{"id":20063,"date":"2020-10-04T09:30:29","date_gmt":"2020-10-04T16:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000015234"},"modified":"2020-10-05T11:00:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T18:00:36","slug":"addison-essential-tacos-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/addison-essential-tacos-2020","title":{"rendered":"Essential tacos in Long Beach: Pretty much every good taco, 2020 edition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1JpO4a6ArcpGDSAIDsJNh-PlKAiizwFNV\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<em>Fan of food listicles? <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2wVgS1A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click here for our archive of every list from Brian Addison<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The almighty taco is the quintessential food of SoCal, spanning economic and social strata to fulfill the desires of countless folks through a single Mexican dish.<\/p>\n<p>The culinary worthiness by way of ranking said tacos is one that is, admittedly, subjective. So, as with each year this list is written, a ranking is not really what this is.<\/p>\n<p>This is just about good tacos, whether they align themselves along the traditional like tripas or al pastor or whether they fuse cultures, such as the Almighty American Taco filled with what some consider a sin (that would be yellow cheese).<\/p>\n<p>With this, I&#8217;ve also decided to avoid overtly popular joints\u2014Taqueria La Mexicana and Los Compadres immediately come to mind\u2014because there&#8217;s no need to advertise them. This list is about a very specific type of taco at a very specific place.<\/p>\n<p>With that, I have been continuing my annual dive into Long Beach&#8217;s taco scene in order to grasp what is best, what is most unique, and of course, what is most delicious.<\/p>\n<p>In no particular order:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000014447\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000014447\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/La-Chancla-0213.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000014447\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/La-Chancla-0213-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000014447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An assortment of tacos de cazuela at La Chancla. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Tacos guisados at La Chancla<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>990 Cherry Ave., #102<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>They go by many names: tacos de guisado, tacos de cazuela, tacos ma\u00f1aneros.<\/p>\n<p>But the one thing that unites them is the fact that the meats or veggies stuffed in the tacos are all stewed in singular cazuelas, pots that are traditionally earthenware but have shifted to metal tins as the growth of food trucks and fast-casual restaurants has spread. We\u2019re talking birria, chile verde, tinga de pollo.<\/p>\n<p>It harkens to the stewy fillings created at large family gatherings, where soupy dollops of meats that have been simmering for hours in clay cazuelas are stacked onto a fresh corn tortilla with minimal toppings. Maybe some onion and cilantro, maybe some salsa, maybe just meat. Eating six is common, eating more is practically unavoidable.<\/p>\n<p>They are rather ubiquitous throughout Mexico\u2014places like Taco Gus in Mexico City and Taco Guadalajara in Guadalajara have made them outright common\u2014and they have spurred food tours in states ranging from Guanajuato to Quintana Roo. Stateside, Los Angeles\u2019 Guisado\u2019s has turned them into a beyond-popular small chain that spans Boyle Heights to West Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p>In Long Beach, there weren\u2019t any taquerias dedicated to the almighty tacos de guisado until this hole-in-the-wall space, tucked into a tiny strip mall at the southeast corner of Cherry Avenue and Tenth Street, offered not only a solid introduction to these tacos but a wonderfully unpretentious, warm, vibrant atmosphere to enjoy them in.<\/p>\n<p><em>For Brian Addison\u2019s original piece on La Chancla,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-la-chancla-tacos-guisados-cazuelas\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029745\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029745\" style=\"width: 1018px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-03-at-7.21.11-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029745\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-03-at-7.21.11-PM-1018x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1018\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029745\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carne asada chorreadas from Tacos La Carreta. Courtesy of business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Carne asada chorreadas at Tacos La Carreta<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>3401 E. 69th St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taquero Jos\u00e9 Morales Jr. learned much of what he knows from his father, who was born in Mazatl\u00e1n, the Sinaloa city whose love for carne asada is so pervasive that every single urban sector has the sweet smoke and savor of carne asada on the grill, permeating nearly every corner of every plaza.<\/p>\n<p>Their popular, Compton-based operation was a part-time gig\u2014but COVID-19 has altered that. As <a href=\"https:\/\/la.eater.com\/2020\/9\/30\/21495650\/tacos-la-carreta-long-beach-carne-asada-food-truck-new\">first reported by Eater LA<\/a>, Junior lost his nine-to-five position handling linen\u2014and knew dependence on such jobs wouldn&#8217;t be secure enough in our pandemic-centric world. With that, he has now decided to offer his (and his father&#8217;s, though he is retired) famed tacos in a more regular fashion thanks to an outing Friday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. each day, in North Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>True to the Sinaloense style, Morales&#8217; biggest star is his carne asada chorreada: A thick tortilla is topped with a hefty scoop of the truck&#8217;s masterful carne asada, lathered in Morales&#8217; pork lard-based sauce and onions. The result? A wonder of a Mexican dish that Long Beach is truly lucky to have.