Tito's Tacos

Tito’s Tacos - 11222 Washington Place, Culver City, CA 90230

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Tito’s is the big dog on the block when it comes to hard shell tacos in L.A. Therefore it is very closely scrutinized from critical food bloggers. And while many of L.A.’s dining institutions struggle to have their food live up to their name, I think Tito’s does an admiral job. It’s hard to imagine that four tacos with cheese, chips and salsa for around $8 bucks is a good deal, but in this day in age it is. The thing that I like about Tito’s is the taco shell has a major crunch and they don’t hold back on the cheese. The things I wish they would improve on are an overall more seasoned taco and spicier salsa. I suppose when you are appealing to the masses the way that Tito’s does, you have to play it a little safe on the heat. Overall, it’s a good taco. Someday I’m going to see how many I can eat. Now cue the jingle…

Tacos Por Favor - Taco

Tacos Por Favor - 1406 Olympic Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90404

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From what other people have said as well as my own opinion, Tacos Por Favor lays claim to perhaps the best Mexican Food on the Westside. I’ve had there breakfast burritos as well as other dishes and everything has been fantastic. With all of this past feasting at such a great eatery, I was long overdue to try one of my sumptuous six items at Tacos Por Favor, the hard shell taco. While I am a grease junkie, this hard shell taco lacked the shiny stuff. I’ve noticed that while low on grease, Tacos Por Favor still achieves flavorful food, and it’s fresh too. The lettuce on the taco was very green, and the tomatoes we not mushy at all. There was plenty of cheese and the asada was indeed delicious. Everything was great and these tacos can be considered a cut above the rest. However when you factor in the price of $6 for two tacos they suddenly come back down to earth. Tacos Por Favor makes great Mexican food, but I would recommend some of there other more cost effective offerings instead of shelling out six bucks for two crispy tacos.

Note: I was trying some long exposure photography with my digital SLR. However while I got the lighting that I wanted, my tripod was shaky so it is not a very crisp picture..

Papas Y Tacos - Taco

Papas y Tacos Baja Grill - 5958 Vineland Avenue, CA 91601 (Oxnard and Vineland)

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Part #1 | Part #2 | Part #3

I was working another random job delivering walkie-talkies up in the valley so unfortunately I would be in my car. And while I hate driving in L.A., I find it a decent way to cover ground in the vast expanse of the San Fernando Valley. Plus, it was Tuesday so I thought I’d make it a taco Tuesday. Papas y Tacos had a very nice looking salsa bar and a pretty good looking taco, but flavor and texture would be the issue. The salsa selections were very watery and did not taste so great. The taco meat was mashed down into a paste, and while it was not as bad as that sounds or how it looked, it still was not good by any means. It was unfortunate that the taco's foundation was substandard because the shell and cheese both were working, especially for the price. The tacos were so cheap and the girl was so nice behind the counter, that it made the experience okay to stomach.