El Taurino

If you’re looking for a solid spot to satisfy a late-night craving in LA, El Taurino especially when it comes to their tacos al pastor. Seriously, the pastor here is flavorful, juicy, and perfectly charred. The meat is well-marinated and the balance of sweetness and spice hits just right. You can tell they’ve been doing this for a while, and they know what they’re doing with that trompo. That being said, the overall experience could definitely improve. The place feels a bit dated and cramped, especially when it gets crowded which is almost always. It has that old-school taquería vibe, but a little freshening up wouldn’t hurt. As for the salsas, they’re not terrible, but I wasn’t blown away. The red salsa in particular tastes a lot like the typical “salsa botanera” that you’d usually find paired with chips or fries in Mexico not exactly the bold, smoky salsa I expected to complement such good tacos. Overall, it’s a must-visit for the pastor alone, and if you’re in the area, definitely worth the stop. Just don’t come expecting a refined or elevated taquería experience come for the flavor and leave happy.

I heard it is the best taco place in LA. It is!! Meats are fresh and sauce is amazing. I recommend beef suadero taco. It is my favorite!

This place makes me want to tear up everytime I come out. I grew up around here and I come every so often now . This place is so delicious . Everything is so good . Especially their red salsa .

I've been coming to Taurino's for 20 years, since 2005. Everything is pretty much the same. The only differences are the lack of meat they add to the burritos and the issue with the people preparing the food and adding extras is getting out of hand. I paid an extra $4 for extra asada on my nachos and like usual, they forgot to add it again. See pictures for reference. Sadly, they earned this 3-star rating, if their salsa wasn't soooo good. I may not be back.

DON'T COME HERE! First of all, this is the far worst taco place in downtown LA I have been waiting for my food! 😩 I have been waiting an hour for just tacos & I'm not only one here. Many customers have been waiting more than an hours for getting their food ready. The stuff members are joking around & ignore many customers. Including the manager, he scared, doesn't nothing about it! It's hard they call order for ready when they speaking Spanish. Not everyone understands with Spanish, there're local Korean community here & hard understands it. I'm not a local in LA but, I ask some customers. They said that they been many time but, not like this today. Even both Hispanic, Korean or the people in thos community re not happy our food take so long! People are angry & the workers & the manger with no apologize to any customer order. The place smell gross & nasty, poor food handling & plus, the food ain't good! They served me a dog bag plate togo! Honestly, I have never been a Mexican place for taking your order aa long period of time! Please don't come here!

Been here many times and the food is still good. 👍😋 Everything is good. 💯 I recommend getting a tostada de carne desebrada or de carnitas. 🌮🤤 Get a sope de carne asada. 🔥😋 horchata 🍹

Not going to go out my way to nah an honest place but I didn't feel appreciated while spending my money there. Tables weren't wiped down and asking for a tray or salsa was almost like they were annoyed. Food was okay but made me think I could have just went to a food truck where they are happy to see me. Missed opportunity but you must learn to go where your money is appreciated.

To think that you can use Mojo Criollo and lots of limes to marinate the meat....your better of making your own tacos than spending your money here. The food is always sabotaged by the employees, all you gotta do is look at emm weird for them to feel some type of way and sure enough....your food when present at the restaurant is bad....and also ordering delivery. It sucks, make your own, and cook with love, that's the best way.....this taurino will fail sooner or later, dont you remember the days where the lines were super long? Not anymore!

24 hours on the weekends, better than King Taco (yes I know it's basically the same), more meat variety and menu options than local taco spots, $5 for a small beer, food comes out pretty quickly. Honestly the best, I rather come here than wait in line at any other King Taco spot. Definitely the place to be when the party's over and you're still hungry

Barely mediocre mexican food. The burritos are tiny. The salsas are good, alright. And the ladies will give you attitude if you ask for an extra salsa.The nachos are like 7/11. Like they get the chips from smart and final or the same as an LAUSD public school lunch. Not topped with beans or sour cream or cotija. As I said the quality of the chips is embarrassing. I don't know what they are thinking. The nachos are sad. The decorations, and bull fighting stuff everywhere is 5 stars. 6 stars. The ONLY reason this place stays in business and probably does well is because they serve beer. Most taco trucks in the area are superior. They need to level up their food.

