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Marielas Taco
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
17 reviews for Marielas Taco
I tried Mariela's today after taking a long walk around Echo Park and seeing it out of the corner of my eye.
I have to be honest... burritos in LA generally suck. I have gotten to the point that I don't even order them. I spent much of my life in San Diego, and have ventured to an unbelievable number of taco shops there... and even the worst one rocks compared to most places in LA. For burritos and tacos, San Diego is pretty much the standard I use... even after about 100 trips into Mexico and several years in LA.
Most places in LA attempt a carne asada burrito or a "california" burrito, but totally fail. The meat is not marinated authentically and it is not cut fresh or grilled to order - making it rubbery, grey and sickly tasting. I have tried all of the higher rated places on Yelp, taken two bites, and thrown them in the garbage. Horrendous and sad... it honestly is not that difficult.
Mariela's is a bit of a shining light. Their carne asada is not authentic at all... it looks and tastes much more like adobada, and the meat is almost minced. The marinade has a chile, vinegar and maybe oregano flavor. It is quite good... in fact very good, but is not authentic.
They also, like all places in LA for some reason, want to put rice and beans in everything. I can never tell if this is a cost saving measure, or is just how LA places are. I ordered a carne asada burrito without rice and beans, and had them add cilantro and onion. I tried to have them add some guacamole, but all they had was avocado... so I added one half of an avocado.
The result was quite good. In fact, I ate the whole burrito -- a first in LA for me! The tortilla is proper, too... not gummy and chewy like so many are here.
Their salsas were very good, especially the salsa verde. It is among the better salsa verdes I have had.
Both employees I encountered were very nice and polite. The food took a little while, but that to me means they are making everything to order, which is how it should be done.
The jesus stuff is everywhere, but it's not offensive. To be honest, I didn't even think of it until I read some reviews here. I would definitely go back to this spot. I would like to try some other things from their menu. Oh, and their horchata is quite good... it has more cinnamon/vanilla flavor than most places.
Overall: Very good...for LA
One of the best burritos i have had by far
Yummy beef tacos with cilantro and onions. Very simple, made to order cuisine, but really good. Just add some hot sauce and you are good to go. The only downside is the wait, sometimes more than 20 mins. or so, but it's clearly a made to order place and it taste that way when you get your order. For beef tacos or burritos, you won't be disappointed. Oh yeah, and to avoid the wait call ahead for your order!
Bomb tacos for a low price. Where else in LA could you get 3 tacos, rice and beans for $5? The taco trucks aren't even that cheap.
Warning: this place is about as evangelical christian as they come. When you walk in the door reads "Jesus is God" and you'll find the ten commandments and bible quotes everywhere. For your convenience they also have christian literature at every table.
If you can stomach the Christianity this place serves up some great food.
Service is a bit slow but worth the wait.
The parking lot is tiny, but it's better than nothing,
Slightly-larger-than-hole-in-the-wall token Mexican eatery. Nom.
Tacos are jam-packed with just what they should be, meat, meat and more meat. Side of chopped onion and cilantro to enhance the goodness. I can't eat 'em without reenacting a Carl's Jr. commercial with the meat falling out of the tortillas/my hands. Good times. I wash the tacos down with tasty horchata. I leave with a hearty smile on my face.
Everything else is darn good too, burritos, chile rellenos etc...
Just go get some tacos. It's worth your while.
TACO #3 in THE CARNE ASADA TACO BATTLE
Mission: To find the best carne asada taco, or "CAT", hitting as many taco stands in the Silverlake/Echo Park area as possible.
The contenders: 1) Yuca's 2) Buritto King 3) Mariellas 4)Macho's Tacos
Sadly, the Taco Zone truck was supposed to be a serious contender but wasn't parked in the Von's lot when we went like we wanted it to be. Machos was a last minute replacement.
Mariela's:
This was by far the losing taco! The meat was awful, ground up leftover bits the size and look of grape nuts instead of real chunks of steak. The meat was flavorless with an unpleasant texture. This taco has NOTHING going for it.
