Best Tacos in LA

[Updated] Kogi BBQ

2009-07-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

[Update]: Thank you so much to Aliiiiiiice for the feedback! Review stands corrected ;) btw I had to go again today for another taste @ the LA Mart lunch time stop.

(Pictured above: ‘Verde’ truck setting up shop in Hancock Park)
All around LA
http://kogibbq.com

How do I find this thing again?

If you haven’t heard of the Kogi Taco truck, here’s the short history: the ‘Kogi’ taco is a taco which is made with Korean BBQ meats such as short ribs and chicken, served with ‘slaw’ and spicy sauce. It's a fusion of Korean and Mexican food at it's finest. They began selling tacos at the Alibi Room and then expanded around LA in taco trucks, and after taking some time to catch on in popularity, now have (at the current time) three trucks, Roja, Verde, and the latest Azul. These three travel around LA serving up their tacos to hungry and waiting customers. And boy do the customers wait. As in hours. And hours. At some locations, you’re lucky to get food if you show up 90 minutes before their closing time, its that ridiculous. Why would people do this? Well for one, the tacos are great. However, they’ve created an interesting appeal in that the trucks are never in the same location day in and day out -- the locations for the trucks are posted on their twitter feed (http://twitter.com/kogibbq). You can, however, cheat and check their website, which they update weekly, but that takes the fun out of it. Alice maintains both and runs them efficiently and keeps them well up to date. So then -- its hard to find, the lines are long, and its a taco truck -- what’s the big f’n deal? The taco.

Meat
The meats are an original and inspired choice. There have been variants of the meats and locations claiming to have ‘invented’ the Korean BBQ taco (I won’t name them to help them in any way, but I’ve had them and they’re awful). However, the Kogi taco is where it’s at. Tender and flavorful short rib meat that's been marinated perfectly, juicy and slightly spicy BBQ pork, and although I didn’t have it myself, I have it on good word that the chicken is damn good as well and worthy of being lusted over. (There's also a tofu option, however I can't vouch for it. Anyone had it???)

Short Rib - 10/10
BBQ Pork - 9/10
Chicken - 9/10
Score: 9.66/10, for originality and how damned good they are…

Tortilla
Plain and basic, and not greasy nor overly toasty. Just right.
[Update] The tortillas are fresh and hand-made every day from Romero's. I've also got it on good word to ask for the tortilla 'raw' to experience a whole different taste, heh ;)
Score: 8/10, for doing it right with Romero's fresh tortillas, but next time I'll have to ask for them 'raw'....

Toppings
Toppings are interesting with the ‘slaw’ on the taco that’s comprised mainly of cabbage and a bit of pickled onion. Tasty and complimentary, its matches the meats well. There’s also a sauce which varies based on your meat, and is slightly spicy, but not terrible at all. I did find it particularly helpful though to toss some Sriracha onto the taco (which they provide at the truck).
Score: 10/10, memorable and perfectly complementary...

"After-effects"
None, except for the itch for more Kogi.
Score: 10/10 for making me want it again unlike any taco before...

Bottom line, The prices aren’t the cheapest, and depending on the location/time, the wait times can be utterly ridiculous, but if you can make it out to one, its more than worth your time. Get to a truck as soon as they’re opening, and check up on their status on Twitter (the trucks run late sometimes and updates are provided there). They will also occasionally have a “chef’s special” for dessert or entreés, such as sliders or quesadillas, etc., but you’re really going for the taco. You may find competitors or imitators serving up this style taco, but you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re getting the same deal anywhere else.

Bonus Points: (0) None =( A ‘Mexi-Coke’ would go great with it, alas only cans of soda, and none from across the border...
Price: $2 / taco, $5 / burrito, $1.50 / drink (I suggest you get drinks elsewhere)
Wait time: 5-90 minutes
Distance (from downtown): Varying on the day and location, anywhere from 5-60 minutes
Total Score: 35.66/40 , and this is just about right, all things considered, including its elusiveness and the fact that you have to plan your day around it to get it.
What I would order next time: 2&2 of short rib and BBQ pork with plenty of Sriracha :)

El Taco

2009-06-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

(Pictured right: Various tacos in their aluminum foil wrapped state)

7665 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA

(562) 806-0672

Would you like a ‘sloppy joe’ with that?...

Traveling around the neighborhood, I noticed a couple of older looking spots that bill themselves as being the “original” taco stand in the area for decades. Simply titled ‘El Taco’, I wasn’t too swayed by their originality. What stood out more however was the constant lines of people no matter what time of day. On top of that, their menu proud lists the popular combo plates; one with a hard shell taco, which is their specialty, another with soft taco, and another with..a sloppy joe. I was sold by this point and had to try it.

Meat

The meats were interesting and delicious! Their hard shell taco, which they call the original and what they bill themselves on, is filled with ground beef. This tasted what Taco Bell would like to think their ground beef to tastes. Not salty by any means, and the “grounds” were big enough to actually bite into, not get stuck in between your teeth. Heavy on the meat flavor light on the grease.

The carne asada was in thick chunks reminiscent of the asada I had at Mango Mango in Ensenada; nothing too special, but decent enough, and without any large chunks of fat sitting on the side.

Where it got interesting was the chicken and pork. The chicken is slow-stewed in a red tomato-based sauce, which gave it a great tangy flavor. The meat fell apart easily, even slightly gooey. I would’ve liked it to have been slightly firmer, but it wasn’t too bad.

