Cuisine Scene: Tacos
If you’re looking to get yourself into a quick argument, just go ahead and say you know where to find the best tacos in town. See, when it comes to Southern California, there is likely no item more passionately held than one’s favorite taco. The beauty of Long Beach is that you can have lots of favorites, in a seemingly endless amount of styles: Traditional Mexican, Cali-Mex, Asian fusion … Vegan? Sure. Fried chicken? Got that too. Here's a list of some of Long Beach’s best places to find some of the city’s best, most innovative and beloved tacos.
Lola's Mexican Cuisine
If you’re new to the area, you’ll quickly learn that Lola’s (203 E. 4th St./4140 Atlantic Ave.) is not only one of Long Beach’s most beloved Mexican restaurants but simply one of the most beloved restaurants in the city, period. The reasons are simple: quality of the food, the charm of the place and a menu culled from family recipes. Among those recipes are a slew of taco creations ranging from vegan to fish to the usual protein suspects. Eaten at Lola’s, perhaps with a margarita or michelada, the entire experience is heightened and made even more delicious.
Amorcito
Thomas Ortega, the innovative chef behind one of Long Beach’s best and most progressive Mexican restaurants, Playa Amor, created this “Urban Taqueria,” to focus almost exclusively on the folded perfection that is the taco. Located in The Hangar food court at Long Beach Exchange, Amorcito (4150 McGowen St.) not only does essential tacos like carne asada and fish exceedingly well, but offers such popular choices as short rib tacos as well as charred brussel sprout tacos. Heck, if you ever get tired of tacos – is that possible? – you might think about trying the New Mexico Hatch Chile Cheeseburger.
Baja Sonora
A local institution, Baja Sonora (2940 Clark Ave.) is famous for its tacos dorados, i.e. “golden tacos.” These fried, hard-shelled concoctions, stuffed with meat, iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes and grated cheese, serve as the entry point to Mexican cuisine for many Americans. Like a lot of successful businesses – Baja Sonora has been around more than 20 years – this place knows what it’s about and does it very well.
La Chancla Mexican Grill
If you’re looking for the taco-equivalent of comfort food, you just may find it at La Chancla, where they serve tacos de guisado, that is, tacos loaded with meat and veggies that have been stewed for extended periods of time. That stewing period creates a mélange of flavors that makes other added ingredients less important – though folks do like adding a bit of onion, cilantro, salsa. The taste is layered and explosive at times, which is why this style of taco is so common in Mexico, though far less so in Southern California, which is why La Chancla serves as a destination for so many taco aficionados.
Checko El Rey Del Sarandeado
Never mind its size, which is small, and its location, which is off the beaten path, Cheko El Rey (343 E. Market St.) is simply one of the best restaurants in the city and can lay claim to serving the best fish taco in Long Beach. Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Smoked Marlin Taco! The creation of Chef Sergio Penuelas, the marlin is smoked over hot coals and then placed in a hand-crafted tortilla with a bit of cheese and a single slice of avocado. Not surprisingly, this minimal yet fantastic masterpiece garners online comments from first time Marliners ranging from “amazing” to “to die for.”
Oi! Asian Fusion
Now, it may be a little surprising to find an eatery that combines Filipino, Korean and Japanese cuisines on a list for Mexico’s greatest export, but all questions will be answered when you try Oi’s pork belly jicama tacos. Coyly employing a thin slice of jicama in place of a tortilla, the pork belly is layered and drizzled with eel sauce, pickled onions and cilantro. Oi! Asian Fusion (6600 Atlantic Ave.) is located at the recently opened Uptown Commons, a cool food court located in North Long Beach with restaurants created out of shipping containers. It’s very cool as is this taco. It’s not what you expect, but you’ll soon want a lot more of them.
Padre
This hip spot comes complete with a lovely rooftop patio for outdoor dining. Padre (525 E. Broadway) has rock solid taco essentials, i.e. pork, beef, etc., while also serving such unique creations like their Fried Chicken Tacos, not to mention a couple of popular vegan offerings: a beer-battered avocado creation and a really exciting “gyro” taco consisting of cashew tzatziki sauce, fresh dill, and heirloom tomatoes.