Skip to Content
Mid-City

Tacos El Compita ~ Los Angeles

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 from L.A. TACO

‘It’s Colonizing All Over Again:’ Chefs and Tortilleros React to California’s Fortified Tortilla Mandate

A new California law, penned by a Fresno assemblyman, mandates folic acid in corn tortillas to curb birth defects in Latina women—rattling L.A.'s taco universe. Tortilla makers in California, who have followed the same 12,000 year-old recipe, now must add a synthetic vitamin... but not all are complying.

January 8, 2026

Pasadena Community Job Center Director Speaks Out About Arrest While Observing Federal Immigration Activity

“They didn’t stop the ICE agent, but they stopped me,” said Jose Madera, who followed a vehicle driven wrecklessly by ICE agents, who continue to roam freely nationwide, even after killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier today.

L.A.’s Young Magicians Are Blowing Minds at Clubs, Pop Video Sets, and Taco Stands

Today's budding magicians are trading college and 9 to 5s to work with Chappell Roan, raise money for cancer patients, and perform at Magic Castle, marking a comeback for magic tricks in 2026.

January 7, 2026

DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Returns On Dia De Los Reyes, Taking at Least Eight in Orange County and Injuring Elderly Man

In another incident, a vendor in Fountain Valley was released after being questioned and detained, but not before CBP called for help from paramedics to use bolt cutters to remove the handcuffs used on the vendor.

January 6, 2026

DAILY MEMO: Masked and Unmasked Agents Kidnap at Least Eight Around Southern California In First Weekend of 2026

During the first weekend of the year, agents targeted areas nearby a Dollar Tree, PetCo, and more common errand hotspots—even a Wienerschnitzel.

January 6, 2026

Nine Places to Get to Know Venezuelan Food In L.A.

These are L.A.'s nine best places for getting to know Venezuelan cooking, from its beloved arepas, tequeños, and cachapas, to its national dish of pabellón criollo.

See all posts