Casa Rasta

Came in for a weekday lunch, and it was mostly empty. I didn’t encounter any of the service problems that others have indicated – maybe they have improved or I just got lucky. In any case, the waitress was able to seat me immediately, and throughout the meal everything was brought out or refilled in a timely manner. I ordered a «Cuban» torta, «Cuban» in quotes because it’s not like a real Cuban sandwich, at least from what I’ve had in Florida. Nevertheless, it’s a huge meal, and it contains a large amount of ham, breaded pork, sliced hot dog, and shredded veggies. The fillings were pretty good, while the bread was a bit dry. Overall an okay meal, definitely a filling one.
I was a bit dismayed with the cleanliness of the place. The benches were rather dirty; I had initially sat at one of those and later decided to move to a chair after noticing all the crumbs on the bench. At the front door there were a lot of ants and I saw that they had set up some ant baits. But really I wish they had taken care of the problem before opening the restaurant that day.

Used to be my favorite restaurant in the «Burgh» Used to love the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Burrito, until Las Palmas bought it and it then went completely down hill. Real shame too

I have been eating at both Las Palmas and Casa Rasta for years and was ALWAYS impressed with both their authenticity, quality and great food. Im deeply dismayed to say that having combined the 2 eateries I got NONE of those. Food was bland, somehow they got rid of all the Caribbean ambiance with actually removing anything, and jacked up the prices. Also, they had these tiny menus that were basically unreadable to order food, so you really had no idea what you were ordering, tho the waitress was friendly and happy to explain it. Im dismayed to say I probably wont be back to this restaurant I used to be a frequent diner.

They are not closed. I hope they can work this incorrect information. My wife and I stopped here late on a Monday night. We had the Goat Curry and the Chicken Enchiladas. They were happy to put on a spicier sauce as we requested on the enchiladas and even brought out samples for us. The goat curry had a nice jerk sauce. Meat was fatty but this is typical of goat and it was well cooked.

We were the only table during dinner service. Our server was extremely unknowledgeable and under trained. 64 minutes for food to reach the table. Most of what we ordered did reach the table eventually. Some of my order was on the plate of the another’s in our party. I was asked if I could take it off her plate and put in on mine when room allowed. One of us ordered the chicken tacos. It had completely raw chicken in it. Why is raw poultry near plated food?

Casa Rasta has combined with LasPalmas but they are not closed. We have eaten there before the merger and after and it is still fantastic. The menu has changed but is still very eclectic. We try something different each time and have not been disappointed. My only complaint is that no one answers the phone when you call. A answering machine is fine, but it should clarify that they are indeed still in business!

This place is closed now. The building now is a las plamas owned restaurant and its pretty bad. Dry bland food. The staffs great but they need better cooking. The taco stand is so much better and half the price. This place needs to get its act together fast.

Really! What happened?
Also, what is your name, Really!
The sign on the side of the building says
Las Palmas.
The menu which has taken all the tacos off, says Las Palmas: Casta Rasta.
Called at 4, 5, 5:30, 6 to see if still open… No Answer just a recording to leave a message.
There were a couple of empty tables when we arrived and one large table that was reserved. All tables filled up later because of a large group that arrived later. The menu has some interesting items but we decided to just have a burrito — I had the Carnitas. It was not very good. Did not have the flavor of Carnitas or taste like the Carnitas that use to come out of Casa Rasta. SWMBO had the Jamaican Jerk and it had big chunks of chicken and tasted like my pork burrito.
Our waitress was OK and able to answer some questions, but was the only waitress. The Chef delivered our meals, he is the same Chef that was at Casa Rasta.

Ordered the jerk wings and plantains and they were BEYOND mediocre. Could’ve gotten better wings at wing stop honestly. The plantains were about $ 5 for 4… which is crazy and they were very crispy. A friend ordered the salsa verde chicken enchilada and the chicken was really dry. Definitely felt like a waste.

(note — they are NOT closed as Unilocal is indicating… this is incorrect)
They joined forces with the Berumen family aka Las Palmas …
Word on the street and my opinion is that it’s better now, with the added recipes and concepts …
I highly recommend getting barbacoa in any form you fancy …
The main entrees are good, too if, a little expensive …
The chips & salsas that they bring out after you sit down are to die for … the one with the avocado chunks in it is ridiculously good … I thought about getting a bunch, to go …
Great colorful atmosphere and Mexican folk music on the sound system …
If you like your Latin/​Mexican food and are anywhere in the PGH area — drop what you’re doing and go chow, asap …
I’m planning on several more visits.

There was bone in my beef burrito. Based upon other recent reviews, this place does not live up to the hype (this was my first visit), and others keep having similar experiences. I will not be back. I’d rather grab some tacos in Brookline than worry about losing a tooth.

Worst experience I’ve had in memory. Our party of six waited over an hour to be served while everyone around us was served. Five of us ordered burritos and when, after numerous apologies, we finally got our food it was inedible, with either burnt rice or bones. The waitress knew nothing about the menu and for some reason kept promising the manager was going to come speak with us, not that we ever requested it. We were given a discount, but I didn’t see how much. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough and will never return.

Whoever is running this now is doing a major disservice to the Las Palmas brand. I love Las Palmas grocery stores; the restaurant is interminable. Over an hour wait for our uninspired meals. The wait staff was apologizing for the delay. The manager gave us a 20% discount without talking to us. What, you don’t want to face your customers??? Giving my group of 6 a $ 12 discount don’t do diddly. The guacamole was good, the burritos starchy and the posole a disappointment. Until there are a dozen or so positive reviews, stay away.

