Oomasa...a Little Tokyo Gem

100 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213)623-9048
Wed-Sat11:30AM-12:30AM
Sun 11:30AM-11:30PM
Mon 11:30AM-12:30AM
Tues Closed

If you'll notice, there aren't many sushi places on What's To Eat LA. Why do you ask? Well, to put it simply, I don't really know how to rate sushi. I mean I can tell what pleases me and obviously what makes me sick, but for the most part the true finesses and little touches that make sushi extraordinary are allusive to me. It's like drinking wine. I can drink and know it tastes good, but why it tastes better than others is something that seems barely tangible. I guess you have to have extremely fresh fish to examine first and then see how ones that aren't so fresh rate to it. When I've read other people articles and posts, the only thing people talk about is how well it's cut and freshness for the most part as if they're coneissures of those fine details of freshness. They must be better people than me and I commend them for it.

I, on the other hand, enjoy sushi quite a bit and have had my fair share of what I would consider very good sushi, so-so sushi and downright scary call the health department sushi. I would also say that I could try any piece of raw fish you throw at me as long as I know it hasn't been sitting out. In LA, there are a plethora of decent sushi places. I use the word "decent" loosely, and please understand that I state that word in a postive light and not a negative. To put it plainly, I would eat at them. Oomasa in Little Tokyo I would rate as higher than decent and a joy to visit when I'm in the Little Tokyo Village. I understand that most people might instantly respond with other places that far exceed Oomasa in the immediate vicinity, but I have yet to be let down here and that's why I'm writing about it.

The inside has a classic sushi bar feel to it except with the addition of booths that harken to a diner in the mid-west. The hustle and bustle is pretty non stop especially considering the constant clientele and the late hours they offer.

Here is their Pork Cutlet dinner combination plate. For $14.95 Celeste got more than she bargained for; a medium sized pork cutlet over salad, 7 pieces of sashimi, 1 tuna sushi, 1 sweet shrimp sushi, 2 big pieces of REAL california roll (ie-real crabmeat), pickled cucumbers, macaroni salad, orange slices, miso soup, a bowl of rice and one scoop of green tea ice cream. The pork was tender (most certainly brined by her opionion) but crispy on the outside with a great flavor of it's own and a sauce that was more savory than sweet, the sashimi was quite to her taste and generously given, and she essentially had to make herself to stop eating at a certain point because it was all so good and there was so much of it.

Here's a plate of their Chirashi Sushi (Chirashi means scattered and that's exactly what this is; a bowl of raw fish fish scattered over rice). All the fish tasted fresh and I must admit that this was the first time I had sushi like this as I'm usually just a sushi-by-the-bite kind of guy. I could do this almost every week. Though the food was a hefty amount (10 slices of fish), I found myself just stuffing it into my face bite after bite. It was really solid this time around and a pleasure to eat. 10 slices of fishes could run you modestly around $18 minimum (if you're lucky) but this plate will run you $16 which is a pretty decent deal.

Parking is available (and validated) at the adjacent lot to Little Tokyo as well as the surrounding streets for parking which, believe it or not, you can find pretty easily. Of course Little Tokyo is aimed at tourists, but don't let that stop many of you from coming on down and exploring. Many of the establishments there have been there for quite a while and with good reason. This place and a few others are quite the gems and cult favorites of downtown LA.

Free Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: Lunch specials are $10 to $12 and sushi and sashimi plates will run you $15 to $20

Pinches Tacos...a better taco for the Strip when you need it

8200 W. Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323)650-0614
Mon-Wed 11AM-Midnight
Thur-Sat 11AM-3AM
Sun 11AM-10PM

The Sunset strip. A place you love to go and also hate to go to. When you're there and want to be, it's THE place to party. When you HAVE to be there and DON'T want to be it can be the equivalent of sitting on the 405 at 5:05. The joy of the area is that there's lots to like about it even if you aren't there to party, such as shopping and great food. A new restaurant by the name of Pinches Tacos, right at the edge of the strip, is taking advantage of the night life street walkers (no... not "those" street walkers) that are hopping from party to party late at night.

What I like about this place is the fresh taste of the ingredients. The owners, the Anaya brothers of Cha Cha Cha fame, have really tried to keep things legit while at the same time making sure that the ingredients stand out as healthy (or at least as healthy as Mexican food could presume to be).

