La Barca Restaurantes — Restaurant in Pico Rivera

This location differs significantly from others in nearby Downey and Bell Gardens, CA. For one, they only serve beer, not liquor. I went with two others and we ordered two plates of chilaquiles verdes, which came with rice and beans. We also added a carne asada plate and two micheladas. Service was mediocre, but the beans were great. Unfortunately, none of the chilaquiles were crispy, and the salsa verde was chunky with tomatillo skins, which no self-respecting Mexican mother would use in her chilaquiles. The bill totaled $104. The chilaquiles verdes were priced at $16.95 each (around $33 for both), so the carne asada plate likely cost about $20. The carne asada itself was decent, but other places offer better flavor. This brings the total to around $50-60, which made me wonder if the micheladas were priced like stadium drinks. However, unlike the vibrant atmosphere at a place like Dodger Stadium, this location lacked charm. The booths were old, worn, and patched up with duct tape.

I’m still trying to figure out how the bill got so high. When we arrived, we had one server who finished her shift without announcing it. We only realized she left when a new server came to check on us. Usually, servers let you know when they’re leaving and introduce their replacement, but that wasn’t the case here. There are better places nearby, unfortunately I ended up here because my usual choice with excellent food and service is closed Mondays. Save your time and money...

Yum! Finally AUTHENTIC BIRRIA and not these greasy and cheesy hard tacos in the streets trying to pass for authentic birria.

Many people don't know this but birria originated in Jalisco, where my family is from and where I grew up.

Sadly it's hard to find good and authentic birria, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem by chance!... or fate? Lol

idk but this place serves up a pretty damn good birria taco (soft tortilla as it is originallysupposed to be served).

The salsas that accompany the birria are almost as good as my grandmother's (a feat hard to accomplish, as my grandmother comes from a long line of excellent cooks).

The waitresses were very attentive and quick to fulfill my requests. The manager walked by and greeted me in Spanish, how nice! The hospitality would get a 20 if I had the option.

I also tried their café de la ollá which was tasty but a little too sweet for my taste, otherwise delicious.

Then I ordered Combo #1, which comes with a chile relleno, an enchilada, a flauta (better known as taquitos in L.A.), perfectly seasoned rice and uniquely prepared (but delicious) refried beans.

As someone who was raised in Jalisco, and knows her way around a Mexican kitchen. This restaurant is really good and does the region justice.

I'll be back! And this time with friends and...

Our company placed an order for pick up (like we always do). When we arrived at the restaurant we walked straight to the cashier. There was a man (who we later found out was the owner) on the phone and when he hung up he directed someone to the register to help us. There was a young girl by the name of Cecilia, who walked straight past us and continued working taking bills from the tables and answering phone calls. She then took a payment of a person behind us COMPLETELY IGNORING US. I then told her we had not yet been helped and apparently she knew that and our food was going to be right out, and then walked away. When we asked for the manager a waitress told us that Cecilia is the owner’s daughter and there was no use in complaining about her. We were completely disrespected and ignored and there was nothing anyone can do about it because that’s the owner’s daughter and she can get away with acting like that. A customer told us that she always acted that way and it seemed to me that she discriminates her own people (Hispanics). I spoke to her in Spanish and she replied in English not even wanting to speak her own language. I worked in a restaurant for over 8 years never disrespected or ignored anyone like that. If my boss was not hungry we would have NEVER paid for the $80 worth of food...