Taco Plus ~ Santa Monica

I found out about this westside favorite from a taco informant over at Yelp.com.  I read the reviews, checked the menu and was a bit wary about the quality of taco.  First off, the front sign says, "Taco Plus.... Fresh All The Time."  Uh oh, is this another westside, "fresh-mex" taco joint?  I've encountered a couple and more often than not, left less than happy.  Second, tacos cost $2.35.  That just makes me shake my head.  Will this trip be worth it?

I took my chances anyways...

Taco Plus

First off, parking here can be a BITCH.  But of course it is, you're in the Westside during lunch time.  Note for you taco hunters, if at first you can't find parking in the centre, park across the street at the Smart and Final lot, behind Santa Monica Blvd.  

But if you're blessed by God like me...you get hooked up like this during gnar lunch time periods...

*Jeep always in the crucial.

The inside is very small, only 3 or 4 tables that seat 4 and a back bar area with 4 stools.  I could tell this place was for the locals who have time on their hands, or people who work in the area who get their meals to go.  

Remember the "Fresh All The Time," logo out front?  Well, let me tell you, right when I walked in I noticed a glass container with food sitting in heat pans.  I didn't really mind seeing rice and beans, etc... in there, but what did bug me was seeing cut up asada, pastor and carnitas sitting in this heat box.  Fresh all the time, huh??

While ordering, I noticed a big grill right behind chica with pollo, asada, fish and various other goodness being grilled fresh.  Now that's the business!!  I was just hoping they weren't gonna give me the bumbaclat sitting in the heat box.  

My fears were realized once I saw poncho getting my tacos ready.  Whats worse, before homeboy even got there, I saw a coworker of his pouring water all over the meats!  What is this shit?  Are you really pouring water all over the meat in hopes of slowing down the drying process.  

"Fuck," is all I can say.  I have a feeling my meat is gonna be really dry.  Fuck it.  I'm gonna it eat.

Before I begin, I want to address something that did impress me about this place.  Their salsa bar was definitely a "plus."  They have everything you could need, two rojas, a mild verde, cilantro, pico de gallo, radishes, limes and even green onions.  Check out my set up...good looking aint it?

Anyways, the tacos are very big.  Much bigger than your normal taqueria...hence, the $2.35 charge.  The really load it with plenty of the meat.  But one downside, is the tortillas were not very good.  They tasted like store bought Guerrero brand that I'm not a fan of.  Their super starchy and do not keep heat very well.  My first bite, I expected some warmth, but no, none at all.  It was like eating straight up room temperture tortillas...terrible.

*Pastor

First thing I notice is the flavor.  It was undeniably pastor, but I'm not a fan of their marinade.  Very unremarkable, with the "heat pan" pastor being dry.  I did appreciate the crispy edges, but not at the cost of dry meat.  Also, the salsa they put on top tasted like nothing.  It was like having water that didn't help the already crappy tortilla.  By the end, the inner tortilla was soggy and on the point of breaking.  

*Asada

Hmmm, I'm kinda on the fence with this one.  While the meat was dry and lacked any sort of mexican flavor, it was very lean and grilled properly with a nice stand alone beefy flavor.  Like the pastor, it had charred crispy edges that tasted great, just the meat was soo dry, and once again, the crap salsa they put on top didn't help.  A good thing was I was able to take it off and put on their "very hot" salsa, which wasn't really that hot, and I'm no fire eater.  

It would be a stretch calling this place "authentic."  Shoot, it's probably authentic to the masses here on the Westside who are transplants from the Midwest, where their idea of a "Mexican Restaurant" would be Cabo Cantina.  It would be better to describe this place as a "watered down" version of Mexican food.  The sad part is, it's a literal description as well.  Really Taco Plus?  Did you really just pour water all over the meats in that case?  And "fresh all the time," my ass.  

Tacos ~ $2.39

Taco Plus ~ 1525 S. Bundy Dr.  Santa Monica, CA  90025  (310) 207.0793

El Super Taco ~ Culver City

I've been waiting two long months for this place to open its doors.  I was impressed with the one off Pico in Santa Monica and once I saw the big sign with "coming soon" in front of the new El Super by my apartment, I vowed I'd be the first one in line with a big smile and an empty stomach.  

EL SUPER TACO

FINALLY! 

I walk in like I said I would, with a hungry stomach and a big smile, but all this soon turned south.  For reference, I ordered the three taco combo plate.  

