East Los Angeles boasts a rich sense of hispanic culture. Authenticity is king around here, and you won't find a Chipotle or Del Taco anywhere in the confines of Cesar Chavez Avenue, Fraser Avenue, McDonnell Avenue and Olympic Boulevard to prove otherwise.
Instead, expect to come across family-owned eateries, the ones whose chefs learned their culinary tricks directly from their abuelitas. Despite similar heritages, these various locations present even the simplest of menu favorites - the burrito - in contrasting ways. Warning: If you haven't eaten lunch yet and happen to love burritos, proceed with caution.
Lupe's Burritos
With 128 reviews on Yelp.com, Lupe's Burritos (Or Lupe's #2) is a big name in the East Los Angeles area. "My family's owned this place since 1972, so 42 years," owner John said. Specializing in 12 kinds of burritos, the outdoor stand on East 3rd Street is a hit with the locals. "This [isn't] your Taco Bell, this isn't Freebirds, this isn't Chipotle," Carlos Carrasco - a self-proclaimed burrito master eater and one of Lupe's many regulars - said. "This is as real as it gets. This is home-cooked, good food and that's why we love coming here."
Flour tortillas are toasted on the grill as soon as a diner approaches to place an order. To the right of the ordering station is a list of the 12 options, which include a tortilla dog (Bean and cheese burrito with a hot dog inside), quesadilla, bean and cheese and chorizo-style burrito. It may seem difficult to decide which one to get, but John jokes that his regulars try to sample every one. His most popular items are the steak burrito, bean and cheese, red combo and green combo (Combos consist of beef, beans, cheese, and red chili or mild green sauce). All burritos come with beans, onions and tomatoes, though customers are open to adding and substituting ingredients like extra cheese or guacamole. The food is neatly wrapped in paper and handed off to the customer on a paper tray. Most opt to sit at the tables adjacent to the stand, though select few are lucky enough to secure a seat at the counter. Though one is unable to step inside the kitchen due to health safety laws, the open space allows customers to watch television and survey the making of their food.
Juan's Rotisserie Chicken
Though primarily a restaurant comparable to El Pollo Loco, Juan's Rotisserie Chicken offers its own renditions of the classic burrito. Customers are able to select between corn or flour tortillas. Either can be used for the Giant Burrito (A one-pound burrito filled with chicken, rice, beans, cheese, mayo dressing and lettuce) or - for those who prefer vegetarian - the bean and cheese burrito. The chicken is skinless and shredded, prepared simply without sauce or seasoning. "I like it because it's moist," Berto Trujillo said. "It's about the flavor." He ordered the Number 1, the burrito meal composed of a Giant Burrito, potato salad and drink. The employees admit not a lot of meat is put into the burrito, but Berto says he doesn't mind.
Tacos Mexico
This eatery, decorated inside and out with brightly colored wall art, is one of the few places that offers a "wet" burrito - a normal burrito with sauce drizzled on top and around the wrapped delectable. "The wet burrito comes with salsa, sour cream and with chili on the top, and the regular burrito comes with plain," said Alice, an employee at Tacos Mexico. Here, too, both corn and flour tortillas are offered and customers select between carne asada, carnitas, chicken or beef filling. Alice mans the front area of the restaurant and says burritos are Tacos Mexico's strongest sellers. The burritos are packed with onion, cilantro, rice, beans and chili, and the customer decides what else. "You can tell me if you want no rice, no beans," she said. Between the wet and regular burrito, Alice cannot determine which is more successful with customers. "I sell a lot of both two," she said.
Quetzacoatl
On the corner of Ferris Ave. and Olympic Blvd. sits the humble Quetzacoatl food truck and its owner Max. Though not fluent in English, customers are able to translate his pride of being a food truck owner in East Los Angeles. "He says they use best quality cheese… Everything is homemade by hand. Not a lot of oil, lots of flavor. That's what he said he likes," said Marco Solis, a customer ordering tostadas. Corn tortillas are the only option here for burritos and are prepared in the early mornings when the truck first arrives at the intersection (Starting at 6:00 AM until 5:00 PM). The tortilla is grilled once an order is placed and stuffed with either chorizo or pollo (Beef or chicken). Rice, beans, lettuce and cheese are also added in.
"Max is here since five years," Marco said. "Next week, he is starting his own restaurant right there across the street. He says he will still have his truck here, but also work there and take the truck to Downtown." Max grins from ear to ear as Marco translates, "He loves this. This is his American dream."