The Great Taco Hunt

A guide to the Los Angeles taco scene

Westside
  • El Super Taco
  • Tacos Por favor
  • Tacos Chatos
  • Taqueria Chiahuahua
  • Don Felix
  • Garcia Bros
  • Tacomiendo
  • Baja Buds
  • Taqueria Estilo Mexico
  • Tortas a la Plancha
  • La Isla Bonita
  • Pili's Tacos
  • Taqueria Chiahuahua
  • El Poblano
  • Paloma Selestial
  • Angelica
  • Mario's
  • Taqueria Sanchez
  • Tacos La Flama
  • El Sembrador
  • La Playita
  • Tacos Junior
  • La Oaxaquena
  • Valentino's
  • Wahoo's Fish Taco
  • Rubio's
  • Mariscos Tatiana
  • El Hameca
  • Tacos El Pastor
  • Howdy's Taqueria
  • Fiesta Feast
  • Hollywood
  • Cactus Taqueria 4/5
  • El Matador 4/5
  • Casa Diaz 4/5
  • Siete Mares 3.5
  • Yuca's 4/5
  • Siete Mares 3.5
  • Antojitos Denises 3.5
  • Taqueria El Charrito 3.5
  • El Gran Burrito 3/5
  • Tacos Delta 3/5
  • Dos Burritos 3/5
  • Machos Tacos 2.5/5
  • Valley
  • Tacos La Fonda 4/5
  • Tacos El Zorro 4/5
  • Fiesta Taco 4/5
  • Rincon Taurino 4/5
  • Tacos Texcoco 4/5
  • El Taco Llama 4/5
  • El Sauz 3.5/5
  • Vallarta 3.5/5
  • El Big Taco 3.5/5
  • Taqueria Emanuel 3.5/5
  • Super Tacos Michoacan 3.5/5
  • Tacos Carillo 3.5/5
  • Hugo's Tacos 3/5
  • Taqueria Zapotlanejo 3/5
  • El Jaliciense 3/5
  • Carnitas Michoacanas#23/5
  • El Tapatio 3/5
  • Daniel's Tacos 2/5
  • Los Angeles
  • El Parian 5/5
  • El Pique 4/5
  • King Taco 4/5
  • El Taurino 4/5
  • La Taquiza 4/5
  • The Surfer Taco 4/5
  • Tacos Jeesy's 4/5
  • Carnitas Michoacan 4/5
  • Beto's Tacos 4/5
  • El Pecas #2 4/5
  • Leo's Tacos 4/5
  • Rudy's tacos 3.5
  • Tumbras a Tomas 3.5
  • Pepe's Tacos 3.5/5
  • Manny's El Loco 3.5/5
  • La Estrella 3.5/5
  • Tacos Celaya 3.5/5
  • Tacos Don Beto 3.5/5
  • El Taco Móvil 3.5
  • Tacos Taluca 3.5/5
  • La Tehuana 3.5/5
  • Leo's(W Adams) 3.5/5
  • Tacos Chapalita 3.5/5
  • Taco Zone 3.5/5
  • Vermont Taco Table 3.5/5
  • Mariela's Taco 3.5/5
  • Tacos Los Guichos 3.5/5
  • Tacos El Primo 3.5/5
  • Tacos El Gavilan 3.5/5
  • Tacos El Gavilan(2) 3.5/5
  • Chanos 3.5/5
  • Tacos Juanitas 3.5/5
  • El Quick Taco 3/5
  • Tacos El Tapatio 3/5
  • Rambo's Tacos 3/5
  • R&R 3/5
  • La Playita(LH) 3/5
  • Los Panchitos 3/5
  • El Jalapeno 3/5
  • El Jalisco 2.5/5
  • Rigo's Tacos 2.5/5
  • LAX Tacos 2.5/5
  • Burritos Sahuayo 2.5/5
  • Don Jose 2.5/5
  • Tacos El Unico 2.5/5
  • Tacos Mexico 2.5/5
  • Carmen's 2.5/5
  • Qué Ricos 2.5/5
  • Chabelita Tacos 1.5/5
  • Tacos Kimberly 1/5
  • Taqueria La Canada 1/5
  • East LA
  • 3889 E Chavez Blvd 5/5
  • Sergio's Tacos 4.5/5
  • King Taco #15 4.5/5
  • La Golondrina 4/5
  • Tacos El Korita 4/5
  • Los 5 Puntos 4/5
  • El Ranchito 4/5
  • La Que Si Llena 4/5
  • La Estrella(Boyle Heights) 4/5
  • Tacos El Paisa 3.5/5
  • Tanya's Tacos 3.5/5
  • La Flor De Sahuayo 3.5/5
  • Boca Del Rio 3.5/5
  • El Capitan 3.5/5
  • Antojitos Denise's 3.5/5
  • Mojica Tacos 3/5
  • South Bay
  • Tacos Don Chente 3.5/5
  • Taqueria Morelia 3.5/5
  • La Cueva 3.5/5
  • El Antojito 3/5
  • El Taco Loco #5 3/5
  • Tacos Por Favor
    Tuesday, November 15, 2005