The Service is great and all but once I ordered the Carne Asada Quesadilla it all went down hill I thought it will be fresh but boyyy I was wrong the Carne Asada Quesadilla was dry it tasted like a Burrito in LAUSD School Lunches not good The Interior is so amazing and the service is nice but the food is not fresh.

Haven't been here in years but finally came back. There was only 1 window open to order and after we did, took about 15 minutes to get our food. Ordered a tostada and only beef burrito. They are pretty strict on how much hot sauce you can get.

We wanted Mexican food. As soon as I walked in I felt like I was at King taco. From the parking lot, to the entrance and everything on the walls. Then while I ordered I asked the lady I feel like this is King Taco and she said it pretty much was. However we got the chicken quesadillas and my daughter raved about it. We asked to get guacamole when we ordered and the lady advised that it came with a small cup. However when we got our food it wasn't there. Apparently you MUST ask for it or they don't give it to you. They did give it to me, but it was frustrating to have to go and ask. I got two tacos and found the corn tortillas to be a little hard. Normally they dip the tortillas in oil and it appeared to have been missing that extra grease because they were not moist like king taco. We got Al pastor burritos with all meat and added EXTRA meat. My husband loved the burrito so much. He said it was moist compared to King Taco. Same with the carne asada burritos, they were nice and moist. So everything was better except the corn tortillas. Salsa was green and red exactly like King Taco. Look forward to going back.

I love that I can come here early in the morning or late at night for tacos! Food comes out prepared as they're ordered. Red sauce is spicy but it's a good kind of spicy. Green sauce is also a must! Tried their nachos and it's a bit on the salty side so I just stick with their tacos.

Love the flavors here. By far one of the best places for asada nachos. They are consistent with the flavors of there salsas and meat. Definitely in my rotation for places to eat in LA when craving Mexican food

Low life staff gave me only 1 small salsa container (green) I asked for a red one for my taco de lengua and they declined unless I paid $1.37 for a small red salsa container ----

Consistently the best tacos in LA. Authentic flavor, fantastic red hot sauce, big portions of meat. I like it over King Taco. The tortas are good too.

The tables and chair were dirty. Cashier was not friendly. We asked for a grilled jalapeño and she said we don't do that nor do they give you radishes. tried the asada tacos. The meat was dry and bland. Red salsa was not good. Green salsa was ok. They sell you the lemons. Not impressed with this place. If you looking for authentic tacos it's not here.

This place is actually pretty good. It's really spacious and they have a variety of options from meats to food selections. I tried the Al pastor tacos and quesadilla de al pastor and both were really good. The horchata was decent, not the best I've had but satisfying.

I came here while visiting LA and I was craving some beed tongue tacos. There was also a good amount of parking in their own private lot which was so convenient! You order your food and they call your order and pickup window number from a microphone. I think the most number of people who can sit at one table is 4. I ordered the tacos and a quesadilla and they really hit the spot of my cravings. The quesadilla did not skimp out on cheese at all either. Came with hot sauce (super hot) and a tiny cup of guac. Delicious! Overall, ordering and getting my order was very straightforward. Service was fine, no issues. I can't speak for larger orders since mine was so small and simple.

Unbelievable yummy taste! I love this place Best of taco, burrito, beef nachos Just avoid weekend time Waiting line is too long But I can wait ! Number one taco places in Los angeles Angeles!

A staple in koreatown. Honestly can say they have the best tacos around town along with king taco. Been coming here since I was in elementary school. Only thing that sucks is that the portions have gotten smaller over the years. Service honestly depends on the time you come. Staff works as fast as they can to get orders out. If you're ever in the area, it's always a good time to get some tacos

A fan for years. All of the food I have eaten here has been great! From the carne asada tacos to their tortas, burritos and everything in between. Their red spicy salsa is WOW. The people who work have the best attitude. The ambiance; exactly what you'd expect. Again, I've been coming for years. Either after a long night of celebrating or simply just to grab tacos and go during the middle of the day. Swing by and taste for yourself.

