As much as I love exploring the San Gabriel Valley’s restaurant scene for my weekday lunches, I was thrilled to discover recently that East Los Angeles is a stone’s throw from my office. Easy access to some of the city’s finest Mexican food is most definitely a lunchtime game changer.
For my inaugural midday jaunt to the Eastside of town, I wrangled a crew of fellow food lovers and headed to one of my favorite spots: La Azteca Tortilleria.
When the shop’s original owners, Alex Bernal and his wife, Maria Rodriguez, retired in 2010 after three decades of making tortillas the old-fashioned way, from scratch and in small batches, their good friends Juan and Candalaria Villa purchased the business and continued the tradition. It’s a painstaking process, to be sure, but the results are truly fantastic.
The difference between a store-bought tortilla and the handmade wonders here is like night and day. While the former cracks as it rolls and tastes like the plastic it’s wrapped in, the latter is hefty yet plush and is capable of curving around copious amounts of pork, cheese, beans, or most likely, all three.
Most everyone in our group ordered a burrito, which are monstrously portioned and come stuffed with all manner of proteins including beef (asada), chicken (pollo), fried pork rinds (chicharrón), chorizo, and pork (carnitas).
I selected the shop’s signature chile relleno burrito ($6.50), a cheese-stuffed poblano chili wrapped in a freshly griddled tortilla with refried beans, cheese, and onions. The burrito’s flavor was as impressive as its girth. All that was needed was a bit of house-made salsa and a cool horchata to wash everything down.
I stole a bite of my colleague’s insanely decadent and fabulously flavorful carnitas and chicharrón quesadilla. The crisp tortilla cradled the porcine package perfectly. Highly recommended for pork lovers.
For dessert, we shared a pound of freshly fried chicharrónes that were deftly seasoned and impressively greaseless. Mmm…
Where to lunch next in and around East Los Angeles? I’m thinking this mole spot has my name all over it. Or maybe the new Vaka Burger when it opens. Lunchtime will never be the same again.
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La Azteca Tortilleria
4538 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90022
Phone: 323-262-5977
I still gots love for you, SGV:
Alhambra:
- 101 Noodle Express – Alhambra
- Aloha Food Factory – Alhambra
- Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery – Alhambra
- Bánh Cuốn Hai Nam Saigon – Alhambra
- Bánh Mì Mỹ Tho – Alhambra
- Chengdu Taste – Alhambra
- Fosselman’s Ice Cream Co. – Alhambra
- Honey Badger Noodle Shop – Alhambra
- Ice Que – Alhambra
- Kang Kang Food Court – Alhambra
- Lee’s Sandwiches – Alhambra
- Noodle Guy – Alhambra
- Old Country Cafe – Alhambra
- Phở 79 – Alhambra
- Szechuan Impression – Alhambra
- Twohey’s Restaurant – Alhambra
- Đông Nguyên Restaurant – Alhambra
Arcadia:
Monterey Park:
- Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park
- Boiling Point – Monterey Park
- Bollini’s Pizzeria Napolitana – Monterey Park
- Daw Yee Myanmar Café – Monterey Park
- Dean Sin World – Monterey Park
- Elite Restaurant – Monterey Park
- Hot Pot, Hot Pot – Monterey Park
- Kam Hong Garden – Monterey Park
- Mama’s Lu – Monterey Park
- Pearl’s Restaurant – Monterey Park
- Qing Dao Bread Food – Monterey Park
- Sam Woo Barbecue Shop – Monterey Park
- Taihei Restaurant – Monterey Park
- Yun Chuan Garden – Monterey Park
- Yun Chuan Garden – Monterey Park
- {swoon} Fan Tuan at Huge Tree Pastry
- {swoon} Peking Duck at Duck House
Rosemead:
- Bánh Xèo Quán – Rosemead
- Chain Reaction: Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp® & Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Bowl®
- JTYH Restaurant – Rosemead
- Mr. Baguette – Rosemead
- Shaanxi Gourmet – Rosemead
- Summer Rolls – Rosemead
- Thiên Ân Bò 7 Món – Rosemead
- Tip Top’s Sandwiches – Rosemead
- {swoon} Wonton Noodle Soup at Noodle Boy
San Gabriel:
- Bánh Mì & Chè Cali – San Gabriel
- Boston Lobster – San Gabriel
- Chung King Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Cơm Tấm Thuận Kiều – San Gabriel
- Ducks Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Five Star Seafood Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Golden Deli – San Gabriel
- Hà Tiên Quán – San Gabriel
- Happy Tasty – San Gabriel
- Hui Tou Xiang Noodles House – San Gabriel
- Kingburg Kitchen – San Gabriel
- Lu’s Garden – San Gabriel
- Lucky Noodle King – San Gabriel
- Luscious Dumplings Inc. – San Gabriel
- Nha Trang – San Gabriel
- Omar’s Xinjiang Halal Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Phở Ngoon – San Gabriel
- Phở Nguyễn Hoàng – San Gabriel
- Phong Dinh Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches – San Gabriel / San Jose
- Southern Mini Town – San Gabriel
- Sweethome Grill – San Gabriel
- Tasty Noodle House – San Gabriel
- Ton Chan Ramen – San Gabriel
- Vietnam House – San Gabriel
- Vietnam Restaurant – San Gabriel
- Wang Xing Ji – San Gabriel
- Wedding Banquet Redux at New Capital Seafood
- Yama Seafood – San Gabriel
- Yum Cha Cafe – San Gabriel
- {swoon} Vietnamese Chè at Bambu
Temple City:
El Tepeyac Cafe is in Boyle Heights as is the Mariscos Jailisco truck (which I desperately want to visit) This place looks super tasty!