    After making my yearly donation to the city of Las Vegas and having not had any tacos in over a week I needed to return to farmiliar territory. Now, I've grown up on the Westside but I've been everywhere man just like Johnny Cash. Everywhere in LA that is. But I've never had a taco with so much to offer to the palate than the chorizo and cheese tacos at Tacos Por Favor. From the al pastor carts in the barrios of east la to the taco trucks of highland park you may think you've tasted it all but unless you've had a chorizo and cheese taco from Tacos Por favor you havn't come close to taco utopia my friends.


    Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
    sizzled chorizo and gooey cheese

    On the outside Tacos Por Favor doesn't look like much but once inside it's quite a laid back taqueria. Two dining areas with wooden tables and chairs as well as a salsa bar with a marinated carrots, a pico de gallo, salsa verde and a salsa roja that rivals King Taco for heat factor.

    On the weekdays the lunch crowd can get pretty busy from the local business crowd and college students but on saturdays it's a pretty chilled out atmosphere with patrons in flip flops reading LA weekly mags and waiting for their fresh made to order mexican food. I usually go on a saturday and order 4 chorizo and cheese tacos as well as a pint of their deliciously flaming hot salsa roja. The salsa keeps about a week and I use it to spoon on carne asada I grill at home.

    As far as the chorizo and cheese tacos at Tacos Por Favor dont get crazy with the salsa roja. There is so much flavor already in the taco that I've found that only a drizzle of salsa is needed to complete the taco.

    Just have a cold beverage handy and sit back and enjoy the taste explosion.

    Image hosted by Photobucket.com
    Tacos Por Favor is at 1406 Olympic Blvd in Santa Monica. Tacos are $1.80 each. Mon-Sat 8am to 8pm closed Sundays
    posted by Bandini @ 1:39 AM  
    39 Comments:
    • At 9:37 PM, Anonymous gulpie said…

      glad to see you back and branching out on diff types of tacos. =) thanks for the tip on tpf. wanted to let you know that i did go to la estrella, and my taco partner liked the al pastor a great deal.

       
    • At 5:42 PM, Blogger Ellen Bloom said…

      Love Tacos Por Favor! Have you tried the chile relleno burrito! Perfection!

       
    • At 2:58 AM, Blogger Bandini said…

      ellen,

      havn't tried the chile relleno burrito.

      I've actually only had one chile relleno burrito and it was from Tere's on melrose and it was really good.

      i'll have to try TPF's version so I can compare the two

       
    • At 12:00 PM, Anonymous nosh said…

      I found Tacos Por Favor on this site and love it. Big meaty tacos, good burritos to go, and an amazingly deep, spicy, luscious salsa roja.