*Al Pastor, Suadero, Pollo Tacos

First off, the beans were really salty.  Like, so salty I didn't even eat them.  Maybe first day jitters on their part?  The rice was mediocre, at best.  Something was missing in its flavor...I'll remark upon it later on.  Now the tacos...

By far the best taco was the al Pastor.  It was super tender and was marinated proper.  It had a good glaze on it and wasn't over powering with the marinade.  I really couldn't have asked for much more from a non spit pastor taco.  Nice job.  

Praise ends there.  Check this pollo taco.

I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but damn, this pollo looked gnarly to me.  As a result, I wasn't really enjoying this taco.  It was tender but lacked much flavor.  I really doused the salsas and onion and cilantro on this puppy.  

Now for the suadero.  What is suadero you might be asking?  I really didn't know what this meat was until I saw it as an option at one of my favorite westside taco trucks, Tacos de Valle, which I still have to review on this site, but my cousin PATRICK keeps duckin' my emails about the pictures on his camera....fucker ass.

Anyways, suadero is basically beef brisket which is grilled.  The suadero at Tacos de Valle looked mighty fine so I decided to try them out here first.  

Well, I wasn't expecting this color, but it tasted alright.  Very meaty with a chewy texture.  Almost like carnitas, but beef.  There wasn't much flavor besides the meatyness, so of course expect me to douse the shit outta this taco with their salsa verde.  

Throughout my meal I kept noticing that something was missing.  Flavor!  Dare I say this El Super Taco lacks that bold mexican flavor?

I will!  The flavors were empty and left me with a feeling that the food was NOT prepared with that mexican amore.  It felt like I was eating food that was "prepared" just not "cared" for.  I have this feeling I'm being a bit harsh because it was the first day, so I'm sure the cooks still have to get used to all the in's and out's in making the standard.  I'll keep that in mind.  

To end it on a positive note, they kept with their heritage and served their tacos bare with a side of grilled onions, and of course their salsa bar is still bangin'.  

Tacos ~ $1.25

El Super Taco ~ 11499 Jefferson Blvd  Culver City, CA  90230  310.391.8148

LA Taco Trucks ~ KCRW

KCRW just shot a pilot for their new online video series titled, "Good Food."  What better way to pilot this series by doing it on one of LA's most treasured food icon's...LA's Taco Trucks!!

Here are some screen shots...

Taco trucks in Venice?!  Take a guess at which one they shoot.

my personal favorite of the video...I love that guy!

Click on the link below for the whole video!

LA Taco Trucks on KCRW's "Good Food"

Tacos El Grullo ~ Hanford

I need a job.  BAD.

I'm at the point where I'm looking for work back in Visalia, my hometown.  If any of you know about Visalia, then you know my hesitations.  It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter and a wasteland of drunk high schoolers, pregnant girls, and old conservatives hell bent on keeping any form of liberalism outta their city.  

Ok, I'm over exaggerating, but seriously, it's not my beloved City of Angels, where Mexican's crap delicious tacos for all us gringos to enjoy.  Where loving Obama makes you hip, not retarded.  Where people of different race and lifestyle are commonplace, not unusual.  

So, I made the trek, did the interview (hungover btw, a whole story on its own) and took a train back home to LA.  

But not without stopping at a taco shop first :)

Tacos El Grullo

Despite having a big breakfast and lunch, I forced myself to make a stop here before I got onto the train.  I did a review on the Tacos El Grullo in Visalia, which was not well received by this taco lover.  I made it a point to stop here at this Grullo since it is the first of the three restaurant chain.  Maybe this parent station is what it's all about.  

*two carne asada, one pastor, one pollo

"Where's the carnitas, Jason?  What's up with the trio?"  

Yeah, they were out.  Bastards...

I went straight for the carne asada taco.  I took the first bite and it brought me back to the Grullo in Visalia, and the initial problem I had with this place.  The meat was nice and tender, cooked perfectly with crispy edges but again, the marinade was a bit salty.  "Damn them! They did it again," I think to myself.  It's sad because everything else is so proper, but that saltines was just a bit too much for me, and I usually enjoy salty!  You know its bad when someone who likes salty, thinks food is too salty.  