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_52859\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52859\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ElTacoLoco-9666.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-52859\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ElTacoLoco-9666.jpg\" alt=\"ElTacoLoco-9666\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-52859\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The taco de buche [left] and the taco de tripas [right] from El Taco Loco #3 in Long Beach. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Tripas taco at El Taco Loco #3 <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>1465 Magnolia Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve talked about this taco before and I will never cease talking about it because it is a representation of the classic taco at its finest, served with a part of the pig all-too-often dismissed by boring appetites.<\/p>\n<p>In the picture above, you&#8217;ll see two tacos\u2014and surely the <em>buche<\/em> (left) is legit but when it comes to the best <em>tripas\u00a0<\/em>I&#8217;ve ever had, it&#8217;s shoved into that little tortilla pocket on the right.<\/p>\n<p>Handmade tortillas\u2014not small, not too thick and plenty of room for a meaty filling\u2014come with a healthy dose of clean tripe, marinated and wonderfully charred to a perfect crisp, slathered in salsa and topped with onion and cilantro.<\/p>\n<p>Even better? The joint is open 24\/7\u2014just make sure when you get to the counter after waiting in line, you&#8217;re not the one holding up the hungry folks<em>\u00a0<\/em>behind you.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000010403\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000010403\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Panchos-Pastor-3516.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000010403\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Panchos-Pastor-3516-1110x833.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"833\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000010403\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A quartet of Pancho&#8217;s pastor tacos. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Pastor taco at Panchos Tacos<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><b>449 W. Anaheim St.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you ever have the chance to visit Jalisco, you\u2019ll find the pockets of every plaza from Guadalajara to Jalos filled with a giant slab of pork, layered with pineapple and spices, spinning on an upright stick called a\u00a0<em>trompo<\/em>, massive sources of heat surrounding it while a talented, well-seasoned knifesman slices away slivers of succulent meat that fall into a tortilla.<\/p>\n<p>This is al pastor and it\u2019s a wonder of a meat to add to a taco.<\/p>\n<p>Panchos, the food truck parked on the northeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and Anaheim Street, serves up the epitome of this dish every evening: A tray of pickled onion, whose mild tartness is sliced with heat from haba\u00f1ero and Serrano chiles, is the perfect accouterment for any lover of heat while their salsas, particularly their arbol-centric red sauce, is another fiery add-on that I personally find irresistible.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, your mouth gets to delight in the wonders of al pastor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029524\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/562Tacos-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029524\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/562Tacos-1110x607.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"607\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Suadero tacos are prepared by 562 Tacos off of Sante Fe Avenue in West Long Beach. Still captured from video by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Tacos de suadero at 562 Tacos<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>2173 Santa Fe Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tacos de suadero, like almost every form of great food, was birthed out of poverty, a need to make money, and, of course, a need to cure hangovers: In the 20th century, Mexico City saw an influx of the country&#8217;s rural citizens seeking industrialized jobs. As the city attempted to adjust to this growth, it meant not everyone had a job\u2014and street food was a path to help pay the bills and own a business that everyone loved.<\/p>\n<p>Cutting costs, including taking on pieces of meats the typical chilango would dismiss as lowly, is really where the ingenuity of suadero comes from. Using the rougher part of the cow\u2014the beef that sits between the ribs and the skin\u2014suadero is a fatty, wondrous concoction, cooked in a sombrero-shaped pan on low heat with sausage, tripas, chorizo, and at 562 Tacos, some nopales\u2014whose perfection deserves to sit in the throne of a folded tortilla. In Mexico City, it is ubiquitous to the point of being unavoidable and whose influence is reaching other cities like Guadalajara, Tijuana, and Puebla City.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, one doesn&#8217;t have to travel such lengths to score some solid suadero: Ely Zepeda, along with her lifelong friend Jose \u201cPepe\u201d Badajoz, serve up Long Beach&#8217;s best version of suadero.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029555\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029555\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Chinitos-Tacos-2507.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029555\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Chinitos-Tacos-2507-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029555\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An order of burnt cheese tacos filled with barbacoa from Chinitos Tacos. