Vargas Mexicatessen

WOW! Really People??? I kept hearing about this place from neighbors, co-​workers & friends, only to be Disappointed!!! Big Time!!! If this what you guys call home made/​just like my mother used to make??? SAD! Real SAD! Yo momma did a number on you guys! LMFAO!!! So, I decided to order the carne asada burrito & while not awful, it certainly wasn’t $ 7.70 delicious either! Especially, when they use a cheap ass styrofoam cup to measure the amount of meat in your burrito! Plus, the food is already cooked in buffet style, metal containers! You people can keep Vargas! I’ll go to La Azteca in East Los Angeles for Real & Delicious Mexican Food!!!

I’ve been coming here weekly for tamales and masa for handmade tortillas. Hands down, the best tamales in the world !!!

I love hole in the wall eateries and this place may have a little to do with it. There’s no place to sit and eat and most of the place is the kitchen area.
My family and friends have been going here for years and little has changed. They weigh out the meat that they put on your food, so they have gotten a little stingy on that front, but I usual order the Chille Relleno burrito with green sauce or the Chicharrones burrito so it doesn’t matter to me. The burritos are a little messy so leave the wrapper on or by the time you get home it should be good since it formed and should hold its shape.
One Unilocaler complained about the service and unless your a regular they are somewhat nonchalant.
I grew up on their menudo and even though I don’t eat menudo anymore, you may, so come early with your pot cuz they sellout quick.

This place has been my go to for Chile relleno burrito. Their beans are perfect and the Chile relleno is perfect size. It’s a bit pricey but like all other things I understand the cost of stuff goes up. Carnitas are on point! You will not be disappointed with this family owned little hole in the wall.

Their chicharron burritos are the best in the southland

I first visited this establishment back in the ’80’s – it was great then, and it’s still great! I hadn’t been there in a while because they close at 6 pm – usually about the time I am looking for somewhere to eat. Anyway, I recently had the opportunity to stop by; I got my favorite – chile relleno burrito with green sauce… it is THE BEST I have ever tasted anywhere! I’m glad to know after all these years, the food still tastes great! And where have you gone where you can get fideo?! The carnitas are fresh – they pull them out in chunks to cut up for burritos. I highly recommend this deli – take out only. Definitely a thumbs up!

This place is awesome I could be a vegetarian. And I get the beans cheese rice fideo burrito. Mmmmmmmm. The people here are very friendly and have always been for years and years. If you love to support your local businesses that deserve to stick around for years and years this will be a treat for you. I always stop by whenever I get a chance.

As far as food portion, quality, taste, price and the idiot son behind the counter who u tell how much menudo u want and fills your pot way over than what u told him I’ll never go to s_​_​_​hole again and let me tell you don’t waste ur time or money

Been going to this place for many years. This is a mexican deli so dont expect to stay & eat what you’ve ordered. Food here is great & always consistent. My two favorites are a carnitas burrito with green chile & cheese or a chile relleno burrito with green chile… phew!
Service is always slow so dont be in a hurry, and expect to pay a little more than comparable places but its worth it!
Its also more traditional & you wont find chicken on their small menu

The menudo and red tamales are my weekend favorites along with some homemade corn tortillas.

Best Burrito In Your Life!
Chile Relleno Burrito with Carnitas (or your favorite meat) than Beans, Cheese, Chile Verde sauce (or rojo again your choice), and BAM!!! Guaranteed BOMB! Best burrito they have designed by me. On my way for one now after my haircut! Yeah!

Alright so I am not from Pico and I do live nearby but I was not blown away by this place. First off the place is really small and I came in to see two ladies controlling the kitchen. Two women that look like one of my friends moms is always a good sign so I was excited. Then I remembered the ratings on Unilocal and I was even more pumped that I was going to buy way more food that I was actually going to eat. So I listened to the masses and ordered the burrito with carne asada and also 2 tamales and lastly 1 taco because it was about $ 2 and that is a full size taco so let’s get it on. Now it starts going downhill for me because the dude that was chilling in the back by the register was too busy to help me. Then the ladies looked at me like I was invisible because they would make eye contact and then look back down like I was some white guy that doesn’t speak their language. I asked for help and they pointed at the dude I asked the guy and he stretched and forced himself to help me. I placed my order and he just walked away will the ladies through my food together with no care in the world. I felt like I was at my boy’s house after we got in caught doing something wrong and she fed me because my mom was not able to come get me right away. If you have ever been in that situation you know those uncomfortable feelings when you better finish every bite. Anyways I took my sloppy order and went to the park down the street to watch my boys’ baseball game. My wife and I ended up going half and half on every item and nothing blew us away. The tamale was okay but not bursting with flavor and still kind of mushy for my taste. The burrito was bland and was falling apart everywhere because they didn’t do a proper wrap. And the taco was just a taco that I could have made at home with the flavor of the meat nothing to rave about. I guess I would come back in case this was just a bad day and also if someone else is paying but aside from that I will just keep driving to the King Taco a few blocks down.