The pastor was cooked proper and came nice and hot, but they over sauced the pork.  It's like eating a rib that's been marinated properly, but then basted with the marinade, and served to you with bbq sauce plastered on it.  They just plain out over did it.  Overkill.  Too much.  Take it ez, Grullo, I'd like some pastor with my sauce please.  

My dad ate the pollo, kinda pissed because I have a feeling it might have been the best of the four tacos.  

Again, a mediocre taco experience that left me wondering, "Why?"  They have everything going for them:  proper tortillas, proper cooking methods, good salsa, but terrible meat prep.  Over salted asada and over sauced pastor.  Terrible...(en espanol).

Tacos ~ 1.30

Tacos El Grullo ~ 314 W. Lacey Blvd  Handford, CA 93230  559.584.8436

Taqueria El Fogon ~ Playa Del Carmen

We arrived in Playa around the middle of the afternoon, tired from walking to and from a cenote, driving in a Collectivo (public transportion via a van), hauling our bags, finding a hostel, and finally dropping our clothes off at a lavanderia.  

Tired and hungry.  What a combo.  We find this spot on our way back from the laundry mat, and decided to get a little snack.  

TAQUERIA EL FOGON

This place was smokin hot (literally, smoke was permeating through this open air, no walled restaurant).  We decided to grab a table on the outside, away from the hustle and bustle of tourists and servers.  Spot White Godzilla in the picture??

"Puedo tomar una foto?"

Homeboy was cool about it.  

No chips?  This was already on our table when we sat down.  And no, we didn't get chips.  It was nice to have a little salsa bar on our table for our tacos though.  Oh, that green sauce = incendiary.

Matt and I split 4 pastor and 2 chorizo tacos.  The pastor was first up.  

Let me start out by saying the pastor came in super thin slices, probably because of how homebody slices from the spit.  On each taco they add a slice of the pineapple that is on top of the pastor while cooking.  Flavor?  It's hard to tell because the portions we received weren't that significant.  I was able to kill each taco in two bites, so add small tacos with small portions of pastor and really, I can't tell you if it was good or bad?  But I do remember being satisfied...and that's what really matters.  Not to mention I was tired and hungry, so I didn't really think about the flavor while om nom nom om om'ing.  

Would you just look at that?  Oh man that thing is making me salivate!!  We split an order of two chorizo's...one being good enough.  This taco was well portioned, and at one point I was eating droppings on the plate with my fingers.  The cheese had the texture of crumbled blue cheese, but it was a mild white ...similar to mozza or monterey jack.  The chorizo was super greasy and flavorful...like, really flavorful.  I've had some good chorizo...and this right here is one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.  

One more thing, take a look at the juicy running off that tortilla.  WOW.  If that doesn't make you chorizo lovers salivate,  I don't know what will.  

Overall, I'd come back just for that chorizo and cheese goodness.  And if I did order pastor, I'd probably get a burrito or a plate, so I could get a better portion.  Those tacos were just mini.

Pro's

-Pastor on spit

-Big menu

-Open air restaurant

-Salsa on table

Con's

-Shitty portion of pastor on taco

-Loud and rambunctious:  I was tired

-Gets really busy

-Slow service...it was really busy

Tacos ~ Pastor:  $14 pesos / $1.00 usd;  Chorizo and Cheese:  $24 pesos / $1.75 usd

Taqueria El Fogon ~ 8th and 35th  Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Los Compadres ~ Downtown Los Angeles

I've caught a couple observations over the past couple years about Spanish speaking people's in the service industry.  Whether it be at a restaurant, a bar, a trainstation or among new faces, speaking their language automatically bumps you up in the respect and friendliness scale.   

I have a million and one stories to validate my point, but I remember one specific time while in Playa Del Carmen.  I went to find a fellow American in our hostel, and found him out in the veranda attempting to speak to our roommates, who happened to be Argentinean.  He was glad to see me because we could actually have a full conversation.  So we went at it full force with the metaphors, heavy american slang, and shit talk...basically about what was gonna go down that night out at the bars.  Outta nowhere one of the Argentineans I met earlier said to me, "I like you better when you speak spanish."

hahahaah, he was just fuckin around, but I could tell he loosened up the second I responded in spanish about what my fellow american and I were speaking about.

Another instance I caught a shift in attitude was here...at Los Compadres.  Literally, "The Godfathers." But with the service I received, I'd say it means, "The Friends."

LOS COMPADRES

I came into this place freshly back from Mexico (literally had gotten off the plane late the night before) and with a Spanish speaking tongue ready for the unleashing.  I went the normal, most obvious route...

