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Nacho Gals Etc, Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

02/11/2026

On this epodode of Nacho Gals and Pals, we had a fun visit to Lawrence Hall to try nachos from La Palapa and the loaded animal fries from Loaded. While we came for the nachos, the animal fries (smash patties, caramelized onions, special sauce, American cheese, perfectly fries that were very fresh and crispy) absolutely stole the show. A+. No one had anything negative to say about them. As for the nachos, since we had a big crew, we started with the chipotle pork ones which were pretty darn good then ended with the chicken ones that left more to be desired. We give the pork nachos an A- and the chicken nachos a mid level B grade.

We were very happy about one of the “negatives”… for the first time ever, the chip to coverage ratio was too topping forward leaving us with more goods to eat with a fork after the chips were gone (but we’d MUCH rather this than dry, lonely chips remaining). Very good assembly and structural integrity! And finally, an appropriately sized plate for dipping and excavating, too! Plus, the chips were very crispy and light without being heavy or greasy while still being sturdy enough for dipping. Not a soggy chip in sight! The pork was very flavorful and moist while the chicken was simultaneously dry meat with too much juice that diluted the queso. We all wanted more queso sauce and for it to be less watery. Another issue was the pico de gallo juice. We loved the taste of the pico as a bright, fresh, acidic counterpart but craved more of that balance. Adding more pico would have thinned the queso more, though, so a pickled fresh jalapeño or onion would have been a welcomed addition. We wished there had been guacamole. The flavor profile screamed for it. Overall, the pork nachos were actually of the better ones we’ve had in Pittsburgh so far. If they provided more queso plus added guac and another kiss of fresh, acidic crunch, these would have easily been 100 percent. The components present were all fabulous. We would absolutely return for more fun cocktails, animal fries, and pork nachos… but we’d probably leave the chicken nachos and add the dip trio to augment with the guac and extra queso our hearts desired.

10/20/2024

Welcome back to Nacho Gals and Pals! We had a fun full-circle moment revisiting our first ever nacho post spot, City Works Restaurant Market Square, because our friend and coworker, Colin, told us about a newer addition of Nashville hot chicken style nachos! With it being down the street from where we work, we had to catch the buzz ourselves. We forgot our grading rubrics, so we’re gonna keep it simple today. Unanimously, we agreed that the flavors and sauces plus actual chips themselves were delicious, but the placement of toppings and overall distribution needs work. The ones we had are 8/10. But, If they take the current ingredients and just pay more mind to proportions and structural integrity, these would be A+ nachos. If you don’t like spicy food, Eva wanted to warn our adoring fans about the “zoo a$$” she experienced the next morning 🤣. We tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth here at Nacho Gals and Pals! (Thespina appreciated that they could do the breaded chicken as grilled to accommodate a dietary restriction, so just know that the original also has fried chicken)

07/08/2024

What a FUN reunion of old friends at La Calera Baldwin/Pleasant Hills for this episode of Nacho Gals and Pals! First order of business is obviously the nachos and chippy dippy stuff. We unanimously agreed that all of the components together made for the right nacho cocktail but needed better ex*****on in assembly. The nachos, queso, and guac were all refreshingly predictable, in the best possible, scratch the craving itch for that classic, casual, family style Mexican American taste way. The queso and guac were exactly what you'd expect and want them to be, and the shrimp on the nachos were especially plump and flavorful, plus it was great to also have steak, chicken, and guac on the same nacho plate which you don't often get. They put the queso on the bottom and had many of the fresher and texture forward components buried and poorly distributed, so it ate better after it was halfway eaten and we had excavated to discover hidden elements. The first bites were less saucy and balance, but we liked the light and crispy chips once they absorbed all the goodness below for a while, so decent stay power there. It became more delicious the more you ate. That being said, the chips alone, while light and not greasy, were bland when just used with the dips. Needed more seasoning. Great service and atmosphere. Can't wait to return to try some of their "around the world" offerings from various other Latin American countries, too. Many dishes were eye catching, but we had to stay focused on our mission today hahah!