The pork meat was also stewed, but in a green sauce. Typically these sauces can be overpowering and spicy, but this was neither, with the green tomatillo-based sauce only complimenting the meat almost in an afterthought. Just enough spice to let you know its there, but not enough to take it over. This was a great taco meat, completely different from how pork is prepared for al pastor, but good enough to have been used in a warm stew for a cold winter night.

Ground Beef - 9/10

Asada - 8/10

Chicken - 9/10

Pork - 9/10

Score: 8.75/10, for being none too spectacular, but not overwhelming either, just ‘good’ but not great…

Tortilla

First review where there was a hard shell taco! The ground beef taco, which is their go-to taco is prepared in a hard shell. Not salty at all, not the crispy type to cut up your tongue. It was heavily corn based which made it flavorful and not without its own charm.

The tortilla for the soft shell tacos was obviously store bought, but wherever they’re getting it from isn’t a large-scale production that sells to stores. The tortillas are are good and soft, but succumb to getting too soggy due to the sauces on the meat and the cheese on the tacos. It didn’t completely fall apart in my hands, but it came close.

Score: 8/10, for having a good hard shell, and the decent tortilla “soft shell”.

Toppings

The toppings are the more ‘American’ version of taco toppings, with the ground beef, pork and chicken being topped with lettuce and cheese. The carne asada was the only one with lettuce and tomato. The toppings were just decent, nothing special about them. There can be a bit too much cheese on them though, which makes the overall presentation gooey and evokes memories of Taco Bell (not a compliment).

Score: 6/10, forgettable and nothing special ‘Americanized’ version of taco toppings...

"After-effects"

None in a bad way, in fact, they were very pleasing and comforting. More on this in the ‘bottom line’.

Score: 10/10 for not giving me making my stomach turn (I’ve had it happen elsewhere)...

Bottom line, these tacos were good, and I was more than satisfied with them. I even had to try the sloppy joe since they have it referenced to on all their menus, and it was pretty damn good. To be honest, it was a taco on a hamburger bun, since it was the same ingredient, but it was actually pretty good, just like the rest of the food. The tacos keep reminding me of what Taco Bell intends to be, but falls short at by having low quality ingredients. Save for the cheese, I didn’t feel guilty for eating here. Maybe poking some of the cheese out will make for even better tacos.

Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!

Price: $1.75 / tacos, $2.89 for the hard shell ‘El Taco’ combo with a side of rice and a large drink

Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 45mins during

Total Score: 33.75/40 , which seems just about right for a superior Taco Bell, which I’ve now visited more than a couple times in the past few weeks.

What I would order next time: ‘El Taco’ combo with a pork soft taco on the side…

Taqueria el Sabrosito!

2009-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

(Pictured left: Storefront as seen from sidewalk of the taco stand)

14320 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower CA 90706

(562) 867-4383

I seem to have stumbled onto something here...

The trip out here actually started looking for another taco stand, which after several turns and turns, I couldn't find. Incidentally, I came to a corner to make a final u-turn and spotted this little stand on the corner next to a mini-mall. It reminded me of so many shacks growing up that offered a little of everything, but started with the tacos. Perhaps it was the nostalgia, for maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was good, but this place certainly offers a little for everyone.

Meat

The variety of the meats was abundant. The kitchen is in plain view from the ordering counter, with various pots boiling, stewing and warming the choices.

The asada was _the_ asada. I can't remember the last time I had it this good. Meaty, juicy, well chopped and without any fat, there was something in particular that struck me of the meat. It reminded me of the one decent offering at King Taco, the asada meat, only it was done better here. I remarked to my review partner that it really tasted as though the chef once worked at King Taco and left working there to improve on it. If I only knew how right I was...

The al pastor was...King Taco al pastor. Down to the seasonings. Only slightly better. I swore I was on Washington and San Pedro in the old-style restaurant biting into one of their offerings. To be fair, I don't care for that style al pastor, but this was decent, albeit not the best. It was certainly an improvement on the comparison I made to it.

The chicken was a pleasant surprise, being really chunky and tasty, without any fat and dry, allowing the rest of the taco to drive the higher notes instead of sitting in more brothy juices, which only serve to detract from this type of meat.

The cabeza also was of decent quality. It had no fat to be found anywhere, and was cooked just enough (if you cook it too long it can get stiff or dry instead of being slightly chewy, more akin to pulled pork than steak). It was held back though due to the fact that there was not much flavor to it. I remembered the cabeza from Super Tacos Culiacan and realized, this was no Culiacan.

Asada - 10/10
Al Pastor - 7/10
Chicken - 8/10
Cabeza - 7/10

Score: 8/10, being helped significantly by the strong score form the asada

Tortilla

The tortilla was lightly oiled and heated, but not overdone. It was tasty without being sickening as some places might make it when it's dripping with grease from the skillet or range (King Taco), but better than a dry re-heated tortilla.

Score: 8/10, nothing too special, nothing terrible, but good.

Toppings

The salsa was good, alternating between green and red appropriately between the meats. They reminded me too much though of something out of a jar instead of being home-made, but truth be told, you can't expect everyone to make salsa from scratch on a daily basis. I would only dock them points here if the salsa weren't good, but it was tasty and not too spicy. The rest of the toppings were standard onion/cilantro which were mixed just right and in the right amount. Basic stuff over all, but worthwhile and tasted great.

Score: 7/10, with the curve being set just that high after the trip with 'El Chino'...

"After-effects"

After a while I did feel it with these tacos a bit. I felt over-stuffed and like there may have been too much grease in the tacos after all. there wasn't much of a greasy taste to it, but certainly heavy enough to make itself felt afterward

Score: 6/10 for the unpleasantness and needing a Pepcid afterwards...

