Went on our annual taco (and friends) tour with friends visiting from high school.
We were starving, so we started off with shared chilaquiles at Mis Padres at the Pico Farmers Market in Santa Monica before our adventure to Huntington Park. Chilaquiles are great, but skip the tacos.
Undressed tacos from Tacos Los Cholos on Pacific in Huntington Park. The beef by itself was tender and flavorful, but a little too salty. Great salsa bar with a stellar habanero salsa. Costilla, with crispy edges, was my favorite of the three. The stuffed baked potatoes on others tables looked crazy.
Komal - No wait in line, but it took an hour for four of us to get all our food. They forgot a taco Sonia and squash blossom quesadilla. We let them know multiple times that we were still waiting, but they continued to serve other customers that came after us first. Frustrating, but whatever.
Costilla was the favorite. Taco Sonia tasted good, but not the flavors I was hoping for. I’d skip the nopal next time. Mole was VERY chocolatey and recommend ordering extra tortillas, as the included 3 isn’t enough. Yummy cactus and cucumber agua fresca.
Holbox - 30-minute wait on a Saturday at 430pm. First visit - really friendly staff that were happy to provide recommendations. Our group got scallop aguachile, tuna tostadas, smoked kanpachi tacos, and a whole grilled branzino. Group loved everything, but we agreed the scallop aguachile was the best bite of the entire day.
Randomly, their sparkling lemonade is GREAT. Highly recommend.
Hui Lai Shan (Irvine). Nothing special but I love this place, was so sad when the SD location closed. And yes I make up stupid reasons to visit Irvine just to go here)
We paid our final respects to Ham Ji Park. HJP has feed friends and I for decades. The place is an institution and we will miss it. Thank you for all the great meals. Last night was a particularly perfect evening for Gamjatang and one last order of the pork spare ribs. At least we have enough leftovers for a second meal.
Elijah Deleon who came from Birdie G’s. According to the bartender there will be much more filipino and latino flavors. Still going to be ingredient driven
Elijah’s been the Chef De Cuisine since Aug 2024. Love what he’s done with the menu over the last year. His sauces are always great to sop up with their bread.
Is it confirmed Ham Ji Park is closing permanently? I read mixed reports – some saying it is closing, some saying it is closing temporarily for renovations.
A farewell visit to the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles County, The Saugus Cafe, which is closing January 4, 2026 after 139 years! It has been at the approximate location since 1916. Not a destination restaurant aside from the history, just typical diner fare done decently.
Quite good. I think it’s the best lamb burger I’ve had, and the noodles were quite good too. As others have noted, they have more variations of the Biang Biang, but I just went with plain (with chili oil, bok choy and bean sprouts). Nice that it was a light touch and not drowned in oil.
Bobs Big Boy (Burbank): orange cream milkshake and the original big boy combo. So good, haven’t been here in over 25 years, much better than i remember!
Mabel’s Gone Fishing (San Diego). A Spanish-influenced seafood restaurant with a Bib Gourmand. We enjoyed the flavors and the quality ingredients, but we thought execution could have been better. Spiny lobster was way overcooked; we do better at home.
