Arturo’s Tacos

Our go-​to taco spot! Cabeza tacos and lengua burrito. I love that you can serve yourself at their ghetto sauce stations, but it all comes together and is a bunch of awesome.

This place is the best Mexican in pasadena by a mile. It used to house Arturo’s taco truck, but unfortunately that’s gone now. Luckily the food is just as great, and they have all the same salsas and grilled onions/​peppers. Their two avocado salsas are amazing, especially the thick one that’s also got blended jalapeños.

The superior taco truck!

On Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, two dueling taco trucks in close proximity both feature long lines of hungry late night taco cravers. One of these, Arturo’s Tacos, has a restaurant in Pasadena. You’ll sometimes find their taco truck parked out front. If it isn’t there, you can go inside the restaurant and order tacos. Ignore the sign out front that says El Carrizal Restaurant which much be leftover from the previous restaurant. Head to the counter where you’ll find the menu and place your order.
The restaurant has a wide range of menu items, including breakfast (omelettes, eggs, pancakes, French toast, chilaquiles), sandwiches, Mexican soups, sopes, quesadillas, tacos, and burritos. Four tacos are $ 4.64. Nothing is over $ 7. The restaurant is totally no frills and dingy looking.
Meats: asada, buche, carnitas, tripas, pollo, suadero, cabeza, pastor, lengua, chorizo
Stock up on the plentiful condiments, including salsa roja, a spicy creamy green salsa, milder green salsa, roasted jalapenos, whole pinto beans, onions, cilantro, limes, radishes, chopped tomatoes, etc.). The salsas come in huge buckets. Find a table where you can watch soccer on TV. Pick up your order when it’s ready.
* Carnitas tacos: The tacos come with two tiny soft, warm corn tortillas and a pile of chopped carnitas. It’s up to you to add the onions, cilantro and salsa, available from the salsa bar. The carnitas was extremely dry. Even salsa didn’t help much.
* Lengua quesadilla: Two layers of flour tortillas with gooey melted mild Mexican cheese and lots of cubes of lengua. While I enjoyed the tender lengua, I thought it could use more seasoning. The quesadilla was plain (meat, cheese, tortilla) so the salsa bar definitely helped.
* Salsa bar: Really loved the roasted whole jalapenos. The creamy green salsa (looks like a thin guacamole) was too heavy and salty.
Now I know which late night taco truck to frequent (going to wait in line at El Taquito Mexicano).

So I am frequently down in Mexico and absolutely adore street tacos. So I’m painfully picky when it comes to taco trucks. After years of going to a spot just a few blocks away, I gave this truck a try. Bingo, I hit the jackpot. Tacos are cheap and delicious. In particular, I absolutely love the al pastor. This is the closest things I have had to the real thing. Tender, savory, and oh so tasty. The horchata is great and paired with a few tacos, just makes the perfect little meal. You can get three tacos and a horchata for 5 and a quarter. How can you beat that? Simple answer, you just can’t. To add to that, they have beans, grilled jalapenos, and all the salsas and fixings just like the real stuff. Bottomline, you gotta try it out.

Looking for some tongue, tacos that is? Then get over here!
Comparing Arturo’s meats to each other, some just stand out from the others. The tongue and chicken are both prepared just right — nice and tender and not over cooked. The beef is pretty standard fare. The al pastor just doesn’t really hit the spot, nor does the chorizo. I would say avoid those 2 meats, just no bueno.
They let you apply all the toppings you want at the table next to the truck, including the cilantro, onions, lime and salsas, all of which have varying degrees of heat.
— salsa roja has a nice kick to it, but not too overwhelming
— salsa verde is salsa verde, with a hint of heat.
— salsa verde #2 — the one that looks like guacamole… it’s not! Holy F*ck! It was just hot, hot heat all inside of my mouth, burning the taste buds right off the roof of my mouth. My suggestion is to just use it sparingly.
My go to spot for lengua. All tacos between $ 1.25– $ 1.50.

Great stuff. Tacos are excellent. Nice staff, great salsa and grilled onions. Cash only but bring your appetite. Go get one of each taco for the win!

do you want to wake up on thanksgiving morning with food poisoning?
well then… don’t be like me and eat at Arturo’s restaurant because you will throw up and have diarrhea for a few days.
straight up, no joke.

Authentic tacos. Great food, and affordable too. Buche is good stuff.