      Note -- A new menu just kicked in and most item prices are up a whole nickel.

      Beware -- The one Sunday I went was way below their standards for flavor, quality and quantity.

      Go during the week. I have become a convert and addict.

       
    • At 12:55 AM, Blogger Xericx said…

      I've bashed this place in the past, went back about a week ago....and Istill hold my previous opinion. I don't find anything that's good here. I had a variety of the tacos....previously I've tried the fish tacos. I just didn't dig the quality of the ingredients, the prep, the dining environments, and the tortilla...nothing good about this place for me. No Mas!

       
    • At 6:15 PM, Blogger eatdrinknbmerry said…

      bandini, do they prepare their carne asada tacos with gooey cheese too? not really into chorizo but i saw that you gave this place the highest taco ranking in your westside section. where would you suggest for best carne asada tacos? and also who offers the best CA tacos at a late time. thanks, i like tacos and i like this blog.

       
    • At 11:16 PM, Blogger eatdrinknbmerry said…

      Ok, I actually drove over to Tacos Por Favor to try out the Chorizo/Cheese taco and it was really good. The carne asada also had great flavor. I liked the al pastor taco the least. Will definitely go back.

       
    • At 6:29 PM, Blogger Bandini said…

      eatdrinkbemerry,

      only the chorizo come with cheese but i'm sure you could ask them to add cheese to any taco.

      Best carne asada tacos are at El Parian 1528 Pico Blvd 90015 . Best carne asada I've ever had.

      as far as a late night option can't go wrong with the El Pecas #2 truck at olympic and la brea 7pm to Midnight(later on the weekend)

       
    • At 2:13 AM, Blogger eatdrinknbmerry said…

      Bandini, have you tried the Rudy's taco truck on the corner of Venice/Cattaraugus? I heard they've been there for nearly 10 years and have even been featured on the news. $1.15 tacos, best i've ever had - juicy, flavorful. I went there TWO NIGHTS in a row.

       
    • At 11:45 PM, Blogger Bandini said…

      rudy's or rico's?

      there is a truck called rico's that is near venice and cattaragus

       
    • At 9:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Dear Taco Buddha,

      Thank you for your blog. Thank you for your Taco expertise. Thank you for introducing me to TACOS POR FAVOR!

       
    • At 12:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Coworkers and I have been to Tacos Por Favor for last 2 years hoping it will get better.
      Food quality and output is marginal, and inconsistent. It's food, but it's not amazing. Very heavy on the raw onions. Not as great as the write up says.

       
    • At 8:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Bandini, Fantastic site! I've been a loyal patron of Tacos Por Favor for quite sometime, but really never tried the chorizo and cheese tacos. I took your advice and ordered two earlier today! Absoultely fantastic! Thanks for the heads up, and keep up the great work

       
    • At 9:59 PM, Anonymous ryan said…

      ok - enjoyed it the first time and recently tried it a second time, making sure to order the chorizo taco based on your advice. i must say the chorizo was unlike any chorizo I've experienced elsewhere. it was incredibly flavorful. but most of all, it was a palpable meat substance vs. a ground, greased blotch (which it is most places, let's face it)...i condone your review wholeheartedly.

       
    • At 3:57 PM, Anonymous fastal said…

      I love this place! The chorizo & cheese taco is insanely good. Only complaint is how busy it can be.

       
    • At 12:41 PM, Anonymous Foodie Universe said…

      Just tried it last night. Smells like a real Mexican kitchen and the tacos put my former favorite taco place to shame!

       
    • At 2:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      ok...call me a snob...BUT what does a guy from L.A. (who maybe never left L.A.) know about good tacos???? Have you been south of the border? What are you comparing these tacos to?