The place itself has fast food vibe to it where you walk up to the register and order your food and they bring it out. It does however have a great patio that's covered and the food is brought out to you.

Obviously this place is totally a taqueria, but they do serve more than that. The tacos themselves are not cheap but don't let that discourage you in the least. These tacos are filled to the brim with meat. Not fall apart and get you pissed off full, but mighty full. The carnitas shown above were nicely flavored and juicy. Many people's pork tacos fall flate cause they cook them a tad too long and they get prety dried out, but not so with Pinches.

The fish taco was not so much my thing. While it was packed I didn't like the fact that the salsa overpowered the fish all together. Definitely designed for the late night buzzed crowd.

Their flautas are pretty dynamite. Light and well constructed. The meat inside, delicately flavored and moist. All plusses and a sure bet when you can't decide on what to get.

The al pastor was pretty rocking and you could really taste the marinaded char on these. These have been the most consistent for me. I could load these up for a party and everyone would be happy (unless you don't "dine on swine").

Their mole tacos were special indeed. Very packed and slightly sweet which is refreshing from typical mole that has more of an earthiness to it. These were rich and very satisfying. These are wonderful, especially with the horchata they make.

The carne asada had just a hint of smoke and on occasion were juicy but for the most part were bordering on being a little dry. Though not my favorite in LA, I could hit these just about anytime.

As I said before, the tacos aren't that cheap. Ranging between $2 to $3 a taco it could get a little pricey if you're trying to go there when you could eat a small donkey, but those tacos are really packed and packed with good ingredients. There is parking too which is another miracle for Sunset. The final kicker is...they deliver! So next time you're partying on the Strip remember these tacos to send you on your way.

Free refills: On the soda yes, on the horchata no (I badly wish they did though).
Entree Price Range: Instead of quoting things...HERE'S THE MENU

Susina's Bakery & Cafe...a standard in my book

7122 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)934-7900
Mon-Fri 7AM-11PM
Sat-Sun 8AM-11PM

Took me forever to get this to you. It's been on my to do lists for what seems like forever. In LA, I think there are few people who don't enjoy their occasional sweets even if they happen to be diabetic! That being said, we have some of the best places to treat that sweetness attack. What's great is we have something that caters to whatever your addiction demands weather it be more of a dairy type thing with MILK, or maybe cupcakes are your thing, See's Candies are all over the freaking place or high end confections can be found at places like Boule. The one place that I have consistently told people about when they want something a little more traditional but done well is Susina's bakery on Beverly. They satisfy the bakery need in my life time and time again, not to mention the fact that those I introduce it to, it becomes one of their infectious places to pass onto others.

Let me get the one thing out of the way that's been a bummer lately. Late night hanging at Susina's has become an impossibility unless you get there early. When I went there last we waited around for 20 minutes waiting for a table to open up and no one moved. This can be attributed to the fact that they have free wireless so camping can sometimes be a problem. But this was not the only instance. On another occasion 8 cops were chilling at a table just hanging out. While I love LA's finest I didn't right then. Oddly enough they used to have a sign that they used to have on the tables stating to not camp when people are waiting or something like that but no more. Hopefully they'll see this and bring'em back.

These cases were forbidden to be photographed. I had already popped all these pictures before the counter person told me otherwise.

Therefore, I took one for the team.

While they do serve up excellent cakes, pies, cookies and my favorite mocha in town, my all star favorite item off their menu is their banana cream pie. When I introduce this place to someone I invariably order up one of these if it's available (on occasion it's not there thanks to it's popularity). It's described as a pie with a "thin shortdough crust lined with chocolate; filled with coconut pastry cream, fresh coconut and fresh whipped cream. Topped with toasted coconut." This is without a doubt one of my top 5 desserts in LA hands down and I'm not even a fan of cream pies due to there overkill on whipped cream. This has not too much of anything. In other words, a perfectly balanced dessert. While decadence can be synonymous with dessert, this is light while being rich in flavor. The chocolate lined bottom cupping the always perfectly ripened bananas is heavenly! This is perfect for two people on an after dinner date (if you can find a seat).

As I said, they have classic treats to satiate your sweet pangs. Here's a sampling of their mini tarts that are always a safe bet when you can't decide.

And here's a sampling of their Italian cookies, which of course go famously with their coffee.