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><b>Burnt cheese taco at Chinitos Tacos<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><b>11130 Del Amo Blvd.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Hidden in an unassuming, ubiquitous strip mall in suburbia sits a taco joint whose \u201cowner y chef\u201d is a disciple of Chef Thomas Ortega, the man behind Playa Amor, one of the city\u2019s best restaurants, and Amorcito, (mentioned above and <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2tunfra\">home to some of the city\u2019s best tacos<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Meet Cambodian-American Chef Beeline Krouch and welcome to his world of Chinitos Tacos.<\/p>\n<p>The influence of Ortega on Krouch\u2019s cuisine is clear with the bright magentas of pickled red onion, in-house crafted tortillas, the melding of heritages&#8230; But Krouch holds his own with wonderful nuances: a dash of togarashi on top of an egg here, Thai tea with a splash of horchata there and, like any good Cambodian kid in Long Beach, a straight-up fried chicken special on Thursdays.<\/p>\n<p>The span of Krouch\u2019s reach is astounding. He honors the famed <em>fantasma\u00a0<\/em>taco from Tijuana\u2019s Taconazo by creating a burnt cheese taco shell that is as decadent as it is blissful while, at another point, honors his own heritage by melding flavors like lemongrass, ponzu and a house-made Chinese five spice into Mexican styles of protein, from barbacoa to carnitas.<\/p>\n<p>And don&#8217;t be afraid to explore other proteins that might be viewed as pocho-gone-Asian: His pork belly special\u2014where the sweets and salts of Asian flavors meld perfectly with his salsas\u2014are not only some of the most beautiful tacos you&#8217;ll ever see, but also some of the most delicious.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_52865\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52865\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/LosReyes-0067.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-52865 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/LosReyes-0067.jpg\" alt=\"LosReyes-0067\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-52865\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tacos de canasta from Los Reyes de Taco Sabroso. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5>Tacos de canasta at <strong>Los Reyes del Taco Sabroso<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>2345 E. Anaheim St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first time I ever wrote about this vastly underrated spot was a <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/five-places-that-you-ve-most-likely-never-been-to-to-score-tacos-mega-deliciosos\/\">few years back\u2014<\/a>and it continues to surprise me with the quality of its grub. Their quesadillas, for one, are a wonder to behold: massive housemade corn tortillas\u2014not flour\u2014are filled with cheese, lettuce, cotija, and crema starting at $3.50. From there, you can add everything from huitlacoche\u2014the corn fungus delicacy, with its charcoal-blue hue and earthy flavor\u2014to birria or lengua.<\/p>\n<p>Another stand out is their tacos de canasta.<\/p>\n<p>Hidden on the northwest corner of Junipero and Anaheim, Los Reyes offers one particular form of the taco that is hard to find: tacos de canasta, or \u201cbasket tacos.\u201d While called tacos de canasta in Mexico City, other regions refer to them as tacos sudados, an unappealing translation of \u201csweated tacos\u201d\u2014tacos al vapor, or tacos mineros, referring to the miners who often brought the food for their lunch.<\/p>\n<p>These soft, moist tacos come with fillings you barely have to chew\u2014and Los Reyes\u2019 chicharr\u00f3n version is wonderful. A steamed tortilla-wrapped package of long-stewed-after-being-fried pork comes on a plate with perfectly pickled carrots and onion, cabbage and a side of spicy, dark red salsa.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999939590\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999939590\" style=\"width: 969px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Amorcito-0059.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-999939590\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Amorcito-0059-969x646.jpg\" alt=\"Three different tacos sit in individual paper trays.\" width=\"969\" height=\"646\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999939590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Tepito Taco [front] sits amongst the short rib taco [back left] and soyrizo taco [front right]. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><b>The Tepito taco at Amorcito<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><strong>3991 N Lakewood Blvd. inside the LBX&#8217;s Hangar extension<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With Amorcito, Chef Thomas Ortega&#8217;s head-first dive into a taco-centric joint, his love of the taco is intensified, honed and played with.<\/p>\n<p>And, unfortunately, this is your last chance to score his spectacular Tepito Taco before he streamlines the Amorcito menu to fit the new needs of the COVID-19 world come November.<\/p>\n<p>An ode to the pig, carnitas are paired with slivers of <em>cueritos<\/em>\u2014pickled pork skin\u2014a generous\u00a0<em>chicharr\u00f3n\u00a0<\/em>chip, and fries. The beiges of the pork and potatoes are sliced with bright greens and reds from two salsas and cilantro.<\/p>\n<p>Ortega is paying homage to Mexico\u2019s famed (and infamously dangerous) Tepito Market in Barrio Bravo. On a trip with food writer Bill Esparza\u2014\u201dI had the feeling he definitely had a hookup to keep us safe, y\u2019know, because that place is truly crazy,\u201d Ortega said\u2014he discovered the beauty of fries in tacos along with honoring the full pig.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith every taco, you would get asked, \u2018<em>Papas<\/em>?\u2019 and they would throw fries in there,\u201d Ortega said. \u201cThen I met a taco man\u2026 Every morning, this guy would butcher a full pig and cook the whole damn thing. Then he\u2019d asked you what parts you wanted. Some carnitas. Some\u00a0<em>cueritos<\/em>. Some cheek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And the Tepito Taco was birthed\u2014get it before it is buried.