Taco Treat

Taco Treat
74 E Live Oak Ave
Arcadia
626-445-9240

I dropped in at Taco Lita for the first time in over six months. While I was eating, another group of people talked about Taco Treat, and they mentioned it wasn't that far away. A quick check of my GPS and it was about a mile or so away.

So I decided to give Taco Treat a try. Taco Treat has more items than Taco Lita; tostadas and fried burritos, but I wanted to see how their tacos stacked up to Taco Lita.





Beef taco, $2.00. The taco had lettuce, cheddar and jack cheese, and onions. The first thing I noticed about these tacos, was the shell just crumbled after my first bite. Then I noticed the dry, bland meat. At Taco Lita, you can taste the cheese, because they put a lot of cheese. At Taco Treat, you barely notice the cheese.

Not only is Taco Lita 25 cents cheaper, but it is a better taco.





When I was ordering, the guy asked me if this was my first time at Taco Treat. I told him yes. He said would I like to try their fried bean and cheese burrito, for free to first time customers. I said sure why not. I didn't take pictures until after ordering food, so there is no way he could have thought I was doing a review. So, I assume they offer a free fried burrito to all first time customers. The fried burrito is $3.50 on the menu.

A fried burrito is a chimichanga, but I guess calling it a fried burrito gives it character? Anyways I did like the light flakey outside, but there wasn't a lot of bean and cheese inside. It was mostly the tortilla. The small amount of bean and chese was pretty bland. The fried burrito was great, being that it was free, but I wouldn't order this again.

Service is very good. The guy who took my order was nice and friendly. But, I noticed the lady who made my tacos, never put the cell phone down, talking the entire time I was there, and while she was making the tacos.

Of the two Americanized taco stands in Arcadia, Taco Lita and Taco Treat. It's clear to me that Taco Lita is so much better than Taco Treat.

Casa Sanchez

Casa Sanchez
2264 S Mountain Ave
Ontario
909-983-2826

I must have passed Casa Sanchez, 100's of times, I've even reviewed two restaurants, Birrieria Moreno's and JJ's Fish and BBQ that about a mile north.

I was craving Mexican food and I finally decided to give them a try.





I got the wet chicken burrito, $7.25, chicken, beans, enchilada sauce. This was pretty good up to a point. The chicken was nice and tender and the beans well cooked. But it was a bit bland and Mexican food is not bland. The chicken tasted as though it was boiled and almost no seasoning. The red sauce enchilada sauce was pretty good, nice spicy good flavor. But they sauce shouldn't cover up the lack of seasoning for the inside of the burrito. I did like the large amount of sour cream they put on the side. The sour cream added a cooling affect to the enchilada sauce.



But as I came to the last quarter of the burrito, there were some tough stringy in my mouth. You can see them in the above picture. At first I thought it maybe the corn husks used to make tamales. But I told the server and she said they were dried up pieces of chicken. Almost like chicken jerky.

Not good and certainly something that made an average burrito, below average.

Service was pretty good. The server was nice and friendly and helpful.

I would not go back to Casa Sanchez again, even if the chicken jerky was in my burrito. There are a ton of other Mexican restaurants, where I can get a much better burrito.

El Rey

El Rey
4547 Riverside Drive
Chino
909-590-0129

A friend told me that El Rey has the best tacos and burritos in Chino. She was bragging about how great and cheap everything is at El Rey. So I decided to see for myself. Now I compare all tacos places to Taqueria De Anda because they have great tacos at great prices.

Well first thing I noticed was El Rey's tacos were $2.09. A bit pricey I thought. Ok I haven't been to Taqueria De Anda in over three years and I understand prices have gone up everywhere. But tacos for $2.09? And these tacos weren't that good. The tacos just come with meat, there is a large table of salsa and a few other veggies to top your tacos.

I got the chicken and carnitas tacos. The chicken was very interesting because the were onions and peppers in the chicken, like a fajita. But the chicken was dry, lacked flavor and just not good.

The carnitas tacos was the same; bland and flavorless.

