Yuca's — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Carne Asada Burrito / 5🌟! Double Cheeseburger / 5🌟!

Yuca's is the tiny little food stand that over delivers! I have been in Los Feliz for four years and have passed by Yuca's many times. I deeply regret sleeping on this place, but now that I know what they make and how well they make it, I plan on being a regular.

Los Feliz has a lot of trendy places so it is nice to have a spot where they serve fantastic street food without any fuss. The entire stand is maybe the size of a large walk in closet and is one of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen. I was impressed to see three people working inside when I stopped by. Where they store all their food is a mystery.

Since I hadn't been before, I went with the carne asada burrito because each person in front of me when I lined up ordered the burrito so I figured there must be some kind of magic in it. The carne asada was an excellent choice. The meat was tender and well seasoned. Their burrito was the perfect size for a lunch meal. I was not prepared for how hot the hot sauce they had on the counter was but after I got my taste buds under control, the heat was a perfect addition to the burrito.

When I ordered, I noticed a food article proudly displayed by the order window. The article mentioned how Yuca's also had some great, very affordable cheeseburgers. Intrigued, I went back the next day and the article was spot on. The hamburger was cooked to a nice, juicy crisp and everything loaded on the burger was fresh and tasty. The price for the burger was hard to pass up! The article was about a James Beard award recognition. Impressive and worthy of the accolades.

They have a nice, small patio to go with their tiny food stall hut. I enjoyed eating my two different meals watching the Los Feliz denizens stroll by. Lovely place. They seem to have a parking lot connected to the hut and a few...

I had heard a fair amount of praise for the "Cochinita Pibil Taco" at Yuca's on Hillhurst, a Yucatecan food shack in Los Feliz that has been in operation since 1976. Along the way, this unassuming establishment picked up a James Beard Award in the "American Classics" category in 2005, 10 years before Guelaguetza, the only other Mexican eatery in L.A. that has won the same award.

Bottom line is that I was disappointed with Yuca's overhyped "Cochinita Pibil Taco" but loved their "Double Cheeseburger."

First, the "Cochinita Pibil Taco": double white corn tortillas pulled from a bag sweet citrus and achiote were the dominant flavors; the sour element was non-existent in the recaudo rojo to the point where it really did not taste like cochinita pibil at all (not to say what I ate was terrible, it just wasn't what I ordered) the pork used to make the pibil tasted funny and possibly was spoiled or had slight boar taint the taco comes topped with chopped tomatoes and fresh onions, not pickled onions (the latter being a more traditional accompaniment) the taco is served wrapped in foil

And now the "Double Cheeseburger": bun toasted in burger grease on both sides crusty burger patties covered in melted gooey cheese with enough vegetal condiments to provide the "illusion of freshness" on par with an "In N Out" double-double but somehow came out way faster all of the above statements about the burger are "features," not "bugs"

In short, Yuca's ought to move on from regional Mexican cuisine and instead start a...

Expensive and bland food! I went there today for the first time because I wanted to give them a chance and wow was I disappointed. Its always a bad sign when the only people eating at a Mexican restaurant are NOT Mexicans. I assume its the same with these high reviews. One of the main reasons anyone would eat out is to have better food than what you can cook at home and i can cook better than this place.

I ordered a carnitas torta which was served on a 6 inch roll. There was a small scoop of bland and dry carnitas with some lettuce and some tomato salsa all for a whopping $8.50. We also got a bean and cheese burrito which was ok at best and a side order of beans to go. The beans were given to us in a small coffee cup with the sipping lid on which tipped over in our bag so it spilled into our food. We also ordered a large lemonade which they got from a carton of Minute Maid in a bucket of ice and served to us in a medium size cup and they charged us $3 for it. I think the owner was there. She was eating while talking with her mouth open and food was flying out of her mouth right at the order window. I should have left the moment i saw her.

I would not recomend anyone come to this place for Mexican food. There is countless other places with way better food. Just go down the street or go to Leo's tacos a few minutes away on...