Birrieria San Marcos — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I kept noticing crowds of people waiting for their food at this tiny new local spot, so I got curious. I might have hit them at a bad time, when they were just getting started for the day. The wait for my food was... excruciating... a full 25 minutes for 3 shredded beef tacos. The payoff, though, once I got home and lathered these little boys liberally with the provided red onion/cilantro mix (which is so finely ground it's more like a relish than anything else), and doused them with lime juice... was Actual Taco Heaven. The amount of meaty juice that exploded out of these tacos on one bite was a big surprise, and I was glad I was eating over a plate otherwise my dining room table would have needed a LOT of cleanup. The quality of tortilla was also just amazing, you could tell it was super fresh but also it was chewy and crunchy in all the places you really want a tortilla to take you, if you want to go to true Taco Heaven. I have been on record saying that the best tacos in the greater LA area are from Taco Man in Torrance. Birreria San Marcos easily jumps up to the top of the ladder, a true contender IMO. And unlike Taco Man, BSM is just around the corner from me. I really look forward to sampling the rest of their menu. I just hope their speed of service improves. I will probably place my order in advance by phone or...

I'm not sure how people give this place 4 or 5 stars, as my experience was very different. Upon arriving it took a while until we were acknowledged and were asked to be seated. The waitress didn't seem to care much, even though there was only another table that was seated. After waiting for a while, she finally came over to take the order. When we asked for recommendations, she said that everything is great. We ended up ordering "handmade" tacos, and a steak quesadilla. One thing that I really liked about this place was the ambiance of authentic chairs and decorative tile design. Although it's a small and cozy place, it has a great vibe to it. Also, the salsa bar was great, so I do give them credit for that. However, the food came semi-warm and the taco shells were deep fried, and nothing like she described. When we asked for guacamole for our chips, she said they were out. (I mean, a Mexican restaurant without guacamole is like an Italian restaurant without a tomato sauce, unacceptable) Plus they had lots of avocados, so they could have made it then and there. It's not what I expect from an authentic Mexican restaurant. Our wanter cups were never refilled, even tough the waitress passed us at least 3 times. When we were done, we had to walk all the way to the register to pay our bill. (She wouldn't even come to...

UPDATE AFTER MY LAST VISIT I learned how to make my own with a crock pot at home. It is not hard OR expensive! My consumme was delish and better than theirs. Tacos are pennies and no 4% credit card charge! DIY Totally worth it. I used to come here 3 times a week and refer loads of people. Then over 4% was added to my credit card In fees from the establishment. That alone was enough to reduce my I have purchases. But also there's an inconsistency with the quality of food And the way it's prepared. So now I go a few times a year. Even that will change after today. In the pouring rain I decided to stop in and get Tacos And consume. It was almost $24 for 4 small tacos and consume. It was not that busy yet I was told 12 minutes from my order to be ready and when I came back to the window and the pouring rain getting soaking wet my order was not ready and I was told another 5 minutes. I asked for extra onions With the condiments. When I came back to the window again in the rain my order still wasn't complete. When I was finally given my order and I put it in the car and drove to my next destination no extra onions. The consumer comes in a smaller container now I don't know how they can consider this an order of soup. I know this is a popular place but it does not compromise customer service that...