Bottom line, these were some good tacos, as well as having the best asada i've had. I split the meal with tacos and a burrito with al pastor to try out what they had to offer since the prices were great, and the burrito holds an absolute ton of promise. Now I'm anxious for a burrito of asada and possibly more tacos in the future now.

Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!

Price: $4.25 / 4 tacos and a drink

Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 1hr during

Total Score: 30/40 but don't get me wrong -- the best carne asada tacos I've had anywhere! It just didn't measure up to itself beyond that is all....)

What I would order next time: 4 tacos de asada (and maybe even a burrito -- the rice, beans and tortilla were the shit!)

Tacos Del Chino

2008-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

(Pictured left: Tacos de asada, al pastor, pollo and cabeza, appropriately highlighted with an imported Coke)

2600 Durfee Ave, El Monte, CA

(626) 452-8919

From 'Asia', with love....

(Btw, I'm disgusted with myself for not posting reviews more often. I've been sitting on it. There. I feel better now for getting that out of the way).

Today I visited a place that had been recommended to me for quite some time. 'Tacos Del Chino' is apparently very popular for its tortas and burritos, however its name would lead you to think that the house specialty would be non other than "tacos." Promoting itself as "authentic Mexican food," I raised my eyebrow more than once before walking in.

I was in for a very pleasant surprise however, in spite of the humble taco shack that also offers nachos and smoothies. I was even impressed that the cook took our order, scurried off to the kitchen, and didnt bother to ask us for money. Guest pay after they are completely finished with their meal, giving it a sit down/fast food restaurant feel to it. The family and friendly atmosphere couldn't have been richer. My reviewing partner and I felt as though we really were in a small town in Mexico ordering tacos, from the taste to the hospitality. It's places like these that deserve to be patronized, rather than continuing to feed the beasts such as 'King Taco'.

Meat

The variety of the meats was abundant. The kitchen is in plain view from the ordering counter, with various pots boiling, stewing and warming the choices.

The asada was just plain delicious. Flavorful, nice small chunks that make for easy eating, no fat anywhere; in short, the prototypical asada chunk meat.

The al pastor reminded me of what I grew up with and recognized as authentic, real, and most importantly good al pastor. Dripping in its own juices, the meat was tender and flavorful. Possibly the best I've had to date on my journeys.

The chicken was ok...actually it was forgettable. It lacked taste, and by that I mean flavor (aka seasoning and or salt). It was soft but a bit fatty!

Finally the cabeza which was a slight disappointment. While it wasn't anthing near some of the awful meats I've encountered, it feels as though it lacked of the love present in everything else. Plenty of chunks of fat were present on the meat, and it wasn't really stripped as proper cabeza should be, but was sitting in the taco in one long stringy strip of meat. Lacking flavor and without proper presentation, this was the one meat I could have passed on, but even this aberration is easily overcome by the rest of the meats.

Asada - 9/10
Al Pastor - 10/10
Chicken - 7/10
Cabeza - 6/10

Score: 8/10, and had I gone for the birria or lengua instead of the cabeza, it may have even been higher...

Tortilla

While plain and store bought, they were not soaked in oil and fried to hold everything together. Warmed evenly and of appropriate size, I had no qualms with them.

Score: 9/10, since I couldn't really find anything I didn't like about them other than the fact that they weren't hand made.

Toppings

This was where the taco shined! Without question, these tacos are the best overall tacos I've had, possibly ever. Every bite was so full of flavors mingling with each other that I had trouble even distinguishing from the meats. The toppings were certainly the highlight of the tacos, which is very very hard to do. There was nothing unique about the toppings, which were standard fare of onions, cilantro and red sauce, but everything tasted so fresh and savory to chew that there was something very special in it.

The most intriguing topping was the sauce. I asked the chef about the sauce, and he confirmed my suspicion that it was made in house. When I first saw the sauce on the tacos, I immediately prepared my palette to be scorched, from a sauce that was full of seeds and with a red hue deeper than blood (both of which are immediate signs that you will soon hate your tongue).

Not wanting to deny myself from experiencing the tacos as they were served to me, I bit in and found that while the sauce had a slight bite to it, it was not spicy for the sake of spiciness, as other restaurants tend to offer. Instead it was full of flavor, smokiness and body. It was the perfect sauce for tacos. I now have a small container of the stuff sitting in my fridge. I plan on using it on every meal tomorrow. I would go back to 'Del Chino' just for this stuff alone.

Based on this restaurant's offerings for the toppings, I almost feel like retroactively revisiting all previous reviews to downgrade the points since this place puts the rest to shame. I won't do that though, in the better interest of fairness, but will definitely use this place as the mark for the future for all reviews. I can only write so much about how good the tacos were due to the little things here, but have to stress that this is the type of authentic and lovingly crafted food which makes us patronize a specific taco stand in spite of the abundance of locations everywhere.

Score: 10/10, with enough having been said already.

"After-effects"

None, save for hunger. I wanted more not long after leaving. I may go back tomorrow.

Score: 10/10 for actually having a positive after-effect; the itch to return.

Bottom line, this was the best taco I've had on my journeys thus far, and possibly the best I've ever had the more I think about it. From the moment I walked in, the humble couple who own and work the restaurant were more than eager to tend to us while being noticabely busy with several orders. I left the restaurant feeling as though I'd been there a hundred times before. It speaks for something when you go somewhere and you're treated with more than a scowl. They're certainly not running this place to make buckets of money, as the customer base seems small, yet highly devoted.

