El Tarasco Restaurant

Ok the service was great and the guy was so nice so I feel bad writing this review but I need to be honest since I am an honest person.
The food was terrible, the cheese smelled like an old wet towel on a hot summer mildew humid day. They have a microwave in the back where they re-​heat meat … Um gross! Yeah expect the meat to be tough unless your lucky to get it fresh. The salsa was decent and the rice.
The chicken is shredded and felt like it was cooked in advance.
My friend got soooooo sick she was going to the bathroom all night and felt ill the next day. I didn’t get sick like she did but I did have a bad stomachache the next day.
I was sad to find out how bad it was since the reviews look decent. It is very sad but the service was great and the guys are sweet. Just a dirty hole in the wall spot with old microwaved meat :(

This place is a great spot to come and pick up a quick meal to take down to the beach, but its hit or miss and overpriced.
I’ve enjoyed my food on previous occasions, but during my most recent visit, a friend and i ordered two shrimp burritos and it was super blah! The shrimp were wayyyy over cooked, bland, and rubbery. The salsa had absolutely no heat whatsoever. Worst of all, the total was just under 25 bucks for two burritos, and they weren’t even that big for the steep price.
All in all, I’ll return because of the convenient location and the friendly service. Tip– don’t get fancy, just stick to the basics and you’ll be fine.

Was at LAX dropping off a cousin and was craving some tacos, looked up a Mexican restaurant around the area and this place called my attention. From the outside it looks like a taqueria and as soon as you walk in there are stools and a bar to sit on (no alcohol). Prices are okay, pretty much everything is under $ 11 even their biggest burrito. They do take card but it has to be a minimum purchase of $ 10 and there is also am ATM right outside the door. Its kinda far from home but if in the area I’ll most likely go back and try another burrito/​plate.

Still the best after 40 years! I started going to El Tarasco in the mid-​70s and usually had the Jr. Super Deluxe Burrito. Sometimes we would order for the whole office and they were always speedy and accurate. Moved away in ’77 but came back whenever we were in town. And it’s been the same great burrito every time. Kinda funny to see the counter server all grown up. He was a young teenager back in the 70s!

El Tarasco.
What to say. What. To. Say.
Well, my go to– The El Tarasco Burrito (with asada). Melts in your mouth. (also melts your mouth, cause its pretty spicy). Combo’d with their delicious circular chips & orgasmic salsa. You know what? I think I may have Tarasco for lunch!
Also, when you order for pick up, they say «It’ll be ready in 10 – 15 minutes». LIES. LIES I TELL YOU. It’s always ready in 5 minutes. Cause they’re just that awesome.
WE LOVE YOU EL TARASCO!!!
(also, their horchata is pretty bomb)

DL;DR Get their El Tarasco Burrito (asada). Small location, might be uncomfortable during the lunch hour rush.
Instantly became a fan of their El Tarasco Asada Burrito. It’s simple, yet tasty. Has carne asada, onions, cilantro, and chile verde. The asada was juicy, cooked well, properly seasoned and contained no nasty pieces of gristle. Their salsa tasted fresh and went great with the burrito. The location is small and only offers bar seating, but we went around 2 on a Tuesday and there was plenty of room for a party of five. I would imagine it gets pretty packed around noon though. The staff are very attentive and laid back. The food came out quickly and went down even quicker! Great spot for some fast, tasty Mexican food at a good price. They have a sign posted that states they have a 10 dollar minimum to use credit card, but I was able to use it for less than that. I’ll be coming back here whenever I’m in the mood for some good authentic Mexican food.
Tip: They have two asada burritos. I recommend the El Tarasco Asada Burrito, not the one with beans and rice. This one is stuffed with meat and onions.
Pros:
+ El Tarasco Asada Burrito
+ Cool staff
+ Good prices
+ Generous with meat
+ Good quality meat, properly cooked/​seasoned
Cons:
— Small location
— Street parking (metered)

If you want real, authentic mexican food… this is definitely the place to go. Tapatio sauce is also provided for those who don’t know the difference between salsa and hot sauce.