       
    • At 8:26 PM, Blogger Bandini said…

      snob

       
    • At 11:36 PM, Blogger Mike A said…

      One can SAY anything about anything but the last word goes to the tacos. They speak for themselves. Taco Por Favor is one of the best. TacoGator

       
    • At 9:11 PM, Blogger spinachshark said…

      Breakfast critique:
      Huevos A (Huevos con Chorizo A++ sin duda)
      Burritos B (Breakfast burrito with your choice of meat or the Sanchez; fits perfectly in your cupholder so you can grub at red lights on the way to work; the morning slowness of Olympic near the 405 never tasted so good)
      Omelettes C

      9/10 octogenarians eat jalapeños with their breakfast

       
    • At 2:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      i just had lunch again at tacos por favor... a carne asada burrito.. it was awesome as usual... i gotta say, if king taco ever closes down, tacos por favor will be my favorite burrito ever!

       
    • At 1:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Thanks for the tip. BTW: The chile verde plate is excellent.

       
    • At 4:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      i see your finally back on the streets of LA thats cool. im still waiting for you to hit up the barrigones in south gate. im teling you theres not one meat that aint good at that place.most places have one or 2 god one this place has 7 great meats to serve you. some grilled onions. and lemons to compliment the plate. As a matter of fact im heading that way. but im going to tasste these chorizo and cheese tacos. they sound good?

       
    • At 12:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      TRY THE HARD SHELL CHICKEN TACOS!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I have to say- I think they taste best without the sour cream...almost as good as Juanita's in the Inland Emprire

       
    • At 2:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Not my favorite, but my LA native of many years wife insists they have the best carnitas she has ever had. And we have been to 100's of these Mexican restaurants.
      Where are the best hard shredded beef tacos? Where the shell are actually fried with the beef inside?

       
    • At 1:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      I went there with my coworker last week and I have to say I'm VERY disappointed. Maybe I ate at the wrong Tacos Por Favor on Olympic and 14th, but this place was three thumbs down. Their tacos my be a little bigger than your average taco, but they are way overpriced. Number one rule of a good taco joint is cheap (around $1...not $2 like most of their tacos). Number two is cheap neon lights advertising Tacos, Tortas, Burritos. Number three is a 1980's Zenith TV playing soccer televised en espanol. TPF broke all three golden rules. I should have bolted as soon as I saw a bunch of yuppies eating here. I ate two asada, one pastor, one chorizo. The asada was OK, but both the chorizo and pastor were dry like grandpa's skin in winter time. No grease was dripping from my tacos, what's up with that?!?!

       
    • At 5:42 PM, Anonymous wildeman said…

      whoever posted above is an imbecile. if you're put off by neon signs and telemundo then go to taco bell and get your crappy $.99 tacos and let the rest of us "yuppies" enjoy the best mexican food on the west side.

       
    • At 8:43 AM, Blogger Sheri said…

      Muchas gracias for such a great blog! We travel to LA quite often so I will check out some of your recommended joints.

       
    • At 2:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      Just went there for lunch...
      Chorizo and cheese tacos were great for the reasons already mentioned!

      Carna asada mediocre bordering on terrible as it was rubbery, and not very flavorful.

      Crispy shell Chicken tacos were also very good. Chicken was good - not amazing, but the crispy oily shell and generous helping of sour cream and guac more than made up for this minor shortcoming.

       
    • At 5:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      been to tacos please, and i wasnt pleased and its very exspncive, theres many better taco places close buy and half the price.actually me and a buddy of mine who are taco lovers agreed that taco please is in a good location to survive cause there food to be honest sucks..

       
    • At 7:55 PM, Blogger Brown Dolphin said…

      This place is good for its location. I work at fred segal and frequent it often. never had the chorizo taco's. but i will say one of my favorites is the milanesa torta. ohhh shit so good.

      ps - you've inspired me to do my own taco blog. thx bandini. you are the king

      labrowndolphin.blogspot.com

       
    • At 5:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      TPF- ask for a Veggie burrito WITH shrimp. Killah

       
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