CABEZA. CABEZA, CABEZA, CABBBEEEEZZZAAAA!!!
After two trips to Arturo’s on Fair Oaks, I have become an Arturo’s fiend. Not a fan, but a fiend. So far, it’s 3 for 3 at Arturo’s, and each and every time I come back to try different menu items and different meats, my experiences get better and better.
Today’s hankering was for tacos and to try the mulita. I got two tacos, one cabeza (cow head meat), and the other al pastor. I also ordered a carnitas mulita. What I love so much about Arturos is the fact that they give you nice, big, meaty chunks of whatever you get. And guess what? 2 tacos and 1 mulita, just $ 6. Freaking. Amazing.
The mulita comes fresh off the grill PIPING hot. So be careful not to burn your fingers, or your tongue. It is crisp, and the tortilla is soft, yet strong enough to not flop over with how much meat and cheese is packed between two tortillas, and trust me, it is PACKED. Super cheesy and super meaty… I almost felt guilty eating this. The chunky carnitas came in a medley of crispy fried pieces, and tender inside pieces. The mulita was very enjoyable, especially when I broke it apart to witness the cheese oozing. I had a Homer Simpson drooling moment. Mmmm… cheeeese…
Onto my two tacos. I didn’t care for the al pastor that much. But the cabeza. LORD HAVE MERCY. It was SO, SOOO, SSSSSSOOOOOO GOOD. Just staring at the meat… it looked so tender, so juicy… but once I bit into the taco… it was my eight minutes in heaven. Eyes closed, slow chewing, and the disbelief that you are eating something THAT good. I opened my eyes WIDE, and needed reassurance that my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. One bite, two bites… a few more bites. The meat is seasoned just enough, but something about how this meat is cooked… maybe it is stewed prior to a quick grilling? The meat has just the right amount of fat in it, and through the cooking process, its flavors are infused into the meat. What you are biting into is not fatty, but rich and flavorful. The meat retains some texture and is not mushy. This cabeza is MELT IN YOUR MOUTH GOOD.
What I like about this location is that they offer one extra salsa (total 4). This salsa is very bright green. It is this decadent, rich avocado sauce… It is mild, but oh so creamy, and oh so fresh and flavorful. Even though it is not spicy, it tastes good on ANYTHING. I love this chunky creamy offering differing from the other standard fluid salsas. This location also offers grilled onions (placed alongside the roasted jalapenos).
The cabeza knocked it out of the ball park for me. All time favorite meat at my favorite truck. I must come back soon. Cabeza is calling my name!

Man this place is great. It reminds me of the little puestos in Mexico where you can put whatever you want on your tacos. They have about 5 different sauces, all the garnishes you could imagine. They even have beans and sauteed onions for crying out loud.
Their asada is ok (still go to la estrella for that) but the their other meats are superb. The real reason I come here is for the hand made mullitas! Good god they are delicious. And to top it all off, they are the only taco truck with GRILLED CHICKEN. Not that shredded crap in tomato sauce everyone else serves.

On a quite street in Pasadena on Mid-​Winter night i enjoyed dining at Arturo’s Taco Truck #2. But with the great food I would say they were #1. A taco truck on the outside and a restaurant with ample seating a television playing spanish music videos. The parking lot was ample even when more people arrived.
The truck had many of the sodas coming from Mexico. They had a nice layout of free extras such as beans, lemons, radishes, cilantro, onions and a few other items. They had various tacos with asada, lengua, pastor as well as burritos, quesadillas and those Mulietas. I had an asada taco and gave it 5 stars, just what an asada taco should be and what you may find at one of my aunt’s house or my own.
Mary B, my gluten-​free friend had a Mulieta which she enjoyed and gave me a piece. She had written about the Mulieta in a previous review which I pasted below
«*Follow up. I’ve been back and ordered an amazing creation. One million stars. The muleta! Two large, fresh, handmade corn tortillas filled with gooey stringy white cheese and your choice of grilled meats. AMAZING From-​scratch street-​style Latin food is notoriously wheat free, fresh and lightly seasoned with nothing but salt. Gluten-​free friends, you can eat 99 percent of the food here or any place like it.»
Thanks to Mary B for introducing me to Arturo’s Taco Truck #2 which I do plan to come back for more.

