the inside decor is not lacking, either. would be great to see more people here enjoying the food, drinks (daily specials include $4 monday mojitos & $4 friday margaritas- 'plain' and 'flavored') and atmosphere. Pros: validated parking in river centre ramp, unique & delicious food Cons: not as busy as i like a restaurant i'm eating at to be more

It's so sad when you go to a restaurant excited to drop a considerable amount of money on a nice dinner with your muse, and then you are terribly disappointed by the service. We went there on a Friday night and I was shocked so see that there was almost no one sitting inside and the patio was only half full (on St. Anthony Main, this is unheard of). This was only after I had called to see if I needed reservations and the manager on the phone (Jennifer) acted as though she was doing me a favor by talking to me. At any rate, when we got there, we were seated and no one came over for at least 15 minutes. I was already unhappy but got over it when the server who did come over was highly apologetic. Well she must have thought that apology covered her for the rest of the meal because we barely saw her and practically had to beg to get any service. I was even more disappointed to see the old couple behind us have to get up and get their own bill from the host. Tragic.\r \r There's nothing more that I hate than a restaurant which has good food and a great location, but ruins it with third-rate servers. It seriously seemed to me like this was a poor attempt at a couple of friends who got together and thought they would open a restaurant. Don't be afraid to fire people and own your success Picosa! Pros: decent food Cons: service, management more

On a recent visit to Minneapolis we checked out Picosa's. So glad we did! The food (we had the tasty crab and shrimp masa, the mild yet flavorful mahi mahi with pineapple salsa, and the tender skirt steak) was delicious and the service amazing. We felt like they really cared about our experience. Don't forget to try the fruit nachos for dessert- unique and yummy.\r \r Bob & Mari\r Chicago, IL Pros: fun servers, tasty food, validated parking Cons: need more customers more

Teerible. Feel sorry for the owners as this place is going down in a few months. Food is almost as bad as the service. They would be better off closing down sooner to save for their retirement. Food lacks any flavor and seems confused.There were only a handful of people onthe weekend night and at one point more servers than guests. Please ..Please minneapolis deserves better. more