Mexican recs

[Lau]

Hey - a friend of mine is going to LA and needs mexican recs, but i'm dated on what's best these days since i live in NY. He's looking for anything that's good doesnt matter if its a nice place, a taco truck whatever.

Any help would be much appreciated

[westsidegal]

for seafood prepared in the style of Nayarit and Sinaloa, the place to go is
Mariscos Chente's/ Coni'Seafood
310-672-2339

3544 west imperial highway
inglewood ca 90304

they serve seafood only, no meat dishes
the shrimp dishes are served with the tails peeled but the heads are still on.
i've loved all the shrimp dishes i've tried there.
no beans are served but the sauteed shrimp dishes come with rice.
the fish dishes i would recommend are:
pescado zarandeado , a whole, butterflied, barbecued snook (priced by weight of the fish)
mojarra frita, whole, scored, deep fried tilapia
both fish dishes are served bone-in and heads-on.

the shrimp coctel is served in the mexican style --beheaded, cooked, and peeled small shrimp served in a shrimp broth.

[Lau]

interesting never heard of it and im always excited to hear about things ive never heard of!

[westsidegal]

be aware, they close early, 8pm, most nights.

[Lau]

westsidegal - i looked it up on yelp (pics look great btw), is this one the same as the one you talked about? b/c this one might be easier to get to and they list two on yelp (plus i want to try this place now)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mariscos-chente-los-angeles
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mariscos-chen...

[westsidegal]

NO IT IS NOT THE SAME
go to the west imperial highway location ONLY.

(the centinela location is now being controlled by completely different people: the chef, the waitstaff, everyone is completely different.
the centinela location just had ANOTHER complete change in staff very recently. i've heard that the last crew walked out en masse)

you want to go to the ONE location at which SERGIO cooks, the ONE location that Los Angeles Magazine dubbed the best mexican food in LA: the WEST IMPERIAL HIGHWAY location.

[Lau]

ah thanks, i looked at their website and they only listed the centinela location so i figured there might be some difference

[Peripatetic]

Also, as WSG always warns, call ahead to make sure Sergio is there that night.

[Lau]

ok thanks for the advice, im going to go try it for lunch when i come back for christmas, looks so damn good in the pics

[Burger Boy]

So I should go to the one on IMPERIAL HIGHWAY! Is that correct???

[westsidegal]

absolutely correct.

310-672-2339 (i call before i go to make sure that sergio is cooking)

3544 west imperial highway
inglewood ca 90304

basically the place is on the southeast corner of west imperial hwy and Yukon.

d'ya think i'm a little bit devoted to the food served at this place?

[ns1]

"d'ya think i'm a little bit devoted to the food served at this place?"

almost a shill ;)

[westsidegal]

far beyond a shill: a fanatic.

[Clyde]

My favorites are Cacao Mexicatessan in Eagle Rock; Loteria Grill in the Farmers Market, Ricky's Fish Tacos (yes, i finally tried it! though i do like the guy at Atwater FM a tiny bit more for his toppings), and also places like My Taco in Highland Park, El Hurache Azteca in Highland Park... Tons of options with lots of different opinions about which is best but these are my personal favorites. Also it should be noted that I'm fish only; so if there's an amazing carne asada out there i'm not going to know about it.

-----
Loteria Grill
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

My Taco Restaurant
6300 York Blvd Ste 4, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Ricky's Fish Tacos
1400 N Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[Lau]

ah thanks! i totally forgot about ricky's

[echoparkdirt]

Agreed about the barbacoa at My Taco and the huaraches at Huarache Azteca, both in HP.

I am also a fan of Border Grill in Santa Monica.

-----
Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

El Huarache Azteca
5225 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

My Taco Restaurant
6300 York Blvd Ste 4, Los Angeles, CA 90042

[A5 KOBE]

To me Border Grill has gone downhill in quality and uphill in price.

-----
Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

[latindancer]

Tried this for the first time in a few years.
What happened to Border Grill?
Has it gone downhill or have my tastes changed?