OKAY! THE FOOD WAS BOMB AF! IF YOU LIKE KING TACO, COME HERE! I was skeptical on coming here, mostly because most hole in the walls are usually GREAT or terrible. There is never any in between lol. Luckily, this one was great! FOOD: 10/10 Wow, I got the "milensa" and it's basically breaded pork, with 2 sides, and it was AMAZING. It came with avocado on top, beans and rice (I picked both beans) and it was one heck of a meal. It even came with tortillas for a perfect taco, lol. Nachos wee are also really good too! We got them with just cheese, and it was great as is! Service: 10/10 It's fast!!!!!!! They have good organization, because good lord are they speedy !! You wait in line, order, and eat within 15 mins! Haha. Shoutout to my fellow fast Mexicans! Price: 10/10 For the plates- The prices are a bit high, but for what you're getting, you cannot beat it. My plate was $18.00 but it could feed about 3. The nachos were $6? But the nachos from the ice cream man are about $5.50 now! So, winWin!! LOL. All round:10/10 It was clean, food was great, fast service, and they're so nice! I will 100% be back for more!

Don't come here unless you plan on waiting hours for your food. They are not organized. First come first serve doesn't apply here. Food was ok. Not worth the wait.

This place is trash. I used to come here all the time 10 years ago and made the mistake of recommending it to a friend who is new to town. I am standing here on a SUNDAY and now it's been 45 min and no food. I ordered 2 burritos and nachos. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. Do not come here. The food isn't good enough for this. Go to Leo's. Brothers Cousins. Any where else. Also they charge you for onions and cilantro. I would give it zero stars if I could.

Pretty much the same as King Taco but here you can order the tostada. If it wasn't for the tostada, I'd rather goto King taco. King taco is consistent with their portions, taste, and quality. El taurino is so inconsistent with their quality.

The whole menu is fire. If you need a meal for a concert- don't feel like cooking dinner or just want something amazing food this is the place. My personal favorite are the Al pastor tacos and the torta de milianesa. My go to order is always a burrito de carne asada with everything and salsa verde and at least 2 tacos de al pastor con todo. Then the aguas to wash down this menu are perfection.

This my second time ever going into this restaurant and honestly I don't understand the hype of this place bc it's not good at all. My friend bought $40 dollars worth of food for her family and when we asked for sauces we were told that we had to pay extra for lemons and sauces after spending $40 worth of food. The sauces are $1 something for each one and each lemon slice is $0.75 which is ridiculous. After getting our food with no sauces the burrito was filled with mostly beans,rice, onions and cilantro with a pinch of meat while also having more flower tortilla to bite on. If you think chipotle is stingy you have to check out this place. Overall it was a bad experience, this place is too overhyped and not worth it. Better off with the street vendors or tacos Gavillan.

AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID Not worth of your time and money. It used to be the best place for Tacos & etc. Definitely shortage of workers - they won't bother to value your time. You can try other ones near by - King Taco/Happy Taco

Their meat is delicious and love their burritos Security is not good I witnessed someone steal a burrito and it was not replaced by their staff But the food is amazing

Food is average. I had a problem with manager. Car was blocking my vehicle and he refused to call tow company. I couldn't call because tow company only accepts managers or owners call. Truly upsetting. Said to call police but they don't deal with parking issues. I had to go ask person by person. Hispanic manger is very uneducated. They hire anyone. I'm so angry. Spent 2 hours

No Bueno! What the heck happened to this place...Nickle and died me. Ordered 4 tacos carne and Pollo. Carne dry no flavor chicken over cooked sweet super small. Charged me $1.50 for ref and green sauce. Hey could I have a lime with my cup of Modeloo? Sorry limes are additional charge? OK. How much? .50 for a wedge? We only include if you buy a consume then they are included... My first visit in 10 years. What a shocker. They must have had issues in past. Last visit thanks for the memories. Bad vibes, filthy tables, racist cashiers!!

It's a must if you are in the area.... It's become way too over rated and the staff is so not willing to make special accommodations. They give you 1 salsa for 3 tacos if you request more they make you go pay for it so there you go heading to the line again, if you get a torta they give you the small thing with 2 slices of jalapeños, if you're charging all this money then don't be stingy with the condiments, mind you it's not all the employees that do this, like if it's coming out of their pocket to give you an extra salsa or jalapeños.... The ambiance it's always crowded like I said it's an la landmark. Plenty of parking.

