Mexican Food and Cooking

10 Best Carne Asada Fries in Los Angeles

Carne asada fries don't travel well, practically and ideologically speaking. They're increasingly hard to locate as you drive north from San Diego county, and surprisingly rare in Los Angeles, a city teeming with Mexican food, college students and medical marijuana cards. Piles of freshly fried spud ... More >>

Tacos Punta Cabras Now Open in Santa Monica: More Fun with the Supper Liberation Front

If you live or work on the Westside and are tired of the long haul across town -- or a few hundred miles south -- every time you want a good, I mean really good, fish taco, you're in luck. This past weekend, Josh Gil and Daniel Snukal opened Tacos Punta Cabras in Santa Monica. You can spend all that ... More >>

Adventures in Veganism: The Spot in Hermosa Beach

The menu at Hermosa Beach vegetarian restaurant The Spot Natural Food Restaurant indicates that the place serves desserts, but unless you're the reincarnation of Andre the Giant, you'll never know for sure. Because only the former Eighth Wonder of the World would be able to complete the Tamale Combo ... More >>

10 Best Moles in Los Angeles

Let's count the reasons we love mole. It's rich and intense. Warm and comforting. Spicy, yet sweet and often savory. A seamless blend of 20 to 40 (or more) ingredients that have been toasted, roasted, ground, blended and cooked. Radiant and colorful. A mix of Old World spices with New World chiles a ... More >>

Taqueria Los Anaya: The Taco Next Door

Man cannot live on taco trucks alone, try as he might. For that reason there are places like Taqueria Los Anaya in West Adams. The family-run restaurant, which opened in March, happens to dabble in the kind of home-cooked Mexican food that inspires weekend drives to La Super Rica in Santa Barbara ... More >>

10 Best Seafood Tacos in Los Angeles

It used to be, a dozen years ago or so, that there weren't that many spots in town where you could find a decent seafood taco, much less a great one. Fast forward to 2012, and fish and shrimp tacos have gone through something of an evolution. There are plenty of fish in the sea now; you can barely ... More >>

Vendors Announced for 2012 L.A. Street Food Fest

One of the year's biggest food festival has gotten even larger this year. The L.A. Street Food Fest, which takes place on July 21 inside the Rose Bowl, just announced that it has upped its vendor counts to a staggering 100 participants, far exceeding the count from last year. The cast includes man ... More >>

Tamale Trivia: 10 Fascinating Facts

Last week, we told you about 10 spots for terrific Mexican tamales in L.A., from King Taco to Rivera. What we didn't say is that the tamale is so versatile that hundreds of varieties exist within Mexico alone, not counting nouveau creations with ingredients like foie gras and truffles. Turn the page ... More >>

10 Best Tamales in Los Angeles

At L.A.'s Mexican restaurants, the classic combination plate -- you know, the #5 or the "Macho Combo" or the "Pancho Villa Platter" that serves up a burrito, taco, tamale and chile relleno topped with yellow cheese along with refried beans, rice and flour tortillas -- tends to be ridiculed in this e ... More >>

Masa Madness at Maria's Tortillas

Unless you're shopping at gas stations or forcing yourself through an instant ramen diet, $2.90 rarely buys lunch. At Maria's Tortillas on the edge of Inglewood, that handful of laundry money buys not only lunch, but a tasty if somewhat light one: a single hefty husk-swathed tamale bolstered with ... More >>

Diana Kennedy Holds Book Signing at LACMA

Have you checked out Diana Kennedy's 2010 cookbook Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy? Because if you have, and you really should, you'll notice it feels a little more academic than most cookbooks: It was commissioned by a governor of Oaxaca in order to catalog the state's regional cuisine. Oax ... More >>

93: Squash Blossom Quesadilla at Antojitos Carmen

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 93: Squash Blossom Quesadilla at Antojitos Carmen. If you've ever wandered the streets of Boyle Heights on a sleepy Saturday afternoon, you've probably encount ... More >>

Finally: L.A. Gets Mexican Food Worthy of Mexico's Grand Tradition

10 Best Tacos in Los Angeles

Los Cincos Puntos, one of our favorite places for a taco, is located right near a cemetery. This is fitting, in a way: After all, in Los Angeles, nothing can be said to certain, except death and tacos. Indeed, we're willing to bet that if you peeked in backyards across town during Memorial Day week ... More >>

Where to Eat on Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles: Food, Drink, Party

Every year, we read articles revealing the true origins of Cinco de Mayo. Nope, not Mexican Independence Day, which happens September 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a minor battle in the state of Puebla in 1862 where an army of mostly Mexican Indians won against Napoleon III's French troops. The hol ... More >>

