Culinary adventuretime. I happen to be in the area visiting a friend post surgery. After I dropped off some cookies and good cheer for a quick recovery, I turned to Yelp abd my fellow Yelpies for a mex place near me. Omg a true mom and pop place, hole in the wall....just 5 min away. I loved the name The name, Little Cowboy. It's in a small mini mall hidden by metal bars and next to a barber shop...but its here...got lucky at 3 pm on a Tuesday and slipped unto a free parking spot but I bet this place gets busy...Because it's gooood!! I ordered the #2 taquitos, but it came as the #1...no matter, i loved the flauntas,, they were huge, crunchy, and I had them with the fixings which was lettuce guacamole and crumbled queso...5/5. It was preceded by chips, they tasted fresh and crispy, nearly all were, except for that first one...but i used the chips to scoop up the awesome frijoles, the frijoles were da bomb 6/5, just traditional fijoles, nothing fancy...perfection. The Jamaica was refreshing and not too too sweet. Nothing was overly salty, and it was all reasonably priced. What's a hidden gem. Don't be put off by the exterior of the place...its good here. I'll be back to try everything... especially the chile relleno. I love it when I can support a mom and pop place. Especially when it's so yumm!! Oh and shoutout to Diane for the friendly accommodating service. She made the in-restaurant experience lovely and comfy for this single diner. Thanks Diane. read more

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The food here is great. My favorites are the torta ahogada and the tortas. The food portions are really good, and service is quick even when it's lunch time. Small dining room with about 4-5 tables but really friendly people. Owners are great and welcoming, helpful when unsure of what to order or curious on certain menu items. read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - 2026 Menu - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

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I ordered a Chile relleno burrito. They gave me a sour( starting to rotttt) Chile, no cheese wrapped in a beaten egg. Tons of cilantro and lettuce. It was disgusting. I had 2 bites and trashed it. Who serves garbage? Food prices are already expensive, to have to throw it in the trash. read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Rotten Chile, scrambled egg, tons of cilantro and lettuce core. Disgusting - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Came on a Tuesday afternoon and ordered a wet burrito with carne asada -- so yummy! There's a small parking lot located outside the restaurant. Only entrance/exit is through Fremont, so entering the lot can be hectic. Service is so friendly! Card is accepted as payment. read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Wet burrito - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

Hole in the wall home style cooking with daily specials that are pretty damn good. Service is quick and efficient. Worth a visit is you crave home cooking read more

I have never been to el vaquerito being kind of thirsty and craving some real agua fresca... couldn't resist stoping by an for an agua de Jamaica and let me tell you their Jamaica is delicious, refreshing not so concentrated with the perfect amount of ice and sugar! I am most definately comming back...next time it will be for my agua de jamaica and to try their food read more

This place is amazing, the seasoning, consistency, service is on point they are very friendly. It's a little place but it's welcoming.

Note: I was staying in the area on a trip and was craving menudo so my review is solely based on what I ordered. MENUDO 4.5/10: Compared to my go-to place for menudo, I was unfortunately disappointed by what I got. The menudo caldo was very thin and watery and didn't have much flavor. One plus of this was that they give you a lot of pancita JAMAICA 10/10: The Jamaica was amazing! Perfectly refreshing, not too sweet, and is the one thing I needed on a hot day. read more

