I was SO excited for this place and drove from far to try it. I'm a vegan and been looking for a really good vegan burrito. But, honestly...I was pretty disappointed with my asada burrito, especially for the price. I feel like I've had better burritos at non-vegan places and customizing it to be vegan. I'm so surprised since there's such incredible reviews, but it was not very flavorful to me, and barely any chipotle mayo that I could taste. I also had the flan, which was okay. Overall, I was not super impressed, but I definitely will be back to try the tacos as I'm still hopeful for those! read more

My friend told me about this restaurant. Her mother ordered food for herself after someone told her about it. Her mother then gave her a slice of Flan from her order. Today, my friend and I decided to stop by to order the flan she was craving, plus other options from the menu. Upon arrival, an hour before closing the line was at least 40 people outside the door. We ordered tacos, flan, drinks, and pan dulce. The food was absolutely delicious. I can't wait to return. My new favorite vegan Mexican restaurant. read more

Can't get enough of this place. All their food is amazing. I specifically am addicted to the "carne asada" nachos with everything on it. Poodle was amazing too!! Staff is friendly and fast. Also, expect a line. This place is that good. read more

This is my first review ever so you can appreciate how disappointed I was in this establishment. I recently visited this restaurant, and I was highly disappointed by the quality of service. I have never been to an establishment that the service was so bad that I would take my time out to sign up for Yelp just to leave a negative review. I'm not going into to detail about what happened but I can put it to you this way. we had to leave bc the service was so bad it had my girl in tears. So we ended up leaving. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and suggest finding a better option in the area. The only reason I gave them one star is bc i can't leave a zero star review read more

Has the best vegan tacos/ burritos! Even though I stopped being completely vegan I have to keep coming back for more of the Chicharrón tacos! You will definitely not regret coming here! read more

Amazing!!! Don't miss out on the chicharrón tacos. They work so quickly, I got my food within 5 minutes of placing my order. Worth the drive if you are coming from out of town, real authentic vegan Mexican food! read more

I'm giving 4 stars because I hate waiting in general. The line is usually wrapped around the corner. I didn't really care for the chicken meat at all. Carnitas is best meat option hands down. The loaded fries were great had chicken on them, next time it'll be getting carnitas on everything. The birra tacos are ok no cheese foreal if you're looking for that. I really enjoyed the asade and carnitas tacos and the carnitas burrito, those will be my go to eats. read more

*Literally* the best vegan Mexican joint in the valley! The food so super tasty and well made. If you want to convert a non-vegan into being vegan take them here!! read more

El Cocinero - "Carne asada" fries - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California

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The food is good but the customer service is AMAZING!! Esteban customer service is amazing, I'll go back because of him!!! Thank you so much! :) highly recommend read more

Delicious vegan menu. I enjoy the burritos and the tacos. I had the nachos but it was too goopy for me. It did taste good though.

Very efficient ordering system, since COVID has made things a bit more challenging for a lot of local restaurants. The food is amazing and authentic, their meat substitutes are delicious! read more

El Cocinero - "Chicken" tacos, "al pastor" tacos - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California

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THEY HAVE VEGAN POZOLE!!!! It's incredible, I do not understand how they do it. I need the recipe. So. Damn. Good. Competes with my grandma's. read more

Finally a greasy vegan place to eat after a good hangover!! Love the nachos and fries. Tacos are alright

Best best best vegan birria I've had. So good. 5 stars just for the vegan birria tacos. The fries were nothing extraordinary.

this place has some good options! I bought a carnitas burrito, a carne asada torta, & my friend got the birria tacos! the burrito and torta was delicious! 10/10 for the burrito, 8/10 for the torta (just because it was a bit messy but it was so good). the tacos i would say would be a 6/10. they're made with jackfruit and i'm not the biggest fan of it and my friend didn't like it and for the price i would just go with the burrito or torta! read more

The food from here is definitely the best vegan food I've ever had! Staff and service make sure you get what you need and are super friendly. Food never fails to satisfy me, food portions are also awesome and great to share with friends read more

