On a cold January night, the taco fiends were deep in the valley, very close to the last known location of their favorite truck "La Casa Grande". Even though they knew the truck wouldn't be twinkling in the auto repair parking lot the two always feel compelled to stop, hoping one day it will be back. They approach the parking lot and sure enough it's deserted...the two have grown accustomed to this disappointment so it doesn't affect them nearly as much as in the past, but it still stings. Fortunately for the hungry travelers, Lankershim is a hot bed for tacos and there are plenty of options, hopefully they can find one that satisfies their ever-discerning tastes.
"Taqueria La Chespita" (6331 Lankershim Blvd, NoHo) stands out to us this evening, as it appears to have all the signs of a good taco joint; twinkling lights, a covered seating area and a friendly taquero, who is grilling up some tasty looking meats. This is a taco stand by day that moves its griddle out front during the evening hours. First strike against Chespita is the sight of an empty spit, which should have been home to a delectable slab of Pastor. The extremely personable taco man assured us that they had ran out of the first batch and more was soon to follow. It was a bit on the late side, so we'll let that slide for now.
We had our typical order: uno pastor, una asada, y uno chorizo. They had the usual accoutrements: grilled onions, grilled peppers, raw onions, cilantro, roja and verde salsa, limes and radishes - all self-service. The tacos looked a bit greasy and the meats were not diced quite as small as we usually like. First bite of the asada proves this, the tacos are indeed greasy, the meat is fairly tender but lacks any real flavor and depth; this asada would not stand out from a pack. We elected to use the roja salsa on all of the tacos and it's sad to report the salsa is one-dimensional as well. It's got good heat and that's about it, not much flavor, just spiciness. Next up is the chorizo taco, from the beginning we notice the meat is not the color we like, it's on the gray side and what it lacks in color it also lacks in flavor. Like the salsa roja this chorizo is also uninspired, we expect chorizo to provide a flavor explosion, and this tasted more like ground beef seasoned with hamburger helper. The last taco we sample is the jimmy-rigged al pastor (not from the spit). The color is close to what we look for but it's severely lacking the caramelization and charring that comes with the open roast. The pieces are on the big side and not as tender as we expect. This isn't the worst incarnation of al pastor we've experienced but far from the best. On a positive note "Taqueria La Chespita" doesn't skimp on the meat or the sides if you want them. However, the greasiness of the meat causes the tortillas to fall apart making the whole experience a rather messy one. Overall a very mediocre meal, we have eaten at this establishment before but it had been sometime since our last visit, and sadly the previous trip was much better. This experience left a unsatisfied taco craving in our stomachs and we won't be coming back anytime soon, especially with so many potentially delicious trucks lurking all over the southland!
2.5/5 Stars
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