Ye Olde Taco House 1

Their steak tacos were flavorless, their asada burrito was lacking meat, mostly rice and beans but sadly their only redeeming factor was that there was salsa given to help add flavor to the flavorless steak tacos.

Old school since 1962. This place won’t last to long in downtown LA as the area will be redeveloped. Eat here while you can before they knock it all down. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito but it was very delicious especially the soft and tasty tortilla it came in.

I ordered a vegetarian burrito and I received one with meat instead.
I was the only person who ordered there so it’s not like it could’ve been mixed up .
They also have cockroaches but that could just be DTLA in general.

TERRIBLE service! Food isn’t bad, but it’s nothing special either. I can see its appeal for a late night bite if you’re partying nearby and absolutely every other nearby eatery is closed. Otherwise, go elsewhere.

Simple No Frills Place. The best Asada and Al Pastor Tacos LA has to offer. When I am downtown I always enjoy stopping by here for a taco treat.

I had good experiences in the past, but tonight I had the worse, burned cheeseburger ever. Unfortunately, I ordered TWO! I mentioned that to the Owner/​Cashier & she was shocked and made a big, drama out it, yelling to the Cook– «Ricardo!!!»
I just left, because my complaint was meant to be helpful– not confrontational. I talked to some hotel guests that ate there, and they all knew about Ricardo’s cooking and how bad it can be– the other cook, takes a lot more care-​and may be on the day shift.
My word of advice is– if you have to eat there, look it over when they hand it to you, and for any reason, you don’t like what you see– send it back.

been coming here since 2009 on rare occasion, 2014-​current once a week.
only here to be fed on the cheap especially when every other place cheap to eat is closed. like the fact that this place is open late past midnight.
The area–
two separate entrances/​exits for the customer one for ordering, the other dine-​in. both are very narrow to get through.
there is a restroom, but ya got to ask to use it. atm machine is at the dine-​in area sometimes doesn’t work.
food–
menu is typical standard fare of mexican and two american favorites. only ever had the taco, burrito, taquito, fajitas, and hamburger combos here. all are nothing to rave about.
major gripe eating here is mostly not with the employs here, just other patrons. been cornered at the dine-​in roughly half the time eating here by the homeless or junk peddler’s. Both of which trying to solicit me for money. if alone don’t sit at the corners at the dine in area. especially the southwest side under the cctv where you cant be in view.
other wise decent place to eat at. will keep coming back should i be here at night.

I’ve been waiting for my order for twenty minutes and its not even 2 yet. If you can possibly go anywhere else for food then go. These people could are less
Still waiting 40 minutes later for a burrito…

I go here pretty regularly and the food tastes awesome!
I am vegetarian and usually order very custom dishes, but they always accommodate my wishes and always give me extra food!
The guacamole is a little watery and bland, but besides that everything here tastes pretty good.
They also allow me to bring my dog in while I am ordering and waiting for food.

simply awful. inedible.
former coworkers suggested this place and to be nice I played along. the true torture wasn’t the burnt, stale, flavorless taquitos or the pathetic instant yellow rice that accompanied the flat refried beans… the torture was in knowing that some of the best Mexican food in LA was right next door at Grand Central Market!

I came here once years and years ago and the taste has lingered on my tongue since then. (Date gone wrong at Pershing Square… but that’s a story for another day.) Then I finally came back here last night, and it’s OK. Really not great or awful, just middle of the line. They took lengua off the menu, but still have cabeza. Their tacos are $ 1.75 regularly (ouch) but they have an awesome Taco Tuesday that’s 4 tacos + 1 drink = $ 5. So I’d say come here on a Tuesday.

This place is so basic.
Basically only good for when nothing else is open.
Basically only drunk people eat here.
Basically doesn’t taste good.
Basically will give you indigestion.
Basically their bathroom is always out of order.
Basically their tables are always dirty.
Basically the hot dog stand outside is a way better option.
Basically I’ll pass on this place.
Basically you should pass too.
At least the people working there are basically nice.

place was next door to la cita, a sketchy small hole in the wall, just the way i like it, could bring the food in next door, 3 tacos, carne asada, al pastor, chicaronnes, $ 1.75 a taco. def dont get the chicaronnes (not what i expected) other ones were greasy yet tasty, recommend the hot sauce bc i like it spicy.

Come only if you’re very close. Wouldn’t go out of my way to come here. It’s not anything special.
But the $ 1.75 tacos got the job done.

Late night after a party in DTLA… we did a search on Unilocal for any Mexican place that was open and it happened to be this place! Glad it was this is exactly the kind of place I love… Nothing fancy /​hole in the wall Mexican! Cheap and taste awesome!