I got a carne asada burrito, $5.99, with beans, rice, clinatro, and a good amount of tough, chewy, carne asada. The carne asada was so tough and chewy, it might as well have been beef jerky. It may have been good when it first came off the grill but it had been sitting on the steam tray for way too long. This burrito was just OK, nothing great and pricey!!

Service was OK. The girl was pretty nice when I got there and looked a the menu. But when I took my order she was a bit standoffish and really a bitch. But then when I was waiting for my food, I asked the cook what meats were on the steam table and he called that young woman over. When I asked what meats were what, she was nice and friendly.

I would not go back to El Rey again. The food is below average and a bit pricey. Give me Taqueria De Anda anytime!!

Chronic Cantina-Costa Mesa-Closed

Chronic Cantina
1870 Harbor Blvd,
Costa Mesa
949-646-BAR.

Want to go to a restaurant that has average food and music blasting, go to Chronic Cantina in Costa Mesa.

Chronic Cantina turns into a club after 9pm on Saturdays. It's very loud and dark in there and it makes it hard to enjoy your food. I would describe Chronic Cantina as a El Torito. Nothing special about it.

I ordered the carne asada chimichanga burrito, $7.99. The burrito has carne asada, rice, beans, cheese, onions, and lettuce. The carne asada wasn't the most flavorful, lean or flavorful. There were plenty of pieces with fat and grissle. Not good. I've had leaner more flavorful carne asada at hole in the water Mexican places for less or the same price. I did enjoy the nice flakey flour tortilla. That was the best part of the chimichanga.

Service was OK. The server was nice and attentive. But she didn't come by often to refill drinks and she never asked how the food was.

I would not go back to Chronic Cantina again. I don't need to drive to Costa Mesa to get average Mexican food. Plus I don't need to have music blasting in my ears while I'm eating dinner.

Javier's-Irvine

Javier's
45 Fortune Dr.
Irvine
949-872-2101

I've heard so many things about Javier's at the Irvine Spectrum, I decided to try it. What I found was an overpriced, very Americanized, poor service Mexican restaurant.

I got the Chimichanga de maricos, $18, filled with Dungeness crab, shrimp, and cheese in a deep fried flour tortilla. Now this had a decent amount of crab and shrimp but it wasn't worth $18. I realize that crab and shrimp are expensive but the chimichanga could have been bigger. This was good but nothing outstanding.

I hate going to Irvine. It's filled with suburbans wannbe yuppies. I hate the fact everybody looks the same, dresses the same, and acts the same, like a jerkoff from OC. I went to the hostess to get a table, I happened to be with a white girl and she was right next to me. I asked for a table for two. She said "I can seat you right now." Cool I thought. Then she says "Is everybody in your party here, right now?" Hello stupid, she's standing right next to me. Then we sit in the patio but the server is terrible. It took forever to even get menus. Though she took our drink order quickly. She brings us our drinks but still no menus. We finally get the menu and we wait again for her to take our order. Our food comes fairly quickly but we don't get refills on water and drinks, she never bothered to ask how the food was. She even took a long time to get the check.

I would not go back to Javier's again. What a terrible experience with the service. Food is OK but nothing great and not worth the high prices.r

El Atacor #8

El Atacor #8
6506 Whittier Blvd
East L.A.
323-832-9263

After going to El Atacor #11, I did further research and found that I've driven by #2, #7 and #8 all the time along Whittier Blvd. We decide to go to #8 and give those potato tacos a try.

I ordered the three potato tacos with rice and beans for $5.29 and the super burrito (AKA porno burrito) for $5.95.

The potato tacos are deep fried tacos filled with potatoes. The corn taco shells are very cruchy and the potatoes are mashed but you don't really taste them. While I was eating this taco I was thinking this kinda of reminds me of a Tito's taco. It wasn't my thing but I wanted to try it.

The Porno burrito was a little better than the #11 location, not as much fat, not as chewy. They used better meats but it's still not the top quality meat you find at other taco stands.