I'm glad I was able to get this down in writing in time for the holidays because you can of course get them to make cakes to go and this was one of the first places I fell in love with in LA heavily. Let me tell you one reason why this place holds a special place for me:

One night while me and Celeste were bringing some friends there, we were chatting and the owner, Jenna Turner, chats us up a bit and comes back with some croissants and various goodies for us to take home for free. I was no one and not trying to report on them or anything. She was just being sweet and genuine to patrons.

While some might say that the fact that they gave us something for free persuaded me to be loyal and write such good things it's merely the fact that she took the time to talk to us and ask us what she thought of things. David Myers over at (which by the way is one of the non-plussed places in my book) comes by tables sometimes and can be seen talking to customers and he's a freaking 5 star kind of guy. Personal attention and kindness go a long way in my book but it's not something that you can do at every restaurant and so when it happens it's something to be remembered.

Susina's is about merging memories of bakeries from our youth with the high end living of today while keeping your wallet a little fuller. Thanks for all the years thus far of new memories.

Free refills: no
Price ranges: even better here's the link to the menu.

Joe's Pizza (of Santa Monica!)...bridging the gap between New York and LA for pizza!

111 Broadway (at Ocean Ave.)
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310)395-9222
Sun-Thurs 10AM-Midnight
Fri-Sat 10AM-3AM
CASH ONLY!

Joe's Pizza. Joe's. Pizza. A hole has been filled in me that I longed for ever since I moved out here.

After much buzz about Joe's Pizza (famous of Carmine and Bleecker in New York and just famous of New York period) and a bit of delay, are finally open in a great little spot in Santa Monica right by the ocean. Let me explain a little bit to the people of LA. Joe's to many in NY is the standard by which many New Yorkers set there level of quality for pizza. And while New York has many amazing pizza places Joe's really does have a certain something that you can't quite put into words. You can go anywhere in NY and get a great hot dog from any vendor and you can go just about anywhere in NY and get a great if not VERY decent slice of pizza but there is still one Joe's pizza.

Finding out the rumors were indeed true that they opened yesterday, I HAD to head on down there. Now let me explain, I'm in a play currently and was finishing up at 11 last night at Santa Monica and Vine and was compelled to go down there. That's what kind of hold Joe's has on me. I was past Mid City in the middle of the city, far from the 10, and headed all the way over to the ocean at midnight to grab a slice of this man's pizza. Upon arrival I see a super simple store front where they make pizza and that's obviously the main concern. A couple of tables with stools and that's about it but that's really all you need. Joe was telling me that earlier that day the place was a madhouse! Luckily for me, we went late, and LA people seem generally resigned to the fact that there isn't much nightlife out here unless you're clubbing or getting wasted some where. So this new location, while they still had customers popping in, was way more under control.

THE CHEESE!

THE PEPPERONI!

Citysearch was on-hand while we were there to "paparazzi" Joe in action

Stunning results!

In life, you hope that you find what you love doing and are able to make money doing it. Joe seems to be one of those fortunate of people of whom it's plain to see that he loves making people pizza, and feels a great satisfaction from making people happy with his craft. It's people like him that you want to be around when it comes to food.


So how's the pizza? Some of the best I myself have had the experience of tasting. Now I won't claim that this will be the best for you cause after all we all have differences of opinions when it comes to food, but I can wholeheartedly say that you'll at least like it...a lot. So many intangibles are involved from the sweetness of the sauce, to how the dough is thin and crunchy but has just the right amount of give to be able to fold. It's the consistency of the cheese and how all the ingredients interact with each other. It's the marriage of all things coming together, in the right amount of heat, where you get consistent results. Joe's Pizza has all this, not to mention the guy is just a sweet man who has got it down to a science. His pizza can only be understood by tasting it. Words fall flat when it comes to describing it.

I ordered up 2 slices, one cheese and one pepperoni and was very satisfied. And yet I was compelled to buy another slice to completely fill me up as if I was afraid Joe's wouldn't be there tomorrow. What profound pizza this is for me. Top it all off with the fact that they have bottled Coke and you have a meal that could become as popular in Santa Monica as In N Out and Fat Burger are in other places.

Oh, and did I mention the price? Try $2.50 for a slice. I think the idea is that he knows he can sell his pizza at such a great price because if you keep it at a price people can afford, they'll be more apt to come on back...with friends. So yeah he may lose a little at first on projected figures, but in the long run he's got you hooked. Sure it's worth more than that. At other places they they do in fact charge more, but it's hard to rationalize pricey pizza at anytime, because most people know what goes into making one.