Tacos are amazing. Street tacos and more. Owned and operated by y King Taco. Delicious Al pastor, asada, buche, and more. Plus they serve beer at this location!

Best of the best flavor flavor flavor scrumptious deliciousness get some get some get some. Super delicious. Gracias si si si si si.........

LA staple. 3.5 stars. Looking for munchies after a late night of drinking? If you are in the area, this is your place to go. Cheap, affordable and you get what you pay for. They are not amazing but they get the job done. I got the al pastor, carnitas and chorizo tacos and really enjoyed the chorizo one! The green salsa is great but the red one is really spicy so stay away from it if you can't handle spice. I do think it adds a nice kick to the food. My friend said their sopes is the better than the tacos so I'll have to try that next time. This location serves beer as well. You order at the front and they call your number out when the food is ready. People working were friendly and helpful - I don't speak Spanish. They have a big parking lot in case you ate driving. I'll be back if I am in the area and am craving tacos late night.

Look at my time stamp and their business hours, it's now 8:42 and we still standing outside with people looking at us from inside with out a care in the world.

This place just to be excellent. The barbacoa was tender and tasty now days the only thing is good is maybe the consomé and pancitas. Price are higher and food quality is very bad I spent $250 in this place and feel robbed!! The meat comes dry and tasteless! The only reason I put 2 stars is because the consomé and on pancita verde and roja was ok but just ok.

Great counter service and great food, only thing that sucks is they charge extra for any sides. lemon, salsa, ANYTHING and they charge $1.25 for a SMALL salsa but other than that they are pretty good just pricey!

I have a serious addiction to their bean and cheese burrito. The salsa tastes just like King Taco's - it's amazing. The service is top-notch, with staff that are always attentive. I appreciate that you can ask for extra sauce without getting hit with an extra $1.25 charge like at King Taco. They are open for practically the entire day, and to top it off, they have Modelo on tap. Taurino is where the party's at. It's a true Mexican restaurant experience.

Very good tostadas and tacos, the best red and green salsa. Fridays and Saturdays they close at 3 am. Sundays they close at 1 am.

Now thats what I'm talking about. One of the best nachos I've had. The carne asada was very good that day. I got a carne asada burrito too, which was very good. Was a little skinnier than usual, and less onions too but probably because they used it all up from my last visit. Very impressed as always.

The food is always delicious. The service it's your normal, basic average service which is OK the ambience it is pretty busy but this evening was more mellow than other times. I've been here. It's not quiet but it's not too loud however the price point it is on the pricey side, especially when you get the Barbacoa play watch out sometimes they put a big bone when you order the Barbacoa plate for the family of 1 pound, so not cool that's why I gave it a four-star

Me encantan los sopes y tamales del Taurino, los tacos también solo que tienen demasiada cebolla para mi gusto pero la comida siempre ha estado rica especialmente la salsa roja . Y tienes que pagar por limón pero en esta economía pues no hay de otra! Servicio rápido! Siempre hay gente Entonses quiere decir que a mucha gente le gusta .

I used to stop at this place all the time, the barbacoa use to be great, so here we go ... I order the barbacoa plate $18 not enough onions and cilantro, the meat too dry, no flavor, I ask for lemons and she said it doesn't come with it but the lady give me some, the soda $4.00 with no refill???? I think it's time to say goodbye!!!! Not happy with the service either so bye bye!!!! The place not cool enough either!!!!

I grew up eating here but lately all we get is over amounts of OIL in our food .! I know food products are expensive but this is crazy quality is lower and lower every time and food just don't taste the same .the place looks old and needs some update .. but todays lunch what a disappointment

A gem I recommend when stopping by Los Angeles try to come on a weekday or you'll be in line for a while in a weekend night, if you like king taco you'll love el taurino although similar you'll find the differences that el taurino has that makes it much better in my opinion. The green and red hot sauce is so addictive and the flavor of the asada is next level. They also sell beer here so that just another plus. Tortas, quesadillas, burrito and nachos are all pretty good

I love their chicharron and buche. Salsa Roja and Verde are both delicious. Recently though the tortillas are always under cooked and the meat portion has gotten smaller in the taco. So this is a major disappointment.