Where have I been? Lol this place is so close to me and just realized it's here. I had their taquitos plate. It was good. I would grab it again. The ambiance is hole in the wall if you like that vibe (I do). They were fast and gave three types of salsas for the platter. They were also friendly and no nonsense. I'm Viking back to try their sopas soon! read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Small but gets the job done! - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Yes. I will tell you about my experience. They lie to customers. So living in LA, I have options...countless options. But I regretfully decide to pick "El Vaquerito Restaurant." They should be thankful for their customers. But instead, they feel like customers are doing them a favor. The lady even snaps at you for asking a question. Lady: Customers ARE DOING YOU A FAVOR. You are NOT doing us a favor. Without customers you don't have a business. Ok... So prior to going, I call. A lady answers. I speak to her in Spanish because she answers in said language. I ask if the "caldo de pollo" is freshly made today. She snaps back in a raised tone: "Of course it is made today," she exclaims. I kindly respond: I am just asking. So I tell her: OK, I'd like to order one. She says ok, it will be ready in 15 minutes. I get there in 20 minutes, go in, and tell her: I called in a phone order. I was expecting my order to be bagged and ready to go. But no. My order isn't given to me. Let me point out that it as early in the a.m and there were no customers. There is a man standing in the kitchen and she goes up to him and tells him something. This is what I witnessed: The man gets a small pan, turns on the stove, goes to the refrigerator, and takes out one pan, drops two pieces of COLD chicken in the empty pan, brings out another pan from the refrigerator and drops a few cold vegetables into the pan which is on the stove, turns on the heat and starts gathering condiments. So I am waiting there for over 10 minutes waiting for my COLD LEFT OVER CALDO FROM I DON'T know when, waiting for it to heat up. At this point I should have walked away, but I did them a favor and waited for my order. Close to $20.00 for cold left over caldo de pollo. SO WHY DID THE LADY LIE TO ME? SO WHY DID THE LADY GET UPSET FOR ME ASKING IF THE CALDO WAS MADE FRESH. PEOPLE... DO N O T support this place! read more

Food is much better then expected. Will definitely come back. Customer service is excellent and friendly. Prices are average but well worth it. Small dinning area but cozy. Place looks clean. read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

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The best carne en su jugo in LA. It's seriously superb. I'm obsessed. Can't wait to try everything else. Nice small and pop run business. True Mexican food not this American bs around here read more

Comida bien autentica,servicio buenisimo, los precios muy buenos. Lo recomiendo altamente

My dad and I haven't been feeling too great. I left work because I still wasn't better battling the flu. I stopped here to get some soup for my dad and I. Best caldo de pollo I've ever had. read more

I just picked up some food from this small gem, and it's absolutely delicious!!! The caldo de pollo has excellent flavor. The asada is nice and tender...not over cooked like some places like Pepe's or King Taco. The red sauce is very identical to King Taco as well. Will be making this place as my "go to" for take out. read more

Love this little hole in the wall restaurant. Their food is good quality and the service and staff are great too. Can't wait for caldo season read more

I really wanted to love this place, but the quality fluctuates from like a 7/10 to a 9 or 10/10. I also found a piece of meat in my bean and cheese burrito once which makes me worried about cross contamination. They are very nice here. You should still give it a try if you are curious. read more

Yummy barbacoa tacos! I Love the agua de jamaica here too. It's not too sweet. The torta de asada is flavorful and big. read more

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I liked the slight crispiness of the Barbacoa taco, and the adobada taco was pretty good. But the pollo and carnitas were a bit dry and overall the seasonings and salsa seemed a bit bland. read more

Small little restaurant with only a few tables to dine in. I tried the dorados tacos de barbacoa and it was delicious. Service was fairly fast and I ordered takeout. Will come back again for those crunchy delicious tacos! read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Dorado tacos de barbacoa - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

Pork tacos were very good and flavorful and tacos de barbacoa great too! Soft meat and overall yummy. Really nice and friendly service too

Solid homemade food and really wonderful service all of which makes it feel like home.

From the young experienced waitress, to the no nonsense mom at the cashier, to the gramma cooking her carne en su jugo in the kitchen, this place is a gem. One can't help but taste the love in their food and feel the generations of experience in their recipes. The energy in this culinary cubby is the same as gramma's casita.- Puro amor. read more

Hole in the wall that has great food and good service. Burritos and tacos super tasty, lots of flavor. They are generous with extras like sauces, limes, etc. The space is really small. There are maybe 4 tables. I mainly get food to go. Small parking lot that shares with a barber shop and liquor store. Portions are good and prices reasonable. Since I live in the neighborhood, it's one of my go to meals. read more

Little hole in the wall but they have quick service and delicious tortas. Barbacoa and carnitas is our go to. They also have some great flautas read more

Came here recently this weekend with a couple friends for brunch, and it was absolutely amazing! One of the best Mexican places I've been to in recent years. Me and my friends all enjoyed the good prices and amazing food, and the simple and friendly ambiance. I even messed up when making my order, and briefly discussed it with my friends only for the chef to make what I meant to order for no extra charge! I would highly recommend this place if you want a quick fill of amazing tasting and cheaply priced Mexican food with a simple atmosphere, with great and friendly service. read more

Good is delicious and the owner is very friendly. Definitely will return and try other foods.

