Looking for other food listicles to peruse while staying indoors? Click here.

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There is some darkly universal comedy going on when Cinco de Mayo falls on a Taco Tuesday at a time when it can’t be celebrated outside because of a virus that shares a name with a popular Mexican cerveza.

On the bright side, at least some very inappropriate people won’t be appropriating and downsizing Mexican culture by wearing sombreros and talking like Speedy Gonzalez while falsely proclaiming Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s independence. (It doesn’t; it’s about the Battle of Puebla.)

That being said, here are some fantastic options for your Taco Tuesday come mañana.

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Tacos from Chef Thomas Ortega

Playa Amor, 6527 E. Pacific Coast Highway; 562-430-2667 -or- Amorcito, 4150 McGowen St.; 562-420-5005

Chef Thomas Ortega has decided to re-open his two Long Beach restaurants, Playa Amor and Amorcito on Cinco de Mayo. The decision comes after Ortega opted to shutter all of his restaurants—including Amor y Taco in Cerritos, recognized by the Michelin Guide last year—following the coronavirus mandates issued to restaurants.

Now, Long Beach can not only enjoy some of the region’s best Mexican food—Amorcito is his far more casual place but still offers up spectacular cuisine while Playa Amor is simply wondrous—but they can do it from the comfort of their own home.

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Taco platter from La Chancla

990 Cherry Ave. #102; 562-248-2741

They go by many names: tacos de guisado, tacos de cazuela, tacos mañaneros…

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 spread. We’re talking birria, chile verde, tinga de pollo…

La Chancla offers a $20 package that includes one pound of any Guisado or meat—chicharrones, lengua, chile verde, chicken mole, chicken tinga, and more—one pound of rice, one pound of beans, all accompanied with their fantastic handmade tortillas and salsa.

Or, you can just create your own taco platter, which is what I suggest, so you can experience everything from their wonderful lengua and mole to their birria and chicharrones.

To see Brian Addison’s piece about La Chancla and the family behind its operations, click here.

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Anything from Los Compadres

3229 E. Anaheim St.; 562-961-0061 and 1144 Pine Ave.; 562-432-0061

Los Compadres is easily one of Long Beach’s best known and respected staples. From their handmade tortillas to stellar mariscos, it could be said that Los Compadres helped us appreciate quality Mexican food beyond the trucks and grab-and-go taquerias.

And what makes either their Anaheim Street or Downtown location one of the key parts to celebrating Cinco de Mayo is that you can get much more than just tacos. Los Compadres’ caldo de pollo or caldo de res (and, only at their Downtown location, pozole) are some of the best soups in the city while their main entrees are simply fantastic. 

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Tripas/Buche/Lengua/Cabeza Tacos at El Taco Loco #3

1465 Magnolia Ave.

I think, particularly as of late, meat is beginning to find its way out of daily human diets due to both the havoc we’re doing to the environment through animal farming and the ugly, unethical way many farms treat their animals.

And when it comes specifically to the American consumption of meat, we dispose massive portions of animals because we deem those parts “inedible,” including, say, the head of a cow or pig. I, being Italian, never understood, until I was older, that my love of head-cheese—an Italian cold-cut comprised of pig head—was “lowly.”

Sorry, the least you can do is respect the animal by leaving nothing behind and consuming every bit you can.

And El Taco Loco #3 serves ’em all: tongue, head, stomach, tripe—all are there in their offal glory. And the tripas—charred to a glorious crisp and served in handmade tortillas—is where El Taco Loco really shines. 

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Pulpo or cochinita pibil tacos from Lola’s Mexican Cuisine

2030 E. Fourth St.; 562-343-5506 and 4140 Atlantic Ave.; 562-349-0100

There has been something rather beautiful about Chef Luis Navarro’s culinary adventure here in Long Beach, something I’ve written about before.

Two of those highlights are his pulpo and cochinita pibil offerings.

His cochinita pibil—a rarity at even the most seasoned of Mexican joints because of its complexity—is a Yucatan-based pork dish, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked over coals for six hours. Navarro’s version is both wonderfully savory and smoky, with deep flavors of achiote and salt cut with tart pickled onions and a thin layer of garlicky refried black beans beneath the pile of meat. It reflects Navarro’s love of Yucatan and its food, something that has been rarely expressed on Lola’s menu.

And then, those pulpo tacos. Chunks of braised and charred octopus are piled onto stretchy flour tortillas stacked with cabbage, cotija and a wonderfully creamy drizzle. They’re simply awesome.

Brian Addison is a columnist and editor for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.