As I pause and reflect on what we like and don't like, as people who just love food...and in the end isn't that what it should all be about? Just about what you like. Pizza is one of those things which should be based only on what you like, and not it's state of origin. But Joe, you make a mean pizza that is as New York as all 5 boroughs. But more importantly, you make a pizza that fits my idea of what great pizza tastes like. I welcome you with open arms and hope you never leave LA!

PS. They DELIVER! And here's the menu for download.

Free Refills: No
Entree Price Range: $2.50 to $2.75 a slice and pies range from $17 to $20

Green Leaves...vegan love for the meat minded

1769 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA. 90027
(323)664-2345
Open Daily 11AM–Midnight

***Lindsey C. of Reality LA this is so you!***

Our next worthwhile foray into the world of veganism is Green Leaves and what can I say? I'm of the mindset that meat out of sight is out of mind. If any of you have been reading my posts you know that I'm not such a vegan, in fact I love meat to the point of almost wishing I had my own livestock to eat if I could.

Located right across the street from Home in the Los Feliz area this cozy spot has been winning vegan hearts on the East Side for a little while now. The interior has a sort of calm rock and roll meets corner cafe appeal to it (which ironically is also the crowd I think they're aiming for) .

Despite what you may be thinking this is a coconut, not an amateur rocket. And, it was cracked open just for us. If you haven't ventured to try the natural libation of coconut, this is the place to do it. No cracking it at home over your sink with your biggest/heaviest knife, risking life, limb and loss of juice. Here you can enjoy it's lightly sweet nectar and meat for $2.75 and get enough to share between two or three people.

Their Spring Rolls were solid veggie spring rolls, with an emphasis on glass noodles and tofu. What made them stand out was the unusual sauce they served along side, which was like the standard sweet chili oil sauce but theirs had a little something of a special aromatic that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Needless to say the sauce itself added an even fresher taste on this already fresh appetizer.

They describe this their Rock and Roll Noodle as "Pan fried wide rice noodles with tofu, chili sauce, basil, tomato, bell peppers, bean sprouts & our special house jalapeno sauce". I describe it as quite possibly my favorite vegan plate to date. It satisfies my basic needs for something flavorful, healthy, textures and plate size.

Almost looks like a hamburger with mushrooms doesn't it? Well, it's their mushroom burger with lentil loaf for the patty and it made quite a tasty burger. The lentil loaf itself was very tastefully spiced lentils, so if you like lentils you'll love it. The mushrooms were well sauteed and tender, the lettuce, tomato and sprouts fresh and crisp, and served on a super fresh (almost sweet) wheat bun. Make sure you try the sauces they bring out if you get this too, they add great flavors. One word of warning, the lentil loaf might fall apart on you. Celeste found though that if she removed the bottom bun and turned it upside-down that it stayed together just fine. Hey, what matters is that it tastes good and it's healthy, right?

All in all, the restaurant has great returnability factor. Healthy, tasty, good service and some awesome late night hours. Street parking can sometimes be tricky but there's plenty of it so you're cool. So next time you or your significant is feeling healthy or tired or not feeling healthy please pop on in as you'll be highly impresses with their sizable menu of familiar yet alternative eating!

PS. Pop on in for breakfast for some extraordinary pancakes!

Free Refills: Sorry to say but I always forget to check cause I never order soft drinks when I'm there...something about being healthy in there.
Entree Ranges: Appetizers are $3 to $6, soups and salads $3 to $7, breakfast is $4 to $8 and main entrees are $4 to $9. Can you say VERY good deal?

Industry Cafe & Jazz...Ethiopian Culture meets American Culture

6039 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-6633
Sun-Thurs 11AM-Midnight
Fri-Sat 11AM-1:30AM

Being a musician, and more importantly a bassist, who plays both electric and upright, I find that it becomes an everyday occurence to see myself gravitating to people who share a love of the same things. Since upright bass is synonomous with Jazz, it's no coincidence that I've been to plenty of jazz clubs here in LA including all of the prominent ones that the big players get featured at.

In Culver City there's the blink-and-you'll-miss-it restaurant called Industry Cafe and Jazz that features great jazz, great Ethiopian food (as well as some soul food bites). The beauty of the place is that it's open pretty late. I find it to be a beautiful marriage of great cultures. It's been said that Jazz is the only true musical heritage we have. It was born here in America and is every bit American as the hard working people that it was birthed from.

