Taco Lita — Restaurant in Arcadia

Edit: the only people that like this place have been eating there for 40 years.

Are you kidding me? Anyone giving this place 5 stars is out of their mind. I grew up in Arcadia, seen and drove by this place a million times, never been there. So today I go because I figure I would try it. Sure, south el monte Is just down the street where I can get some really good Mexican food, but I'm going to stay close and try this place., You know when I realized I was in trouble? There wasn't a single Mexican, Asian, person of color in the place, worker, customer, etc, and it was FULL on a Saturday. It was as if I traveled back in time to 1970's Arcadia. And it should have been. Because this is probably what middle America considered Mexican food in 1970. Hard premade taco shell, ground beef, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce. ASIDE from the fact that there was zero diversity to the demographic here at Taco Lita, I also didn't smell any nice Mexican food aromas because there was no frying going on, no grilling going on, NADA. The prep line was an assembly line with hard taco shells under a heat lamp, shredded cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, and a tub of lean ground beef, which appeared unseasoned, and unsauced. I still ordered. I ordered tacos and a burrito. It came out fast. I smelled the bag, no smell. I unwrapped the taco. It was so packed with lettuce the half a slice of tomato sitting on top fell off. I took a bite. No flavor. No salt. Nothing. I opened a packet of their Taco Lita hot sauce. It is similar to taco Bell mild sauce. That could not save the taco. I basically felt like I was eating cheddar cheese and lettuce. Because the meat had zero flavor, the hard corn shell wasn't salted, there was no fresh salsa, pico de gallo, no limes, no jalepenos, nothing!!! I literally put down my taco after 3 bites, stared at it, and threw everything away. I muttered to myself "what did I just eat?" $15 worth of wasted food. Honestly the nachos at 7-11 are better. The tacos at Jack in the Box have more flavor. This is literally the Mexican food you would serve a 2 year old child because babies like bland food with cheese. I'm sorry Taco Lita. Photos of my obviously bland taco are attached here to document my observations and my sole opinion...

I honestly don't think a lot of people don't get this place. This is an Arcadia staple, a taco joint that has been around for a long time. This is not peak Mexican cuisine. This is a taco restaurant for white people... and I say this is a mixed Mexican-American person.

I will agree that most non Caucasians will find this place pretty bland, and their tacos and burritos could be easily compared to burgers wrapped in tortilla. However, for the niche that this restaurant serves, their food is very good. If you are looking for amazing authentic tacos and burritos, please don't go here. If you are looking for filling and delicious heavily-Americanized Tex-Mex style cuisine, then you will be very happy. Your tummy will be filled with a lot of good food. I will say that their original Taco Lita sauce was better, but the Heinz taco sauce they offer now will still do the trick for the purposes of this restaurant.

For kids I would highly recommend their quesadilla and meat (ground beef) and cheese burritos. For anybody with a bit more Latino slant, use your own preferred taco sauces to spice things up a bit.

Most taco trucks will do a good job of beating this place, but don't let that discourage you from trying Taco Lita. This is a perfect example of an American application of a foreign cuisine. You will be full, and you will not be hungry. For picky eaters who find many Mexican restaurants too spicy, this might be your ultimate Mexican restaurant. For others, this is a reminder that not everyone can...

Limited menu, limited flavor! This was one of the weakest taco shops I have been to in Southern California. This is the food that I imagine white mothers in the Midwest cook and call "Mexican Food". Southern California has so many places with better Mexican food. The building was really old school with plastic "built-in" chairs and benches made out of tile. The burritos were laden with flavorless ground beef and tons of refried beans - most likely from a can. It seems to be a place that has a following as customers came in when I was there, but this was a severe disappointment. An example was instead of prepared salsas in small cups that are more typical of taco shops, there were packets of sauce branded with the Taco Lito name. I do not know the area well, and am unsure of other options, but I have to imagine that there are places with a more expanded menu and more robust flavors. If this is your only option in the area, try a...