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029263\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029263\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_3686-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029263\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_3686-1110x833.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"833\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Sauz, at the southeast corner of Anaheim and Walnut Avenue. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>The Standing Outside Taco at El Sauz <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>1616 E Anaheim St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>El Sauz used to be a Brite Spot before all of them closed throughout the city, outside the questionable one on PCH (including the one further east on Anaheim, which is now <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-listicles-long-beach-underrated-restaurants-2020-edition\">the underrated Ca\u00f1adas Grill<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>And it was all for the better, especially their parking lot-facing taco window, a social distancing haven, during the times of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>El Sauz has quickly become a cult favorite and it goes beyond its taco window. It&#8217;s the fact that its tacos are genuinely solid, all the while creating a unique street atmosphere that regulars are perhaps irked at during the pandemic, as wait times reach over 30 minutes without the restaurant&#8217;s dining room being able to accommodate patrons.<\/p>\n<p>Simple and to-the-point, they are accompanied by sides of salsa that are positively drool-worthy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029557\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029557\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/FireBird-Tacos-2466.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029557\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/FireBird-Tacos-2466-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Nashville hot chicken tacos from Fire Bird inside Liberation Brewing Co. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Nashville hot chicken tacos from Fire Bird<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>3630 Atlantic Ave. (inside Liberation Brewing Co.)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Masters of fryin&#8217; fowl, Thyda Chet Sieng\u2019s ode to the Tennessee staple comes in many forms\u2014a stellar sandwich a la Howlin\u2019 Ray\u2019s, mozzarella sticks, jalape\u00f1o poppers, and the true star: their whole, three-joint wings.<\/p>\n<p>But their fried chicken is so succulent, so perfectly crafted that it would have been impossible not put them into a taco, so that&#8217;s exactly what Chet did. Keeping it simple because the simplest of foods are always the most stellar, all you have is their chicken at your chosen heat, some cabbage, some comeback sauce with a hint of sriracha, onions and cilantro.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I wanted to create something new but accessible,&#8221; Chet said. &#8220;And since we&#8217;re Cambodian, I wanted to throw a bit more of the Asian flavors in there with the sriracha and cabbage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the heat, don&#8217;t think that will be drowned out with the accoutrements thrown on top. While their spectacular sandwich can easily hide the heat with heft globs of slaw, comeback sauce and pickles, their tacos lay the heat bare (though nothing as hot as their bare wings or tenders).<\/p>\n<p>I am a glutton for pain with an inner masochist so itchy to express itself that I find myself unable to escape the heat, so I tend to bounce between &#8220;Hot Chick&#8221; (the third level of heat that, for me, is more easily approachable) or the &#8220;Ex-Wife&#8221; (the fourth level of heat that has a sweetness to it if you&#8217;re willing to stand the burn). My Dude typically goes for the &#8220;Mid-life Crisis,&#8221; the second level of heat, but was offered a special by Thyda, the &#8220;Tom Cruise.&#8221; This is basically an in-between, where a dash of &#8220;Hot Chick&#8221; is thrown onto &#8220;Mid-life Crisis.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, your heat can be perfectly tailored and, perhaps, you can build up a tolerance for hotter levels but, just remember, it eventually has to come out.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029613\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029613\" style=\"width: 1025px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-01-at-1.06.44-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000029613 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-01-at-1.06.44-PM-1025x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1025\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029613\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Birria tacos from Bryan&#8217;s Birrieria. Photo by Bryan Tecun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Birria taco from Bryan&#8217;s Birrieria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>150 W. Ocean Blvd. (parked near or in the Pike Outlets)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before Bryan Tecun scored his taco truck, he launched at the breakfast spot known as Jerry\u2019s Place in a middle-of-the-night popup that turned me onto to his tri-tip-not-chivo form of the famed Jaliscan dish.<\/p>\n<p>Slow-cooked over the course of seven hours, Chef Bryan braises his version of the classic in a stew of tomatoes and oregano after marinating the slab of beef in a concoction of Guajillo chiles, garlic, vinegar and other sorts of magic. The result is a birria that harkens to some of the best versions I\u2019ve had in Guadalajara: succulent, shreddy and perfection when slathered in onions, cilantro and Bryan\u2019s house-made chile oil.<\/p>\n<p>And in taco form? Pure deliciousness: Bryan uses the juices from the birria to dip the tortillas in before throwing them onto a griddle and filling them with chunks of meat and whatever else your heart desires.