This is a little spot for tacos. Family owed. We ordered 6 regular tacos and 3 of the dorado barbacoda tacos. Overall flavor of the tacos were good, the barbacoda was even better, and their red salsa is fire both in flavor and heat, so go easy with it. read more

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Small place but great food!! Got birria tacos will be back next time trying the Torta or the wet burrito

Customer service over the phone and in person was great. Carne asada was well seasoned. Salsas were plain and too watery for me.

I've only had the bean and cheese burrito and the barbacoa burrito, so that's all I can speak of so far. Having said that, they are awesome. I keep getting the same thing. I'll have to try something else someday. Everything there looks so good and it smells good in there. It's a pretty authentic Mexican restaurant hole on the wall. read more

Excellent authentic mexican food! The birria was so delicious! The corn tortillas were served nice and warm! The salsa was a great addition with both rojo and verde ! Muchas Gracias!! read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Birria con Arroz y Frijoles - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

Delicious food and great service! Been living in the area for 15 years and never realized there was this hidden little gem. I think Albert's gets a lot of their business because of location and visibility and I do love their Chimichangas, don't get me wrong, but this place has an amazing wet burrito (I got asada) and I really liked the pork flautas. My husband got the asada plate and loved it. The people are so kind and helpful. Highly recommend! read more

Great food that is a bit different than average Mexican places. Seems to focus on food from the Mexican states of Jalisco. The service is good although I can't tell if it's an "order up front" or waitstaff establishment. The tiny strip mall it sits in makes it look somewhat unapproachable, but don't be discouraged. Great place to add some variety to your Mexican cravings. read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Green chicken enchiladas plate - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

So good the queso tacos were so flavorful and the service was so fast got the food in less then 15 minutes and even got delicious horchata read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Definitely recommend the Quesatacos with Birria It's so good i'm definitely coming back - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

Came in on a Sunday around noon. It is definitely a hit and miss if your coming from the north on Fremont, it is a tiny moms and pops spot with 4 tables I think. Ordered the torta ahogada which was ok nothing that I would come back for and, also ordered some tacos dorados now those were really good. They have a very simple menu which is great so you don't have a lot to choose from. The staff was very friendly and accommodating would recommend you give them a try. read more

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Delicious barbacoa and carne asada burritos today. Fair prices and family owned. This place 100x better than Alberts across the street

The best hole in the wall in Alhambra!!!!!! Their carne asada is always consistent in taste and quantity. I always get the carne asada taco plate , comes with 3 tacos, rice and beans. DELICIOUS!!!! They also give you 2 different types of salsa to use with your food. It's a small mom/pop shop and I hope to keep supporting them!! read more

El Vaquerito Restaurant - Carne asada plate (they forgot the tortillas, but it's okay because it was delicious anyways) LOL - Mexican Near Me - Alhambra, California

Pretty good. I really enjoy the Torta Ahogada. Full of flavor, not too spicy, tender meat. Complimentary chips came with it but there were only 10 chips. Ham and egg breakfast burrito was $9.. it was packed with rice and cheap ham.. was really odd tasting. Couldn't finish it after a few bites. Took the burrito apart and ate the beans which were good. These two items cost me $19.75. Thought it was a bit pricey for an OK burrito. Shared parking lot - Tiny little restaurant. read more

Arrived and was immediately greeted with a friendly vibe. The food was great we tried the tortas and chilaquiles plate and wow very flavorful I can't wait till we come back. I have driven past this place so many times and didn't know about it, so glad we decided to stop and try them out! read more