First time trying this spot and WOW!!! I took my brother who is iffy about vegan food and he loved it. We all ordered the nachos, fries, birria tacos, chicken tacos, steak tacos, el pastor tacos, and a torta... ZERO COMPLAINTS!! Everything was delicious!! 10/10 read more

Wow this place is amazing! The tacos, refried beans and rice is so worth it. Thanks for existing and most importantly FOR BEING VEGAN read more

El Cocinero - 2 Carnitas, 2 mushroom suadero & 1 Chicharrón - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California

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Omg if I could give 1000 stars I would! Best vegan Mexican food ever!! Amazing customer service! Best vegan flan ever too!! read more

El Cocinero - "Birria" tacos - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California

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This is a great vegan Mexican restaurant in the middle of the valley. Flavors are deep and complex.

If I could give this place more stars, I so would. This place is amazing, my favorite vegan restaurant no doubt. I drive an over an hour to get there and it's worth it. How can I start? The food here is amazingly delicious, I have tried a lot of things on their menu and everything has been on point. My favorite is their carne asada, the way they cook it, the flavor made me second guess if it was really vegan. You can put it on anything and it will not disappoint. We also order nachos, it is a big portion, enough to feed two and they are full of flavor. Their crunchy quesabirria tacos with the consomé, is a must, delicious! The sopes, their flan , the horchata, all their meats are sooo good, full of flavor. Along with having great food they have amazing service, always so nice and helpful. The food comes out so fast being that they work as a team on your order so you won't be waiting long. They have a nice sitting area, they are always busy but you won't wait long. Highly recommend this place, you must try it and you'll definitely come back. read more

Price increase on food is just too much. Used to be better quality and less stingy with sauces/extras. Cashier isn't nice. It's too bad because they were amazing as vegatinos. I used to wait for 30 minutes in the line for their food and the customer service was always above and beyond. Oh well :( I love their decorations though they are so cute. read more

Man I love this place. Stumbled on it working in the area and now drive about 15 miles out of my way going home sometimes to get my fix. Nachos are good, mulita was meh but my fave is the sopes. Can't get enough of the refried beans and rice. Awesome stuff. read more

pozole is the bomb!!!!! we need delivery to dtla please!!!! or how about a pop up once a week in centrally located dtla. read more

The BEST mexican vegan spot in the valley!!! Hands down its worth the wait unless you know someone that works there. Definitely, going back again for some more yummy. read more

El Cocinero - Chicken burrito with sauce. - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California

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Best vegan Mexican food in the country and I mean that. They really let you have it on portions and the flavor and quality of the food is excellent! I'm never disappointed visiting here read more

Bomb food period! Not just for vegans, but a G-d send for vegans. My favorite is the chicharron, and carnitas. Just tried the flan for the first time and SO good!!! Tastes just like the traditional way. Even if the line is long, just wait because it moves fast. A must try! read more

This place is ridiculously delicious. In my 20+ years living in Los Angeles, this is the best Mexican food I've ever tasted - vegan or not. I can't imagine anyone not loving their food. The salsa's are incredible too. I can't recommend this place enough. read more

Hands down the best Mexican food I have ever had (and it's vegan). Everything on the menu is delicious and we keep going back for more any chance we get. My entire family (made up of vegans and meat eaters) love this place. The nachos are my favorite thing on the menu. Any of the meat choices are amazing, you wouldn't believe the dish is vegan. No matter what your meat eating preference, try this place out. read more

AAAAMAAAAZZIIIIING food and prices! Totally worth the line! We ordered mushroom, asada, and pastor tacos. Pastor was our fave, so full of flavor can't tell it's vegan. Their flan.... bomb! I could probably eat 3 in one sitting LOL Im so happy to have found this hidden gem so close to home! So good that we ended up ordering 2 trays for a small party last week. We had a pickup time for 230p and they were able to accommodate us last minute for a 130p pick up. Non vegans were super impressed and ate a ton of tacos, they had no idea it was vegan "meat" until I told them ahaha read more

