Good food. Great service, only take out. I love spicy salsa, need a hotter salsa. Other than that fast service. Very nice people.

Good food had the Carne Asada and a chicken taco. It was pretty normal food. The customer service is good, nice people. read more

Josie's Place - Carne Asada and chicken taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Gardena, California

This place is a hidden gem. Tacos are delicious! I'm a meat person so I usually go for beef. My girlfriend persuaded me to try their fried chicken taco. By persuaded I mean she basically shoved it down my throat lol I'm glad she did thou lol aside of risk of sudden death by chocking (thanks for that babe lol), flavors were bursting, texture of chicken was just perfect - fried and crispy yet soft and juicy. It's not the healthiest meal you can get but in this case it's all about the taste. I also ordered a side of sour cream which turned out to be salted. I added sc and their salsa in the taco - BOMB!!! Now I want more! You see what you've done yelp? I'll be back, Josie! :D read more

This place is delicious! Their green chili verde burrito is delicious and their chicken Tacos are bomb. Love there salsa! Been a regular customer for years! Its a hole in the wall but they normally are the best! read more

I don't know how I managed to go this long without writing a review for Josie's. I've been eating here since I was in 7th grade!!! The burritos are good, nachos are full of ingredients, and tacos have the perfect crunch. When I ate meat, I loved getting the steak picado. It was always tender and melted in your mouth. My family still mostly eats the steak picado wet burritos and chicken tacos. I can't wait until the holidays to get one of those gigantic tamales! read more

See all

Old school since 1952. This place sits right next to the rail road tracks and who would ever guess that it's been sitting here all these decades. I always try out what they are famous for and since they are known for their crunchy chicken tacos that's what I ended up ordering plus a chili verde burrito. The taco was just perfect with the perfect spice to add to it, spot on. The only drawback is there are no tables to eat at, so either eat in your car or take it home. read more

Josie's Place - Old school since 1952 - Mexican Near Me - Gardena, California

Crispy chicken tacos are a must try! They're fresh and are topped with lightly salted tomatoes, cheese and lettuce. Delicious! read more

Josie's Place - Crispy tacos - Mexican Near Me - Gardena, California

100% Authentic Mexican food . The Hard Shell Chicken Tacos a must try . The no Meat Tostada for you vegans is delicious . read more

Chicken tacos are still wonderful after all these years!!! Sadly, it doesn't sound like they have made their delicious 1lb tamales for a while...Hoping they bring them back. read more

Get the fried chicken tacos! On Mondays they have a special on the fried chicken tacos. It is takeout only and call in orders seem to be the way to go if you want to pick it up quick as ordering in person at lunch time can mean a 5-10 min wait for your food. They have good Carnitas enchiladas as well. I like to get the plate which comes with rice and beans and some chips. The hot sauce is not all that spicy but still very tasty! read more

My friend and I got a craving for tamales, so we did a quick Yelp search to find out where to get some and came across Josie's place. We headed over there and ended up picking up (Josie's is TAKE OUT ONLY) dinner for the whole family and sampling more than just tamales. We ended up getting a chicken tamale, combo plate of pork tamales, chicken tacos, chicken taquitos, and carne asada supernachos. Everything was delicious. To start off, the tamales are huge, they claim they are 1 lb each and I don't doubt that. I preferred the chicken slightly over the pork, one of the pork tamales seemed very slightly on the dry side as the masa was kind of crumbling off in layers, but the other pork tamale was very good. Somehow the center of the tamales along with being meaty was kind of creamy...I don't know if it was from beans or just a bunch of lard but it was really good, in a fattening sort of way. The chicken tacos were good as well. I think it was all in the shell, it was thick and crunchy but kind of light at the same time. The chicken was well cooked, nice and tender, but didn't have a whole bunch of flavor. The hot sauce helped that out. The chicken taquitos were smothered in salsa, guacamole, and sour cream and were crunchy and delicious. The carne asada supernachos were awesome. The chips were thick and crunchy, just like the taco shell and the taquito shell. It was smothered in flavorful carne asada, beans, salsa, guac, and sour cream. There actually wasn't any cheese on them, which was surprising, but the cheese wasn't missed. Just make sure that if you get the nachos you eat them quickly, because after a while the chips get soggy out and it isn't really the same anymore. Overall I really enjoyed the food, I will definitely be returning to try their breakfast burritos some time. I recommend checking out Josie's Place. read more

See all

Great hard shell chicken tacos - the sign says the best in town (Gardena) and I would have to agree. I picked up food from here with some co-workers yesterday. Everybody liked their food but I think they were a little disappointed that we had to take it to go - it was their first time there. Basically this is a taco stand with four benches without tables. With that in mind, the service is great! The food is good. I've been here a few times, sometimes I eat in the car and sometimes at the park. Everytime, I have been happy with my food. read more

I must've passed by this place hundreds of times before I discovered it! Small, hole in the wall restaurant that doesn't look like much from the outside but it's definitely worth it! A friend recommended this place and I'm glad we took his word! Food is made fresh after you order it and delicious! I ordered an enchilada plate with rice and beans. The red sauce on the enchiladas was rich and not too spicy. The tacos were authentic and the quesadillas were on point. This is definitely a go-to for fresh, authentic Mexican. read more

I love coming here! Great customer service and could never go wrong with the chicken street tacos.

