any good?
Gjusta sandos have been spotty for me the last few visits…
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Bang bang bang bang. Quadruple bang for lunch meeting/in between meetings.
Birria la unica. Have been trying to go to this place forever and finally had the chance. This is by far the best queso taco I’ve hadx birria de chiva and consommé and the soup was flavorful without being a salt bomb, goat was well cooked without being stringy. I would like to try bigger portions of the consommé with either res or chiva but was very impressed by the consommé offered, best that I’ve had recently. Salsa selection was 
different heat levels and preparations.Want to try birria de res next time.
Burritos la Palma right across the street. Bean and cheese, wish there were more beans in mine it was mostly cheese but let’s be real all about the griddled tortilla. Excellent toothsome yet crispy tortilla. Salsa was super weak though.
Cafe 2001 I should’ve gotten the smoked fish or the crudo to keep it as a light internmezzo instead I was steered toward the terrine. Terrine overall was very good tender well composed great bites of pistachio not overly salty. Overall the balance was missing as I needed some acidity like mustard to break up the richness. Falafel salad was fine nothing spectacular but also nothing to complain about. Place was popping I think it just got written up in LA Times?
Happy handmade - I have mixed feelings about this also maybe my own fatigue due to it being my fourth meal. Fries are top tier crack blows any fast food joints fries out of the water but I’m also a huge sucker for seasoned fries. I thought the tenders were good but quite salty or msgy, great fry on the outside and well constructed a raising canes wet dream but again too rich/salty. Waffle was very good airy crispy buttery but my complaint was that it was almost room temperature when it was delivered. Texture/ flavor with the light dusting of syrup was awesome, temperature was lacking. I felt like it was a very heavy meal and if it was executed better and I was less full might’ve been a great meal.
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Unfortunately it wasn’t as good when compared to previous visits. I remember being able to get the incredible porchetta sando, but they told me they stopped making it daily, and now just on rare occasions when they get it in 
Tacos y birria la única are my fav for birria de chivo, no gaminess or stringiness. The consomme and salsas are also fantastic. Overall its killer and consistently one of the best spots in the city!
burritos la palma- the salsa is weak agreed, but the pork sauce is key.
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I like the way the burritos la palma salsa is a little watery, so you dip the burrito in and it gets a little wet. i just love everything about burritos la palma.
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And it makes the frozen version of the salsa defrost instantly which is nice when you e got a whole freezer stocked with their burritos like I do hahaha
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what a great run of meals!
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La Unica! Dude I first reported about them in like 2017 lol glad you got to try them. I love the salsa aceite. Best quesabirria tacos in LA
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What is the pork sauce?
I am very full lol
Finally made it! I’m just never near there during the day usually
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The same pork sauce they use in the platillo special. They used to give a small container if you asked, but now they sell it separately in larger size. Great for dunking burritos in 
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Recently we discovered Seafood City in Eagle Rock (looking for the covid vaccine lol). I’m somehow really tickled pink by the Filipino supermarket and its personal Seafood City soundtrack. Picked up a lot of spiced/coconut vinegars (want to try to make kinilaw) and the cooked shrimp paste bagoong (which is really good and is going to feed a laksa-making winter).
Pork sisig platter from the Sizzle counter quasi-in-store. It was good! All pork head I think, honestly. Comes with a calamansi half. Definitely not good for me, but tasty. (dare I say, cheaper than Lasita though obviously very different vibe). Java rice is aromatic. Probably no good for my cholesterol. Monkfish sisig was also good, pretty interesting.
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The jingle at Seafood City is so endearing! Reminds me of Don Quixote in Japan.
I’m a sucker for grocery store hot food (the non-American ones, anyways). The last time I visited Island Pacific in East Hollywood, they had a pretty big line at the hot food section — will need to try that one too. Any pointers on what to order are appreciated
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I went on a bit of a Mexican food bender last weekend. I don’t have pics, but my pictures would be no better than what is available online so I’ll spare you all the clutter.
Barbacoa Spots
I’ll list these in the order that I’d rank them, but it’s a pretty close call for the top 3 or 4 spots, so I’m kind of splitting hairs. At each spot I tried at least barbacoa tacos and consomme. Some spots let me sample some other items. Hours and locations can be a bit fussy, so I recommend checking social media for most recent info.
- Barbacoa Ni Le Busque (FB) - Probably my overall favorite, but might be too close to call as between this and Barbacoa Ramirez. I wish this place had fresh tortillas but that was my only complaint. The meat was very tender and flavorful and the consomme was great. There was a couple that each had whole lamb shanks on a plate. Those looked fantastic and I’ll probably be back to give those a shot.
- Barbacoa Ramirez (IG) - This one is also known as Atotonilco El Grande Hidalgo Barbacoa and has its own FTC thread. Also very good. I like that they have fresh tortillas and I really, really liked the less spicy of the two salsas. I think I’d give Ni Le Busque the edge in terms of meat and consomme, but I would be thrilled to go back to either of these two spots. One of these days I’ll do a back to back taste test so I can make a more definitive decision.
- Barbacoa Estilo Tlacotepec Puebla - Everything here was good, but just a touch behind spots 1 and 2. Would absolutely have no problem returning here.
- Barbakush (IG) - The consomme here is RICH. It felt like there was a thin coating of fat left in my mouth after each sip. Not a complaint, just know what you are getting into. They let us have a taste of the menudo, as well. I am not a menudo person, but holy hell was it packed with flavor. I suspect that if you like menudo, you’ll love theirs. They say the menudo sells out pretty early usually. Overall, I enjoyed the meal here and wouldn’t be opposed to coming back, but would not choose it over the spots above unless I was in the mood for intense consomme or menudo. EDIT: I forgot to mention the (corn) tortilla here was really good, probably the best tortilla among the barbacoa spots on this list.