Service was good. The guy behind the counter was nice and friendly and spoke very good English. This El Acator is basically a take out place but they do have some tables outside.

I'm not going to try #2 or #7 but I get the general idea of El Atacor. It's cheap eats. The quality isn't top notch but it's OK. I would much prefer though to go to El Gallo Giro or King Taco and get a better quality burrito.

El Atacor #11-Closed

El Atacor #11
2622 N. Figueroa Ave
Los Angeles
323-441-8477

Porno Burrito. Potato taco. What are these? They are the items that made El Atacor famous or is it infamous?

The porno burrito is just a huge burrito, made with your choice of meat, I got the carne asada, beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, and lettuce all for $5.99. The burrito comes wrapped in foil. It's good but the carne asada isn't the best. It has a lot of fat and is tough and chewy. I'll give you a guess as to why they call it the porno burrito.

Service is good. The lady working behind the counter speaks English very well and is very helpful, she answered all my questions.

The general idea for El Atacor is cheap eats. You're not going to get the best quality meat. It's OK but doesn't come close to the quality of meat at El Gallo Giro or King Taco. Don't expect much and you'll be happy.

El Tepeyac Cafe

El Tepeyac Cafe
812 Evergreen Ave
LA
323-268-1960

The Manuel Special Burrito. Most people will known what that means. It's one of the biggest burritos I've ever seen. Named after the owner, the burrito must be five pounds. It feeds four to five people easily.

I ordered the pollo (chicken) Manuel burrito for $20. To go orders are priced a little more because of the costs of the packing materials. I mean you just can't put this burrito in those regular containers.

The burrito is good. There is a ton of white meat chicken, beans, rice, and guacamole inside the burrito. But was the best burrito ever? No. It's good, Mexican comfort food. The draw of the Manuel burrito is the size. Some people have eaten the entire burrito by themselves. But most people will split the burrito and for about $5 a person, the burrito is very good.

El Tepeyac is also known for their Hollenbeck burrito, which is just a smaller version of the Manuel.

Service is good. The server speak English very well and are very nice and friendly. The area is fine. Of course you won't see this area on post cards but I never felt any kind of danger and I went there at 9pm on a Friday night. El Tepeyac has a parking lot right next door. Nothing happened to my car when I was there.

They are building the Gold Line extension from Union Station through this area. So getting to El Tepeyac is a little tough, coming from the 60, as many roads are either closed or have reduced lanes due to construction. The construction is set to be completed by 2009.

I would go back to El Tepeyac if I was in the area. I wouldn't make a special trip just for El Tepeyac but if I'm going to downtown LA, I would stop by and eat here.

J & S

J&S
887 Garfield
Montebello
323-725-8106

Driving on the 60 freeway going to LA, I've must have passed by J & S tons of times. I finally decided to give them a try. J & S was probably started as a burger stand and as the area and ownership changed, they added Mexican items.

I got the meat burrito for $3.25 and the cheeseburger for $2.70. The beef burrito was filled with shredded beef. It reminded me of sloppy joe's with shredded instead of grounded beef. The burrito had just the right spices and was very good. Better than some Mexican restaurants I've been to.

The cheeseburger was pretty average. Nothing outstanding about it. The burger was dry and lacked any flavor. The burger patty was also very thin and considering the price, not worth it.

Service is slow. The people are nice and take your order quickly. But they don't speak much English and it would help if you knew Spanish. But it takes forever to get your food after placing your order. You could go get gas at the corner and come back and still have time to call listen to the over the hill Vin Scully making one of his hundreds of errors while calling a Dodger game.

I would go back to J & S but I would stick to the Mexican fare. The burrito are great. The burgers leave a lot to be desired.

El Pollo Fino-Closed

El Pollo Fino
801 Whittier Blvd
Montebello
323-887-9908

El Pollo Fino is an interesting combination of chicken place and taco stand. The chicken is a copy of El Pollo Loco but at better prices. The half chicken, $4.78, is marinated in plenty of lime and Mexican spices. The chicken is flamed broiled earlier, kept warm and when you order it is put back on the grill. The skin has a very nice flavor from the marinate. But the chicken is on the dry side and not exactly the biggest chicken around either. Is it better than El Pollo Loco? Yes but that's not saying too much.

