good tortillas (corn) near the westside?

[ceviche]

hi everyone,
are there any good corn tortilla options in the palms, pico robertson, culver city areas? i'm getting sick of the stale guerreros from the grocery store, and i've found the trader joes handmade tortillas to be inconsistent and prone to overdrying.

if there isn't anyplace good near the westside, anyplace between la cienega and downtown along either pico or olympic would also work. thanks!!!

[Moose]

I posted a similar thread about a year ago and got similar responses. Unfortunately, nothing came back that was either new or better than the options I was aware of. That's all behind me now, as the only place I will buy tortillas is at the Top-Valu on Inglewood Ave S of Washington. It's a similar operation as the Vallarta markets in the valley, so the tortillas are made fresh that day, and more often than not are still warm. WAY better than Gallegos, IMHO.

[Jase]

2nd this. This is where I get my tortilla's for my daily breakfast tacos. Inexpensive and fresh. The hot foods section is also decent in a pinch if you want a quick take home dinner. In fact, I've done a rotisserie chicken and pack of the tortillas for a decent fast and inexpensice meal. Either that or the cemitas from the truck parked outside on Inglewood.

[Dommy]

3rd... I like the tortillas they churn out better than my previous old standby, Gigante (Now El Super), they also have Chile Flavored tortillas which are YUMMY!!!

--Dommy!

[ceviche]

thanks for this rec. i'll be trying out their tortillas as soon as possible!

[ceviche]

i finally got a chance to go to Top-Valu and got a pack of tortillas while i was there. they had that "steamy" look on the inside of the bag which suggests they were recently made. still a little warm, but not super warm.

they were very good! thanks to everyone who recommended their tortillas!

the first two that i heated up were actually a little soggy (not dry enough for my taste) because i had gotten used to leaving the comal on very low with the supermarket guerrero tortillas i'd been using. once i turned up the flame for the next couple it was all good.

my wife's co-worker lives in South LA and has promised to bring me tortillas from a tortilleria near her house. supposedly during Christmastime the tortilleria has people lining up overnight to buy masa for tamales!

[Das Ubergeek]

Gallegos Deli in Santa Monica. They used to be on Colorado and Euclid (or 12th), but I know they moved and they're still in SM.

[Frommtron]

Near enough. They're on Venice in Mar Vista now. They do good work there.

[nosh]

Gallegos is located on the south side of Venice Blvd, in a strip mall a block or so west of Centinela. I didn't know they made their own tortillas.

[Burger Boy]

They used to make their own, I believe they sold the machines and buy from the people they sold to who follow the same recipe. Their tortillas make the BEST damn tortilla chips. They also have handmade tortillas.

[Bria Silbert]

You might try this mexican market (I think it actually is called Mexican Oaxaca Market) on the corner of McLaughlin and Venice Blvd. (McLaughin is what Barrington is called when you go south towards Palms).

They also have wonderful, authentic Oaxacan cheese - puts string cheese to shame!

[Frommtron]

I *think* you're thinking of El Camaguey. That's a good market if you are but I'd avoid their masa. Very limey . . . the chemical, not the fruit. Blech. The housemade chorizo is very good though and their lard (ask for it at the butcher counter) is wonderful.

[ceviche]

i just went to el camaguey on friday for the first time and i happened to get some of their homemade chorizo. it's definitely good! i made chorizo & cheese tacos similar to the ones at Tacos Por Favor and they came out quite tasty. unfortunately their cheese selection is really limited. they only have one brand behind the counter. :-(

do they sell masa? all i saw when i was there were the guerreros they sell at supermarkets.

[ceviche]

i just checked google maps, and it looks like el camaguey is on the opposite side of the 405 as venice & mclaughlin.

[Frommtron]

Yum.

Oh. Well it looks like we've got another market to check out per Bria's suggestion. Now that you mention it, I think that I've driven past this place a bunch of times. It may have it's name painted on the streetside wall of the building in big block letters. Either way, worth a shot if they have a nice Mexican cheese selection.

Yes, El Camaguey sells masa in the refrigerated case near the register. If you'd like to try it, just ask the cashier and she'll point it out if it's in stock. It just tastes awful to me though. I actually prefer Maseca in every way, and that ain't saying much. I've tried it 3 times too so I'm either very unlucky or right about the stuff.

[Burger Boy]

Not if you get real string cheese, try the string cheese at Partamian's on Adams, be sure to get the straight kind. Do not get the twisted one.