[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]ngel’s Tijuana Tacos is in North Hollywood but it might as well be in the Altámira. The spot has the TJ flavors down and it also has the vibe of a small Tijuana neighborhood taquero.
Angel's is set next to a chain-link fence in a dirt lot on a major avenue that sort of breaks the whole neighborhood open to a commercial center. The cars are all parked wherever there is room. And a massive cloud of charcoal smoke flies high into the pitch black night, colored only by grilled meats and incandescent lights – an L.A. answer to the iconic Tijuana arc on Avenida Revolucion.
It’s also cash only, which only an amateur – or someone who gave all his cash to the kids earlier in the day and forgot – might find out the hard way. Luckily I had four dollars in quarters in the car, enough for two tacos and a lovely conversation with Mariela, the Guatemalan grill master flipping asada and chorizo on a cold Wednesday night.
“I love these tacos,” she tells me. “You think I’d get tired of them working here but I never do.” Angel’s tacos will leave you wishing you had rolls and rolls of quarters, or a nearby ATM machine.