The only shame is that they deserve to have more business for the product that they're putting out. While definitely a bit out of the way, there's no reason to not eat here versus anywhere else. Although only a few reviews into my 'hunt' and in the face of being unfair to all of the restaurants which I have yet to review, this place deserves to be on the pedestal. They are the best tacos in LA until proven otherwise. But that certainly wont stop me from trying to find something better, after all, there's nothing wrong with several spots to get a great meal.

I do resent myself though for having gone in with my reservations for a nondescript location in a highly industrial area with a name as cheesy as "Del Chino" with nary an Asian person in sight. I never really expected to walk in and encounter, well....someone other than a Mexican couple serving typical, authentic Mexican fare, but the name is doing something for the restaurant unintentionally. At deciding to review the tacos there, it stood out due to its name. Now, it will stand out based on its food, and the odd naming convention will merely be a humorous annecdote. I neglected to ask the chef about the name, but after eating there today, I know that I'll definitely have more opportunities in the future to ask!

Bonus Points: (+1) For having a huge cooler filled with Jarritos and Mexican imports, including the über-rare large bottle of Coke!
(+1) For best overall taco taste, far and away, and at the best price yet

Price: $1 / taco, $2 for large soda or Mexican drink such as horchata and jamaica

Wait time: 10-15 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 1hr during

Total Score: 39/40 (even in numbers, just about the perfect taco place!)

What I would order next time: Small confession: the food was so good, I didn't stop at the tacos and also had the torta with asada. Great opportunity to rub my belly and mutter "cerdoooo" (piggggy) to myself. I'll be doing the same next time, 2&2 of asada and al pastor, with a torta with whichever meat strikes my mood that day, with a large Mexican coke!

Seafood & Tacos Raul

2008-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

16806 Lakewood Blvd Bellflower CA, 90706(562) 866-8980

Not-so-secret way to make a bad taco....

Ugh, where to begin....

From the outside, it definitely had its humble exterior, which can often indicate an "up and coming" taco place. However, it was badly deteriorated from years of weathering damage, so it didn't strike me immediately that they're investing in appeal. This could imply that they survive without the need to advertise or focus on their superficial appeal. With that in mind, I actually entered with high hopes and expectations.

Atypical to my reviewing method, I was only able to review three meats instead of four, and that was accomplished by placing two separate orders. I was not allowed to order more than two types of meat with any taco order, due to the chef (???). Seems that complicated orders confuse him, and they want to try to avoid complications. Fair enough, they are a very small restaurant and quite busy, so they probably want to crank out orders as quickly as possible. What beheld me next though, egh...I'll do my best to describe and maintain fairness.

Meat

While there were a variety of meats available, due to my limitations I was stuck with choosing three so I went with asada, al pastor and carnitas. Oddly enough, I can review all three at the same time, because if not for the names and origin, they were pretty identical.

Although they're different types of meat, they fall under the same descriptions. Absence of any flavor whatsoever. All were readily apparent at being very low quality as I found myself poking out lumps of fat (not bits, lumps) with every bite. The asada had nothing to it. It was slapped on the grill and then stuffed into the tortilla. The al pastor was very reminiscent of that from King Taco, except greasier and with even less flavor. Heavy on the onion, it was about half and half in my order, which was a slight saving grace, but for the lack of quality in the meat, it wont make up for it. The carnitas were very similar to my earlier impression of the birria at 'El Parian' -- I felt like I was eating meat for the sake of eating meat. Sure it was fried properly, but lacking flavor, any hints of marinade, and being low quality just made it not worth eating.

Score: 4/10, simply because they tried...

Tortilla

Tasted like it was heated in oil (which is a good method), and then microwaved later because they were initially warmed up early in the morning, and then re-heated as needed. Store-bought and of low quality. Basically they're saying "we could care less about quality" by serving these discs.

Score: 3/10, especially since I saw fresh tortillas in the back which are used for enchiladas there as well; why not use those?....

Toppings

Adequate, if not original. Onion/cilantro, lemons, and green sauce which was actually pretty good. It was a DIY job though, with the topping cart in the back. I can appreciate the topping cart on a certain level, however, because it allows you to prepare your taco as you wish. At least they had that going for them.

Score: 7/10, for being nothing special, but at least they were sufficient...

"After-effects"

Ugh. I hated myself afterward. If I knew how I would have felt after eating the food, I would not have attempted it. I only ordered three tacos in all, and didn't finish my plate. Stopped a few bites short. Saw no point in finishing.

Score: 4/10

Bottom line, for the fact that I don't even care to put up pictures of the tacos, I couldn't recommend a place any less than this one. Nothing redeeming, nothing special. Average prices, hurried service, lack of parking, seating for about 10 people total, and rigidity of the ordering structure are all of its downfalls. It almost makes me want to create a general "establishment" criteria to point out where some restaurants shine, and where others falter in customer service, appearance, and attempts to create repeat business. I would love to have that criteria available to me right now so that I could give this place an emphatic zero. I don't think this place could care less. They're simply going through the motions and ringing up the register, which for whatever reason, kept ringing the whole time I was there. what draws people here so much, I'll never understand...

Bonus Points: (+1) For having a huge cooler filled with Jarritos and other Mexican drinks...so they had Jarritos; at least my drink was tasty!

Price: $1.10 / taco, $1.29 for drink

Wait time: 5-10 minutes

Distance (from downtown): 20-25 minutes outside of rush hour

Total Score: 19/40

What I would order next time: The #9 at Del Taco, which is closer to me, tastier, and possibly even better for my innards...

Taco Trucks in LA allowed to stay!

2008-10-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, there was a move from lawmakers to curb the freedoms allowed to taco trucks from operating within city limits. Among these restrictions, trucks were to remain at any one location while in operation no longer than an hour was one of the more critical points. By restricting a trucks ability to have a 'regular' and consistent location, you diminish the ability for a truck to conduct its business successfully as a whole.

