My favorite taqueria is in Long Beach, of all places. About 4 blocks north of the water and maybe 2 miles east of downtown Long Beach is Taqueria la Mexicana, a cheery little dive with a sidewalk order window and a little sitting area inside that I always mistake for a laundromat (don’t know why–maybe because I always desperately need one after eating here). The taco selection is classic yet inclusive: carne asada, al pastor, pollo, carnitas, lengua, cabeza; a veggie taco called, amusingly but aptly, a ‘vegetariano;’ and my favorite, a chile verde pork taco that is out of this world. They have more things on the menu, but the tacos are what everyone seems to order. Rightly so: they’re shot with flavor and a restrained but definite heat, and are beautifully proportional, an achievement that’s not as common in a taco as you might think. They’re also $1.10, squarely in that magic price zone that makes you feel smug about not being overcharged and thus gives you license to eat as many as possible. I ate these four for lunch (left to right: 2 chiles verde, 1 carnitas, 1 al pastor), with a horchata the size of a traffic pylon, sitting on a bench overlooking the harbor. Then I went back for dinner, to fortify myself before hitting LA traffic, and had 6 more. Shut up. I’m getting hungry again just writing this.
Taqueria la Mexicana, 3270 E. 4th Street (Coronado and 4th), Long Beach. (562) 433-6389.
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Hey, can I comment on an old post?
Have you tried the tongue? I feel I should, but I’m a coward. Is it one of those things that’s more a matter of texture than taste?