Taqueria Zavala No 1

This is for the place next to the liquor store NOT the sit down restaurant half a block away. This place is hands down the best hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. Fresh hand made tortilla tacos, giant burritos. I’ve had everything on the menu and its hands down amazing. Every time I have some one from out of town I bring them here and they’re never disappointed.

If I could give this place 0 stars I would Customer service is really bad !!! It’s expensive AF they charge $ 1.10 to add cheese to a burrito and it’s not even a hand full like wtf !!! Oh and the worst part the avocado they give is old and black AF most disgusting thing ever to take a bite of your torta and see that shit !!! I’ll never be back here again !!!

The Service was good and friendly as we walked in, but the biggest down side was the Chips and Salsa they offer as you order. They were old and stale and the salsa was bitter. The Wet Burrito on the other hand was delicious.

My wet burrito was not what i expected from a place that looks the part of a topical mexican restaurant. The meat from the burrito gave me a bad after taste. Will i eat here again No!

We always come here
We always order to go though. They only take cash. You can call in advance and they will have your order ready by when you get there.
They are really fast and friendly.
They offer chiles asados if you ask for them.
Just stop by and Oder your food and eat at home.

I will travel from Highland Park to the butthole city of South Gate for a carne asada burrito from here.. Thanks for never letting me down. A nod to their handmade tortillas and Cabeza tacos as well.

Pretty good with quite the authentic food, but not fully authentic. Just needs to be neater.

The Huarache de Asada is fire! It’s so good. The Ranchero Burrito is so full of flavor!!! The tacos are made with hand made tortillas. The service there is okay. The Horchata is amazing. It’s all good but al pastor needs improvement.

based on the Unilocal feedback I read, I decided to give this place a try. I didn’t have exceptionally high expectations, but didn’t expect subpar Mexican food either. out of all the Mexican places I’ve eaten at around Southern California, this place takes the cake. (not in a good sense of the term) I arrived just a few minutes after 8pm — about an hour before closing. The 3 staff members were in the process of cleaning the place. I observed that the food is entirely precooked sitting in containers which is probably convenient for quick preparation. I ordered a carnitas tostada ($ 5.99), 2 chorizo tacos ($ 3) and a wet green burrito with carnitas and asada ($ 8.19). I noticed that the staff didn’t pay much attention to cleanliness/​cross contamination when it comes to food preparation as they didn’t wash their hands or wear gloves, but handled cash, trash and cleaning chemicals in between preparing food. grossed me out, but didn’t want to alarm the company I had with me. I think the health dept should really take a gander at this place!
On to the food. The carnitas was average. The asada had a pretty nice flavor! if it weren’t for the health code violations, I would recommend it. the beans in the burrito were some of the worst I’ve tasted. they’re very comparable to Rosarita brand canned refried beans. yuck. The rice was just plain white rice. might have added a hint pink to it with tomato paste, but there wasn’t any flavor there. the size of the burrito was average, but slightly underwhelming for $ 8.19. The tostada and chorizo tacos were actually pretty tasty! Unfortunately, the chorizo was the only thing hot as that was the only thing heated on the grill. Everything else (meat, beans, rice, tortillas) was served at room temperature — gross! I really wanted to love this place as many other Unilocalers have, but I just couldn’t. I would rate the place 1 star, but since I was famished and would have pretty much eaten anything, (and I did) I really enjoyed the tostada despite the ambient temperature. I have no plans to return.

The carne asada tacos are good! But be aware this place only takes cash. For guacamole on your tacos its extra! The place is small and can easily be missed. It is better if you eat in your car or take to go because it is small inside. But then again i only come here late at night or when it is not crowded with people.

I try to stop your each time I’m in LA. Super meaty tacos and made fresh by the hour. You can see these guys working super hard and a tent of sweat fell on the taco and I kid you not that taco was so delicious! A must try if you’re in LA area.