I won't go into huge details here, but I'll tell you in a nutshell that the food is wonderful and is served by people who aim to please. The types of food are standard Ethiopian fare but don't let that fool you if you've never had Ethiopian. There's much to be said about their incredible culture and even more so their food! Rich in spices and textures, it's a foodie's delight!

Here's one of their standard but very well done meals all on injera (wouldn't really be Ethiopian without it). Shown are the collard greens on the left, salad on the right, lentils and chick peas on the top and bottom, and in the center are their lamb tibbs and chicken tibbs. The meats were super tender and mouth wateringly savory.

Just wanted to show you a little bit of a closer shot of the lamb tibbs. Why? Cause I wanted to give it an honorable mention amongst all the lamb tibbs I've had including in all of Little Ethiopia (where there happened to be a festival this past weekend...had to make a mention of it as it was an unexpected treat to walk through).

As for the jazz, you can't go wrong in LA and they get some great players popping in to throw it down. They also have poetry and some special events that support the community. Parking is street parking, and luckily if you go for dinner (after 6) all parking is free. Treat yourself to some culture soon...ours and theirs!

PS. I'll be back again soon to write up about the soul food if it's happenin'.

Free refills: No
Entree Price Range: $8-$11 for the Combos, $9 and below for everything else

The York...Highland Park's very own Cheers

5018 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042
(323)255-9675
Open Daily 5PM-2AM

I've been noticing a recent pattern of gastropubs in my posting. Maybe it's the cheaper food, maybe it's the desire to try newer beers with friends, or maybe it's to see who's stepping up in this LA dining trend. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad this trend is happening. There are lots of plusses and very few cons to deal when it comes to gastropubs. One of the precious parts about it is the fact that it brings people together without the pretension of only having beer and getting wasted.

One of the newer (only a couple months old) installations to the scene is The York (that just so happens to be on York Blvd). I will attempt to round out this post with a quick concise review.

(right)

(left)
When you walk in you have one big room divided down the center by the bar. To your right is the main bar side (stools, counter and tables for 2) and to your left is the more "sit down and bring a party of people" side.

The beer selection is decent and while not extensive they have everything that most people would enjoy and a great staff looking out for everyone. The food is a mixed bunch including small AND large plates. By far, not your average prepared dishes. Whoever designed their menu was obviously trying to turn a few heads. Shown above for instance is their "take-on-a" Pulled Pork Cuban sandwich which had ham, gruyere, pickles and mustard aioli. While not Cuban in the purest sense (which I'm glad about), this was fantastic rendition of the "worker's lunch-time special". It was very well balanced and the fresh ham and gruyere made for a repeatable item on my list.

For something more familiar, here's there cheddar burger, and for their customization, they included spicy harissa aioli and pickled onions on it. This is a pretty killer burger. The patty is pretty thick and the bun is super soft. We ordered ours medium rare and guess how it came out? Perfectly medium rare...practically text book. I can still smell the fresh beef in my nose. Quite a memorable plate indeed. To round out the plate, they throw in their rocket fries which have steak fries sized taste in much thinner fries (if you want to just have a lighter snack when you're there, their fries are perfect) . If you come here and eat meat, this is a must try!

Their menu changes seasonally but some of the other items worth mentioning are their blackened catfish, the cheese and salami plate, and for sure their truffle grilled cheese with tomato salad. All incredibly good and the prices are easy on the pocket.

The environment is super friendly and heck, they even had someone with their kids having dinner. It's loud but not unbearable and they've got great taste in music spinning throughout the tavern. They've really done a great job in creating an environment that you'd want to stay at and yet not even worry about how much you're spending.

Small announcement: My next post will be on my next giveaway!

Free Refills: No
Entree Price ranges: $8 to $14

The Great Western Steak and Hoagie Co....my way right away and Mike Tyson's too

1720 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 450-4545
Open everyday 10AM-midnightish

The cheesesteak. It is a deadly food sin that I personally love to commit. Sadly there aren't too many Philly style cheese steak places over here (at least any worth noting) . I look at this as one of the prime big-eater meals, not for weight or mass, but from the sheer way it weighs you down when you eat one. These sandwiches are designed for people with big arteries...so that there's more to fill. Great Western Steak and Hoagie Co. possibly has the cheesesteak in town to beat (don't worry...I'll keep looking) . Last time we went, the guy at the counter told me Mike Tyson had popped in that Monday for a big order. I think of Mike Tyson as man who eats a lot...sometimes he chews off more than he should, but that's another story.