About a 2 – 2.5: My husband and I came to check out Taco House #1 to get some breakfast burritos. They offer a menu that includes items like burritos, tacos, tortas, sandwiches, combination entrees, and seafood. I tried the Carne Asada burrito with scrambled eggs — this was just okay, and adding the red hot sauce (which was more like watery salsa) made it slightly better. The staff members here are quite friendly, and they definitely allow you to customize your meal — totally not a problem! This is more of a carry-​out place, as there are no seatings within. Street parking can be found up along Hill Street — it’s free before 8AM! Otherwise, it’s metered.
+can customize orders
+carry-​out only
+free street parking until 8AM

Only cause we were hungry! Anything is good when you’re hungry. We came here only cause there wasn’t much fast food open close to Water Court on an event night at Grand Performances. Grand Central Market closes around 6 pm and we could our stomachs growl.
We walked down 190 risers from Water Court to grab 8 tacos and 4 bottled waters.
Tacos are just okay. If GCM is open, worth getting something there instead.

So I stuffed my taco hole here this last Monday with a taco, a sopes, and some onion rings. some was tasty some was avg and parts of another were outstanding and horrible simultaneously… so this is a rare place that I would give a half star bump to if such a thing could happen…
The pricing is all over the place as well which was very confuzzling to me. Super cheap sopes and pretty pricey tacos at the same time.
So my carne asada taco was great. It came with decent hot sauce a lot of cilantro and an ok portion of beef. The overall response to it was ok, ive had better and worse but not too shabby.
The sopes was super tasty except for the sopes. The beans, al pastor meat, lettuce, etc was outstanding, and then there was the sopes. It was hard and tasted old. Perhaps it had been sitting out quite a while. I have no idea but that part was the bad part. The rest was tasty as can be.
Then there were the ORs. I love ORs and with the super tasty toppings here, I had hoped for some great ORs. What I got tasted like they had been frozen. Not sure if that is the case, but it sure tasted that way. =(Its not like they were bad, just not the best if that makes sense…
The service was typical for a joint like this which is obviously not top tier but whatever its essentially a taco truck without wheels and more expensive on some things.
I wont go out of my way to ever come back here but I may be willing to stop here if everyone I am with wants to stop in. As if that makes any sense. *shrugs*

(Dined 06÷28÷14 SA @ 10:00pm): This house served cheap, simple, tasty and unpretentious Mexican food — as it should always be!
My friend and I had just enjoyed a Unilocal event at Grand Performances, and we were hungry for a full meal. With our trusty Unilocal app, we found Taco House #1 located at the bottom of Angels Flight and next to the Grand Central Market. I’m in the area from time-​to-​time but I’ve never eaten here until now, and boy I’ve been missing out! Here was how the meal went:
Taco De Camaron ($ 1.50) — Just one question — why was the lettuce used as a bed instead of actually being inside the taco?! Also, the shrimp was too fried for me as I preferred more succulent than crunchy. I liked the price, though…

Buritto Al Pastor ($ 4.49) — More girth than length, this was gordo and packed with mucho al pastor, beans, rice and cheese. The al pastor was flavorful and hot. Each bite was glorious, and don’t forget to add the hot sauce this came with. Ask for some peppers for more spiciness. It also came with a smattering of tasted like grocery store tortilla chips.
Coca Cola ($ 1.75) — I really wanted a cerveza (none) and the horchata didn’t look very appealing, so I went for a soda which I don’t drink very often. I hoped to get one with my name on it; no luck.
Service — Quick and easy. You ordered at the counter, paid upfront, and minutes later your food was ready at a pick up window on the other side where the dining area was. Bam!
Parking (various) — As prefaced, I was in the area for a Unilocal Elite event at the California Plaza (Grand Performances) which I parked in a structure ($ 7.50). Otherwise, there were plenty of lots in the surrounding area as well as metered street parking (free I believe after 8pm nightly).
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — With the exception of a couple homeless folks and the stench from the streets. This place was a shack. Basically, a makeshift order counter with the menu on the wall in front and above you as you stared into the kitchen. There was an open-​aired outdoor tight dining area with several tables and benches
. The pick up window was here. I admired a couple paintings on the walls adjacent to where I sat
. You tended to hear both pedestrian and street traffic which nicely added to the urban dining eating experience. There were no TVs but background music played JACK-​FM.
Attire — Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops.
Overall, Taco House #1 was now on my list of wonderful ghetto Mexican food in the DTLA area, and I planned to try more of their totally affordable menu. Sadly, no alcohol served here which always made Mexican food that much tastier. But if you scrounged-​up change in from your couch cushions you had enough for a decent meal. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 8.00 before tip). Cheap and tasty eats were always a plus, and apparently there’s plenty of that here. Although they accepted credit cards, not mine of choice… AMEX! 4.0 STARS

Don’t expect more than what it is!
It’s on a dingy street, and the dining area is harsh and scrappy — but seriously, for what it is, it’s amazing.
If you want an amazing authentic late-​night taco and you just happen to be downtown because you were getting bomb-​ass bloody marys and dancing your ass off at La Cita, then this place is perfect. There’s no better way to end your night than walking out of the bar and thinking «man, I’m starving!», and then BAM, right in front of you is the answer to your growling tummy: Taco House.