Tito’s Tacos, founded in 1959, is first and foremost a nostalgia trip. No one is going to tell you Tito’s has tacos that are going to impress a discerning chef. That’s not the point. Read more.
Solid, workmanlike tacos. A small hill of tender, grilled steak lay on the doubled-up corn tortillas. Dressed simply with diced onion, cilantro, fiery red salsa, and a generous squeeze of lime. Read more.
All the tacos—carnitas, pastor, and salmon—are solid, but the fish—nicely charred grilled salmon, delicate and flaky, enshrouded in warm, soft corn tortillas—stands out in the crowd. Read more.
Chef Wes Avila makes tacos that are unlike any you’ve had before. Try the sweet potato with feta and scallions ($4), the crab with guajillo chili [$12 for an order of three], or spicy wild boar ($5). Read more.
The tortillas are handmade and thicker than normal, but they are wonderfully moist. The tender chicken and subtly chocolatey mole is complemented wonderfully by a potent red salsa served on the taco. Read more.
Even though Tacos Leo opens at 9 a.m., the good stuff usually doesn’t come out until after dark. That's when the huge pork spit (on which a pineapple is perched), is fired. Read more.
Yucatán-style pork is particularly good. Wrapped in a banana leaf and slowly roasted, it has a slightly citrus-y taste. Equally good is the asada, generous chunks of grilled steak with pico de gallo. Read more.
Ricky’s Ensenada-style fried catfish tacos are among the best in town. The fish is crisply coated in a light and magically greaseless jacket of batter; the fish within is remarkably tender. Read more.
Get the potato tacos, or tacos de papas: creamy, airy, whipped potatoes held by a fried tortilla, pinched closed like a clamshell. They’re smothered in crema and salsa verde. Read more.
As at Leo’s, pastor is king here. Delicate slices of slightly charred reddish pork are sliced from the ever-rotating spit and layered onto tortillas with a little chunk of pineapple. Read more.
The potato and chorizo tacos ($9 for an order of two) are unbelievably tasty: steak fry-like wedges of well-seasoned potato mixed with perfectly greasy chorizo, lightly sprinkled with cotija cheese. Read more.
Order your $1 tacos (Lengua is the best, imo, but asada and pastor are pretty good, too) and get the taquero to toss some cebollitas on the plate. They’re a mouthful of tender, fat caramelization. Read more.
Here’s something for you vegetarians out there. The nopales have the flavor of a mild pepper and a pleasing texture; ever-so-slightly slimy like a piece of fresh okra. Read more.
The al gobernador is the winner: juicy, grilled shrimp layered on a tortilla with a thin layer of melted cheese. The taco is covered in a piquant, onion-y tomato sauce and covered with avocado slices. Read more.
The tacos themselves? Not bad at all. But this place is worth visiting once just to see what East-siders go for when they want something fast, easy, and reasonably approximating actual Mexican tacos. Read more.
