HomeState — Restaurant in Los Angeles

UPDATE Have eaten at home state twice more now (in Los Feliz location) and my experience was much better than the last time I reviewed them. Both new experiences were good tacos that were hot, and good service too. I enjoyed my meal both times, so maybe I’m thinking the poor experience I had a few months ago was as one-off experience? It was still bad either way, but figured I’d update my review!

So…this is a weird one. I don’t really want to slander a local establishment but my experience tonight was just kind of bizarre. My boyfriend and I went to HomeState (honestly because Villas Tacos was not open) but it’s typically a decent option for a margarita and some tacos. We ordered the potato and bean tacos and sat down and got our food pretty quickly, but when we opened the tacos (they typically come wrapped nicely in tinfoil) we found both the contents and the tortillas to be FREEZING. Like, cold to touch. We each took a bite and looked at each other and realized the cold tacos were just not going to cut it.

So…I ended up flagging down one of the staff to ask if we could have our tacos heated up or get replacements because they were cold. Here’s where it got interesting. The staff person, as nice as she was, verbatim told me “we would be happy to get you new tacos, but for future reference when you order the vegetarian or vegan options at the front you need to make sure you specify that you want HOT tacos because there’s no meat.”

I’m sorry…what? In what world do you order cold tacos?!?! I almost asked her if she would eat a cold taco, i guarantee the answer would be no. However, I will never be rude towards staff and in the moment I just said hmm…okay no problem, but when I stopped to think about it, sure, okay, the lettuce and veggies won’t necessarily be hot but the tortilla and the potatoes, as well as the beans and cheese, should ABSOLUTELY be hot. In any case, my boyfriend and I got new tacos delivered to us (probably 15 minutes later) and much to our surprise and dismay…THESE WERE ALSO FREEZING. We ended up walking out with a bag of four potato and bean tacos that will probably be thrown away because they’re cold and soggy. $25 down the drain, as we had a total of four bites combined :/.

All in all, this was a very disappointing dining experience. Based on what I was told by the staff about how to specify my taco order…I will absolutely be getting my tacos elsewhere moving forward, as there are wayyyyy better options in Highland Park (Villas, Charlie’s, Nativo, to name a few) and elsewhere in the great city of...

Got 10% off next visit for feedback, haven't seen a marked improvement.

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Hello, I love HomeState. I take everyone who visits and have been going to the Highland Park location very often since it's opening, probably 2x / week on average for the last 7 years. I'm very familiar with the menu options and typically get similar items every time (ground beef taco - new favorite!).

In the last two months I've ordered a Fort Worth that was cool when it came to me. The main manager, I think, instead of just replacing it, tried to tell me that's as hot as it gets because the lettuce cools it down. After a few minutes, I convinced him I knew what it could taste like, and he brought a new one, which was hot. Last week, same thing happened with queso - it felt warm on the outside but inside the cup it was cool, as I'd guess it had been sitting out waiting for tacos to be made. I asked inside to get a fresh one and was told "that's as hot as we can make it." Having eaten way too much of the queso over the years, I am well aware of how hot it can get (and how last night it was very milky, way too much so) and I wasn't looking to be told otherwise, I just wanted a fresh one. I got one, and it was hotter.

I really enjoy HomeState and love the vibe, food, and people - but in the last six months I've been thinking something is missing in HP - the staff debating me on what I know I'm right on with my experience (probably had $25k of HS food in the last 7 years!) - and the lack of consistency in warmth when food is delivered (maybe a look at the food prep work instructions / priority would help) - has given me pause to want to return soon.

My girlfriend and I view HS as a respite from long days and having these experiences is the opposite of why we go to HS. I hope the feedback can help, and do look forward to much more queso and tacos, but honestly, a loyal and dedicated customer, who has done much to grow the awareness over the last 7 years, is being lost, and nothing is changing.

(I also sent the above the the 'contact us' on the webpage 10 days ago and have had no response - another...

This is an excellent place for drinks. I haven't ever dined in, but did pick up an order once, and the people were just as friendly in person as on the phone. There's at least one woman who works there that's an absolute gem - I messed up an address for delivery and she helped me call around trying to fix it. Fortunately, our tacos, palomas, and margs made it to us perfectly safe! A few other times I've had to call because the prior delivery app they were on would always add milk to coffee and not let you remove or leave comments, and the women who answered then were also always just as friendly and helpful.

I will say their tacos that get delivered don't always hold up super well. There's just one corn tortilla and they put a ton of filling in; I feel like the beans in particular are always spilling out and are a tad much. I do always love their breakfast tacos, which you an customize. Plus, their coffee is great (hot and iced) and, again, I cannot stress enough how tasty the drinks are. We tried the frozen spicy paloma for the first time a couple days ago and they weren't super spicy but were quite good. Their margs are pretty strong as well - both frozen and "iced". Oh, they also have a perfectly flavored hibiscus lemonade. It's got just the right balance of tart and sweet. Definitely...