"Hola! Coma Esta?"

"Bien! Y tu?"

"Muy bien, muy bien!"

I followed by ordering my taco's in spanish, as well as asking her about the pastor(which I ordered) that was advertised as on a spit, or "trompo," out on their sign.  She could tell I was a baby rookie in spanish, so I explained that I had just come off the airplane the night before from Cancun, and how I mobbed deep to Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen.  I told her the reason I'm speaking spanish is because I want to be able to order taco's better :)  She smiled and went on about how she's learning English at the adult school up the street, so she could serve taco's better.  hahah, good times.  

She must have liked me because I straight up got the VIP treatment.  How you say?  Let's just say she didn't give me the pastor that had been cooked earlier in the morning and was sitting in a heat pan.  She went straight for a little fridge and pulled out freshly marinated pastor that was sitting in a little tupperware and threw it on the grill.  

Did you hear what I said?? I said she straight up got the REAL shit outta the VIP SECTION and cooked my food FRESH TO ORDER.  Hot off the fucking grill, straight into my buddha belly. 

She even brought the plate to my table with two different salsas.  What a sweetheart. 

I think she marinated this pastor in some magical sauce and kept it cold in some sort of wizards fridge, then cooked it on a sorcerers stove, because everything about these taco's were magic. 

Seriously, I love this.  I've said it before, but this right here is what this blogs all about people.  Finding a spot in the middle of nowhere, a random place that totally takes you by surprise and when you come out of it you feel ....happy.  

Pro's

-Friendly mom's and pop's service

-Pastor on spit in the AM thru lunchtime

-If you're friendly enough, she might give you the VIP treat

Con's

-Ninguno (none)

Taco's ~ $1.25

Los Compadres ~ 633 N. Spring St. Ste 8  Los Angeles, CA  90012

Pepe's Tacos ~ Culver City

Plan B:  Pepe's Tacos.  

What was Plan A?  Plan A was going to a place I spotted off Venice Blvd named El Charro.  After I parked my car and made the quick walk, I get to the front, look in, confusion hits, and kept on walking like I was going somewhere else. Hahaha what a douche.

Seriously, I looked in and it looked like a hybrid barber shop and bar, but instead of taps and drinnks against the wall, there was a small little stove and mini counter for prep.  I was like, "WTF is going on in there?"  I turn around and look in, and get a bit intimitated by the place...it reminded me of a spot we walked by in Mexico, touristy part of Mexico at that, and only locals were there, straight up MEXICANS ONLY.  I definitely need to rehash my Habla Espanol before I return.  Y voy a regresar.

Until then...it was plan B tonight.

Pepe's Tacos

Early in my taco blogging career, I visited this spot and was very very disappointed.  I vowed I would give them one more chance, because in the back of my heart I knew they could do better.  Coming here, I was hopeful for something good.  They almost delivered 100 percent.  

I was bit concerned after looking at the menu and finding out these taco's come at 1.39 a pop.  It went away when homeboy dropped this plate on my face.  The chips and salsa more than made up for the 15 cent increase per taco.  

*from bottom to top:  pastor, asada, carnitas

For some odd reason, while I was waiting for my tacos, I was hoping I'd hear that pssssshhhh! the sound of meat being cooked on a grill.  Of course, it never came.  Maybe I'm getting a bit spoiled having gone to so many legit-made spots in Mexico and LA where your food is cooked to order.  Sad, ignorance is truly bliss.  

The pastor was very unremarkable.  I felt like they heavily sauced the pork.  It was like they forced their pastor flavor onto my palate.  I didn't like it.  No means NO.

The asada was definitely a step up from the pastor.  And a very big step up from the last time I was here, where I found a huge peice of fat that took up about half the size of my taco.  Though they didn't reheat the meat, it still came to me hot, not piping hot, but hot enough to enjoy.  I found a couple of charred crispy peices so that was a nice little surprise.

Now the king of the show was definitely the carnitas.  I had a feeling this taco was going to be the best.  Last time I was here I enjoyed this taco because of the texture.  This time around, they really impressed me by bringing the consistency.  The carnitas came to me just the way I like...tender and juicy from sitting in a hot stew pot for long hours.  Ohh man that shit taste bomb.  I'm telling you, sometimes things just are better over time.  And slow cooked pork is one of those things.  

