Any thing worth eating in La Mirada.

[fred42]

Any thing worth eating in La Mirada.

We will be there for a few days and were wondering if there is any good food in this town.

[Oh Robin]

Almost forgot Juan Pollo! Valley View & Imperial, behind Conroy's. Great rotisserie chicken. The best in fact.

[gsdaniels]

Puffy Taco on Leffingwell, just West of Santa Gertrudes (next to a U-Haul).
Best...Ever...

[flyerfan182]

Puffy Taco is closed Sundays remember. I concur with Mocasalsa, best greasy mexican food fast. Get the Carne Asada Burrito, or if in the morning order the breakfast burritos

[Renault78law]

Hilarious - I had no idea so many chowhounders lived in La Mirada. I grew up in La Mirada (La Pluma Elementary anyone?). Mocasalsa is great, I like the flying saucer. Taco Nazo is a bit further outside of LM, but worth the trip. Also, I was plesantly surprised by the Cat in the Kettle Cup for faux fine dining. Taqueria de Anda is great for authentic tacos. Come to think of it, all those places are in La Habra...

[woojink]

It's actually Cat in the Custard Cup, and it's not bad at all. Pretty good in fact. Owned by the same family that owns El Cholo and the Cannery in Newport Beach.

[bernardo]

Owning and operating El Cholo is unforgiveable to this devotee of New Mexican chow

[woojink]

Then don't go. Not saying it's a terrific place. Giving info on the ownership group. Do you avoid Spago because of the mediocre fast food parts of the Puck empire?

[Das Ubergeek]

What's New Mexican chow got to do with it? El Cholo never pretends to be New Mexican food; the only place I know in the whole area covered by this board to get New Mexican chow is Anita's in Fullerton.

Unless you meant /New/Mexican chow/ as opposed to /New Mexican/chow/... in which case there aren't very many places either, and El Cholo isn't one of them.

[bernardo]

Well, let me put it this way, IMHO El Cholo & Anita's stink. La Seranata de Garibaldi, Enrique's, Taco Rosa & Taleo are edible but uninspired. Garduno's & El Pinto in Albuquerque & Casa Sena in Santa Fe are generally pretty good. Tomasita's, El Paragua & Maria's in Santa Fe area are interesting & usually excellent.

[Das Ubergeek]

Right. Well, I disagree with your assessment (except for El Cholo)... Anita's doesn't stink, it's just not excellent. We don't have New Mexico-style places here, there's little demand for them. If there were demand for the food posing as "Mexican" in Albuquerque, restaurants would open to serve the demand, so the fact that there's no restaurants means not enough demand.

Me, I bemoan the fact that nearly all the Mexican restaurants in LA are either geared to gabachos (Mexiglop combo plates) or a bit too "naco" (taquerias, etc., which are often excellent, but are not a "romantic date out" restaurant for any culture). Mexico City and Guadalajara have incredibly wonderful sit-down high-end Mexican restaurants with dishes not found in your standard taqueria/marisqueria. Yet we don't have them here. Maybe no demand, I don't know, or no chefs.

So, like we never tire of repeating to the New York pizza snobs, if you don't like it, book a flight or open a restaurant and solve the problem yourself.

[bernardo]

Personally, I'd rather switch than fight: Oodles of nice Italian and Asian in the Southland. But truth be told, when visitors from east of Rockies insist on Mex we acquiese and take them to either Taleo, Taco Rosa or Javier's, glossing over countless stinkers closer to our place in OC. If we're further south, Olamendi's in San Clemente offers decent moles and an open air format near the beach on PCH.

[britishsnob]

Geez I was hoping to find some decent grub in La Mirada too..gotta see a play there this evening and here you all are squabbling and recommending restaurants in another state!!! Thanks!

[Das Ubergeek]

So I take it you didn't read the rest of the thread? There have been dozens of suggestions. Or you can ignore them and complain about the lack of chow later, that's OK too, but we may mock you.