Bizarra Capital: Beyond the Border

Uptown Whittier can sometimes feel deliberately hidden -- a small stretch of mom 'n' pop businesses sequestered from any nearby freeway or convenient access. It's a fine example of late-'80s public planning, too -- a time when a penchant for Spanish Revival and mismatched pastels gave way to its no ... More >>

Taqueria Cuernavaca: Land of Eternal Spring

If you didn't initially order the taco al pastor at Taqueria Cuernavaca, surely you will after the trip to the salsa bar. Because while loading the small plastic cups with salsa and a few dark, dark red chiles de árbol, you'll probably glance into the kitchen. And in said kitchen, you'll spot meat ... More >>

Tamales at Guisados

If you're going to Guisados, the Boyle Heights eatery that, along with Mariscos Jalisco, just won LA Taco's epic Taco Madness 2012, you undoubtedly are going for one, or two, or three of its famed stewed and braised tacos. But tear your eyes away from the long list of available taco fillings chalke ... More >>

Q & A with Gustavo Arellano: Taco USA, Mexican Authenticity Food Writing

You might suspect Gustavo Arellano, the brain and wit behind the popular syndicated and OC Weekly column ¡Ask a Mexican!, as one of those Mexican food sticklers who bristles at ideas of yellow nacho cheese, the chimichonga, the chicken fajita pita, enchilada combination plates and Taco Bell's 50th ... More >>

Our Tacos, Ourselves: How Southern California Reinvented the Taco

How Southern California discovered, gave birth to, reinvented and loved the taco for more than a century

L.A.'s Idea of Mexican Food vs. What Mexicans Really Eat

In this episode of Squid Ink's Venn Food Diagrams, we study Mexican food. Why? Well, because deep down, every single person in this city has a soft spot for the stuff. Whether it be Americanized or not, fajitas or tacos de guisado -- a taco is the archetypal Angeleno meal. In this city, a taco is ea ... More >>

Amelia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards on Wine With Mexican Food

You've picked out a good Cabernet. What should you serve with it? Beans -- Mexican beans. That's what Amelia Morán Ceja would do. Ceja is the first Mexican-American woman to head a wine production company, Ceja Vineyards. "People never thought to pair wine with Mexican food until we came along," s ... More >>

Pambazo at Metro Balderas

Angelenos who visit Mexico City inevitably return home on the hunt for certain foods. Squash blossoms. Huaraches. Mollejas. And the mighty pambazo. While the sandwich can be found in various regions, it's especially ubiquitous on the streets of el Distrito Federal. Variations abound, but pambazos ... More >>

Meet Your Food Blogger: Valentina Silva of Eastside Food Bites

At the Antigua Cultural Coffee House on a recent afternoon, Valentina Silva talked with us about Eastside Food Bites, her voice carrying over the coffee grinder's noisy whirr and the stereo's booming cumbia. Silva often eats at local spots such as Antigua, close to her Mt. Washington home in northea ... More >>

Huevos Rancheros: The Alcove vs. El Huarachito

Fried eggs and buttered toast is the Tim Duncan of breakfasts in that it's generally very reliable, if not a little boring. Give us fried eggs on top of fried tortillas topped with rancheros sauce and salsa on almost any morning though, and it's a whole new ballgame. Thankfully, huevos rancheros are ... More >>

9 Best Burritos in Los Angeles

Behind every great taco, there's an even greater burrito. A proper burrito is excessive in all the right places: an edible package of chewy opulence that stands for everything great in the Mexican-American influenced culture that is Los Angeles. Meat, carbs and convenience, sauced and served to your ... More >>

MexiKosher: Can Kosher Carnitas Be Any Good?

Guzzle & NoshMexikosher: ceviche (left), beef & duck carnitas tacos (top right), chicken wings (bottom right).​ MexiKosher: The name alone inspires skepticism. Open since July along the booming Kosher Corridor, the casual Mexican eatery with the cutesy portmanteau delivers what it promises: t ... More >>

Fish Taco Food Fight: Los Feliz vs. Silverlake

whysarah/flickrFish tacos at Best Fish Taco in Ensenada.​ The ideal fish taco is a time-sensitive collision of hissing-hot battered fish, a shell puffed up around mild, sweet flesh; a tortilla or two; crunchy cabbage; and cool, slightly sour crema. It is time-sensitive because, if the diner ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Guisados

Jonathan Gold Reviews Antojitos Carmen

Ask Mr. Gold: Señor Bayless Where To Eat Regional Mexican Food in L.A.