Overall, this place redeemed itself from the very low point I had them in my head.  Not "great" mexican food.  But definitely the type that keeps customers coming back for more.  I think if I ever find myself back here though, I'm gonna try something else..their menu is huge and I've read on Yelp.com that they have some serious Torta action.

Pro's

-Chips and Salsa included

-Friendly service

Con's

-No salsa bar

-They use already cooked meat.  They don't even reheat.... (I know, I'm getting picky now.  But hey, I've seen the other side, and I like it.)

Taco's ~ $1.39 ea.

Pepe's Tacos ~ 4582 S. Centinela Ave.  Culver City, CA  90066  310.391.8667

http://www.pepestacosla.com/

La Playita ~ Santa Monica

It doesn't get much better than dominating at beer pong, then walking to a local favorite for a victory meal.  The tourney took place during the day time, but night soon took over, as well as our hunger.  I was told that La Playita was close to where we were at, not any longer than a 5 min walk.  Stoked?  Hell yes.  I'm so used to driving drunk to get food that this was a nice welcoming back to California from Mexico, where I walked EVERYWHERE.  

LA PLAYITA

You gotta love little mexican stands like these.  You walk up, order your food, there's no tables so you basically stand and eat your meal with the rest of the patrons to the stand.  It's a no fuss, straight to the point food experience.  THE PERFECT "fast food" when you're drunk.  

I wish I would've known before hand that this place's specialty are their mariscos (seafood), because I wasn't so impressed by the quality of their meat's.  The pastor was seasoned in proper style, with a tender texture, but nothing I would talk twice about.  

I could say the same about their asada, which came to me a bit flavorless.  Maybe it was because my taco came drenched in their salsa roja.  On top of that, they barely added any onions and cilantro for complimentary flavor.  

This brings me to an important point about how I personally like my taco's.  If you've read my reviews before, you know I absolutely love it when taqueria's serve you your taco's bare, only the tortilla and meat.  The next, and VERY IMPORTANT part to the equation, is having a fully stocked salsa bar at your disposal.  You add these two peices and what you get is a customizable taco that you yourself build to personal liking.  

But hey, I was drunk and this food was great at the time.  If I really think about it, of course I'm going to be able to find things here and there to down the place.  To stay on this wave of positivity, I was able to get a bite of their shrimp quesadilla from Cori, which was excellent.  Also, Nikki ordered their mixed ceviche, and it was well received..."sooo good" to be exact.  

Speaking of Nikki, do you always order like this?  

Nikki Pays for Dinner from Rick Blanca on Vimeo.

Pro's

-Marisco's

-Quick preparation

-Big portions

Con's

-Not good if you're looking for a relaxing sit down

-No salsa bar

-Taco's are not their specialty

*click to enlarge menu

La Playita ~ 3306 Lincoln Blvd.  Santa Monica, CA  90405  310.452.0090

Taco Inn ~ Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City

So I am finally back on the wagon, as far as food blogging goes.  I've been goneskies for a couple weeks "living life" in Mexico, or to be more exact, area de Cancun...though we spent the least amount of time in Cancun itself.  I was gone for about 10 days, which went slow at times...and fast at times.  I was thinking about dedicating a whole post with pictures about the whole trip, but I'll leave that for notepad on personal usage.  

However it may be, I was able to muster up some energy and take a couple a' flickas for the blog.  A "couple" being the operative word.  We ate really good food at almost every meal, so I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to get more pics.  Seriously, it's hard to take pictures when you're having such a good time just "being."  

Ok, enough of the existential bit...time for the food pics.

TACO INN

After a short two hour flight which only served us a small tamal for a snack, I was excited to see the calibur of taco at mexico city's own international airport.  I ran into this place right after we landed for our 1 1/2 hour layover.  

Let me start out by saying it is a really REALLY good idea to, at the least, be able to speak and understand a little bit of spanish in this country.  Don't let the talk about how everyone here "speaks english" make you lazy.  It may be true to an extent, but you will be able to do a lot more just by having a basic understanding and speaking ability of the language.  

With that said, my first encounter of spanish interactivity happened here at Taco Inn.  Straight up, I felt STUPID.  I was barely able to order what I wanted, barely able to respond to the following questions about what I wanted, and to top that off, I payed with a pinche twenty dollar bill!  hahaha, what a gringo tourist, I thought to myself.  The problem about using the twenty was it took them 30 mins to get change for my twenty into pesos.  Good thing we had enough time till our connecting flight departure, or I would've had to bail on my cambio.  

