Do you have a restaurant woven into your family's history to the point that it feels more like a…read morememory you can step back into rather than just a place to eat? For us, that's El Ranchito in Huntington Park. It's a family-owned, authentic Mexican restaurant that has had the community on its back for the last 6 decades. They hand-make the tortillas right in front of you, serve up fresh chunky guac, and make their iconic Mama Avila's soup fresh daily. It's rare that a soup has me hitting a stank face, but here we are. The Camarones al mojo de ajo is a can't miss appetizer. It's succulent shrimp sauteed in butter and fresh garlic, made to be eaten with the piping hot homemade tortillas. They have all the traditional Mexican dishes, my brothers go to is the chile relleno, but I always just run the fajitas. I'm sure I'll get clowned for this, but nothing heals my trauma and existential dread like a plate of sizzling fajitas. My pops has worked in the area for longer than I've been alive, so El Ranchito has seen every iteration of me, and of my family. For that, I am grateful. I'll be coming here until the wheels fall off. EL RANCHITO ALL STARS!!! IG @johnny.novo Tiktok @jnov__ Substack @johnnynovo

This place is a legend! But, it may have slipped a little…read more Went there on a Wednesday night. The parking lot was a bit full but there was enough parking. We walked in and it was a few minutes to get recognized by the hostess. Not a big deal but that bled over into the waitstaff. We were sat and ignored for quite a bit. We waited and we got chips and salsa and someone came for drink orders. The salsa was some of the best I've had. Drinks came back pretty fast but they were average. Something was off about them. We ordered the food and we got it fast! I was surprised how quick it came! It was good Mexican food. Not great but good. All in all, it was a good place for a sit down dinner with drinks.

I'm a long time fan of Apache's Carnes al Carbon. I used to go to their location in Boyle Heights…read moreuntil they closed. I was sad when they closed. I was working in South Gate a few years ago and discovered this location in Huntington Park. I started coming here for their most delicious sopes, tacos and burritos. The restaurant's ambience is simple. There are two counters and a table. People come here for the authentic and delicious food. I'll sacrifice ambience for amazing food any day! The meat they serve is pork and they grill it over lump coal so the edges are crispy and charred but the meat itself is juicy and porky. The beans are fried up perfectly, just like homemade. The salsa is simple but very tasty. Today's was fire and addictive. I had a taco de chorizo ... yum. I also got a jamaica to help cool things down. I got a couple of burritos to go. I'm really looking forward to chowing down on those later. I know they'll be delicious as always. The sope shells are handmade and fried up fresh to order. They're thin and crispy but hold up well to the fresh toppings. The first one was so good that I ended up ordering a second one. Asusana was working the counter today. She was very kind and accommodating. ¡Gracias Asusana!! I know I'll be returning for my fill of authentic sopes, tacos and burritos. Thank you Apache's Carnes al Carbon for offering some of the best food in SoCal. You are one of a kind!

Delicious burritos here. I was a little sad I came in 30min before closing and they didn't let us…read moresit inside but it's okay. We ate in our car and it was delicious! There was a lot of people just picking up to go.

A friend of mine brought me to this birria place and now it has become one of my favorites. You…read morehonestly can't beat their prices and portion size. All the meals also come with a consomé. I love their birria flautas especially since it comes with guacamole , cream and cheese. I definitely recommend this place to any taco loving person. You won't regret it. Their customer service is also great and the food is made very quickly. They have tons of seating or you can chose to take it home.

Food is delicious, consomé is delicious, aguas frescas are normal tasting, place is neat, the lady…read moretaking orders is kind, and attentive, food prices are justified in my opinion, they sometimes they have Spanish music playing, other times the t.v. And other times it's quiet but it's nice if you wanna watch a show on your phone. Food comes out quick.

This is a great little taco stand that comes out at nights in the parking lot next to Alliance High…read moreSchool. The pastor is great, tripas are clean and delicious, and the cabeza is off the chain. Solid salsa selection, especially the spicy marinated cucumbers which are wildly addictive.

This was the place I was searching for tonight when I got a chance to hang out with the South Gate…read morepolice. The place they suggested was fine but not spectacular so the great Al Pastor search continued. Now these guys know how to run the show. Fifteen or twenty people standing around eating. A line 5 deep. A half dozen employees grilling and chopping and trimming. And the smell coming off this place ..... It was like meat perfume. It was a good thing that the service was quick 'cause it would have driven you mad to stand around smelling that awesome scent and not be able to dig into a plate full o' food. The Al Pastor was crispy, juicy, slightly sweet, piggy perfection. But what's the story with the beer? The not entirely legal taco stand wasn't enough for you? You thought you'd throw in a blanket full of bootleg DVD's and while you're at it why not pass around a few beers! You know what, I frankly don't care. When the ATF comes around to bust you just offer 'em a couple tacos. They'll be so busy groaning and sighing that they'll forget why they came.