I was introduced to Vargas by my boyfriend 5 years ago. Let me tell you I’ve been going ever since! The sopa de fideo is so good, It reminds me of my grandmas. And the chile relleno burritos are THE BEST! It is a very small place and is family owned. I love going there!

This is my very favorite place in the world! The cooking is all homemade and is absolutely hands down the freshest and best tasting! I love the chile relleno burrito and the chicharone… Uhhhhh! To die for! It’s a family owned and run place with very high standards. Thank you for being my favorite!
*They are not open on Monday… but we all deserve a day off! Lol

Great prices and great food. I’m not sure why people trash this place when it’s mentioned. It’s really good. The Green Burrito is my favorite item. The beans are delicious and the rice is equally good. Stop by if you’re in the area!

This place has been here for many many years! I used to work at Rio Hondo College and I would pick up food for lunch. I’m retired now but I still make the 45 minute round trip to experience their food once in awhile. It’s really good! I love the Special Quesadilla with green chile and the Chile Relleno burritos! Another thing that I have noticed is that everyone (the customers) in line are really polite and smile and talk to you like you are part of something that has been going on for decades! It has and that is what’s so cool, everyone is patient and just waits to order, like human beings:) It isn’t fast-​food but it’s worth the wait!
Hank Ortiz

If you never gone, you are surly missing out green chili rejeno burritos are bomb and fresh

I have been going to «Vargas» now for the last 37 years. I worked in the city of Pico Rivera, and on Saturday’s after closing… our employees would call in a huge order and someone would go pick it up. I was hooked! Delicious, and authentic mexican food. I no longer work in that city, however, when in the area, I always stop by. The Chile Verde, with pieces of Carnitas included, is superb. I usually will have a burrito with green chile, extra bean. I will eat this on my way home, 40 miles away. Another favorite is their Chicken Tamales. Positively the best! Oh, and the Green Chile and Cheese Tamale. My extended family always looks forward to the Tamales at Christmas time, and I always make sure to buy extra for them to take home for Christmas Day.
The ladies that work there are very nice and hard working. Some have retired, as have I.

Vargas has the BEST Mexican food (besides mom’s, of course). My family has been coming here literally for decades. This is where we bought masa at Christmas to make tamales, so this place is steeped in some serious family traditions for me. When you walk in, you can see how REAL Mexican food is made and prepared as you watch. I wish some Chipotle people would come see how to make and fold a burrito (and what a real burrito tastes like), since their burritos always seem to have a bite of all rice, or all meat. That doesn’t happen here – Vargas does things the old way, which is usually the best way.
My parents are gone and my family has all moved away, but when I walk into this place all I can think about is family and days gone by. I imagine my dad ordering at the counter I’m now standing at. Memories … and great food!
Vargas is real, legit Mexican food. Just delicious. If you give it less than 5 stars, then you don’t know what Mexican food is. And PS, order the green chile burrito and be sure to add rice. ;)

30 years ago, I tagged along with a co-​worker to pick up some trays for a get-​together at her place.
All these years, I’ve remembered the down-​home goodness of that meal.
The delicious type of dinner a friend’s madre or abuelita would cook in her kitchen.
But, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the name or location. The co-​worker had left us & moved far away.
All I could remember that it was take-​out only and had a hot deli counter facing the doorway with an open kitchen filled with family members cooking up the food in back.
Thanks to a discussion on Talk about great mom & pop Mexican places, Vargas sounded like it might be the long lost gem.
It’s been on my bookmarked list for a few years.
YES! This was it!
The counter and kitchen was as remembered–
The friendly counter guy welcomed us in and even spoke some Japanese to us.
(He knows more than I do.)
What to choose… what to choose…
menus–
The husband went with a beef enchilada plate–
And also picked up a carnitas burrito to snack on later.
He really appreciated the no-​nonsense homestyle cooking!
At first, I wasn’t going to get anything because as much as I love Mexican food, it’s not very diabetic-​friendly. But what the heck. I HAD TO. Took me 30 years to find this place! So I chose a chile relleno plate (It comes with tortillas but the hubby stole them) —
Oh boy, this was a treat! The chile relleno was light and fluffy.
I usually can’t finish a whole plate like this, but I ate it all down to the last bean.
Prices are very reasonable compared to spots more local to us.
The husband will definitely be back. He was loving the food.