| Tacos La Fonda |
| Friday, September 22, 2006 |
 photo courtesy of Joshinthe818
The road to taco bliss is paved with good intentions. I opened up my big mouth and declared tacos zorro the king of the valley. This contention was challenged by someone who goes by the name of "the taco duder”. I recieved the cryptic note via email “ car wash - vineland and vanowen- tacos la fonda for the best tacos in the valley, not tacos zorro”
So I took up the challenge and rolled into east valley searching for the famed tacos la fonda.
When I got to the taco wagon a line was formed with a sweet senorita standing outside the wagon with a pen and pad taking orders. I ordered the trifecta- carnitas, asada, al pastor and a lime jarritos. The cooks chopped meats and flipped tortillas as the orders kept coming. It wasn’t too long before my plate of tacos were ready and to my delight each taco came with a single homemade corn tortilla.
Quite a few salsas to choose from with a salsa verde, salsa roja, pico de gallo, and even sour cream. I opted for the salsa roja which looked like it could bring the heat.
The meats were top notch. The carnitas soft and seasoned had the right amount of porkyness and the al pastor while not from a rotating spit was soft and peppered with a sweet and tasty glaze. The carne asada was chopped fine with a strong dry rub of tasty seasonings and lots of juicyness. But it's the salsa roja that takes these tacos to such great heights. The smokeyness, the spicyness, the bold flavors and the juices from the meats that swim together with the salsa to make such a flavoful broth for the tortillas hechas a mano to soak up.
The crisp grilled onions were delicious and a testament to the cooks attention to detail. When that much attention is given to the minor details you know alot of thought goes into each part of the taco.
So the taco duder got me. I admit it...these tacos are the best I've had in the valley so far and when considering the city as a whole I'm not sure there's a better taco out there. These tacos definitely belong in the discussion when it comes to the best tacos in LA.
tacos la fonda is at Vineland and Vanowen, San Fernando Valley
tacos $1.25 |
posted by Bandini @ 1:44 AM   |
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| 20 Comments: |
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mmm! looks great! looking forward to sampling these soon!
...but remember, amigo...Cheo's... :)
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...are they open for lunch or only dinner?
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Just received the latest "Los Angeles Magazine." There's a huge article on taco trucks!! Haven't had time to read it yet...
Ellen B.
Los Angeles
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Bandini - thanks for the "shout-out". Viva La Fonda.
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Is this a stationary wagon or does it only show up at night? Inquiring minds want to know!
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During the day this lot is a car wash so it's a night time truck only. Not sure of the hours.
ellen,
thanks for the heads up...looking forward to reading that :)
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Confirmed: these are some tasty tacos. Made the trek from the beach tonight, and it was a worthwhile trip.
Nothing like tortillas made right before your eyes...drool. And the self-serve "condiment" bar is a welcome feature. Excellent find, bandini.
I think these are my new favorite al pastor tacos; I put them in the same exalted company as Tacos Llama, King Taco, and El Taurino.
Their beverage selection was very limited tonight--Coke and another soda-type drink--so you might want to bring your own.
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This is one serious taco! Love La Fonda Taco Truck!
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Wow. Those are great tacos. The tortillas really make the difference between them and the other places around. The asada was awesome, and if you like chorizo tacos, La Fonda's kicks ass.
My two quibbles were that I didn't find the salso rojo very flavorful or smokey, and the pastor was a bit fatty. I couldn't help but think of what these tacos might be like with the salsa roja from King Taco or El Taco Llama. Those would undoubtedly be the best in the city, hands down.
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I went tonight, 10/10. Big vats of coconut and regular horchata set out. No chorizo tacos tonight. But the big three--asada, al pastor, carnitas--were the three best tacos I've had in LA. The carnitas were the best carnitas I've had in LA.
I had two more, so five.
I wanted five more.
GO TO TACOS LA FONDA!
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Does anyone know if La Fonda operates somewhere else during the day (including on weekends)?
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I posted a few days ago about (where I raved about the chorizo) and wanted to give a second opinion on La Fonda, since I went back last night.
By comparison to my first visit, the second was rather disappointing. No chorizo and the asada was pretty bland -- nothing like the flavorful beef I had only a few days ago. The tortillas were a bit gummy. On the flipside, the salsa rojo was much smokier and spicier than my first visit and the pastor less fatty. I also tried the carnitas for the first time. Although I'm not normally a big fan of carnitas, these were excellent.
I'm going to assume it was an off night for the asada and tortillas.
Also, I asked if the truck goes to any other locations during the day and was told that it is a nighttime only truck.
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The tacos were exceptional! Unfortunately, they were out of al pastor tacos by the time we got there. Wouldn't recommend the quesadillas as they are fried in a vat of oil for a ridiculously long period of time and aren't filled with much.
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So I decided a had to try this place out after reading about it here. First thing I noticed was that they serve the tacos on 1 tortilla and not 2 like most other places. I actually prefer this.
I sampled the asada, carnitas and al pastor tacos tonight. From my experience all were definately above average. The asada was my favorite, It was juicy, not dry, and had a great flavor with some great charred bits in there.
The al pastor taco was good, but not the best I have ever had. Finally, the carnitas taco. I'm not a big fan of carnitas, but I must admit that it was very tasty! Overall the asada is my favorite, I had to order 3 more after the first round of samplers.
Tacos were only $1 each tonight! Burritos/Quesadillas $4, Sodas $2. Their hours are 6p.m.-11p.m.
The soda selection tonight was limited. I bought a Sunkist Orange soda, and it had lost it's carbonation. So it might be a good idea to grab a soda from the 7-11 across the street. Or if you're a Horchata fan they had 2 big jugs that were freshly made.
I thought that the salsas tonight were excellent. The salsa rojo was smokey and had some good kick to it. However, my favorite condiment were their jalepenos. They roast the peppers and then spinkle some salt over them. Look for the ones that are a little charred, they are incredible. Enjoy!
-Romulan
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I had never eaten at a Taco Truck, before tonight, and now I am hooked. Tacos La Fonda was amazing. Based on what I had read, I ordered carnitas, al pastor, & asada, all three were great. I have to say I was a little nervous going to a truck parked in a car wash parking lot, to get food. Now that I have done it I will be going back many times. Thanks for the great advice.
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Ate there tonight and they were already sold out of the Al Pastor so I had 2 Carnitas and 2 Cabeza tacos.
The carnitas was excellent and yet the Cabeza was even more flavorful, not so much of a challenge to bite through like carnitas can be and the rojo with cabeza was perfect.
The fresh made tortillas were truly special and such a big difference.
Next time it will be Cabeza, lengua and maybe they will have suadero (rib meat)
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not sure if it was the same fonda, off of vermont n 7th. it was grub. my hands smell like cebolla. 7 outta 10.
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Tried these tacos last night and they were great. I splurged and even tried a Carne Asada Quesadilla which was amazing. I think the unsung hero of this Taco truck is the Horchata. Probably the best I have had at any taco joint. So good that alone it was worth the drive. Look forward to going back. The red salsa and the fresh tortillas make this place top notch on my list.
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mmm! looks great! looking forward to sampling these soon!
...but remember, amigo...Cheo's... :)