BEST VEGAN MEXICAN RESTAURANT ON THE MAP!! I've been fully Vegan for about 7 years now and I had never eaten such AUTHENTIC, Mexican food that tastes just as it did when I was a kid. Not only is the food amazing but the staff is so friendly. Thankful and excited that you guys opened up a restaurant. Thank you El Cocinero!! read more

The Al Pastor was , the salsas were delicious! The cheese sauce was ok, needed to be mixed with the salsa for flavor. My husband loved the flan, I didn't get to try it . What got in the way were the tortillas, they were hard and a little stale. Might have been a fluke, will absolutely try again when I'm in the area! read more

Terrible service the owners son was absolutely rude i enjoy the food but the service was very bad there was a mistake in my order and dude refused to come to a understanding disrespected me. The last time i come here which is a shame after i spent well over $500 at this place. read more

I found a hair in one of my sopes today. I love this spot but I did feel grossed out by the hair. I gave the rest of it to my dog. The quesabirria tacos are delicious! Definitely my fav. The jackfruit Birria is amazing, the "carne guisada" is really tasty! Sadly the Al pastor has become too salty, other than that, I love the new menu items. But heads up, tell your workers to put their hair up, no one likes a hairy sope. Judging by the other reviews, I see that this is not the first time this has happened. Please be more careful about the way you prepare food. read more

I'm sort of sorry that I tried this place because it's so damn far. And the good is really great! I tried the burrito bowl with "asada", birria (yes vegan birria!!) tacos, pozole and flan. I loved everything. So flavorful! Perfect spice. The workers are nice and organized. Love that they use an environmentally friendly package, somewhat. Definitely want them to open a spot closer to Inland Empire. Pleeeeease! read more

I looove the al pastor burrito and tacos. Flan never dissapoints. I tried the birria tacos dorados and I prefer al pastor tacos. It would have been 5 stars if customer service was like it used to when it was "vegatinos" I felt like I was treated like just "another customer" the guy opening the door was not welcoming and just stared. I know this place is popular and the food is delicious but keep in mind that excellent customer service is what will bring back the customers. I drove 40 min. And I just wish I was treated with a hello, not just what can i get for you. Also, a little background music wouldnt hurt. Also, I took away the star because the asada had no flavor this time, it was chewy and flavorless. read more

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Not even to deserve this one star very well awful customer service food tasteless and no dining in plus trashy and not fresh food don't you ever think about it read more

Went to get food here on Sunday Night with the wife on the recommendations of two friends. The food was very good, however the staff was not particularly helpful or knowledgeable about the food. As a result, I spent less money there than I normally would have! My wife who is a vegan was looking for recommendations and none were forthcoming. Additionally, she asked if she could get a taste sample of each of the meat items, and was told No! This place has the potential to be great, but unless the staff gets substantially more helpful and friendly, it won't happen. read more

Very good and tasty. I was surprise that the food was seasoned nicely. The only reason I gave them 4 stars is because there was no guacamole availablein the resturant. Only guacamole sauce. It's not the same. I figured at a plant based resturant this would be provided. No it was not. Avocados are tasty and makes everything taste so rich and brings the experience to a whole other level. So please work on that and add that to your menu. Avocados add potassium which helps move iron around the body to bring oxygen. Potassium shrinks cancer cells. Avacados are also good for the hair, nails and skin,. I had to make mine at home. Other then that, therr were Quick lines, great customer service. Everyone was working hard and doing their best. read more

I've visited El Cocinero twice now and have ordered a carne asada and chicharron burrito and carne asada fries. Both were so incredible that you struggle between finishing the plate or holding back so you can have some left overs. Carne asada was the one thing that I missed once I went Pescatarian, and let me tell you this place really hits the spot. Only issue is they are closed on Mondays...and today it Monday. read more

El Cocinero - Carne Asada Fries - Mexican Near Me - Van Nuys CA, California