Well the mystery is solved as it pertains to what happened to Tacos El Rey aka Tortas a la plancha. As reported on these pages back in 05 the taco wagon that parked in front of the now out of business Mi T Mart(santa monica blvd and westgate) made a kick ass carne asada taco.
Then one day they were gone, just like Kaiser Soze.
But alas they are back and they havn't gone far(just across the street). Turns out this whole time the el rey crew was hard at work putting in motion a plan to go from taco wagon to taqueria. They call themselves El Super Taco. Generic name yes but what's in a name? you could call yourself the crazy taco for all I care as long as you make good tacos. Hmm the crazy taco...that's actually a cool name. El Crazy Taco.
I ordered the trifecta - asada, pastor, carnitas and a tamarindo. There's an all you can drink soda and juice fountain(pina colada, orange bang, tamarindo, orchata) and an impressive selection of meats to apply to burrito, torta, quesadilla, sopes or tacos.(asada, al pastor, suadero, pollo, lengua, cabeza,chorizo, carnitas, buche, and tripas.)Tacos are $1 Burritos $3.50.
The asada was just as I remembered it.The beef was a little salty(which I like), a little greasy(which I like) and very tender. Add well oiled tortillas and a salsa roja with some kick to it and you have one excellent taco.
The carnitas was great as well. Nice and crisp at the edges and soft in the middle. Not too porky as to overwhelm the whole taco.
Nothing beats al pastor de trompo(from the spit) but this was pretty close. The tender bits of pork had a strong spice rub that brought alot of flavor. As good is it can get sans a rotating spit.
A nice touch are the grilled onions that come on your plate. These onions aren't just for show, they are quite tasty.
The salsa bar is top notch as well with a salsa roja, salsa verde, pico de gallo and carrots and jalapenos.I loved having the all you can drink tamarindo fountain considering that the roja brought the heat.
The tacos were so good I got two for the road. Next time I'll try the ensenada style fish tacos($2) and maybe the tripas?!!??
Westsiders rejoice. El Super Taco has put the westside on the taco map.
El Super Taco 11923 Santa Monica Blvd 90025 (310)312-6260 tacos $1 tripas $1.50
thanks bandini - your westside intell is much appreciated. pilis hasnt been cutting the mostaza if u know what i mean.
ReplyDeleteLooks good, BUT you need to work on your Penance!
ReplyDeleteDo NOT ignore the Taco gods!
Bibliography:
ReplyDeletePandit, Rajay, TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF THE MAR VISTA ELEMENTARY TACO SQUAD, pp 140-69 (Merino Publications, LLC 2006)
oh yah...Raj thanks for the tip :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Bandini. I used to go to Tortas a la Plancha religiously, and since they disappeared I've been like a lost dog.
ReplyDeleteIt's worse there's not too many good taco trucks around this neighborhood. Tacos Amigaso that stops near the Blue Wave on Federal is definitely hit-or-miss...nice people, but the tacos range from good to 'eh', and like anonymous the 1st said, Pili's has kinda waned a bit in quality.
Will definitely hit El Super Taco today...thanks for holding it down for us taco fanatics!
Bandini, Thanks. I gotta try this place. I've become addicted to Taqueria Sanchez (shrimp and carnitas tacos there, al pastor burrito to go) and still enjoy Tacos Por Favor (gotten a little on the expensive side for taquerias). Tacos La Flama folks are amazingly friendly and their pastor burritos are ok in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteBandini, I want to thank you for coming up with a fabolous idea to blog the various taco joints that you have visited. Which in turn, you are putting me and my friends on a taco hunt from your list to see if what you have found is up to par.
ReplyDeleteSo, far we've tried El Matador (which we have been eating at before we ran upon this blog), and El Super Taco (which is right across from the sushi place we go to) I wasn't impressed by the al pastor. I was looking for a bit more. But the asada and buche was very good.
The tortas looked like they could also be just as good as the asada and buche tacos cause they are grilled.
Your pictures were so appealing so we had to run over to El Super Taco and try them out since they are so close to work.
The cashier was super nice. I ordered in spanish.
Overall I would go back for the asada and buche!! YUM!!
-Lady Meka
The taco photos are beautiful. If I didnt know any better i'd say youre using a Leica. But it looks like a Canon of some description (im guessing of the powershot series). A hint, if youre looking for the king of tacos, its called Tacos Yacqui, just one block off Benito Juarez Blvd in Rosarito.
ReplyDeleteHappy taco New Year, Bandini! I got to El Super Taco today and was glad I did. It is located in the small minimall where Mama Voula's (RIP) used to be. Staff was extremely friendly. I also got the trifecta -- liked the carne asada, enjoyed the very generous carnitas, and particularly liked the al pastor. My tacos also came with those grilled onions, but surprisingly without any onions or cilantro, though these were available at the bar. Besides the usual salsa roja, verde, avocado sauce, and pico de gallo, they had an orangeish sauce labelled (twice) "very hot," which I correctly guessed had habanero. A few drops of this added the proper heat to the medium salsa roja. I'll be back!
ReplyDelete4 of us went for lunch and we were not impressed. Not nearly as good as Tacos por Favor. the tacos were very small and the fish tacos were too salty and had Mayo on them. One of the Mexicans in our group said he would rather eat at Rubio's.
ReplyDeleteI was just about to say the opposite of the comment above mine. I tried Super Taco today and was very impressed with the food. I ordered suadero, lengua, and chorizo. The suadero and lengua were both tender, slightly greasy, and very tasty.. the chorizo was good as well but not up to par woth the suadero and lengua. I have been going to tacos por favor lately and with the exception of their taco de chorizo y queso, i have been pretty dissapointed in their tacos.