A taco truck doubles as is its own advertising, and if it not parked at a known location regularly, interest can wane, and can eventually be neglected over time by its patrons.

For me to read this morning then, that the taco truck ordinance which had been overruled in August by a city judge would not be appealed by the city attorney is a breath of fresh air from a seemingly out of touch local legislation. Advocates are cheering, but it is not without some detraction.

Brick and mortar restauranteurs complain that the trucks drive away business, and that they can become a nuisance. Presumably, they mean the people traffic and loitering of its patrons.

In our society, we have free and open commerce, and the trucks should be allowed to operate where they so choose, so long as they do not pose a danger to itself or its patrons. Just as these restaurants have competition from the trucks, so too do they compete with grocery stores, convenience stores, and the ever-present food vendors in LA, particularly in East LA, who sell fresh fruits, tamales, churros and elotes (corn on the cob). These trucks are in fact competing against restaurants, who have seating room, larger selections, and established histories.

To know that I can count on McDonalds to always be there when I want a Big Mac, or Tommy's to have the shack open when I want a chili burger is something taken for granted, as it should be. When I want to rely on a known truck that serves good food, I should be able to know where it is, not play a guessing game, right?

In this spirit of this decision, I'm holding off from posting my next review, which is ready to go, in lieu of pursuing the 'hunt' at a taco truck to commemorate the occasion =)

Tacos allowed to stay in LA, free from restrictions via ABC Local News, via AP News.

Tacos Los Gordos

2008-08-31T13:12:00.001-07:00

(Pictured Right: Tacos de Asada, Adobada, Cabeza and Suadero!)

12633 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, CA 90242
(562) 622-2400
Orange Bang for everyone!

A grand opening that turned out to be a grand opening!

I've been driving through the area where this new restaurant is located lately. Heavy construction on the streets would slow me down, allowing me time to notice this little place growing from the ground up. With signs promising "Tijuana Style" tacos, I was more than anxious to see what they would offer. In short, we were not disappointed, and look forward to many more visits. Read on to see what made it so fantastic.

Meat

There is a great variety available for the meats, raging from the typical asada, to a suadero meat, which is not unlike a beef version of carnitas (fried pork), to buche, better known as pork stomach -- yes, stomach. Try it sometime with carnitas!

The asada was soft and very tender, like a good slow cooked steak. Initially I considered it to be plain, though. However as I continued through the taco, I found myself wanting another bite again and again. Slowly addictive in nature, I was pleasantly surprised with what seemed to be a plain meat from the get-go.

The cabeza was forgettable, in short. Not very good, and pretty fatty. The meat is hard to create, so they get the 'A for effort', but execution was lacking.

The suadero is a meat that's not commonly served, but very glad it's an option here. The chefs know what they're doing. A beef version of carnitas, it was salty, but not too salty, and flavorful and meaty. I found this meat an even better follow-up to the asada, and was pleasantly surprised. Truly something special here.

The adobada, however, was what took the cake! The meat was juicy, chunky, sweet and flavorful, cooked as it should be on the spit with its pineapple on top (see picture below), and each taco order cut freshly, not gathered from a metal bin holding meat cooked earlier in the day. I stop short of saying this is the best adobada, only because I've had the best, but that awaits another review...

Asada: 8.5/10

Cabeza: 5/10

Suadero: 9/10

Adobada: 9.5/10

Score: 8/10, which is a shame, only because the overall score was brought down by the cabeza, but that's the way this game is played...

Tortilla

The review is split here, only because of a curious happening. The asada tacos, as well as the mulas and quesadillas at the restaurant all get fresh, hand-made tortillas, made at time of order. Everything else gets tortillas FROM A BAG, however its hard to tell if they were made here earlier, or store bought. Regardless, the discrimination in this tortilla choice is heart breaking, since the hand made ones are nice, thin and sturdy, as any tacos 'estilo Tijuana' should have.

Score: 8/10, for the great tortillas, and the mysterious bagged fellows....

Toppings

This is what makes the taco live up to its promise! Toppings consist of red salsa and a spat of guacamole sauce. Both were good, fresh, and complimented the taco perfectly. Authentic as you can get! Simple, delicious, and gets the job done.

Score: 10/10, just like south of the border

"After-effects"

None to speak of. Tacos were not overly greasy, nor were they fatty. All the meats were lean, which caused little to no discomfort later on. Very pleasant after-taste.

Score: 10/10

Bottom line, the tacos had a lot to live up to, given that tacos from south of the border are typically hard to duplicate anywhere else, for whatever reason. To be able to not only pride yourself on the style of taco from Baja Mexico, but to make it delicious is impressive, particularly more so since this restaurant is in the urban jungle. I can't say enough of how tasty the tacos were, and the fact that of all the places I've reviewed, this is the one I'm most anxious to return to.

Bonus Points: (+2) For having all-you-can-drink Orange Bang, Jamaica and soda! Any places that serves Orange Bang nowadays charges per refill...
Price: $1.75 / taco, $1.49 for all you can drink beverages
Wait time: 0-5 minutes
Distance (from downtown): 20-25 minutes outside of rush hour

Total Score: 38/40

What I would order next time: Two and two of suadero and adobado, with an Orange Bang on the side!!!

Posted with LifeCast

(UPDATED) Mango Mango!

2008-08-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

(Pictured Left: Tacos de Asada with rice, beans and pico de gallo)

Somewhere in Ensenada....
South of the Border for this one!

An overdue review, but a good one.

