Carnitas San Juan

This place is amazing. It’s seriously a hole in the wall. It’s gives me a good traditional Mexican vibe. Yes the sanitation and maintenance is bad so beware. But it’s seriously a traditional Mexico carnitas/​taco shop. Food was great!

Been here two times now. I was, and still kind of am, kind of skeptical about this place when it comes to sanitation. The first time I went there, nothing was covering the chicharron and as a result there were flies coming in and out of the container it was in.
The meat is basically all together so I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a little of a different type of meat, and I actually like that. The tacos I got were amazing. I hate cueros (fatty pieces) but when I found some on my tacos u actually didn’t mind because of all the meat in them. There was so much meat I couldn’t feel the cueros.
The salsa they use is hot as hell so be warned. Their choices of meat are not small. If I were to rate it in flavor alone it would’ve been 5 stars for sure. But overall I still feel like a health inspector would have a field day here! However the fact that I willingly came back should say a lot am I right?

Awesome, ‘estilo casero’ Mexican food/​butcher shop. Burritos, tacos, Tortas ahogadas… menudo, caldos, birria.

Hmm. Last minute decision due to convenience. I ordered a torta ahogada and ended up regretting my decision to dine here after it was too late. They have so many choices of meats to choose from and a large menu to order from. The torta ahogada was not what I was used. Very tasty but very spicy. In fact, so spicy it was overwhelming! And I have a really high heat tolerance when it comes to spiciness. But that’s no reason for regret. I was worried about my health after eating here and observing the cook failing to wash his hands properly after handling raw meet, then cooked meat. Simply wiping his hands on the towel to take my card and charge me for lunch and then going back to the cooked meat and then raw meat and back and forth again… Can you say «health inspector?» I’ll never go back again. Hope you have an iron stomach like me. You’ve been warned.

Food’s alright, I’ve been to cheaper places though.
Be sure to try the tortas, they’re coo.

I couldn’t believe it when I found this place. There used to be one next to the liquor store we owned, but the racist dumbasses of Anaheim city council shut it all down. They really contributed in effing stuff up in that neighborhood, because that neighborhood off Orangewood Ave. is missing out. They lost one of the best Mexican restaurants ever.
Anyways, thank God that there are two other Carnitas San Juan locations, and the main location where they do all the cooking of the carnitas is on Euclid. The other one is on Harbor Blvd. Check them both out. This review is about Euclid. Maybe the inside of the place isn’t impressive with a bunch of clutter, but that is why it is the real deal. It is the genuine article, the real McCoy. All those giant copper vats in the kitchen behind the counter are extremely important. They were manufactured by the gods. This is definitely a piece of Mexico that has been transported.
If it was too clean in that place, the food wouldn’t taste like how it is supposed to. And believe me, San Juan makes the best carnitas in all the states. Even the birria de chivo is amazing. No other restaurant or establishment in America can reproduce how this place prepares food. Whoever comes here needs to get passed what the restaurant looks like and just get in there, shut up, and freaking order a pound of carnitas. They will give it to you in a bag and give you a couple of small but generous bags full of salsa and onions with cilantro. Just forget your sissy American standards and adopt a higher appreciation of culture and real food. Oh, yeah, order the food to go. Go home with the carnitas, and warm up some corn tortillas.
I need to explain that when you first come here, you’re going to be mad at me because there is nothing visually impressive about the outside and inside of the restaurant. But that is what makes this place magical. Once you eat the carnitas, it will all start to make sense why. No words can explain it. You are going to thank me for sending you here. Oh, yeah, don’t tell too many people about this place. Keep it a secret. They don’t make extras here, and once they run out of meat, they close shop and go home. Let’s keep it a thing for the locals.

Let me start off that the 2 times I’ve stopped by to grab a bite I feel as if I some how teleported to a shitty part of Tijuana! With that said you probably are assuming the tacos are bomb!!! right!!! Maybe if I was to be blind, deaf and mute or a health inspector that hated their job would I rate this place a 5 star. Roaches were marinating under the table I was eating, there were empty fridges and random things piled on top of each other. Super random. Seeing the environment they have their venue only makes me imagine the cleanliness do they use to cook a meal. Now you have to buy a minimum to pay with a credit card and the only thing fresh I can guarantee are the sealed sodas. The food is ok but I wouldnt recommend to dine in.