Best Tacos and Filled Wraps in SM/LA

[starbuck3]

We will be doing a lot of shopping and site seeing and it would be great to have food like this to we are not sitting around too long plus we love this sort of food anyhow. Can you suggest some places that use good quality fillings - I dont mind paying extra for the best ones!

Also what ia a lataco?

Many thanks

[glutton]

Don't forget the taco trucks in Venice... there is one during the day on Rose, between Main and Lincoln, parked next to the self-storage facility. And there is another at nights parked on Lincoln, just south of Rose. Both are excellent.

Also, the ceviche at La Playita (Lincoln/north of Rose) is excellent, as well.

[barno]

if you're in the south bay, there is an out of the way place on artesia called las brisas....very unassuming, and the taco shells are original corn tortillas which they hand hold and cook in oil until hard, so they are the real-deal. the chicken is of decent quality as well, but the beef not as good as chicken, in my opinion.

[weirdboy]

I have to respectfully disagree on the recommendation for Las Brisas. It might have been a bad day for the chef (maybe he was out sick?), but the only time I went there I thought the tacos were awful. However, if you really are in the south bay, there's a little taco stand called La Cueva that was literally a hole in the wall on Artesia right across the street from South Bay Galleria, that has grown over the last couple of years. They have the best tacos I've had in the south bay.

[barno]

yeah, las brisas is just ok actually. thanks for the la cueva rec....i would also check out paco's taco's on centinela in west LA if you're up there...cross street is washington. good food, good service. usually crowded.

[ns1]

REAL taco's

El Rodeo Mexican Grill, a bit on the greasy side but damn tasty. Get their ceviche, excellent.
El Taurino - VERY good, hot sauce is amazingly spicy

HARD taco's
Tito's taco's is a hotspot, on the westside.

[kek is khmer]

Tito's Tacos- hahaha...Not laughing at your recommendation, I was just thinking of their commerical. Their tacos are sub-par (i kinda think taco bell makes better tacos) but a person has to try it atleast once in their life just to say that they have been there.
**The mexican food place next door makes a good papaya shake.

[ns1]

meh, to each his own. I would actually rather go to Chipotle or hell better yet get carne asada tacos, but for hard taco's I enjoy tito's.

[JBC]

El Super Taco (****) - West LA - 11923 Santa Monica Blvd. (3 minutes east of S.M. border)
A hole-in-the-wall in a mini-mall but in our local taco expert's opinion, the best tacos on the westside (He also gave Tacos Por Favor (****) mainly for one style they do).
http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/2006/12/el-super-taco.html

Wraps:
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You mentioned Tacos & Wraps together. Wraps that I've tried are often something like a Turkey sandwich with some extra salad condiments rolled together into a burrito shape using a thinner dough casing; however, they are rarely spicely unlike Tacos which are.

Your looking for "Quality" Ingredients and don't mind paying more for them.

Barg Sandwich (Wrap) (#22) - Marinated Filet Mignon (kabob grilled with some vegies - probably bell peppers, onions, ect.) rolled in bread with green salad (on the side, I think) - $15.95. Unfortuneately, they don't have this as a luncheon special where the nornal Filet Minon Barg is marked down to $9.95.

Shaherzad - Persian - A sit-down restaurant.
1422 Westwood Blvd., Westwood [phone]

Chicken Kabob Sandwich (#30) - Served with French or Persian (wrapped in) bread, Onion Parsley, Mayonaise, Pickel & Tomato - $7.25. I thought it was pretty good but would be better without the mayo.

Canary - Persian - A sit-down but very casual place with low-key ambiance.
1942 Westwood Blvd., Westwood [phone]
http://www.canaryrestaurant.com

Lamb Kabob Sandwich - Broiled cubes of Lamb with tzatziki, tomato & onion with a small greek salad $8.90. Not really a wrap since it comes in a pita. Really good when I've stressed I want it medium rare in the middle and they deliver. Too often restaurants featuring the cuisine from the eastern Mediterranean over cook their meat with robotic repition.

Delphi - Greek - Lunch menu - Another Sit Down but low-key.
1383 Westwood Blvd., Westwood [phone]

Panini Pressed Beef Kabob - Grilled cubed filet mignon, marinated with special spices wrapped in a sundried tomatoes pita, with onions, tomatoes & pickels $7.99. I have yet to try it?

Dunya's Kitchen - Pan-Mediterranean Cuisine - Very Informal in a mini-mall with parking.
2180 Westwood Blvd., WLA?Westwood [phone]

Beef Kabob - (#46 under Hot Sandwiches) - Beef kabob wrapped in "wrap" dough eaten with some enjoyable condiments $5.50 (add $2 for some fairly good fries on the side). I've had this many times and it's the ONLY place I've listed that has any spicy sauce (some tasty green stuff in a jar they keep hidden behind the counter) to enhance your meal.

Sunnin - Lebanese Cafe - A very small fast sit-down with a counter.
Some people have gone here and did not like it, but I always get their Lebanese Beef Kabob wrap/burrito and not what they've tried.
1779 Westwood Blvd., Westwood [phone]

If you like it with a some spicy heat, you better bring your own with you (Sunnin is the lone exception and for me, theirs could be a little hotter). I believe there is a Mexican Market in the same mini-mall as El Super Taco where you could pick some up. And yes, I've brought in my own hot sauce into a restaurant before.

[nosh]

Another thumbs up for El Super Taco, which is in the former Mama Voula's space a door from Monte Alban a couple of blocks east of Bundy. Tacos are on the small side but are freshly made and tasty, and only a buck, served with grilled onions. Their salsa bar has an orangeish habanero salsa (marked "extra hot"), a few drops of which added to the salsa roja kicks it up very nicely. I've noted that most of the patrons and takeout boxes are being filled with their tortas, made from a press.

The list of Persian and Lebanese places omits Shamshiri, which I've found to be superior to Sheherzad, particularly for its tart refreshing salad with diced cucumber, parsley and onion and freshly made bread. Shamshiri is also on Westwood Blvd, just north of Santa Monica Blvd.

[a_and_w]

Anyone tried the burritos at El Super Taco?

[mdpilam]

I had their burrito, and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't as high on their tacos, though I still thought they were good. Love the habanero salsa.

[a_and_w]

Cool! Do you recall if there were whole beans available, or just refried?

[ozhead]

Just refried. The burritos, in my view, are average to average-plus, but why go with anything but the tacos at a buck a shot? That means you get four tacos for the price of one burrito, and therefore you can try 4 different kinds of meat.

[yogachik]

As I replied on your post at tripadvisor, lataco.com is the website I referred you to, to find all the taco stands in L.A. In other words, L.A. Taco dot com.

You won't have to spend much to get a great taco, it's usually about $2 a taco. I like Tacos Por Favor on Olympic and 14th, which is close to your hotel, Fairmont.