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​ Dear Mr. Gold: Chef Rick Bayless has continuously told the media that he thinks L.A. is a "timid" food city and that we do not have as good regional Mexican cooking as what he can find in Chicago. He seems to think that we only have "California" Me ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Truly Mexican A Pipián Verde (Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce) Recipe

​Mexico City-born (now New York City based) chef Roberto Santibañez's latest cookbook. Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking with JJ Goode is truly exactly what the subtitle describes -- something that is not as common in the cookbook world as it should ... More >>

Eat This Now: Quesadillas at Quesadillas Lupita

T. NguyenA carne asada quesadilla at Quesadillas Lupita​ Los Angeles is blessed with having a great number of places where one can nosh on one of the simplest of curbside foods: the homey quesadilla. Your neighborhood (non-gourmet) food truck probably has a decent version; Mexicali's garlic-i ... More >>

Mexican Cooking, from a Korean Point of View A Chicken Pozole Recipe

Amazon​So why is a Korean food expert writing about Mexican cooking? It makes sense when you find out that Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee's parents had a Mexican grocery in the San Fernando Valley. Working there, she learned many a dish from the women who came in to shop, and she later immersed herself ... More >>

Q & A With Ricky Piña of Ricky's Fish Tacos, Part 2: Fish Tacos For Angelenos Baja Night 2.0

T. NguyenRicky Piña ​In the first part of our interview with Ricky Piña, the guy behind Ricky's Fish Tacos told us about growing up in Ensenada, learning how to cook from his mother and grandmother, and going back and forth between Los Angeles and Baja before finally settling in Los Angeles ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Playa

John Sedlar continues to reinvent the tortilla

Rick Bayless Taco-Blocks Local Blogger

Chicago-based chef Rick Bayless, who graciously introduced Los Angeles to authentic music right after introducing us to authentic Mexican cuisine, doesn't want a certain Los Angeles blogger to know what he's doing. The blogger in question is Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA, who savaged Red O in ... More >>

Rick Bayless Does a Star Turn at Red O

B. HansenRick Bayless at Red O, with Edgar Vazquez (left) and Victor Torres (right)​Red O was jammed the other night, but for the real action, you had to have an invitation to the tequila lounge. The highlight of the party in there was an appearance by Rick Bayless, who had flown from Chicago ... More >>

The Top 20 Mexican Restaurants In and Around L.A.

B. Hansenchefs awaiting awards​ The latest list of best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles comes from Sabores Auténticos de Mexico (Authentic Flavors of Mexico), a non-profit founded to promote authentic cooking outside of Mexico. The awards were presented Tuesday at a cocktail party and din ... More >>

The Other Red O: The Original Red Onion

Parking is plentiful. There are no bouncers to prevent you from entering before your allotted hour. Here, the unwashed masses are welcome. With the much hyped and much criticized opening of posh Mexican restaurant Red O, we thought it was time to take a look at the other Red O, the one that doesn't ... More >>

"Buen Provecho" Tamale Cooking Class at MOLAA Mr. Gold's Two Cents

phil_g/flickr​As part of an ongoing series that celebrates Latin American cooking, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will host a cooking class this Saturday, November 6th, that will teach participants how to put together the perfect tamale. And what does a perfect tamale look like to J ... More >>

Q & A With Alex Moreno, Part 2: Turduckenizo Albondigas, Taking The Goat Out Of Birria, Moving Beyond Happy Hour

CASATacos de Camarones Fritos at CASA.​ In the first part of our interview with Alex Moreno, CASA's newish chef talked about his attempts to bring updated versions of other taqueria's dishes onto the menu. In part 2, Moreno gives more details, including his spin on classic dishes like birria ( ... More >>

Q & A With Alex Moreno: Nouveau Mulitas, La Taquiza Meets CASA

CASAchef Alex Moreno​CASA in downtown L.A. hasn't had an easy start. Barely a month after it launched in January 2009, chef Kris Morningstar decamped for Mercantile and District. The Mexican restaurant consistently draws happy hour customers but hasn't had much success cracking L.A.'s foodist ... More >>

Casa Downtown: Your Disney Hall Hangout Where to Go For Light Mexican Food

Valli Hermanchicken tacos at Casa Cocina y Cantina​ It wasn't so long ago that the idea of having a quick bite before a show at the Music Center or the Walt Disney Concert Hall meant eating a protein bar while you circled for a parking spot. Ladies and gentlemen, that is no way to start an ev ... More >>

Where Kabobs and Tortas Meet: Armex in Lincoln Heights

D. GonzalezPork kabob torta at Armex​ "You should open a restaurant." It's one the highest compliments talented home cooks everywhere can get after sharing their dishes with friends and co-workers. For Marianella Robles, the compliment rung in her head. And when she saw an opportunity to ope ... More >>

Tinga: New-Wave Tacos

The latest in a refreshing trend

Red O: Back to Bayless

Bringing Mexican to L.A., With Mixed Results

Rivera: Burrito on the Rocks, Salt

Searching for great food and a great margarita