Henry's Tacos — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I love this place. But let's be clear about something... don't go here expecting gourmet tacos, because you won't find any.

A lot of people come here based on the lore of their previous corner location (where Cactus Tacos now lives), and I think it's food is misjudged. Or rather, judged in the wrong context. Henry's has been around for yeeeeaaaars. It's had lovers and haters, as goes with any institution. And with a long history people tend build something up in their minds to fit the hype. Henry's needs no hype, and quite frankly, does much better without it. And I'll admit, I fell victim to the hype as well and was underwhelmed the first time I had it.

The menu is about 4 items long and there's a no frills approach. The tacos are American style... ground beef, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, and a slice of tomato. Sound like Taco Bell? Well, I've heard lots of comparisons to that, but its not even in the same ballpark. I'll flush 40 TB tacos down the toilette in exchange for one Henry's taco. Well.... depending on my level of hunger and poverty, I'd probably cram 2 in my face and then flush the other 38 just so I can finish on a high note, but you get my point.

Think of it this way, if you want an authentic, savory, high quality burger, you'll go to a steak house and pay $20 for it. But sometimes you just want fast food. When you order a cheeseburger off the dollar menu at McD's you don't complain cuz it doesn't taste like the $20 steakhouse burger, do you? No, because you expect it to be simple, and you know exactly what you're getting. That's why I can't agree with the critics who expect Henry's to be something more than it is. It's just good, simple food.

So know what your getting, calibrate your tastes, and THEN try Henry's. Personally, I think they're fking delicious (and they get better every time... their hot sauce is a necessary addition, by the way... soo good!). And hell, if you try it, don't like it, and you're still hungry for Mexican food, you can walk the hundred feet Cactus and try theirs. This is the luxury you enjoy as a citizen of a first world country and...

I am disappointed to write this review. I truly wanted to enjoy my visit today, even with my husband grumbling in my ear about how awful Henry's Tacos is, and why do I make him take me here (because I have had it since I was a 90s NoHo kid). They didn't give me much ammo to rebuttal his arguments. First off, the hard shell tacos are different than what they used to be: way less cheese (albeit grated the same way), a tiny (roma?) tomato slice (they used to be huge beefsteak tomatoes that filled the shell), not much lettuce to fill the void of less cheese and onion, the beef and grilled onion mixture is about the same, but the kicker today: they changed the shell. The shell makes a hard shell taco and the shells tasted unpleasant and had a worse texture that was puffy and crumbled with every bite. At least you can't screw up the flavor of fresh vegetables, which they still have. The softshell tacos for $1.50 more are not worth the extra cost. They have the same amount (or less) of the hard shell fillings and the cold flour tortilla leaves so much to be desired. The cashier with too much lip filler asked us to unfold our cash (2x10,1x5,1x1) which was just odd - don't accept cash if you don't want to count it out or handle it or work at a place that is cash only. They also charge 50c for each sauce over the number of food items ordered and take that very seriously for even one more sauce (they don't count a $3 coke as an item). Save money and disappointment and go to Cactus in the former Henry's location across the street- much better with heaping...

This place is simply dreadful. Perhaps this is being too kind of a description but I'm still amazed by all of the positive reviews for a place this pathetic.

I live down the street from the "taco stand" and can't believe the lines that I see stretching from this place when each and every person that eats here raves about the hot sauce. That's right, the hot sauce, NOT the food itself.

Yes some reviewers are correct in that this is authentic in the same vein as Taco Bell but at least taco Bell tries. This place takes the leftovers there, re-fries them, drowns them in manwich sauce and onions and re-purposes it.

I've tried this place twice - once drunk and another sober. Both times results in sadness and disappointment. You would think that they would have one tasty item, but no as all of the "items" on the menu are made from the same base product, namely ground beef. I should have known better but that's my fault and I've learned.

If Henry's tacos didn't rest at such a favorable location, Tujunga and Moorpark, it would have gone out of business long ago. They get the benefit of being next to a bar, as well as being on a high traffic area that is actually staved for restaurants.

If you want non-descript fare that MUST be flavored by hot sauce, by all means go there. Just know that you will most certainly want something real afterwards, hell you just might have to dive to Taco Bell afterwards to have something resembling...