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the deviations away from Jalisco is where California grub shines: Bryan\u2019s birria fries\u2014a concoction you are unlikely to find in the heart of Guadalajara\u2014is a decadent assortment of fries smothered in birria, sour cream, guacamole, cotija, onions and cilantro.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999915311\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999915311\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cheko-0080-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-999915311\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Cheko-0080-2-970x646.jpg\" alt=\"Cheko el Rey del Sarandeado's smoke marlin taco and Gobernador taco. Photo by Brian Addison.\" width=\"970\" height=\"646\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999915311\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheko el Rey del Sarandeado&#8217;s smoke marlin taco [right] and Gobernador taco [left]. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Smoked marlin taco at Cheko el Rey del Sarandeado <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>343 E. Market St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I will never stop singing the praises of this taco\u2014having talked about it for nearly five years now\u2014created and served in a tiny, off-the-grid seafood joint dedicated to the Sarandeado-style preparation of fish, where it\u2019s cooked over the high heat of simmering coals.<\/p>\n<p>What makes Cheko\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-best-restaurants-long-beach-2019?fbclid=IwAR1DdBd6fJm8Li_tq20YB9HHvuGFFieCQaP7UPYE0yA2vgNOf2vsnz1Yz7A\">one of Long Beach&#8217;s best restaurants<\/a>\u2014so special is that the SoCal chef responsible for introducing us to this style is Chef Sergio Pe\u00f1uelas, who developed a cult-like following at his former place, Coni\u2019Seafood.<\/p>\n<p>Now, his work is right here in Long Beach inside the most unassuming of places creating Long Beach\u2019s best fish taco: Cheko\u2019s marlin taco. Yes, Long Beach&#8217;s best fish taco is found in this tiny North Long Beach restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s smoky, salty, downright spectacular and even minimalist with just smoked marlin that is then heated over hot coals, cheese and a single avocado slice smudged inside a wonderfully hand-crafted tortilla.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029558\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029558\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Leos-Tacos-2533.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029558\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Leos-Tacos-2533-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A trio of tacos dorados from Leo&#8217;s Mexican Grill&#8217;s Downtown Long Beach location. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Tacos dorados at Leo&#8217;s Mexican Grill<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>225 E. Broadway and 755 Magnolia Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After purchasing another taqueria on the west side of Magnolia between 7th and 8th\u2014what was once Las Delicias De Michoacan, home to some of the city&#8217;s best carne asada\u2014it was clear that Leo&#8217;s was building a mini-empire for itself; something a bit more traditional while still keeping a healthy dose of both American and Mexican cultures.<\/p>\n<p>And while I hope one day they bring back their lengua\u2014they had it for one brief moment in which I got to enjoy its splendor but it has never reappeared\u2014I will always be a convert to their tacos dorados, or crispy tacos (only $1.50 a piece on Tuesdays and Fridays).<\/p>\n<p>Pictured above is my typical order: one potato, one chicken, one ground beef\u2014the last of which is the type of hard shell taco Taco Bell and Del Taco can only dream of mimicking and what a ground beef taco should represent: salty, onion-y, fatty beef cut with cold lettuce and cheese, topped with salsa.<\/p>\n<p>Or, if you&#8217;re feeling more taco salad, break the hearty shells in half and use your makeshift chips as spoons, something I shamelessly do all the time.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Taco al vapor at El Bukanas <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>306 W Anaheim St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>El Bukana&#8217;s is a diamond in the rough.<\/p>\n<p>Tucked on the very northern edge of Downtown Long Beach on Anaheim Street between Pine and Magnolia Avenues, it&#8217;s a space that with no seats\u2014just a counter\u2014but legit tacos, especially the one for which it is known: tacos al vapor.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly translated, it means a steamed taco (like the tacos de canasta mentioned above at Los Reyes del Taco Sabroso). In the case of Bukana&#8217;s, layers of handmade, extra-soft tortillas and filling are put in a tamale steamer and steamed for hours. The result is a pocket of tenderness that makes you come back for more. My suggestion? The birria and cabeza.<\/p>\n<p>(And don&#8217;t forget the food truck that is Tacos Al Vapor La G\u00fcera\u2014offering equally epic <em>tacos al vapor<\/em>\u2014is open only a handful of hours a day in West Long Beach at 22414 S. Alameda St&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?tbm=lcl&amp;ei=UiTJWuy7Dsv8jwSoiazICg&amp;q=tacos+al+vapor+la+G%C3%BCera&amp;oq=tacos+al+vapor+la+G%C3%BCera&amp;gs_l=psy-ab.3...106532.112502.0.112715.21.15.1.0.0.0.345.2080.0j6j4j1.11.0....0...1c.1j2.64.psy-ab..16.2.471...0j0i7i30k1.0.KAOv8fF6bKc#rlfi=hd:;si:4645895859918222888;mv:!1m3!1d107117.00362714408!2d-118.19810575!3d33.86654225!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i53!2i194!4f13.1;tbs:lrf:!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!2m4!1e17!4m2!17m1!1e2!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:9\">So worth checking out La G\u00fcera<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029628\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029628\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/0.