I have been eating the chicken tacos from Josie's since 1971! I lived right down the street. Back then Josie made them herself! They are the best chicken tacos I have ever had bar none. I hear that the beef tacos are great too, but I I can't get past the chicken tacos myself. They are hard shell tacos that come with plenty of chicken. They are topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. I recommend the hot sauce on the side and you MUST have them with the hot sauce! Do yourself a favor and stop in. You won't regret it. Highly recommended. Update: Our company just had Josie's Place cater an office lunch for us. It was great!!! Everyone loved the food. We have had several places cater lunch for us over the last few months. All of them have been good. Many of our staff said that this lunch from Josie's was the best yet!!! We do these lunches to boost morale for our employees. Everyone is still smiling. Thanks Josie's!!! In my humble opinion, if you need a catered lunch for your business, don't even think twice about it... call Josie's. read more

The tacos here are definitely the best. I always get the ground beef with no tomatoes. When I need a good taco fix this is the place.

Me and my mom went to the gym and we were starving after so we decided to go to Tillys tacos but unbeknownst to us their closed on Sunday ( whomp whomp) so my Mom suggested josies and after eating we had to agree... Tillys is much better. I ordered a combo with a cheese enchilada and chicken taco and they put the hard taco in the sauce for the enchilada so it wasn't crispy, and I asked if they used white meat and was told they did but I dunno the chicken had a taste that I didn't enjoy, maybe it was dark meat but I wouldn't get the tacos again. And the enchilada was made with cheddar ( who does that?) and everywhere else Monterey Jack is used... it made for a strange experience. And the chips and guacamole needed salt so bad... overall it was edible but I wouldn't come here again. My mom ordered chicken taqutos and she said they tasteless but the rice and beans that came with the combo were ok... although here was a French fry in my beans lol yea I'm kinda good in this place. read more

Great locals place .. was brought to my attention in the 80's by high school buddies from GARDENA MOHICANS, I went to Carson ., but this is my chicken taco Mexican food hidden gem read more

Just had the chicken tacos for lunch....again.. Never fails..Best in town read more

I love their chicken tacos. They discount them on Mondays, so we usually get it on Mondays.

This place has good food, however the last few times I've gone there during open business hours, they've been closed. Not great customer service e. read more

Food is always great! i don't know of any other place in Gardena that serves tamale fixes but this is the place to go for them! I also love the hard shell tacos and quesadillas they have, orders are made swiftly and flavor is always abundant. The prices are good and honestly can't complain about anything. Next time you're in Gardena and driving down Normandie you should stop by here! I just wish they were open past 6pm so i can get food after work but coming here for lunch is always a great choice! read more

MonaLisa, when you facilitate these staff meetings, do you inform your staff not to let customers be a penny short? I didn't like the fact that my food was $20.01, and the person who assisted me on the register asked me if I had the penny after giving her a $20.00 dollar bill. I had to break a $10.00 dollar bill for a penny. I supported this establishment at least 3 to 4 times a week, spending a minimum of $10.00 dollars every time I placed an order. I thought this was very petty. A penny is not going to break or hurt Josie's. I do understand that if you allow every customer to be a penny short, it does add up. However, I live in the community and telework from home and made Josie's my to go to lunch spot the days I don't prepare my own meals, especially during the summer. But now, I will no longer support Josie's. Burnt Tortilla hard shell chicken tacos are more expensive, but they are larger. They give you cheese that you can see, and they taste better. The nerve of it all. You lost a previous loyal customer over a penny. It's 0 stars for me. See ya! read more

Received the wrong take out order. After returning home. Immediately call them the girl said that she would provide a replacement credit the next time. Went back a few days later and girl at the counter said she would take care of it. The next thing I see and hear is a ruckus between her and the old lady that was cooking in the back. You could tell that the old lady was having a fit just to replace a burrito. The offers me $1 credit and I nearly lost it. After I raised hell with them they replace my burrito for no charge. Show of never had to experience piss poor customer service. read more

Very good mom and pops take out mexican food. Although parking is terrible, the food makes up for it. I really enjoy the food here just wish they had outside tables. read more