*2 al Pastor y 3 Pollo taco's

Finally I get my food and this is what I see.  I was a bit displeased on the serving amount of pastor on my tacos, but I felt it was deserved after the fiasco that was me ordering food and getting change.  

I don't have much praise for this place, but I will say the taco's were satisfactory and what impressed me most about Taco Inn was their salsa bar and al Pastor that was cooked on a spit right in front where you order.  Once again, I'm a bit pissed at myself for not taking more pictures.  

Overall, this place is great as snack food in between flights.  Don't let the pictures fool you, the 5 taco's I ate left me a bit hungry still.  They are deceivingly smaller than what I'm used to here in the states.  

Pro's

-Pastor on spit

-Good salsa bar

-Easy menu to understand if you only know english

Con's

-Hard to order if you only speak English

-Small serving

-Using USD can be a bad idea.

Meal #2 :  2 pastor taco's, 3 pollo taco's and soda ~$ 89 Pesos = $6.50 USD

Taco Inn ~ Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City

La Taquiza ~ Los Angeles

La Taquiza is a place that makes me happy for starting this blog.  I probably would have never eaten here, let alone heard of this place, if it were not for this new hobby/obsession.  

So....it is my pleasure to introduce you to La Taquiza.

La Taquiza

The specialty of this place are their mulita's...  sorta like a cousin of the taco.  Think quesadilla but with the small tortilla's and any choice of meat.  But I didn't come here for these.  Next time though...they looked great, and everbody raves about em.

Oh, and before I go on, let me tell you another little secret. Their tortilla's are HOMEMADE.  Mmm mmm mmm.  So fresh, so good.

*al Pastor y Asada

Their asada has a very unique taste.  I have never come across this flavor before in my taco life.  I think they might have used a soy sauce or teriyaki as a base for their marinade.  It was good though, but different.  They cut the asada in thin strips so its not chunky like most other spots, and also has very tender texture with no charred or crispy edges to be found.  The taco's come with only one tortilla...it being homemade, they're able to stand up to its contents with no problems. 

After eating one of their pastor taco's, I was so amazed at how good they were that I ordered two more.  

SO.FUCKING.GOOD.  By far the best pastor I've tasted, thus far.  This is what this blogs all about people.  Finding the best of the best.  Coming across this taco was like finding the holy grail for me.  SO.FUCKING.GOOD.

They cook the pastor on a spit, right in front by the grill.  The flavor was the perfect balance of sweet, savory and spicy.  The slow cooking on the spit creates a juicy, tender texture because the juice slowly falls down the meat, basting itself with gravity.  The contrast between the tender juicy meats with the crispy charred edges was, quite simply, perfect.  I topped the taco's with onion's and cilantro, and added their salsa verde.  I didn't think it could get better, but adding the mild, cooling verde with the pastor turned my taco into something else.  Something really good.  

OK, enough of this crazy talk, time to move on to my sisters meal.

*Fish and Shrimp taco's

I didn't get a taste of the fish, but from what she told me, it tasted good.  3/5.  It seemed to have a higher proportion of batter than fish.  Not that good of a sign in my book.  The taco's come topped with cabbage, guacamole and sour cream.  

I was able to get a couple bites out of the shrimp taco.  It was good.  I'm not a big fan of shrimp so I'm not even gonna front that I know what I'm talking about.  But, it did taste good, and you know what,  that's all that matters.  

And now the conclusion...

I don't know where to start.  Home made tortilla's, al pastor on a spit, taco's came with no toppings, awesome salsa bar, friendly service....jeez, I think I might have found it.  The reason I was able to visit this place (La Taquiza is in downtown LA) was because I was catching a train to Visalia.  I'm currently here in Visalia now, and am heading back to LA this sunday.   Guess where I'm going when I get back?  

Pro's

-Homemade tortilla's

-Salsa bar

-Pastor on a spit

-Friendly service

-Big menu

Con's

-My sister noticed a lady sweeping the floor by the salsa bar...I'm not much of a germaphobe, but that can't be good having dust being swept up by food that people eat.

Taco's ~ 1.60

Fish and Shrimp Taco's ~ 2.65

La Taquiza ~ 3009 S. Figueroa St.  Los Angeles, CA  90007