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029628\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/0-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seabirds Kitchen&#8217;s mushroom [left] and beer-battered avocado [right] tacos. Photo by Stephanie Morgan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Beer-battered avocado taco at Seabirds Kitchen <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>975 E. 4th St.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vegans and veggie lovers were beyond ecstatic when food truck pioneer Seabirds Kitchen opened its second brick-and-mortar location just west of Retro Row. After all, Long Beach is undergoing <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/food\/guide-long-beach-vegan-food\">a vegan\/vegetarian food revolution<\/a>, and Seabirds leads the way in terms of tacos.<\/p>\n<p>Surely, there are their quite stellar mushroom tacos, drizzled in an ancho chili oil and topped with grilled onions, fermented curtido, cilantro and almond feta, but the true star of this space remains its flagship taco, the utterly decadent, savory, creamy beauty that is its beer-battered avocado taco.<\/p>\n<p>Located directly across from a McDonald\u2019s\u2014scoring extra points for Awesome Dichotomy\u2014it is very easy to shove one of these folded wonders into your mouth, one after the other.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000010421\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000010421\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Playa-Amor-1175.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000010421\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Playa-Amor-1175-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000010421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The carnitas plate from Playa Amor. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Carnitas taco at Playa Amor <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>6527 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re probably looking at that and thinking, &#8220;I don&#8217;t see a taco.&#8221; Pause. &#8220;And I don&#8217;t see carnitas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Off-camera, to the side of this masterful plate of carnitas buried under chicharrones, cotija, pickled onion, and cilantro from Chef Thomas Ortega at Playa Amor, sits a plate of equally masterful tortillas churned out by Ortega&#8217;s tortilla lady, Maria Barraza of Sinaloa. Together, they are nothing short of sublime\u2014just make sure to ask for a side of pickled onion or simply order the taco plate. But this is the way I prefer because there&#8217;s something about assembling your own taco: choosing how much pork you want to weigh the tortilla down.<\/p>\n<p>Playa Amor is, unquestionably, one of Long Beach&#8217;s best restaurants, and even more important is Ortega\u2019s very personal love letter to Mexico. And like any great confession of love, it comes with challenges to the status quo definition of love. This is modern, intellectual Mexican cuisine for which Ortega is unapologetic, and he is unapologetic because his homage to Mexico shines a new light on a cuisine that has become a direct part of California culture.<\/p>\n<p>Expect nothing less with his tacos\u2014whether he assembles them for you or you do so yourself.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029556\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029556\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Chinitos-Tacos-2519.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029556\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Chinitos-Tacos-2519-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029556\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cabeza tacos from Joliza&#8217;s in Wrigley Village. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Cabeza taco at Joliza&#8217;s Tacos <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><b>2233 Pacific Ave.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I think, particularly as of late, meat is beginning to find its way out of daily human diets due to both the havoc we&#8217;re doing to the environment through animal farming and the ugly, unethical way many farms treat their animals.<\/p>\n<p>And when it comes specifically to the American consumption of meat, we are the most egregious, disposing of massive portions of animals because we deem those parts &#8220;inedible,&#8221; including, say, the head of a cow or pig. I, being Italian, <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/immigrant-food-american-palate\/\">never understood until I was older<\/a> that my love of head-cheese\u2014an Italian cold-cut comprised of pig head\u2014was &#8220;lowly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sorry. If you&#8217;re going to skip out on personally killing an animal with your own hands, leaving that to the slaughterhouses, the least you can do is respect the animal by leaving nothing behind and consuming every bit you can.<\/p>\n<p>And Joliza&#8217;s Tacos is a way to do that with their stellar cabeza taco. While not quite on the level of Tacos Estilo Guadalajara in Lynwood or the\u00a0Tacos El G\u00fcerro truck in Boyle Heights, this is a prime example of how things we oddly dismiss as inedible create some of the most delectable foods.<\/p>\n<p>Even better? They&#8217;re $1.50 all day, every day\u2014a cabeza is the only exception to the otherwise normal offerings of carne asada, pastor, and what not. You unfortunately won&#8217;t find any buche, tripas, or lengua\u2014for that, you will have to visit the aforementioned El Taco Loco.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-align: center; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 1rem;\">****<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000003869\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000003869\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/0827-Som-35-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000003869\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/0827-Som-35--1110x834.