I just ordered from here and it was gross. I ordered the tray of fried tacos. The shells were burnt and some of the shredded beef. I use to love this place and hadn't been here in 9 months. I had a craving for it and they let me down tonight. Now I have to go buy something else. Uggh!! read more

Josie's is a local family owned business that has served the community for years. Best chicken tacos in the area! Jessica is a friendly and efficient employee. read more

I've passed "Josie Place" many of times throughout the years, but had no desire to go in. If you looked at the bldg. from Normandie, you'd know why. Yeah, I "judged a book by its cover", we're all guilty of doing so. So what got me here? Well, one of my yelp friends wrote a lackluster review, which in return made me check out the other reviews. Most of the other reviews were favorable, and from reading, it was my understanding that Josie's Place specializes in chicken tacos, what a surprise 'cause I LOVE CHICKEN TACOS. So off I went, and I must say, they were GOOD, not out of this world, but good. There aren't many choices for good chicken tacos in the area (at least take-out), and if there are, I'm unaware. With nearby Ramona's only selling beef tacos and raising their prices...this spot was a breath of fresh air. It's rare to find a Mexican take-out spot with prices as low as theirs. Tacos are $1.80, $1.25 on Taco Tuesday. Aside from the tacos, I've come back to try their chicken taquitos (which are even better in my book), chicken tamales (a huge 1lb tamale for $2.00)...delicious too. I'll admit, the burritos need more work/flavor. The first burrito I had was a red chile burrito it came with beef or pork and beans. The beans made the burrito too soggy, I swear the I couldn't make it stand-up, it was a floppy burrito that ended up spilling all over the place...it definitely needed Viagra, lol!! I did give them a second chance and ordered a chicken, rice, and cheese burrito, this one stood ERECT...maybe it was the no beans. But still...it wasn't that great. Stick with the other items. read more

Gardena is where my roots are (back when we were Mohicans) and whenever you meet anyone from Gardena, you are sure to have a nostalgic connection to Josie's. Self proclaimed best chicken tacos!!! Bold statement but up to this point in my life, it has held up. This place is literally a small building built in front of a house that consists of a kitchen, a counter, a few seats, no tables, and the ever present Asteroids VG (they used to have Kick!). Hard chicken tacos are the claim to fame here. Freshly deep fried corn tortilla shells around some juicy chicken and condiments. Not too greasy to warrant a bib and degreaser but enough to coat your tongue and allow the taste of the chicken and salsa to enjoy their trip to your stomach. I could probably eat a bunch of these but with any type of deep fried foods, I have to control myself. :) If feeling like eating better, order the soft chicken tacos. Chicken is the same and you actually can appreciate the taste more without the crispy goodness getting in the way. A great alternate to the tacos are the taquitos. It's the rolled version of the taco except that they are served with guacamole, crema, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion. Soooo good. The wifey always seems to lean towards the tamale fix. They have their own housemade tamales which they put in a bowl, add ranchero sauce, chips, and a little cheese on top. Whoa. Just when you thought tamales were sinful enough.... Cheese on tamales? It's like chocolate dipped in chocolate. Very good. I sometimes try the burritos as well. They are good sized but not 3 pounders or anything. Since their chicken is good, I get that or their chile relleno burrito is good as well. Their beef & potato is not as good as Ramona's (who's is?), but it's good. It's ground beef but still ono. Ask for extra hot sauce. It's not salsa so don't get disappointed. It's more of a ranchero rojo sauce but tastes great on anything. 5 Stars for persevering for all these years and keeping the same quality/quantity of food consistent the entire time. Prices haven't gone up too much (naturally they would have to due to the nature of our economy) so I think they have done a real good job keeping this place booming. Please keep it up! I will be sad if Josie's ever goes away. read more

Wow, only 8 reviews for Josie's Place? Seriously? So yeah, Josie's isn't "authentic" Mexican food, but we don't care about that right? Hey, if you've ever enjoyed a California roll or spicy tuna anything, you have no right to complain about authenticity in food. The tacos and taquitos are good, but I go for their tamales. Each one's so heavy and full of tamale-y goodness. Eat 2 and you're done for the day, really. Best tamales I've ever had. And yeah, I'm sure your mom makes way better tamales, but until she starts selling them for $2 like Josie's does, my statement stands. read more

Born and raised in Gardena, now living in Norcal, Josie's is one of three places (others are Hakata Ramen and Guiliano's) that I make sure I eat at when I visit home. Order: CHICKEN TACOS. The chicken taquitos are awesome too because it comes with sour cream and guac. read more

This place doesn't look like much, and it's easy to miss as you drive along Normandie, but if you're willing to explore beyond outward appearances, you'll easily find out why Josie's is known to serve up the very best tacos around. The first time we came here, we sampled a bunch of things from the menu, but basically the burritos, tamales, taquitos, and soft tacos just didn't measure up to the regular crispy tacos. My recommendation: stick with chicken tacos, and order many of them. Not pricey, and very delicious. Sure, they're a bit on the greasy side, but then what else would you expect? Service is quite friendly, and if you need any guidance on what to order, they'll gladly give you their recommendations. read more