The carne asada burritto has beans, rice and onions for $3.91. There isn't as much carne asada as other Mexican places that I have reviewed. The carne asada was also very tough and not tender, very chewy. The beans and rice are nothing special or outstanding. Overall the burrito is nothing special.

Service is OK. It's not great and it's not bad. But I ordered a bottle of Coke and asked if the Coke was made in Mexico. Here's a tip, Coke made in Mexico is much better than the Coke made in the US. In Mexico they use real sugar, not that crap sweetener they use in the US. He said he wasn't sure. I asked him to go check the bottle to make sure. He just stood there. I asked him again. Again he just stood there. I asked him a third time and he finally went to the cooler to see if the Coke was made in Mexican. Now it's only a $1.55 item but that's $1.55 they wouldn't have had. I normally do not drink soda but if I do I'll drink Coke and not that second rate cola. And I prefer Coke made with real sugar!!! Though I still do hold a grudge against Coke for making that New Coke crap back in 1985.

I would go back to El Pollo Fino if I'm in the area but I wouldn't make any special trips.

Los Sanchez

Los Sanchez
11906 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove
714-590-9300

Los Sanchez used to be on Harbor, near Orangewood for 27 years, until the city of Garbage Grove whored themselves and allowed a much needed hotel to be built when Los Sanchez used to be. If that sound like it's happened before, you're right. They torn down Belisle's, a great restaurant that used to have huge portions and is older than Mickey and Minnie's house so that Outback Steakhouse and a hotel could open up.

But unlike Belisle's, Los Sanchez has been able to reopen. Los Sanchez closed down in February but reopened at this new location about three weeks ago. They are known for good prices and huge portions.

I ordered a carnitas burrito with beans and cheese for about $5.00. The menu price is $4.50 and cheese is 35 cents extra. They are called super burritos because they are huge, as you can see in the picture. They are stuffed with carnitas, beans and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. I didn't like the carnitas as much because they were boiled with little flavor or spices, just too bland for my tastes. I have had their carne asada taco and burrito before and it was very good, with good flavor and spices.

Service is good and fast. The people are very nice and great you warmly. They want to make sure your experience is a good one. Lines can by long but they move fast, as they will have 3-4 cashiers taking orders. The restaurant is very clean and there is somebody always walking around clearing off tables.

I would go back to Los Sanchez but I would not order a carnitas burrito.

El Gallo Giro-Santa Ana

El Gallo Giro
1442 S. Bristol
Santa Ana
714-549-2011

I don't go to many Mexican restaurants. But when I want Mexican, I almost always go to El Gallo Giro in Santa Ana. They have good quality food at good prices. But the service can be and is slow most of the time.

I ordered a carnitas burrito and asada torta for $10.11.

The burrito has rice, beans, cilnatro, and of course the carnitas. The day I went and took the picture, the amount of meat wasn't as much as the couple times before. The meat was pouring out before tonight the meat was about a quarter of what they usually put on. But the carnitas is awesome, very tender and cooked to perfection. They put a little too much cilantro for my tastes.

The asada torta was very good, with fresh avocado, cheese, tomato, lettuce, beans and mayo. The fresh avocado really enhances this torta. It was great. The meat is usually good but again tonight the asada was tough and overcooked or it was in the warmer for too long.

At the Santa Ana location, there is one line for to order the torta and another line to order tacos, burritos etc. That can be confusing and most of the workers there speak little English, which can add further to the confusion. But most people there are friendly enough to help you. The great thing about the Santa Ana location is they are open 24 hours!!!

I do like going to El Gallo Giro but it wasn't up to it's usual standards tonight. I would go back but I want to go to their new location in Long Beach, on Long Beach Blvd and PCH.