Don’t believe the lies! It isn’t closed. Las Palmas bought it and reopened it with an updated and still good menu.
If you like Las Palmas tacos then you’ll like this place too. Good flavors, good service, pretty good prices, and massive portions.
The menu is very interesting, many things for the adventurous eater, from goat curry to «Menudo» spicy beef tripe soup.
Also, for the person who always orders fish tacos (and you know who you are), good news! There are fish tacos.
The queso chorizo appetizer is highly recommended and goes perfectly with the house made corn chips. The homemade drinks are very tasty, such as the hibiscus soda and the horchata. Not the best I’ve ever had, but definitely very solid latin caribbean fusion, and a easily one of Brookline’s best dining options.

What WAS Casa Rasta is no more. New menu, new management, few to none vegetarian options. Why, restaurant gods, WHY? It’s a dark day for PGH foodies.

I am writing this as I sit at my table, so I’ll keep this short. I was here several years ago and it was a fantastic experience. However, I came here today and it is completely different aside from the name. They now serve Mexican food (not Caribbean)… which isn’t bad in of itself, but read on.
They are out of ice. They don’t have carnitas. They waited until our entrée arrived to give us silverware. And there was bone in my chicken burrito. And we aren’t even done with our lunch yet. It takes a lot to get me to write out a review on the spot, especially after a long hiatus… but my current experience has compelled me to do so.
Whatever Casa Rasta once was, it is no more. I won’t come back again.

Casa Rasta is slowing becoming one of my favorite places in the Pittsburgh area. Between the taco choices and entrée options there’s enough of a spread on the menu to accomodate a large group of customers with certain preferences. Being from the south, I had to partake in their version of Jambalaya and it sent me back to the stuff that we grow up down south on. Heat, but flavorful and had it’s own Caribbean spin on it.
The Al Pastor Taco is one of the best tacos in the city.
BYOB which is never a bad thing.
Enjoy!

A group of five friends ate «family style» (shared everything), allowing us to sample a wide variety of dishes. Group consensus was that the chicken flautas and jerk chicken burrito were the highlights, though nothing went uneaten! I personally especially enjoyed the jambalaya, though it was a bit spicy for a few of our group’s more timid eaters. The green sausage had a neat look, but it tastes suspiciously like sausage of other colors.
Service was very good, and the BYOB policy was appreciated as we enjoyed margaritas while dining.
The churros, served with ice cream and chocolate sauce, were a delicious finish to the meal. While the restaurant has an out of the way feel, I’ll certainly be back!

I remember being completely underwhelmed by this place. You’re taking two cuisines that should be tasty, and what I ended up with in my plate lacked any flavor. The tacos were bland and overpriced, the jerk chicken was spicy without any flavor, and the side of mango it came with was a joke, as it was tiny and looked like the garnish of a cocktail. The coconut rice was even bland.
Service was also bad. Not returning.

Decided to try this place after looking it up online… Never Again! Horrible food. Server was very unaware of what was going on. Every question asked about the menu she had no clue. You can definitely tell the difference between someone who enjoys their job and someone who is just there for a paycheck. Not to mention food being unavailable. We ordered the Jambalaya, Coconut Tofu and Jerk Tofu… horrible. The rice was not cooked all the way. Food was hard and very bland! The Jambalaya was straight out of a Zatarain’s with some Jamaican seasoning… as a business owner, professional chef, West Indian, world traveler and foodie this was by far the worst food I have ever had… overpriced and underrepresented…
Waste of money…
Staff needs to be trained better on customer service…

I have been going here since it was two doors down, with hardly any seating. From day one, the food has been fresh and delicious.
At the old location I had always gotten a chorizo and pulled pork quesadilla, washed down with a lime jarrito’s. It was xtremely satisfying and also very inexpensive.
Since they have moved, I have tried to be a little bit more daring with my choices. The last time I was there I had both the chiles en nogada and the avocado fries. The chiles en nogada has been, hands down, the best item I have had on the menu. The peppers are oozing with cheese. The cream sauce with goat cheese and pomegranate seeds take the dish to an entirely new level.
The avocado fries tasted fresh and were nice and crisp. The isleno sauce that they come with isn’t quite a sauce (it is more of a tapanade), but it is still delicious.
I highly reccomend going to Casa Rasta and enjoying a delicious blend of traditional Mexican flavors with a Caribean flare.

Went to Casa Rasta last Friday and we really enjoyed the food and the prices were very reasonable. The place wasn’t very busy and they had Bob Marley playing in the background which was a bonus. The interior style was Mexican meets Caribbean and looked really nice which great Tiffany style lamps, thatched roofs and different Caribbean style pictures everywhere.
We started out with the Sweet and Spicy Mango wings and those were my favorite. Loved the sauce that came with them and definitely recommend them to anyone. The Shrimp Curry Burrito was our next favorite because the curry taste wasn’t extremely strong and added so many great elements to the dish. We also had an assortment of the tacos and all were really good. We especially enjoyed the homemade salsa that we added onto it and nothing was overly hot… at least for me.
Casa Rasta is currently a BYOB establishment so make sure you go prepared or be satisfied with a regular beverage.

The new joint is bigger and better than ever! I cannot tell you how much I love this place. I want to shove never ending $ 7 citrus marinated pork burritos in my mouth! I hate to say it, but it competes with Reyna’s tacos for me. Sorry kids. There might be a new burrito ruling the mean streets of Pittsburgh!
AND, now that their space is bigger, their menu is as well! Fried Avocado… may take the place of a fried pickle in my book. Delicious! Spicy gauc with yuca chips. Okay, pile on some more! They now even have bonafide entrée items.
It doesn’t get much better than this. But WAIT, it will… when they get their liquor license. I can imagine nights of margarita drinking on their patio (that I think they’ll have down by their old location??). BYOB for now, so bring your mixers for their tasty bevvies.
This place is dangerous for me, as it’s in my hood. But at least I don’t have far to roll myself home!