English: I never write Yelp Reviews but this restaurant made me want to write one. The food is…read moreheavenly made. God bless the chefs, god bless this restaurant and their future. Wonderful service. Big portions with appropriate prices. Hands down my new go to restaurant. Please give them a try if you're reading this. Grab your keys and go now. Great job to the staff! Spanish: Nunca escribo reseñas de Yelp, pero este restaurante me hizo querer escribir una. La comida está hecha para el cielo. Dios bendiga a los chefs, Dios bendiga este restaurante y su futuro. Maravilloso servicio. Porciones grandes con precios apropiados. Sin duda mi nuevo restaurante. Por favor, pruébalos si estás leyendo esto. Coge tus llaves y vete ahora. ¡Buen trabajo para el personal!

I just had one of the best torta de cabeza that I have ever had. The torta was so flavorful…read more Service was great and they had my order ready with in minutes. I just keep coming back, trying different plates. The place is not super fancy, but good enough to sit quietly to eat your food.

Why We Keep Coming Back We've tried a lot of taco stands,…read morebut we keep coming back to this one because of the tortillas. Their yellow corn tortillas are incredibly flavorful and make the quesadillas stand out from the competition. The Food We usually order the adobo quesadillas with cheese, cilantro, onions, salsa, and avocado. They don't have the largest selection of meats, but the adobo is excellent. The quesadillas are a good size and always taste fresh. Fresh Tortillas Made to Order The process is simple. You place your order, then move down the line where fresh tortillas are prepared with cheese, followed by your choice of meat and toppings. It's fun watching everything come together right in front of you. Ordering and Payment The ordering system is straightforward and efficient. After your food is assembled, you pay at the register. They accept cash and Zelle, which makes payment easy. Extras and Toppings They offer a selection of salsas along with grilled onions and grilled jalapeños that you can grab with your order. These little extras add a lot of flavor. Parking and Convenience Parking has never been an issue for us. We usually find meter parking right in front, and many customers seem to grab their food and go. It's a quick and convenient stop. Ambiance This is more of a grab and go spot than a place to sit and hang out. The atmosphere is casual and busy, with people lining up for fresh food and taking their orders to go. What it lacks in seating or extras, it makes up for with the smell of fresh tortillas cooking and the lively taco stand experience. Customer Service Customer service is simple and efficient. The staff keeps the line moving and gets orders out quickly.

best TJ tacos i can find locally! i showed up a little before opening (5:30pm) and when i came back…read morearound, there was a line! so come with patience the servers were amazingly quick and kind. their agua de sandia is my recommendation, paired with tacos of asada con todo

Service was quick and ready to go, without making me feel pressured. Lots of seats with a mixture…read moreof tables and booths. Delicious iced peach tea.

While waiting for a taco place to open. , we stumbled in to this place. Great drinks, food, great…read moreservice. Place is clean. Wife had a Neapolitan crepe, cafe de Lola and a Azteca coffee. She loved all of it! The crepe was delicious, freshly made. I had a Jamaica, which also was good. We would have had a meal , if we weren't going to go get tacos. Support small businesses like this.. rather than going to a Starbucks!

The main 3 meats you have to try here are AL PASTOR, CHICKEN & ASADA!…read more Al Pastor: If you don't want to try anything else, this is the one that's a MUST! For a crispy bark taste. Tell them to grill it more A.K.A. DORADITA and of course have that pineapple added on there! Chicken: My second choice here. Good and with the right sauce taste even better. Green or Habanero Asada: Although its not really considered "Asada" since there is no grill. Its still good, but there has been some times that it was EH. As far as the aguas frescas... I've tried all and recommend any of them but if I had to... I would go for Cucumber

Their coctel de camaron is very delicious. They also have a set up outside where you can order…read moredelicious tacos! I recommend the pastor tacos which come with fresh piece of pineapple and the tacos de tripa dorada which few places carry or know how to cook well. They also have a big selection of aguas frescas. I have tried several tacos spot in the area but always return to this one for their quality and flavor. This place is also very reasonable priced and the staff is always very helpful. Give them a try and you won't be disappointed. You can sit inside or you can order to go. The ambience is very friendly.