[glutton]

If you stick to the chicken fajitas with corn tortillas, then you'll be happy at El Camino. It's up Telegraph, across Florence, which is technically Whittier or Santa Fe Springs. If you go with something other than chicken fajitas with corn tortillas, then I cannot guarantee happiness.

[flyerfan182]

Your forgetting about Gondolas on Imperial and Santa Gertrudis. Another pretty good sandwhich shop is Mom's Subs on Valley View just past the 5.

Gondolas though is probably the best pick for pizza in the area. Ricardos is by far the best mexican in the area for their flour chips alone.

[Oh Robin]

Gondola's has great sandwiches. Try the "hot devil": meatball & sausage. I personally prefer Ambrose on Imperial & Valley View for pizza. Something about the free form slices. Also love their homeade ranch that tops the cheese covered side salads. For good order at the counter Mexican, Molcasalsa on Beach. Get the rolled tacos. Yum.

[DoctorQuality]

it's nothing exotic and a chain, but there's a red robin right off the 5 that has suprisingly good food.

[justagthing]

Endless baskets of fries, good burgers and chicken burgers are my favorite especially the One great chicken burger.

[jody74]

Another lifelong La Miradan sez : I agree on El Ranchito. It's great, affordable Mexican.

Another you shouldn't miss if you love steaks is Northwoods Inn. It's near the 5 and Firestone Blvd. It looks like a snow-covered log cabin outside and serves amazing steaks and this wonderful cheesebread. It's the kind of place where they give you peanuts and you toss the shells on the floor. Casual, but a little bit pricey. A steak will be about $25. The portions are HUGE, though. Easily split. Hope that helps.

[glutton]

I gotta be honest... I go to Northwoods frequently because I work nearby and a lot of co-workers choose to celebrate anniversaries there. I'm not a fan. They've got this cheese bread that people rave about. The first bite is tasty, but then you're so loaded down with grease that it starts to feel pretty gross. The portions are enormous, but not particularly high quality. It's definitely quantity over quality.

[bernardo]

Northwoods in Belmont Shores went out of bsns decades ago & deservedly so

[woojink]

Decades may be overstating it a bit. They have been closed for years, but less than 10. And it's Belmont Shore. Singular. Occasionally, specificity is a good thing.

[Local]

Gardunos...casual, good food. see attached thread for more discussion as well as comments re El Ranchito.

www.chowhound.com/topics/373935

Garduno's Mexican Food
14567 Telegraph Road
La Mirada
[phone]

[justagthing]

There's a good Korean BBQ called Lighthouse on Beach and Imperial (I think it's Imperial??). Anyways, I haven't eaten at this location as I am closer to the one in Garden Grove.

[woojink]

It is in the BIG retail/strip mall on Beach just south of Imperial. Sam's Club is one of the anchor tenants. Light Town House is in one of the multi-unit out parcel structures. I believe next to a nail salon, IIRC.

And, yup, it IS pretty good. There's another Korean place on Beach and La Mirada Blvd. (La Mirada Blvd. turns into Malvern Ave. at Beach Blvd.), can't recall the name right now, but it's in the same retail center as the Korean supermarket there. Again in one of the out parcel structures.

[justagthing]

you just reminded me that in that market is a food court with some other good korean choices

[jkao1817]

It is called Surah.

[MeAndroo]

I grew up in La Mirada and it can be tough finding good food there. Everything is so strip mall-ish. I usually went just outside for good food, like Taco Nazo on Beach/Leffingwell (I think) in La Habra, or Harbor Blvd in Fullerton for places like Heroe's or Stubrick's. In La Mirada proper, my favorite restaurant is probably El Ranchito on Beach...been eating their homemade tortillas since I was a kid.

Here's a little more discussion
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/37407...

[Das Ubergeek]

El Taco Nazo is at 121 S. Beach (just south of La Habra Blvd.) in La Habra, and well worth the short drive from La Mirada.