I don't ever want to hear any lip from Hipsterland Yelpers telling me I don't know anything about a good tasting carne asada taco. You know who you are!! Mocking my beloved Burrito King, saying that real deal is elsewhere. Blathering on about the proper size of the tortilla, something like that. Somehow measuring tortilla length seems less important than judging the quality of meat and flavor in my mouth. If Mariela's carne asada taco is the real deal, then I'll readily be a poseur. Bleh!
Now, I fully admit that I didn't taste anything else here. Perhaps they serve up some delicious items. Who knows. But for sure the carne asada taco is not one of them, and I am that much closer from confirming that the Burrito King CAT is truly the greatest in the land.
All hail the King!
Growing up 8 blocks away from this restaurant, I have never found any other restaurant that can compare to Marielas. Their carne asada burrito trumps every other burrito known to man. combo it with a large horchata and nothing else can top your meal.
the food is relatively cheap especially for the quality. Now that i am away from home, i miss their carne asada burrito so much. I reccomend for anyone that is arround echo park to try out Marielas.
Of all the great taco carts and burrito shops in Los Angeles, this one (or its sister establishment on 3rd in Koreatown) is my favorite source of a basic carne asada burrito: perfect blend of rice, beans, and meat. After eating a Marielas burrito, all other burritos must meet the Marielas standard.
There's nothing fancy about either place, but the food and the price are both right. Heathens should be aware, however, that every surface is covered in Catholic messages in multiple languages. It's not just a taqueria -- it's a mission!
The food is good and satisfying. Their horchata is delicious, better than most places. Downsides- long wait for food and crappy parking.
One of the best tacos & burrittos in town... Especially the carnitas, oh ohh ohhh... I like their menudo too... The carne asada solo con carne...
Oh I'm hungry....
im becoming less forgiving as i mature in my yelping, and im going to give marielas 3 stars. the food is good. solid. i tried some al pastor torta and the carne asada taco plate, which came with rice and beans.
pros:
-very very cheap. 3 tacos and rice and beans for 5 bucks. cant beat that (burrito king charges 2.20 for one asada taco!!
-good quality meats.
cons:
-service is reeeeaaally slow. it took about 10 min for us to get our food. it felt like being at in n out in glendale.
-beans were too soupy and weird
-too much religious weirdness on the walls. i mean, a couple things are okay, but its like theyre trying to convert you or something...
To know Echo Park, you must eat here.
Chili relleno is amazing. Burritos are good as well. Only thing I can complain about is the small parking lot.
Masa's taco World Tour Stop #2:
Mariela's taco located in a small strip mall on the northside of sunset at Coronado, this small fast-food looking place serves some solid tacos and burritos, sopes, tortas, etc.
Order and watch them make your stuff through the glass, they chop the meat fresh from a huge cut sitting in the steam table.
The tacos are not huge, 4 was a solid meal for me, and costing $1.10 each they are a bargain.
The salsas add something to the tacos which are just meat onion and cilantro, the salsa Verde isn't really spicey but is tasty and the red sauce has an unusual earthy flavor going on which is weird but also really good. I will return to try more.
Eating in might be a bit unadvised as the chairs look like old McDonalds chairs the kind attached to the table.
best burritos in town!!!!!! try the carnitas but really, any of the burritos are delicious! YUM!!!!
wow, i'm still thinking about the carne asada burrito I had last weekend. The meat is so flavorful and the size of the burrito is just right. I would say that it was probably one of the best burritos I've had in LA. The parking lot is really small so I had to park on the street, but no big deal. I will definitely make this place a regular spot!
I consider myself the queen of carne asada goodness. I know carne asada. I am one with carne asada. Mariela's has the best asada in L.A. I often eat one meal a day there, embarrassing but true. The nachos are good. I am not too fond of lengua, but here that is even good. Avoid the hamburgers, they are on the nasty side.
The burrito from Mariela's is the standard for all burritos I've ever had. The beans are flavorful, the rice is just right, and the meat is delicious, not to mention the tortilla is well prepared. It doesn't matter what time of day or day of the week it is, It's never hard to crave one. Tuesdays are sad days, as they're closed.
Try them with a side of french fries, they won't dissapoint. Trumps most "Best Burrito in LA" joints I've been to.
Did I mention it's cheap? 3.75 for a burrito.