We would also be remiss if we didn't discuss what a cool reunion of people we have here. Nancy Klimcheck was Thespina's high school voice teacher who performed and sang with Eva for many, many years. Nancy and Eva were both section leaders for the Jr. Mendelssohn Choir when Thespina sang with the group in high school. Now Thespina and Eva are colleagues who grade nachos off the clock, and the rest is history LOL! A very full circle moment where 2 friends who go way back are now not only mentors but friends to a former student. It was very fun to socialize as adults together... and I'm not sure that the 3 of us ever have socialized at once. Cheers to doing that again soon :)

02/09/2024

WE. ARE. BACK! Thank you for your patience. The Thespina half of nacho gals began a lifestyle and wellness related journey 10.5 months ago and is so grateful that her partner in Queso Crime, Eva, is so supportive and ready to resume the nacho fun in moderation :) Tonight's "etc." spot is tried and true, well-loved täkō where we had my favorite queso ever. So glad Eva also loved it. We agreed that the cheese base itself makes you speechless, plus the fresh garnishes and homemade hot sauce and chorizo add a flavor and textural delight. This is not your average queso. Plus the chips are absolutely addictive! Deep corn flavor, sturdy yet still light, and well-balanced salt. The warm tortillas were delightful save one tough one. That was the "nacho/etc" feature, but to be thorough, those Korean beef tacos are what dreams are made of and, dare I say, one of the best bites in Pittsburgh. We agreed that the ceviche was bland and not memorable. The drinks were super delicious but pricy. who is ready to join for our next nacho gals and pals outing as a guest evaluator???

05/05/2023

Nacho Gals hopes all our nacho pals’ Cinco de Mayo nacho and chips and dip dreams come true today! How are you nacho-ing today? (We will have a belated Cinco de Mayo week post cause our guest has to quarantine.) See you soooon!

02/12/2023

A follow up check in on the duck nachos from Eva and her former student, Marissa, “they are still as delicious as before!” Thespina is jealous 🤤 City Works Restaurant Market Square

02/10/2023

Had an absolute blast sharing nachos, queso, margaritas, and conversation with our fabulously fun foodie friends, Tim and Chris, at Franklin Inn Mexican Resteraunt. We agreed that the salsas were especially good (the complimentary red house salsa not pictured as well as the salsa verde on the nachos), that the chips themselves were light, crispy, but sturdy and well salted, and the margs strong and delicious. Our unanimous constructive comments were that the pork was a bit bland and dry and needed some sauce and seasoning and that the queso would be an amazing addition to the nachos in addition to the shredded cheese, cause they needed more “goo factor”. The toppings were abundant and pretty well distributed, but there were a lot of broken chips at the bottom that couldn’t be easily used to dip. Overall, a super fun night, and we’ll be back. Great kickoff to our for 2023 🙂

01/05/2023

We welcome Skylar Bunk as our taster guest for this . Skylar and Thespina love Totopo Cocina & Cantina nachos, so naturally, Eva had to try them with us! Our schedules are so chaotic as musicians that by the time we all landed there in November, we forgot the score sheets then never scored them later. Oops! So here's an informal nacho "review". Everything individually was delicious, and the standouts were the chorizo queso dip and corn soup. We agreed that the distribution of toppings for the nachos could have been better (one side had all the cheesy goodness), but it was the right cocktail of components and ingredients to make great nachos. Informally, let's call it an A!!!

11/06/2022

Nacho Crawl stop 2: Condado! We embraced representing the "etc." part of our mission and stuck to trying 6 dips that tickled our fancy. Deconstructed, if you will. Since our rubric is more for loaded presentation, and since we shared opinions on each dip, we did a video assessment (see the comments to find this, and please excuse my chipping nails lol). We love the smoked cheddar queso, Mexican street corn, queso blanco, and pico guac. We did not care for the traditional guac no pineapple salsa. Thank you, again, to our guests Katy Williams and James Lesniak!

11/06/2022

Nacho Crawl 1st stop: Industry Public House! We tried bbq pulled pork nachos (that we enjoyed a lot just wished the assembly of toppings was better. HUGE portion) and an "etc." of loaded chili cheese fries that were just ok. Overall, we'd come back for the nachos but skip the fries. The pork was incredibly tender and fresh, and the sweet/spicy bbq sauce was delicious but too much in one concentrated blob. Not enough guacamole for the portion. We welcome back guest judge Katy Williams and first time taster and friend James Lesniak. What fun!

11/04/2022

In honor of National Nacho Day this Sunday, we are doing a NACHO CRAWL!!! Stay tuned to watch our journey and findings this Sunday

09/24/2022

Nach Gals loved having our dear friend Katy as tonight’s guest! Katy and Thespina were so excited to introduce Eva to our beloved pot roast nachos from Atria's Mt. Lebanon! Delicious and well prepared, as always, but they definitely were skimpier than usual with their toppings, especially the amazing meat, plus the construction was off- usually I boast these as having the best structural integrity of one layer of chips, each individually mounded with toppings. Tonight there were more dry chips than typical (still better than the average nacho construction, but not to their past standard)

Nacho Gals Etc

02/11/2026

10/20/2024

07/08/2024

02/09/2024

05/05/2023

02/12/2023

02/10/2023

01/05/2023

11/06/2022

11/06/2022

11/04/2022

09/24/2022

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