On my quest to solve the mystery of the best tacos, we need sometimes look further than our own backyard. This review takes us to Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico, the motherland for the tacos! We only had a couple of hours, and while we would've loved to explore all of the taco carts and hole in the wall spots the town has to offer in the "real" parts of the city, we were limited on time and so figured we might as well try out one of the tourist spots since that's where you would probably eat anyway!

Refusing to settle for Papas and Beer (c'mon Mr. Pappas, we go for the beer, not the tacos or the Pappas), we encountered a restaurant right across the street which was just as loud as Papa's, but not because of the music but the people in and around it. From drunk folk hanging out the 2nd floor windows to the break dancers out in front, something was inviting of Mango Mango amidst all of the tourist traps. In we settled, and two buckets of beer and a healthy helping of meat and tortillas later, we left happy 'Manguitos'!

Meat

The meat was plain and simple -- asada. Juicy, marinated and tender, the meat showed no signs of loss of quality for being from Baja. No fat to be found on them and chopped into thick cubes that gave you something to definitely chew on with every bite. Not the absolute best asada ever, but damn close!

Asada: 9.5/10

Score: 9.5/10, just to leave room to find the 'perfect' asada just yet...

Tortilla

Tortillas were excellent, being as homestyle and fresh as possible. These tortillas were thick on the corn ingredients as is very visible from the rough edges all the way around, and the rigidness of the disc which exemplifies lack of flour or lard fillers. This is as authentic and original as it gets, and while it might not be for everyone, they were the perfect match for the meat.

Score: 8.5/10, for yet another tortilla that suffers from falling apart too easily.

Toppings

None to speak of here! They were served with tasty sides of rice, beans and pico de gallo, but none of them really shined, with any of the three being average at best. Would've gone much better with a side of guacamole, which was being made table-side, but we neglected to get any. Maybe next time...

Score: 7/10. Just like in class when a 70% is a C, so the 7 is average here.

"After-effects"

None really to speak of, which is remarkable for exposing the stomach to potential perils of different sources of meat and grains. Amazingly we adjusted quite nicely and felt no ill effects.

Score: 10/10, for leaving us with no regrets for eating in a tourist trap in Mexico, of all places!

Bottom line, the tacos were something quite unexpected since we went in with low hopes for the unassuming Mango Mango. Definitely worth the visit again for getting some good food when in Ensenada that you can count on, but only to be passed up in order to try some of the small taco carts which roam the city. I'll definitely eat at a smaller place next time, instead of getting toasted and sneaking a 6 pack of Sol down at the local Starbucks.

Bonus Points: (+1) For serving beer not by the single, but in buckets of 10!
Negative Points: (-3) For only having one type of meat to offer (Explanation below)
Price: $6.75 / 3 tacos (if I recall correctly), $30 for bucket of 10 beers, XX or Sol
Wait time: 15-25 minutes
Distance (from downtown): In the heart of it, across from Papa's and Beer

Total Score: 33/40

What I would order next time: Two plates of tacos with a side of guacamole and a bucket of Sol! (And hopefully some variations on meats)

Update: Thinking further on the review, it seems I overlooked a couple of things, and may not have been entirely clear. For one, while the tacos were very solid for just being asada tacos, and damn good at that, but it seems that the review may be too high for a taco that was so 'plain'.

There was nothing wrong with the taco itself, but it sure could have benefited from more and having more effort as far as toppings were concerned, since there really were none. Further, it does seem somewhat unfair to rate this higher or equal to other restaurants, when these were just solid, but nothing truly special or out of the ordinary. For that reason, I'm updating the final review to reflect a (-3) on overall points for the lack of variety and choice. Perhaps their menu should be expanded to offer more. This does not, however, take away from the asada itself being a 9.5, so if you're happy with JUST the asada, you'll have no qualms. Otherwise, there really should be more!

El Parian

2008-08-01T12:21:00.001-07:00

(Pictured Right: Tacos de Asada, Carnitas and Birria with bowl of chips)

1528 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 386-7361

Open 8a-10p daily
Downtown Tacos!

I got it on good word that I needed to try the tacos here, so I rushed over on my lunch hour to try out the tacos where you can see both Diego Rivera prints and George Washington in Masonic regalia on the walls.

Significantly easier than I thought it would be to find, this place is a perfect example of a hole-in-the-wall. From the street, it doesn't even look like its open. Parking is plenty in the rear though, as it shares a lot with the adjoining businesses. The lunch time crowd was pretty diverse, ranging from locals to what appeared to be an office gathering from nearby USC. The main thing you'll notice is that the kitchen is right at the front door -- no missing out on any of the good stuff!

Friendly staff waited on us, and promptly brought out chips and salsa. Salsa was good, and chips were typical of what you would get with cheese nachos. The salsa was just a little spicy, but very tasty. Jarritos are on the menu! I went for piña this time around.

There are only three meats on the menu here - asada, carnitas and birria. We each got one taco of each meat and dove in from there!

Meat

The thing you'll notice straight away is the sheer amount of meat on the tacos. There was easily enough meat on each one for two tacos, which should be taken into consideration. These tacos are good-sized tacos as well, bigger than what you'll normally find, so unless you're feeling particularly starved, you will be good with either 2 or 3 tacos total.

First meat up was the asada, which was pretty good. It was extremely tender which is a sign of excellent cooking, however it suffered from a lack of flavor. Not that it was terrible by any means, but it certainly wasn't something to write home about. Slightly above average though, really.