As the Unilocal chart says: «As good as it gets.»
I live across the country now. However, grew up on SoCal and worked down the street on Rosecrans Blvd. for years. Visited this tiny, walk up window hole-​in-​the wall many times.
The best burritos in the universe. ‘Nuff said.

Love this place. No frills burrito joint. Always satisfies, and service is excellent. Can be tough seating during peak times.

This place is perfect after a night at the bar! Seated right away, the server was very friendly. I ordered 2 el pastor tacos, but really wanted 3. He told us they were bigger than your average street taco. I couldn’t even finish the 2 I ordered!
Barely any seats and it gets a little tight inside, but we managed.
Good food after a night of drinking, makes you wanna drink more though! The service was pretty good, and our server was holding conversations with us!

My favorite El Tarasco’s, close to Manhattan Beach.
Small, only bar seating available. All the guys who work there are nice, friendly, and attentive.
I love getting the carnitas plate. Honestly anything you order is good. Prices are good for the amount of food they give you.

The junior super burrito deluxe was massive! Tasted like authentic Mexican food, and there was loads of chicken inside! Ordered it and within two minutes it was served.
The place is tiny — no tables, only a counter. The service also wasn’t the best, but if you are looking for cheap, quick Mexican food check this place out!

Delicious carne asada dinner plate! Beautiful presentation too. We bought food to go and took it to the beach to eat.
Tiny restaurant but friendly and quick service. Other specialty dishes were the cali burrito, wet burritos and tacos. The Cali burrito looked smaller than expected.
They have an outdoor deck to dine in if you don’t want to cram into the inside with bar stools.

Very cozy late night Mexican joint! You can get take out or dine in. Reasonable prices for this neighborhood. Free street parking nearby.

the men behind the counter are super nice! I asked the guy for recommendations and he said the El tarasco burrito with carne asada was good.
They supply you with hot chips and this thin red salsa.
The burrito came and was the size of a small baby. Enough for two meals but of course I had to eat the whole thing. Stuffed with carne asada and tons of cilantro and onions it was delicious! Total came out to about $ 7something so it’s a great price.
Tiny location, maybe seats 10 people. My water was always filled and the guys made sure I had extra chips and salsa. Great service!
Walk down the the beach a block away to sleep away your food coma.

This is a small little place but the prices are reasonable, workers are nice, and the food was pretty good. I had some chicken tacos. And they were pretty standard. Honestly I wouldn’t come back for them. Salsa was good. Guacamole was not. Can’t complain though!

Stopped by for a quick breakfast. Had green chili burrito that was good. I had a combo of some type. Jr Burrito. Just ok, but menu looked good so we’ll be back.

This place is a whole in the wall and I mean really. Small little spot with bar seating only. This place reminds me of my high school days.
You could wear anything to this spot and get severed. A very Casual spot. It seats about 10 guests.
I was very surprised at the quality of the food they put out. Made to order and most of all good taste. The presentation of their dishes where also presentable. Good Job.
The employees where also very attentive during my visit, when asked for a re-​fill they provided it.
2015 Unilocal Challenge.057/100

This is an El Porto Institution.
What a great ‘hole in the wall’ Mexican place to have in your neighborhood.
Manny, Santo and the boys always make you welcome, always know your order and always have a smile.
From Tacos that are fried on their side until brown and crispy, to loaded Burritos and great Fajitas all with White meat chicken, succulent steak and their homemade, all you can eat chips and salsa — this is a staple for me.

Food:
— was A ok. Food was similar to a place called Chanos near USC’s campus that my husband used to frequent.
— this is definitely one of the only options if you are hard pressed to find a place to eat after 10 PM in this area. We were headed to Palmilla Cocina for dinner but were told the kitchen was closed, so we drove to El Tarasco and did a pickup.
— this place seems to be the local favorite and the person taking orders and serving (seemed to own the place I think) was welcoming and knew his customers well.
— portions are very generous but the lack flavor.
— we ordered the chile relleno dinner place, chicken enchilada with rice and beans and a vegetarian nacho plate with guac and sour cream. I requested for salsa and that was a good decision. The food was bland and the chicken was not good (just boiled and shredded). All items were passable for sure.
— salsa is nice and spicy. Do get it!
Service:
Nice and courteous.