Skip to Content
Mid-City

Tacos El Compita ~ Los Angeles

12:55 PM PST on January 6, 2011

These were exceptional tacos, robust in both size and flavor

Lately I have found myself visiting the oft-overlooked taco stand on Pico Blvd., Tacos El Compita. I say overlooked because not only does Tacos El Compita lie almost equi-distance from El Chato and the aforementioned Tacos Leo, which are hugely popular in their own right, but there is also the taco truck El Compita in Watts (no relation), which is famous for its fried tacos dorados de barbacoa. Located in an residential stretch of Mid-City, a drive past Tacos El Compita in the daytime would look completely unremarkable, if not downright dilapidated. However, those wise enough to visit after 7pm on the weekdays will find something completely different. The interior of the restaurant shuts down completely except for the cashier, leaving the stainless steel kitchen bare and deserted. Just outside, a small grill table is set up where the menu has been reduced to two items: al pastor and carne asada tacos. Two taqueros alternate between grilling meats, warming tortillas and preparing the condiments all from a table which measures no more than 3 feet by 5 feet. I ordered two of each style, and watched as the men went to work slicing the pork from the spit and chopping the carne asada as it was pulled from the grill.

Read the entire review at The Los Angelicious Times

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

Sunday Taquitos #32: Total Recall

Sunday Taquitos! Art by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ivan Ehlers.

August 23, 2026

What to Do If a Federal Immigration Agency Kills Your Loved One

We consulted multiple lawyers, an immigration group, and the Consulate of Mexico to create a guide we hope you never need.

L.A.’s Best Arepas Find a Permanent Home In Mar Vista

For seven years, you could only find these loaded Venezuelan beauties made with nixtamalized maiz criollo at a few farmers markets. Now you can find them any day of the week.

August 21, 2026

Altadena Residents Haunted By Flock Cameras Installed After Deadly Fire

“Altadena has spoken,” Shawna Dawson Beer tells L.A. TACO. “We don't want surveillance cameras. We don't want Flock replaced by another company's cameras. We don't want to play surveillance company whack-a-mole. We want a say in whether this technology is deployed in our community at all.”

August 21, 2026

Are The Lakers Still L.A.’s Team?

We asked some hardcore fans and the answer is somewhere between a theory that their latest purchase will get them ready to move the team to Vegas or using the Lakers as a pawn for political influence.

August 20, 2026

Who Won Last Night’s Debate Between Nithya Raman and Karen Bass?

The homeowners of the San Fernando Valley may have been the real winners in the end. Here are our thoughts.

August 20, 2026