ReplyDeletehey bandini -- love the blog, really really love it. have you ever eaten at the oaxacan place next door to super taco? i mean to venture in there at some point but wondering if you already have. i know its not tacos per se -- maybe you dont do the sit down thing. just curious.
ReplyDeletewknots
ReplyDeleteyeah it's called Monte Alban and it's excellent.
try the mole enchiladas.
I'm slowly going through the various LA food blogs and I really like yours, Bandini! It's well organized, easy to navigate, and fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI went to El Super Taco for lunch, eager to sample their tacos after reading the reviews.
The asada, as you said, had just the right saltiness and greasiness--very flavorful. There were a few pieces though that were tough from being overcooked; they were hard to chew. The mild red sauce made up for it, however. Very good!
The carnitas was a tad dry but had enough flavor to satisfy. There was lots of meat in both. Grilled red onions added some sweet crunch along with the chopped onion/cilantry mix from the bar. Tacos are still $1.00, burrito went up a few cents to $3.99.
The all-you-can drink deal is now limited to soft drinks, lemonade and raspberry tea @ $1.50 for a medium cup. The pina colada, horchata and tamarindo are $1.75.
I'll head to Tacos Por Favor next time. Thanks for your West Side list!
4/7/07
I just tried El Super Taco today based on your review. So nice to have a place like this thats close to home. I had the pollo, asada and pastor, all very flavorful! I'll definetly be going back soon. :)
ReplyDeleteMmm.. I went here twice so far since I've read your blog. The fish tacos are REALLY GOOD. I had to go back for seconds. The fish is freshly fried in batter that is perfectly crispy and light. Cabbage, mayonnaise, and a big squirt of lime—YUM!
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, I finally found a fish taco spot. Went here based off of your review, and was very happy. Started with the Carne, Pastor and Fish tao. I ate the fish taco last and had to go back up for another one. This is the closest i have found to the fish taco stlye I know and love in Baja, Mexico. Very affordable too. The verde salsa was AWESOME. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBandini,
ReplyDeleteTell me that you give Westside tacos get an extra taco in the ratings out of a sense of charity. Otherwise, I might wonder what you were smoking when you gave El Super Taco a 4-taco rating. I tried it last night for the first time and was sorely disappointed. They were decent tacos, but nothing more. The asada was cooked well, but lacked flavor. The pastor was salty, but not much more. The salsas were sorely lacking. The rojo had no kick; the habanero had spice, but no flavor; the verde was okay; and the avocado (if you can call it that) salsa was green froth. The best thing in the meal was the carmelized onions.
I'm not saying this isn't a 3-taco place, but it does not deserve the same rating as King Taco, El Taurino, Los 5 Puntos, Tacos La Fonda and El Taco Llama. El Super Taco does not even come close to any of those places.
--JW
Great tip! One of my taco shop favorites on the west side which has so few as it is. Definitely beats Taco Por Favor.
ReplyDeleteOne thing though is that I've heard this place is actually run by Monte Alban.
GRINGO FOOD. I was extremely disappointed. Not even close to authentic. El Blando!!
ReplyDeleteI'll stick to Taqueria El Tapatio in the west valley!!
please try the muy torta here! holy crap that was good! fried head cheese, ham, cheese, blck bean paste and more! best torta ever!
ReplyDeleteDear Bandini
ReplyDeleteGreetings and congratulations for your great website, I would like to tell you that we create a video including your blogspot and I have showed in several countries, the linkin youtube to see the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4s_CUburUs
www.elclubdecomerciantes.com
www.elclubdecomerciantes.org
Best regards
Hugo Hernandez
www.elclubdecomerciantes.com
FYI, this location has closed.
ReplyDeleteThe food at Super Taco is/was awesome when I ate there. Super tasty and costs peanuts.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed 'Super' Taco
The food at Super Taco is/was awesome when I ate there. Super tasty and costs peanuts.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed 'Super' Taco
Dear Bandini
ReplyDeleteGreetings and congratulations for your great website, I would like to tell you that we create a video including your blogspot and I have showed in several countries, the linkin youtube to see the video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4s_CUburUs
www.elclubdecomerciantes.com
www.elclubdecomerciantes.org
Best regards
Hugo Hernandez
www.elclubdecomerciantes.com
Mmm.. I went here twice so far since I've read your blog. The fish tacos are REALLY GOOD. I had to go back for seconds. The fish is freshly fried in batter that is perfectly crispy and light. Cabbage, mayonnaise, and a big squirt of lime—YUM!
ReplyDeleteI'm slowly going through the various LA food blogs and I really like yours, Bandini! It's well organized, easy to navigate, and fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI went to El Super Taco for lunch, eager to sample their tacos after reading the reviews.
The asada, as you said, had just the right saltiness and greasiness--very flavorful. There were a few pieces though that were tough from being overcooked; they were hard to chew. The mild red sauce made up for it, however. Very good!
The carnitas was a tad dry but had enough flavor to satisfy. There was lots of meat in both. Grilled red onions added some sweet crunch along with the chopped onion/cilantry mix from the bar. Tacos are still $1.00, burrito went up a few cents to $3.99.
The all-you-can drink deal is now limited to soft drinks, lemonade and raspberry tea @ $1.50 for a medium cup. The pina colada, horchata and tamarindo are $1.75.
I'll head to Tacos Por Favor next time. Thanks for your West Side list!
4/7/07
i really overrated this place
ReplyDeleteyou're right. I had my head up my you know what. Just avg if that.
ReplyDelete