2.5 stars Located on a corner street bordering koreatown/pico union, El Taurino offers your standard go to tacos, burritos, tortas, etc. They have a good amount of parking spaces but some can be tight so be careful. My gf loves their tostadas so that's her go to. I ordered their nachos with Al pastor, which comes with cheese. I also added cilantro/ onions but they charged an extra $1.. just for a sprinkle of it! My nachos were sad. Almost no meat at all. It was mostly the onions that they sautéed the Al pastor with. I would skip their nachos and stick to their tacos. I swear they probably put more meat on one taco than on my nachos.

Been coming for 20 years and it's still delicious!!! The speed of the orders being fulfilled has slowed down significantly, when it's busy you can easily wait an hour for your order... But all in all, I really come here for the green sauce... their tacos are good and all but you can find good taco anywhere. You can find el taurino's sauces anywhere else... except maybe king taco.

Been coming here forever since I was a teenager. It's a landmark spot for us Angelina's. Whether it be middle of the day or late Nighy, always a line. That should tell you something! You can't go wrong with anything, really. It's all very tasty. But I personally do the Costillas, the asada and the pastor is bomb! They are a bit stingy with the salsa. So it takes an act of congress to get more. You need to be up front about requesting more and then reiterating that at the pick-up window. The red is fire!!! Flavor and heat. Green is my favorite! Has more flavor than heat, but definitely still brings heat. I usually couple my meal with an iced cold modelo draft and the world is a little calmer at that moment. =) If you haven't tried this spot. You must. I've been coming here forever and don't plan on stopping.

It's ok. My father in law said it was really good. He's a Mexican immigrant so I took his word and decided to stop by and try out a burrito. I bought an all meat Buche Burrito. The buche was tender and had a decent clean flavor. It was ok. But the best I have ever had. I would give it a 3/5 stars. The real highlight of this place is the salsa. They sell them separately. The green salsa is not that spicy but so full of flavor with bits of onions and tomatillos in it. 4/5 stars The red salsa has a very smoky flavor to it but it's also super spicy. The spicy was doesn't last to long. It's a good kick. 5/5 stars Not a bad spot to try out. I will try some other items if I'm In The area.

Good afternoon my name is Adriana I usually use yelp for my great reviews but today I am really upset writing this one. My parents love this place, my father had followed El Taurino since its beginning as a food truck vendor over 45 years ago. Today they visited the restaurant for their morning breakfast dat. They love their consomé. It's definitely their go to every time. Today they had the worst experience. They ordered their consomé and it was spoiled and to top it off the onion with the cilantro rotten. They went to one of the ladies to complain and their answer was "well it's not our fault it's the heat"!! Are you freaking kidding me. Not only they left empty handed but hungry still they didn't even offered a refund! I called to speak with a manager to obtain a refund, and to let them know about the situation that occurred, obviously feeling like they took advantage of my elderly parents. A lady answered and said well the manager is busy and can't come to the phone for your issue you have to contact Mr Francisco. I said great let me have the number please. Guess what!? She hung up on me!! If it was not for the disappointment, and the disrespect my parents who are loyal clients again since the beginnings of this restaurant I would've not taken the time to make this review. But this BAD review I feel is much needed. Hopefully the owner sees it and feels embarrassment for the service, the food and the rude employees he has. Oh and Francisco if you see this contact me my parents are still waiting to be refunded.

What the hell happened Taurino? The portions of food have been getting smaller and more expensive. The only reason I occasionally patronize your business is because of the red salsa. This is my taco from today's order. Where is the meat? I think you lost another customer. This just sucks plain and simple. What a joke!!!

Very good tacos! I tried the carne asada, and the Barbacoa both were excellent but I prefer the Carne asada. I had the saudero burrito and it was very good not enough meat tho but still very good. This place is king tacos rival and to me it might be a close tie because they taste similar. I definitely recommend the his place!

So I have been coming here for years. They take your money and give you your food. The lady behind the counter after picking up my 3 tacos and one burrito only gave two salsas. Her reply is there's salsa in the burrito. I was like you get three salas. Acts like she owns the spot. The burrito had little to no meat. Maybe she didn't get any meat at home. lol anyways sorry but I will just go to a spot in the street. Unlimited salsa.