Next were the carnitas, and oh mannnn was I in hog heaven (haha)! Super-tender, they melted with each bite, which is hard to do for such a stringy meat. My only suggestion, which is very slight, is that I wouldn't mind if the meat had been just a little less salty. If not for that, they would have been absolutely perfect, and rivaled anything I've tasted in Mexico. For those that prefer their carnitas saltier than the typical, this may be your spot to go, but in my opinion, they could've done with slightly less.

Last was the birria, and here I was conflicted and ultimately disappointed. My first bite left me quite puzzled, as the meat was just lacking flavor. As in, there was nothing to it. It was very noticeable that this meat lacks the salsa which is typically served with birria. For the uninitiated, birria is goat meat, and man...it was soft, which is a GREAT sign of cooking the meat well, but I just found nothing in the taco that did it for me. By the second bite, I stopped eating the taco and left it on my plate. I felt as though I were eating meat just to eat at that point. Perhaps with the salsa the birria would have been better, but for now, I just saw no point in eating this particular taco.

Asada: 8/10
Carnitas: 9/10
Birria: 6/10

Score: 7.5/10, which after consideration, is really just about right.

Tortilla

Tortillas were pretty damn good, actually. Hand made as well (why can't more places do this), they were heavy on the corn, which is much more authentic to the traditional style. Downside to this though, was that they fell apart easily, which happens to be a pet peeve of mine. They also double-bagged the tacos (2 tortillas to each taco), which made them thicker, and lends itself perfectly to forming 2 tacos out of 1. If you don't split the taco, there's so much meat in there that its bound to fall apart and get messy.

Score: 8.5/10, for falling apart too easily =(

Toppings

The topping here was a welcome change of pace, with "pico de gallo", which is diced tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper and cilantro, and depending on the recipe, will incorporate some sort of spice or jalapeño. Here, it was a good complement, although I would've liked to have had more put on each taco, as the pico was pretty tasty. The one knock I had against it was that it didn't taste very fresh or cool, which leads me to believe that large batches are made early in the morning and sit in the kitchen instead of a fridge, allowing it to warm up, which sucks for salsa. Ask for extra if you care for a good amount of salsa on the taco. We ended up dumping some of the chip salsa on the tacos to make up for lack of pico de gallo.

Score: 7/10

"After-effects"

I went away pretty pleasantly satisfied, but due to the large amount of meat in each taco, I felt a bit bloated, but only because of the amount I ate. I wasn't expecting that much in each taco, so after ordering 3, I felt fine, just slightly heavy from the mass of food sitting in my stomach.

Score: 9/10, just as a personal experience to remember next time to only eat 2.

Bottom line, is that perhaps I shouldn't have listened to the hype as much, because that may be what's leading me to undervalue the tacos here. Granted, I'm not dissatisfied, but I also can't help the feeling inside of me that the tacos could have been much better with a few slight changes, or that maybe I caught it at a wrong time. I was a bit annoyed that I found myself constantly reaching over for more and more napkins, quickly making a mess on my plate. Either way, I'll emphasize that they were NOT bad, but only that I was expecting a bit more. From now on, no more buying into hype -- it only taints my experience which I'm trying to make as completely objective as possible for anyone else reading.

Bonus Points: (+1) For having every flavor of Jarritos available to order!
Price: $2.75 / taco, $1.75 for bottle of Jarritos
Wait time: 10-15 minutes
Distance (from downtown): 5-10 minutes by street from anywhere in downtown, depending on traffic

Total Score: 32/40

What I would order next time: One and one of asada and carnitas, with EXTRA pico de gallo!

Geolocate this post

Posted with LifeCast

Super Tacos Culiacan

2008-07-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

(Pictured Left: Taco de Cabeza along with a bottle of Jarritos of the Toronja, or grapefruit, flavor)

8505 Rosecrans Ave, Paramount, CA 90723
562-531-7088

9a-9p, except Sundays which are 9a-7p
Our first review!

The journey begins in the city of Paramount, just West of the intersection for the 605 and 105 freeways.

This humble hole-in-the-wall with friendly and bilingual staff is located in a shopping center on the corner of the intersection. Parking is CRAMPED and difficult to say the least. It wasn't hard though finding the restaurant coming from the highway.

The entire "venue" has seating for about 12 people, and you'll be greeted by the staff who will take your order before you are seated. The menu covers standard fare such as tacos, burritos, and tamales which we were told are definitely worth having. Perhaps next time...

There were no 'carnitas' available at this location, and the chicken was not on the menu today, so we instead added 'cabeza' to the order to judge.

Meat

We were pleasantly surprised in all of the meats in that they were very lean with only trace amounts of fat to be found anywhere, which is always a great sign on a taco (the less grizzle, the better). It's impossible to get all of the fat off the meat due to the manner that taco meats are prepared, so the fact that they were not greasy or fatty was certainly a highlight.

The al pastor/adobada lacked flavor. It wasn't terrible by any means, but certainly nothing to order again. In what seemed to be their attempt to have a subtle taste to the meat, it left me wanting more. At the same time, being disappointed by the al pastor/adobada which was underwhelming made me that much more pleased with the the asada. This meat tasted just like freshly cooked steak at a barbeque. The asada was tender, flavorful, and reminded me of so many summers past, relaxing in a backyard somewhere while getting meat cooked on the spot with family. Definitely a winner.

The take-home from this place though was certainly the 'cabeza'. If done wrong, cabeza can come out fatty and salty. Whoever crafted this fine meat, however, knew what they were doing. The flavor was just right; In this case, subtlety working out in its favor, as proper cabeza should. The texture was perfection, with every additional bite letting more meat melt once it hits your tongue. If you are a fan, this is THE place to head! I dare say it was the best taco on our plate overall.