So did you notice? look up, still don’t know what I’m talking about!?, Why does the name on the building in the photo say El Carrizal Restaurant but the business is being reviewed under Arturo’s Tacos?
they are making changes to the business and it will soon be Arturo’s Tacos as the menu’s inside read.
I’m not sure at this point what other changes will be upcoming but as of now the restaurant closes at 5:30pm, then they roll out the truck
that parks in front.
I found the same nice salsa /​condiment bar but unfortunately they did not have the free beans out as they do when the truck is open, I ordered the Sope’s (2) $ 3.50 and Suadero Tacos.
Suadero Tacos —
For those who don’t know what a suadero taco is, it’s beef and done right the best way to describe it is «Beef Carnitas», nice chunks of beef that is crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside
and these guys do it to perfection, if you’ve never had them?, do yourself a favor and come check these guys out. 5-​Stars
Sope de Carne Asada —
Layer after layer of goodness a tops the sope, beans, meat *(carne asada), shredded lettuce, cheese *(queso fresco), sour cream and tomato
add some guacamole and salsa from the salsa bar and this is delicious, the carne asada is great, very flavorful, tender and cooked perfectly and they give you plenty of it, although it was good they do use a packaged sope and you can taste the difference so for that

4-​Stars
Avg 4.5-Stars
Cash Only, though they do have an ATM Machine, don’t know the service fee’s since I didn’t use it.

The best deal in Pasadena. The best tacos of my life. The best condiments EVER. The best salsa in the world?
Armed with a plate loaded down with a couple of tacos and a whole lot of sidekick, I had a seat on the patio. My eyes closed after the first bite, much like the automatic response of a good kiss. Speaking of good kisses, there may have been a moan or two. I looked up to find the mutual agreement moans and a couple «Oh my god, this is good» from the satisfied faces blush with afterglow.
A preexisting penchant for food stands will not prepare you for this taco truck. Foodies and gastronomiques, prepare to rethink your criteria for where gourmands dine. Whether you are a taco truck aficionado well versed in Latin flavors or a first time food-​stand patron who dines strictly fine fare, this is for you. Just do it.
If you do not care for tacos? Pass judgment only after having dined here. Change your mind and expand your vocabulary to include new adjectives and synonyms for yummy. Both «bargain» and «delicious» have a whole new meaning.
On the Southeast corner of Orange Grove and Summit Ave, the Goliath of all food trucks sets up for business at night. In the parking lot of El Carrizal Mexican restaurant (review coming up), at the restaurant’s closing time, the outdoor tables start to fill with smiling faces.
The food: Tacos. The lengua (tongue) is tender, the asada (steak) is lean, the carnitas (pork) is juicy, the pastor (marinated pork) is flavorful, but the tasty meat fillings are not what a great taco make are they?
The condiment bar is the best sidekick in the world. Sometimes the costar outshines the starring role! There are about a dozen ways to make your taco even more delicious here: Diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, radishes, vegetables, limes, several varieties of AMAZING salsa, spicy guacamole, sweet grilled onions and peppers, chillies and warm pinto beans. What? Did I just say «Warm pinto beans?» Yes I did.
But these are no ordinary beans. Did I even like whole pinto beans before? No. What is in them? I do not know, but somebody needs to can them and make a mint for bringing this one to the public. Cinnamon? Cumin? Exceptional flavors from something I had thought incapable of being exceptional, previously.
The spicy guacamole is ridiculous, the salsa roja is smokey, the mint green sauce? Cucumber? Pick and choose from the liquid stuffs that are so extraordinary, they probably violate some sort of ordinance to bring it to you.
I was raised on the American diet of Hamburger Helper and Black Angus. I thought Taco Bell was a Mexican restaurant when I was little! My mother made Tuna casserole from the Betty Crocker cookbook. My first taco truck adventure was terrifying! First timers, get over it and get down here. This is a premier place to be deflowered. ;-)
Take advantage of the free parking in the lot. Hours are roughly from 5:30 PM to 2 AM. Prices are rock bottom low, bring cash. The area is a little rough around the edges; ladies, be cautious. Families and friends, the take-​out here is a fantastic value to help you ride out the economy. I spent a couple of dollars, ate and I had leftovers, I kid you not.
Is there another location? I haven’t been. This is the best deal in Pasadena. Maybe in the world.
*Follow up. I’ve been back and ordered an amazing creation. One million stars. The muleta! Two large, fresh, handmade corn tortillas filled with gooey stringy white cheese and your choice of grilled meats. AMAZING.
From-​scratch street-​style Latin food is notoriously wheat free, fresh and lightly seasoned with nothing but salt. Gluten-​free friends, you can eat 99 percent of the food here or any place like it. Just avoid the occasional flour tortilla at a taco stand and you will be set. All of the amazing toppings at the condiment bar are gluten and soy free. Unlimited beans and spicy guacamole! –YUM