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"834\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000003869\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Baja Sonora deep-fried hard taco with a michelada in Long Beach Thursday, August 29, 2019. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>The American taco at Baja Sonora<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>2940 Clark Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I know many a reader, particularly my proud Mexican ones, may be shaking their heads right now and sighing: &#8220;This gringo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But hear me out: As White as this taco may seem, it is nonetheless a part of the diaspora of Mexican food.<\/p>\n<p>Every city and town in Southern California has one, largely thanks to the 1937 opening of Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino (the very cafe that Don Bell got his idea for Taco Bell from). In my tiny, perched-on-a-mountain hometown of Big Bear, it was a place called La Monta\u00f1a. In Long Beach, it is Baja Sonora.<\/p>\n<p>Hard shell tacos\u2014\u201dtacos dorados,\u201d the golden tacos\u2014stuffed with meat, iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes and ungodly amounts of yellow and white cheeses. (Colby Jack? Cheddar and Jack? Who cares?) For me and my small mountain town, this <em>was<\/em>\u00a0Mexican food.<\/p>\n<p>Then, leaving the nest and coming to Los Angeles, I realized\u2014or mistakenly thought\u2014it\u00a0<em>wasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>Mexican food. Those aren\u2019t \u201creal tacos,\u201d my Chicano friends would tell me after getting back from seeing their families in Jalisco or Michoacan. <em>Real\u00a0<\/em>tacos, preferably, came with soft corn tortillas and were topped with nothing but meat, onions, cilantro and salsa. If you were to create a fried taco, you would stuff it first, typically with beans or rolled with meat, and then fry it. You don\u2019t just fry a tortilla to create a shell. That\u2019s not really a taco.<\/p>\n<p>And yellow cheese? How very dare you.<\/p>\n<p>But this is the Cal-Mex restaurant or \u201cMexican-American\u201d restaurant if you want to stumble down that very slippery slope\u2014let alone get caught up in Tex-Mex.<\/p>\n<p>Mexican food is arguably the world\u2019s most stereotyped cuisine as well as one of its most misunderstood and complex. But there is one reality with it: Mexican grub\u2019s migration above the Rio Grande has made it a food impossible to shove into a cubby hole. This becomes especially true once the A-word, \u201cauthenticity,\u201d is thrown out there. Your \u201cauthentic pozole\u201d is but a part of the four variations I\u2019ve had in Mexico alone (which is not to mention the many others throughout the Southwest U.S.). And your \u201cauthentic taco\u201d is but one of many stops along the great, massive diaspora of tacos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike me, a Mexican American, you, [Golden Taco] are often derided by our cousins down south as inauthentic or\u00a0<em>pocho<\/em>,\u201d Gustavo Arellano once wrote of the maligned hard shell taco. \u201cBut the very first tacos to enter America were crackling tacos dorados, or \u2018golden tacos.\u2019 Which means you are more native to this land than any of your flaccid competitors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baja Sonora\u2014like a better quality cousin of its old-school predecessor, <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-francisco-pancho-flores-dead\">Pancho\u2019s on Pacific Coast Highway<\/a>\u2014is one of Long Beach\u2019s \u201cgolden taco\u201d staples.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029295\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029295\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/OiAsianFusion-2347.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029295\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/OiAsianFusion-2347-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029295\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oi Asian Fusion&#8217;s pork belly jicama tacos. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Pork belly jicama tacos at Oi! Asian Fusion<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>6600 Atlantic Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-uptown-commons-oi-main-chick-north-lb\">said it before<\/a> and I&#8217;ll say it again: There is a vibe at the Uptown Commons that is both refreshing and leads one to wonder about its future success. On one hand, you have a vibrant, shipping container-structured space at the northeast corner of Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard\u2014a stone\u2019s throw away from <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-best-restaurants-long-beach-2019\">one of the city\u2019s best restaurants, Robert Earl\u2019s BBQ<\/a>, and surrounded almost entirely by fast-food giants, including a Wendy\u2019s on the same lot\u2014that brings some wonderful life to a lot that has little to offer besides dirt.<\/p>\n<p>One of those particular standouts is Oi Asian Fusion, a Filipino-meets-Korean-meets-Japanese joint that not only offers quality and affordable food but genuinely fun food. Like their pork belly tacos served on thin slivers of jicama.<\/p>\n<p>Fat rendered just right, layered with an eel-sauce drizzled on top of pickled onions, generous droppings of cilantro, and a slice of jicama that would traditionally be the tortilla, sliced so thin that you might not even see it. It\u2019s a gorgeous layering of salt, umami and sweet and it showcases beauty in the presentation one might find shocking for a joint inside a shipping container.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999911654\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999911654\" style=\"width: 970px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/0730-AguasWay-060.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-999911654\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/0730-AguasWay-060-970x674.