- Barbacoa _________ - I forgot the name of this spot. I think it is a common surname, but exactly which one is escaping me. The link shows where they set up, which is the best I can do at the moment. Super friendly people working, gave us a free pancita taco to try. Overall this place was enjoyable, but, since it is just down the street from Ni Le Busque, I don’t see myself going back.
- Barbacoa Estilo Toluca (IG) - This was the only miss for me in the barbacoa category. It was just too gamey for me. That could be a me problem – if you enjoy a nice gamey flavor, this is a good spot to try.
I tried to go to Barbacoa Estilo Taxco as well, but struck out. They were not set up the morning I went. I will try again another time.
Taco Spots (non-barbacoa)
For these, my top priority was a killer tortilla, followed closely by quality protein. At most places I got carne asada as my protein but will note where I deviated. Again, I’m ordering these loosely in how I’d rank them. There was another spot a bit south of Mochomitos Asador that had a line and looked great, but I did not get to try it. I plan to go back and try another time.
- Tacos La Carreta (IG) - Overall winner for me. The [flour] tortilla was better than I expected and the carne asada was delicious. Mostly the tortilla is what did it for me. I’d like to do a comparison with Sonoratown sometime soon.
- Asadero Chikali (IG) - The [flour] tortilla here was also great. They had some interesting proteins that I wanted to try, but not all of them were available when I was there so I will have to go back. I had the papas con asada and papas con chorizo fillings. Papas con asada was great, papas con chorizo I could skip next time.
- Mochomitos Asador (IG) - [Flour] Tortillas were great. I came here wanting to try their beef rib tacos, which they are known for, but was told they did not have them that night. No idea why. I will have to go back and try again because even without the beef rib, the tacos (sirloin and arrachera) were tasty.
- Tacos el Tio 2023 (IG) - This one was not on my list originally, but I stopped by because I saw it near Mochomitos Asador and it looked good. I would like to go back again and try it when I am not already stuffed, because I enjoyed it quite a bit even though I was already full. The [corn] tortilla was fresh and had a great consistency and the chorizo was packed with flavor.
- Las Sabrosos al Horno (IG) - They specialize in roasted pig. You can get either meat or chicharonnes. I got one of each and the chicharonnes was significantly better. I’d go back for the chicharonnes tacos.
- Tacqueria Juquilita (IG) - I’m not usually a fan of al pastor, but the al pastor here was quite good. If I were in the mood for al pastor, I’d come back here. I also tried an asada quesadilla which was not good – would not repeat.
- Perro 110 / Taco Perro (IG) - These tacos are very big. The [flour] tortillas are thick and the one I had was undercooked. Could have been a fluke. I am a fan of thick tacos so I’m somewhat tempted to go back and give them another shot, but I’m not sure I will given what else is out there.
- Tacos Guelaguetza - This spot has such great reviews online but I just don’t get it. It’s not bad by any means, but it’s not as good as the reviews would suggest. It’s a very solid neighborhood spot and it has convenient parking and good salsa bar. I would not list it as a destination spot.
- Tacos Varios - I have not found anything online about these folks. I didn’t love their tacos, they were just ok. They did have some less common proteins on the menu, like costillas en salsa, if anyone is looking for something other than the usual lineup.
- Tacos y Que (IG) - Too salty. No need to go back.
Bonus Spots
- Alejandra’s Quesadilla Cart - I’ve been wanting to try this spot for years but her limited hours have made it difficult. It was really, really good. I’d love to go back. She makes fresh, blue corn tortillas to order which are just the right thickness, and the huitlachoche filling is excellent. I also got chicharonnes but would skip that next time and just do huitlacoche. She is open Fri - Mon, 11:30 am - 6:30 pm.
- Wezz Arepas (IG) - This is Colombian, not Mexican, but I’m including it because it was part of the bender. This is on the stretch of Whittier Blvd near Mochomitos Asador and was not originally on my list. I tried an original arepa de choclo. I’ve had other forms of arepas before, but not these. I’d describe this as a grilled cheese but with sweet cornbread instead of sandwich bread. I really enjoyed this and would go back, it was a very nice surprise.
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lol this is one of the greatest posts of all time here. Obsessed
@robert can we make this a new thread ha. 2025 Mexican?
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I think this will take me longer to read than it took for you to eat!
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Tacos La Carreta
Super surprised by this. I live pretty close by and have gone a ton. Every standard corn tortilla taco I’ve had there has just been alright. IMO the vampiro/chorreada/torito have been the way to go, asada and adobada are always nice and charred. Sadly no heat in any of their salsas.
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Ah, I should have specified that I got a flour tortilla at La Carreta. I like both corn and flour tortillas generally, but I have a slight preference for flour unless the corn tortilla is really outstanding. I did not even try the corn tortilla at La Carreta.
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I usually always get chorreada, vampiro, or torito at carreta they are so good and skip the tacos. My favorite asada in LA currently.
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What an epic post and weekend of eating!
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My bad, I always assume corn unless otherwise specified. Their flour are great.
Also in Whittierish area, I’d rec checking out Aqui Es Texcoco in Pico Rivera. Traditional lamb barbacoa, but also with a lot of other interesting options: lamb brain, rabbit, quail, huitlacoche
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