Now... I am not a fan of getting out of the car unless I am going to a sit down restaurant but this place is worth my lazy azz getin out of the car ;-) . I am only rating this place 4 *'s because of the no drive-thru & because I have only tasted their chicken tacos and nothing else but there chicken tacos is worth 100 stars. You can taste the quality in their food and know that it is homemade and NOT that taco bell bullshit which I havn't ate since I was like 16. So PLEEAASE go there & try there delicious CHICKEN TACOS with homemade GUACAMOLE !! U won't be disappointed. (I sound like my family own it huh) :-D read more

This place is right up the block from my new house so I decided to walk down and check it out based on the Yelp reviews. The place stands out on the street with it's large sign, but one pass let's you know just how small the venue is. Same with Pitburger up the street: small places with big flavor! Stepping in was a throwback to the old pizza joints I grew up with in the South Bay with a lo of photos on the wall, including local youth sports teams that they have supported over the years. The best part was the Asteroids, Mrs. Pac Man, and Bally Wizard arcade machines, although they didn't seem to be working. I ordered three chicken tacos and carnitas burrito. The chicken tacos are all white meat and are flavored like crazy! Really good. I like that they take half a slice of tomato and add it instead of chopping the tomato up. The burrito was alright, but a bit sloppy. The tortilla was a bit too thin and with all the stuffing it started coming apart. It tasted pretty good, but was somewhat standard. The staff was nice and it was a cool place to wait for some good cheap grub. I'll be coming back for sure. read more

Josie's Place My co-worker introduced me to this place. Great Hole in Wall eatery! Pro: Carnitas Burrito, Carne Asada, the Tacos. Quality !! Cons: It looks like a hole in the wall, no dining in seating read more

This place has AMAZiING chicken tacos and they have not changed a thing in the 20+ years i've been going there. 1 is not enough, 2 you might go back for more so just save the time and get 3 with a cup of horchata. Every other chicken taco in the free world pales in comparison. I live in OC and have been driving here for no other reason than chicken tacos. No frills hole in the wall at its finest! Safe hood, hang out and eat them in the parking lot (there is no seating). read more

Not as good as it used to be back in the 80's, think they have new ownership since then. I prefer Burnt Tortilla over Josie's but if I'm down on cash (BT is cash only) with just an ATM card in my pocket and have a Mexican food craving I'll usually hit up Josie's. They advertise the best chicken tacos in town and they are probably right, although their taste comes from all oily shell, but for most people that's what their looking for so more power to you. I kind of prefer their deluxe burritos, especially the beef and potato, and every once in a while I'll throw a taco in there for good measure. Not bad take-out, but not the best either. read more

So here we are heading down the 405 to pick up our friend from Torrence to head to Anaheim for the food truck festival when we get a text saying that tickets had been sold out! Unfazed, we called ahead to our friend, asking him to save our afternoon with a restaurant recommendation. This landed us at Josie's. The sign outside actually advertised the place as having amazing chicken tacos but the majority of us opted for the carnitas per another suggestion from our Torrence buddy. I opted from a carnitas burrito which ran me about $3.80 without tax (wow! I was paying for $5+ at the Mexican joints I frequented down in San Diego) and it tasted amazing! The meat was juicy and the salsa delicious: both actually managed to leave a few lasting stains on my shorts due to my feeding frenzy. Everything inside the burrito tasted fresh while maintaining the loving greasiness that must be present with great Mexican food. There is no actual seating so we opted to take our meal to a nearby park where we spent the rest of the afternoon in the beautiful 70 degree weather discussing hip hop team politics and how I feel hanging around younger women. Sure made for a great/awkward/memorable afternoon. I'll be back to Lucio's whenever I head down to Gardena/Torrence! read more

Love Josie's tacos and wet burritos! Very good food, fast service, and professional! Fair prices! read more

Josie's Place - Veggie Wet Burrito! - Mexican Near Me - Gardena, California

When I played football at Gardena in the mid 80's coach would send us out to Josie's to pick up tacos for the staff and buy us a couple. They were really good. I moved away, but fast forward 25 years later, and they are still good. How to describe: Old school Mexican style. Greasy, juicy meat, crunchy shell, topped with iceberg lettuce, cheese, and a tomato wedge. Inexpensive and fast. This is for take out only, or eat them standing up. These are the tacos I remember as a kid, not the Mexico city style soft taco which I also enjoy. I tried their tamales, and they are good as well. A gut busting pound of masa, lard, and meat. 5 stars, I have to admit at least 1 of those stars is for sentimental reasons. read more