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"970\" height=\"674\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999911654\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chicken Flautas, 4 rolled Flautas stuffed with shredded chicken breast &amp; potatoes &amp; topped with lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and a side of guacamole at Aguas Way restaurant in North Long Beach on Friday, July 27, 2018, Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>The rolled taco at Aguas Way <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>5248 Long Beach Blvd.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Firstly, flautas and taquitos are forms of tacos, and here, we have flautas de pollo that are flour tortilla rolled bits of wonder.<\/p>\n<p>This North Long Beach gem is, somewhat oddly, known for its funnel cake and carne asada fries. (Yes, you read that right and, another odd-but-cool note is that it has a tiny but dog-friendly patio in the back.) <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/life\/food\/north-long-beach-restaurant-aguas-frescas-mexican-street-food\/\">And the Long Beach Post has long sung its praises.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Its popularity lies in, of course, the reason for its moniker: the plethora of aguas frescas it offers.<\/p>\n<p>Their chicken flautas, are contained in a buttery, fried flour tortillas stuffed with chicken and topped with lettuce, crema, pico de gallo and avocado dip.<\/p>\n<p>And don&#8217;t sleep on their shrimp taco: Battered and deep-fried, it might not reach the echelons of taste that its Ensenada counterparts do, but with a dollop of crema, come pickled onions, and cabbage, it definitely gets the trick done. Feelin&#8217; healthier? Get the shrimp ceviche tostada, pictured above.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000013131\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000013131\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Lola-s-0039.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000013131\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Lola-s-0039-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000013131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The octopus tacos at Lola&#8217;s. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5>Pulpo taco at Lola\u2019s Mexican Cuisine<\/h5>\n<p><strong>2030 E Fourth St. and 4140 Atlantic Ave.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first time I ever had these tacos was when Navarro made them for no other reason than to make them. He just wanted to make dinner. Out comes a plate with two massive tacos, stretchy flour tortillas stacked with rounded slivers of octopus, cabbage, cotija and a wonderfully creamy drizzle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy aren\u2019t these on the menu?\u201d I asked. \u201cThey\u2019re amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Navarro, sadly, said that people just \u201cdidn\u2019t get it and they didn\u2019t order it.\u201d I never found octopus to be strange but then again, I was raised by an Italian mother that loved seafood, especially calamari and pulpi, using both to create carpaccio, soups and salads.<\/p>\n<p>But Long Beach sometimes needs to be led, especially the patrons at Lola\u2019s, whose demands for regular menu items have blinded them to the incredible wide range of Mexican cuisine. Maybe they haven\u2019t ventured to places like Guelaguetza in Koreatown to experience tlayudas or just up the street to Cheko el Rey del Sarandeado to experience the beauty of mariscos.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, it seems like Navarro is finally taking a step toward letting patrons understand\u00a0<em>his\u00a0<\/em>palate rather than catering to the masses\u2014and it has resulted in wonders like this spicy octopus taco.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000029743\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000029743\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4825.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000029743\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4825-1110x756.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"756\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000029743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The vegan gyro taco from Padre. Picture by Jay Krymis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5>Vegan gyro taco at Padre<\/h5>\n<p><strong>525 E. Broadway<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I end with the newest taco. In fact, it debuts today.<\/p>\n<p>If there is one overarching thing to say about Guadalajara-born Chef Manuel Ba\u00f1uelos, it is that he is fearless when it comes to interpreting Mexican food. Ba\u00f1uelos\u2019 food, which has brought him across the world from Mexico and London to Chicago and LA, is one that strays from the typical and goes for the challenging.<\/p>\n<p>For some, it can be frustrating\u2014&#8221;Dude, I just want some carne asada&#8221;\u2014but for those willing to be patient and curious, the creations of\u00a0Ba\u00f1uelos can be truly wonderful.<\/p>\n<p>Like this clever &#8220;gyro&#8221; taco that caters to vegans and non-vegans alike: a seitan-based gyro sits under a cashew tzatziki sauce, fresh dill, and heirloom tomatoes. The result is a fun, witty take on the taco that doesn&#8217;t exist elsewhere\u2014and it is certainly one worth exploring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The almighty taco is the quintessential food of SoCal, spanning economic and social strata to fulfill the desires of countless folks through a single Mexican dish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":71290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[10],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2691],"class_list":["post-20063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-listicles","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20063"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=20063"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=20063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}