Al Pastor: 5/10
Asada: 9/10
Cabeza: 10/10

Score: 8/10, both for the chicken being off the menu at the time we went, and the drastically disappointing al pastor, especially when compared to the other excellent meats.

Tortilla

Most places will use store-bought tortillas, which are noticeably older and lower quality than hand-made. Here, they made no bones about their tortillas being fresh and hand-made, which were the main reason we waited a few minutes for our food even with only one other person in the restaurant.

The tortillas had zero trace of grease or lard on them, so we appreciated that greatly. They were doughy enough to have substance, and without falling into pieces at the mere sight of the meat. After eating so many tacos, when you have them somewhere where 'oil' is not a main ingredient, its as welcome a reprieve as you'll get.

Score: 9/10. They were just about as good as it gets, although not quite "perfect".

Toppings

These were simple and expected, consisting of diced onions and cilantro. Not being a fan of the red/green sauces that are normally used, I was very pleased with their offering. I would have no qualms recommending these sauces to others who typically disdain the sauces as well, since these were nowhere near being overwhelming, and did their job -- they added some kick to the food without killing all of the flavor.

The green sauce was especially pleasing, since it added flavor to each bite instead of scorching your mouth. The red was a bit too salty, although still tasty. They also used the sauces appropriately, with the different flavors on different types of meat. This is the sign of a cook that cares about the food they're providing and its taste, not one that rushes out plates to fill another order. There was also the "sides" cart in the seating area which had sliced radishes, pickled onion strings and carrots, which I was told were quite tasty.

Score: 9/10

"After-effects"

VERY happy that I went home being satisfied without the feeling of food swelling in my stomach, or the hot sauce eating away at my linings. I did feel a slight bit of heartburn and could even go for a Tums right now, but this nothing out of the ordinary as eating anywhere where food is served with some spice to it. In general, reviews on after-effects should be scored highly. This section will only ever outline strange occurrences....

Score: 9/10, if only because I wouldn't turn down a Pepcid AC at this point, but don't need to go out of my way for one.

Bottom line, this place makes a great taco. The fact that its lined by other stores such as a check cashing store, donuts and a nail salon only adds to the stereotype of it being one of the many excellent, hidden taco spots in LA. The wait wasn't long or terrible by any stretch of the imagination, and was that much more satisfying when we saw our tortillas being made on request. Being a tiny place though, there is no accessible restroom for the clientele. Surrounding area is so-so, but not dangerous in any sense. For what it's worth, it also received an 'A' on the city's health department ratings.

Bonus Points: (+1) For having sodas in bottles imported from Mexico, including all flavors of Jarritos to accompany your meal!
Price: $1.50 / taco, $1.50 for bottle of Jarritos
Wait time: 10-15 minutes
Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes by freeway, depending on traffic

Total Score: 36/40

We will eat here again!

Geolocate this post

Posted with LifeCast

Ground Rules!!!

2008-07-28T17:16:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the search!

In my quest to solve the mystery of the best taco in LA, we'll need to establish the ground rules on how to fairly judge the tacos. Its far too difficult to label a taco as merely being "high quality" just because its complex or has a great presentation; Many of the best tacos I've had are formed in the simplest manner, so go figure. I'll be using several factors to rate the qualities of the food on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest.

Meat
Tortilla
Toppings
"After-Effects"

I'll also add a section with anything that stood out, or was otherwise notable about the tacos in a section which I'll refer to as "After Thoughts". Here are the base metrics:

Meat
=======
Based on taste, texture and amount, this is the core of the taco. Without a good meat to build on, what's the point? Whenever possible, I'll try to rate different types of meat from the staples of taco selections (asada, al pastor, carnitas and chicken). No deductions for not having a particular meat available.

Tortilla
=======
Whether hard or soft, they'll all be judged equally! Too often this is overlooked, but when you're biting into food that's based on being wrapped in the round flat-bread, you can't come away too satisfied if the grease is dripping off your fingers.

Toppings
========
Not every taco is built equally, and I won't be wowed by something with 10 things piled on top of it. This is all about the combination of toppings, and how effectively they're used. Kudos for originality, but it will come down to how well it complements the meat.

After-effects
=========
We've all been there. A late night taco that SEEMS like a good idea at the time, only to pay for it later. There's nothing that annoys me more than finding something tasty, only to know that it's health content may not be something I would want to come anywhere near. I'll be subjecting my stomach to some of the most questionable stuff you can imagine, just to spare anyone else the potential havok on your linings.

Things that will not fall into ratings, but can be discussed:

-Presentation (It's a taco for crying out loud! Who cares!?!)
-Distance (Columbus sailed across an ocean for new spices. I'll drive across a county line or two if necessary).
-Wait time (We have no problem waiting 30 minutes for a gourmet meal; 15 minutes in the taco line is fine by me)
-Location (Some of the best can be found in the shadiest areas. While not a deal-breaker by any means, I'll give out fair warning as best I can, if the location so merits).
-Pricing (I've eaten a good share of tacos that are believe it or not, over-priced. While this can be a consideration, a dollar amount does not a good taco make).
-Side Options (Some places have great tacos which are served with mediocre rice, beans, beer or otherwise. It's a shame to have something satisfy so well, only to be let down by his companions. Again, not a deal-breaker, but worth noting).

I'll be posting my reviews on-site as well, so I hope to snap a couple of pics as well as the GPS location so that those reading reviews on your mobile can find these places easily. I'll visit at least one new place every week, starting with my personal favorites. Feel free to send in suggestions as well for places to visit (mendoza.eduardo@gmail.com). No biases here though -- I'm a man on a mission!

Geolocate this post

Posted with LifeCast