This place was a HUGE f*ing disappointment thanks to all the inflated reviews.
First of all, its small as heck, so you can barely walk around or sit comfortably since the only 3 tables they have are almost stacked on top of each other. They don’t take credit cards so go visit the ATM machine elsewhere before going there.
FLIES. FLIES EVERYWHERE. Landing on you, your food, and the salsa bar. Oh and even if you do decided to grab anything from the salsa bar that the flies haven’t landed on yet, you can’t because someone will be hogging the bar and pretty much packing everything in sight to take home in baggies.
The food was good though so they do get 2 stars.

I had the Pastor burrito and ordered it for takeout as well as a chicken quesadilla. The food itself was awesome. What tainted the experience was the lady took my order. I know everyone has bad days but she was rude to me and I even heard an employee ask her for help and she responded by saying «I’m nobody’s maid» OUT LOUD. Not necessarily the vibe you want from the person greeting customers all day. Again what makes this place great is the important part, their FOOD!

AWESOME fish tacos! Love! Quintessential taqueria with no frills, but oh so delicious!

Got tacos Because the tortillas were homemade and very good. The Al Pastore was excellent and the Asada and Carnitas were good. The salsa is just okay. Overall I was very satisfied. 3 ½ stars If it were possible. Portions were good for the money

My all time favorite Mexican food, I’ve been visiting this spot for over 10 years and not once have I been disappointed. Their carne Asada meat is season so tastefully, and the torillas are hand made. Don’t get me started on their green salsa, it’s amazing. I’m so proud of this restuant and I will always recommends it the those looking for THE BEST BURRITO DE ASADA !!! Seriously I love this place try it, the one in Garfield is the best one. There’s about four of them

The quintessential Mexican breakfast joint, Taqueria Zavala is starting to become my go to place whenever I am in the need for a good warm hearted breakfast, especially if I am nearby the area.
Taqueria Zavala is located on the borderline of South Gate and Paramount. Often there can be a wait but the few times I have came, there haven’t been. Parking is in a small sized joint, but if you are lucky enough, you might just find some on the street.
Usually, I order their menudo, which is by far my favorite dish here. Its always a good time for menudo, not just on weekends! I have also tried their huevos con machaca (shredded beef) and I must say that I have loved it. With a bit of a spicy kick it, I am a fan of it. Upon seating, the waiter/​waitress brings a complimentary bowl of chips with salsa, which can be a bit spicy too. Their tortillas are handmade and warm to the feel. By far, I can say their orange juice is some of the freshest I have ever imbibed-​freshly squeezed. That is a big deal to me!
Staff is always nice and eager to answer any questions you might have. They do have flat screen TV’s for your viewing pleasure. Overall, I will continue to give my dollars and my customer-​ship! They have made a fan out of me and will be back!

Best Mexican food ever. the tortillas for the tacos are hand made which is a big plus for me, also the burritos are really good, this place is my new Mexican restaurant I would recommend anyone to go here …
I rate a 5 start because of the food but the place is small, and also its cash only which sucks for many of us because everyone uses debit cards, I’ll suggest to order food to take it home it gets hot in there…

Anytime I hear «handmade tortilla tacos!» I’m there…
Been coming to this Zavala’s for years now and their touch has not changed, still delicious!
Keep in mind, they have two other locations close by (one at least two blocks away from this place, and another one on Lakewood by Stewart & Gray), the other two are not the same even though it’s own by the same guy, the tacos at this location (Zavala No 1) are better, that’s my own opinion of course.
My favorites are the carne asada tacos and the al pastor tacos. I’ve also had their carne asada burrito, mulita, and the huarache, all very tasty. Their prices are decent and their portions are good. Oh, the tacos are not the little ones so don’t over order.
Pros:
Delicious food
Handmade tortillas
Reasonable prices
Cons:
The place is really small
Most of the time it’s always packed
Limited seating
CASH ONLY
Limited parking
Can get pretty loud

Been coming here for a while! Recommend the champurrado, enchilada picosa, and enchilada tejana.
— Chips and salsa served at every table.
— Tacos are served with a lazy Susan stoked with spices carrots, radish, pico de gallo, and lemons.