Paco's Tacos (Westchester, Culver City, CA)
Restaurant: Paco's Tacos
Culver City Adj. Address: 4141 S Centinela Ave Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: (310) 391-9616
Westchester Address: 6212 W. Manchester Ave. Westchester, CA
Phone: (310) 645-8692
I decided to start my logging of old stand-by restaurants that I frequently visit and can always rely on for solid food. Sure, some of these may be holes-in-the-wall, but most constitute what I consider neighborhood favorites.
The first in the long, illustrious list is Paco's Tacos.
I love Paco's for many reasons, but the first and foremost is definitely their chips and salsa. I think it's some of the best around and it seems like every single time I go I think to myself or remark audibly that you could definitely just make a meal out of the chips, salsa (including their great carrots, onions and peppers in a vinegary base) and a drink of your choice. Anyway, if you're at the original Centinela location, you'll get the customary steel bucket-o-chips. Light, crispy fried chips with a thickish tomato-based blended salsa are a fantastic way to start off any meal (in my Mexican-food biased opinion).
Although you can feast on any number of options on the menu (I used to order their super burrito regularly, but later found that the mixture of beans, sour cream, lettuce and meat, covered in red sauce and cheese to be a little too much), I have found that through a process of trial-and-error (my favorite method) that custom ordering a dry burrito with just carne asada, guacamole, raw onions and cilantro to be the quintessential Paco's meal. Sure it seems rather naked without the customary rice, beans and tortillas, but after visiting the place time and time again, you find that if you try to eat all that AND get your fill of the fantastic chips and salsa, you find yourself rolling out of the restaurant. Not a good feeling.
Anyway, if you're in the mood to try other things, I like the chicken flautas (again, not on the menu, but they'll gladly make it for you if you ask nicely) with guacamole. My wife favors the albondigas soup, which I have also confirmed is a really tasty mexican-version of vegetable soup with some tasty meatballs. She's also a huge fan of tortillas and since they make them fresh before your eyes at Paco's, this is a favorite of many at this restaurant. My wife, unfortunately, learned to like Mexican food through El Torito Grill in Orange County, no less, so she likes butter on her tortillas and my good buddy likes butter and -gasp- sugar on his, but I like to just put a little of the fantastic salsa on it along with anything else that is leftover on my plate.
Give Paco's a try. If you don't mind waiting, check out the smaller, but more intimate and decorative Centinela location (also 99% sure it's where they shot a scene from Jerry Maguire). If you want a more expansive location and usually a shorter wait, try the Manchester one.
Either way, you shouldn't be disappointed.
Culver City Adj. Address: 4141 S Centinela Ave Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: (310) 391-9616
Westchester Address: 6212 W. Manchester Ave. Westchester, CA
Phone: (310) 645-8692
I decided to start my logging of old stand-by restaurants that I frequently visit and can always rely on for solid food. Sure, some of these may be holes-in-the-wall, but most constitute what I consider neighborhood favorites.
The first in the long, illustrious list is Paco's Tacos.
I love Paco's for many reasons, but the first and foremost is definitely their chips and salsa. I think it's some of the best around and it seems like every single time I go I think to myself or remark audibly that you could definitely just make a meal out of the chips, salsa (including their great carrots, onions and peppers in a vinegary base) and a drink of your choice. Anyway, if you're at the original Centinela location, you'll get the customary steel bucket-o-chips. Light, crispy fried chips with a thickish tomato-based blended salsa are a fantastic way to start off any meal (in my Mexican-food biased opinion).
Although you can feast on any number of options on the menu (I used to order their super burrito regularly, but later found that the mixture of beans, sour cream, lettuce and meat, covered in red sauce and cheese to be a little too much), I have found that through a process of trial-and-error (my favorite method) that custom ordering a dry burrito with just carne asada, guacamole, raw onions and cilantro to be the quintessential Paco's meal. Sure it seems rather naked without the customary rice, beans and tortillas, but after visiting the place time and time again, you find that if you try to eat all that AND get your fill of the fantastic chips and salsa, you find yourself rolling out of the restaurant. Not a good feeling.
Anyway, if you're in the mood to try other things, I like the chicken flautas (again, not on the menu, but they'll gladly make it for you if you ask nicely) with guacamole. My wife favors the albondigas soup, which I have also confirmed is a really tasty mexican-version of vegetable soup with some tasty meatballs. She's also a huge fan of tortillas and since they make them fresh before your eyes at Paco's, this is a favorite of many at this restaurant. My wife, unfortunately, learned to like Mexican food through El Torito Grill in Orange County, no less, so she likes butter on her tortillas and my good buddy likes butter and -gasp- sugar on his, but I like to just put a little of the fantastic salsa on it along with anything else that is leftover on my plate.
Give Paco's a try. If you don't mind waiting, check out the smaller, but more intimate and decorative Centinela location (also 99% sure it's where they shot a scene from Jerry Maguire). If you want a more expansive location and usually a shorter wait, try the Manchester one.
Either way, you shouldn't be disappointed.
posted by Andrew at 3:34 PM
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