Drowning, Not Eating

Even better are the sandwiches at Tortas Ahogadas GDL in a Bell Gardens strip mall. GDL flaunts not only a decade of Chivas posters but a brace of signed jerseys, souvenir pencils and a rack of uniforms for sale; micheladas made with the salted plum essence chamoy; and a beautiful plate of melted cheese, queso fundido, layered with meaty, Jalisco-style chorizo. Guadalajara-style electropop bounces out of the music store a couple doors down. The tortas ahogadas, as you might expect, are textbook, crackling crust tapering to a pleasant French dip squish; richness sliced through by the sharply pungent chile dearbol.

But the best in town are without question at Chago Ahogadas, a satellite of one of the better-regarded tortas ahogadas restaurants in Guadalajara itself. The birotes are baked on premises, the roasted pork is both crisp and succulent, and the complex intensity of the chile works its way into your brain like the wobbly hook of a Dr. Dre song. In Guadalajara, Chago may be best known for its twisted Happy Days aesthetic: tables fitted inside pink Cadillacs and retrofitted school buses; sassy waitresses; and doo-wop hits on the stereo. On Whittier Boulevard, just a few blocks from dance halls where the Blendells and Thee Midnighters once played, the magnificent torta ahogada is enough.

Anne Fishbein

Eat it and drip.

Location Info

Map

Chago Ahogadas

6426 Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90022-4604

Category: Restaurant > Mexican

Region: East L.A.

0 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare	0

Related Content

• Takatis Pollo a la Brasa: Sanguchon in the San Fernando Valley
  May 8, 2012
• The Pub at Golden Road Brewery: Liquid Gold
  April 11, 2012
• Jonathan Gold's 60 Korean Dishes Every Angeleno Should Know
  March 1, 2012
• Your Counter Intelligence Preview: In Which Mr. Gold Considers Baco Mercat
  February 9, 2012
• Your Counter Intelligence Preview: In Which Mr. Gold Considers Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village
  February 2, 2012

More About

• Guadalajara
• Chiva Loca
• Tortas Ahogadas Guero
• Food and Cooking
• Eating Out

Like this Story?

Get the Squid Ink'd: Sign up for our weekly food newsletter, which features top local food news and events, plus interviews with chefs and restaurant owners, dining tips and a link to our print review.

Make sign up easy with:

CHAGO AHOGADAS: 6426 Whittier Blvd., East L.A. (323) 838-5943, chagoahogadas.com.mx.

EL VAQUERO: 14 S. Fremont Ave., Alhambra. (626) 458-4546.

LA CHIVA LOCA: 7952 Firestone Blvd., Downey. (562) 622-2729.

TACOS LOS TORITOS: 13060 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar. (818) 367-7153.

TORTAS AHOGADAS BETO: 209 N. Chatsworth Drive, San Fernando. (818) 837-3177.

TORTAS AHOGADAS EL GUERO: 4508 Whittier Blvd., E.L.A. (323) 262-8900.

TORTAS AHOGADAS GDL: 6810 S. Eastern Ave., Bell Gardens. (323) 771-1924, tortasahogadasgdl.com.

TORTAS AHOGADAS LAS ORIGINALES: 11541 Laurel Canyon Blvd., San Fernando. (818) 361-7793.