[ipsedixit]

Chichen Itza and Babita.

-----
Chichen Itza
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

[Lau]

awesome thx!

[carter]

Really enjoy Babita's take on dining, as opposed to being somewhat singularly focused on one or two items in a fast food format.
Nice wine list also.
Elba & Roberto are also extremely nice.

[ipsedixit]

I agree with carter re: Babita.

Just be warned, Lau, that dining at Babita can best be described as a very leisurely experience for those who believe watches are worn as fashion statements and not utilitarian pieces.

[Lau]

haha ok thx

[Dommy]

Beautifully put! :)

[A5 KOBE]

If you are up for a drive, my favorite taqueria is Carnitas Los Reyes in Orange. All the meats are great and the refried beans are the best I have had. Chicharron is probably the best meat there and it is my favorite.

-----
Carnitas Los Reyes
273 Tustin Ave, Orange, CA 92866

[Lau]

ah well normally im in OC when im in CA, so ill def keep in mind

[Porthos]

No need to go to LA for mexican. Plenty of good stuff down here in OC. My current favorite is Trejo's Mexican on Beach in HB. The carnitas and barbacoa combo platter to start. Barbacoa on Saturday and Sundays only. Get there around noon.

Then, any one of their delicious pork of beef stews to finish or take home for later. They have birria de res, chile colorado, chile verde, and my current favorite some kind of pork rib/neck bone soup in a red chile sauce. Awesome.

[Porthos]

adding link

-----
Trejo's Mexican Food
17436 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647

[Lau]

hey porthos - yah this isn't for me, part of the reason im dated on LA mexican is b/c if i go to LA its not for mexican, the mexican food in OC is very good so ive been happy with what ive found

haven't been to trejo's though, so ill check it out next time im home

[cdub]

el parian for birria

[Grog]

Check out Guisados in ELA.

http://guisados.co/

-----
Guisados
2100 E. Cesar E Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033

[bg90027]

Yes...love their tacos.

[FranklinJefferson]

Such an incredibly wide range of Mexican food available here...
Is StreetGourmetLA available to chime in?

[westsidegal]

maybe he is still abroad?

[Porthos]

I'm not saying this is the case with StreetGourmetLA (and I just learned this recently), but apparently, some posters will refuse to post if requested by name. Just FYI.

[johnnyshungry]

L.A. has tons of great mexican.
As far as mexican with a full bar I've had trouble.
Malo in silverlake is by far not the best but it's the best in the silver lake area, Sonora style food , total hip vibe and would be a fun spot on vacation.
Happy Hour is fun 6 bucks beer and shot of tequila, The tacos are very much what I grew up with, fried shell. J
Had brunch on sunday Chicken Pozole hit the spot.
service is very l.a.
www.malorestaurant.com/

-----
Malo
4326 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

[wienermobile]

I love Ricky's Fish Tacos. Really good. Best fish taco in the city. Always check his twitter first to make sure he's open as hours and days can very.
http://twitter.com/#!/rickysfishtacos

-----
Ricky's Fish Tacos
1400 N Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[Lau]

thx thats helpful

[WildSwede]

I had a delicious Torta Ahogada a couple of weeks ago. This location was in Pico Rivera, on Washington less than a mile west of the 605 freeway. This location just recently opened, but my friend tells me they have other locations. Spicy, deliciousness!! Chago Ahogadas.
Also, I agree wholeheartedly with the Babita recs. Amazing.

[scottca075]

Guelaguetza Restaurant (Koreatown), El Compadre (Echo Park), La Serenata De Garibaldi (East LA), Juanita's Restaurant (Highland Park), La Parrilla Restaurant (East LA), Juquila Restaurant (West LA) and Loteria Grill (Mid City).

I also think Border Grill is pretty good still.

-----
Juquila
11619 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Loteria Grill
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

La Serenata De Garibaldi
1842 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033

[Lau]

is guelaguetza still good? i totally forgot about that place, i dont think ive been there in like 10+ years