This is a crown jewel of cheese steaks in LA. Oooey and gooey to the core and at the same time brimming with succulent meatstrips. The bread is a flaky roll that compliments this sandwich by soaking up the juices but not becoming soggy. A transcendent sandwich (if you've had this you know I'm not lying) , the stuff addictions are born from (and conveniently open late enough to be a just-before-midnight snack) . This specific specimen had grilled mushrooms and onions, american white, I added mayo and had them leave out the pizza sauce. There's many fixings you can request on it to completely customize your bad boy. Is it juicy? You bet. Is it big? Oh yeah. In fact, dare I say, it's so good you could make this a text book example.

Here's Celeste's cheeseburger...it's not pretty but tastes pretty good. The patty had a very steaky quality to it (maybe cause of all the steaks that have gone over that grill...but who knows) , the thin layer of cheese didn't puddle anywhere (thank you!) , the lettuce was crispy, the tomato was perky and the mayo/onions/pickles infused through the whole thing in a very juicy fashion. My only gripe, they used the same breadtype as they used on the cheesesteaks for the hamburger...and let's just face it, it would have been better on a traditional bun. So, it doesn't go down in the hall of fame of LA's complete package burgers, but if you're there and you find the size of the cheesesteaks intimidating it's an excellent option.

Great Western has been around for somewhere between 40 to 50 years (they quoted me this) . Though the place looks pretty beat up (couple of busted tables on the south side to eat at) you can tell that they put their money into the ingredients they get. They have a parking lot and like I said before, the hours are perfect for those night time cravings. I only suggest one thing, if you find yourself waiting in line with Mike Tyson...let him cut in front of you.

Free drink refills: No
Entree Price Ranges: Cheese Steaks are $6 ish and burgers are $2.50 to $3 ish.

Cactus Taqueria...keeping it very real in Hollywood

950 Vine St.
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 464-5865
Hours: You know what? That's a very good question. Lunch time to really late night sounds about right, but I've never seen them closed.

Few words for an amazing place. Cactus Taqueria is this tiny little stand on Vine that has people almost always crowding around it. Now, while I won't say there's no better place in LA for tacos, I will say this is by far one of the finest in Hollywood and the price is most definitely right. The tacos only being a buck, how can you not afford this place anytime of day?

Notice the spit for pork...it's meat an undeniable force to be reckoned with on Vine.

I figure I might as well start with a non-taco item so we can get that through first. Their quesadillas are light and seared just right, this was their veggie version with avocado included. Perfectly packed so it won't turn into a mess and really just a picture of salivating tastiness.

Fish tacos have been high on my list ever since moving to California all those years ago (so few of us are actually from here). While I won't say I crave these (far from it) I will say they have a decent entry into the fish taco forum. Good sized chunks of lightly breaded whitefish with dabs of sauce make this a simple great taco.

Their carnitas are AMAZING. Quite simply some of the best carnitas I've had in LA. It's juicy and has super tiny bits of crispiness on the ends of the pulled pork. So dang good.

The al pastor rocks as well considering it's pork from the same batch. I will say this though, their bbq marinade for the al pastor is slightly different than most in that there's more of an earthiness than a tang to it. Whatever it is, they do it right.

The carne asada is a touchy subject. I've had it when it's been amazing, and sometimes when it's just average. When it's good, the meat is tender and juicy and falls apart in your mouth. When it's not, it's just not all that happening. Typically though, there's almost no fat at all, no matter if it's a good day or not, a definite point on their side.

I wanted to throw this in here for laughable measure. I myself am more of a purist when it comes to tacos (that being that a taco is a tortilla with meat, onion, and cilantro and that's it), but my buddy Pete was joining us and he likes American tacos covered in cheese.

Though I only showed a few of their meats, it's worth a note that their cabeza and chicharrones are KILLER. I'm sure many of you have passed by and thought... why are all those people standing there? Did Pink's open a taco stand? Hardly. They just know how hard it is to get a good taco in Hollywood (not to mention they take credit) and this is their cure.

PS. There's a second location on Beverly and Kingsley

Free refills: Nope it's by the can, and may I add they have Cactus Cooler at Cactus Taqueria.

Entree Price Range: Big menu and all under $5 to be sure with tacos being just a buck.