More Atwater Food Loving and Tacos from the South Bay that aren’t from El Burrito Junior
- Vince’s Market’s Carnitas Sandwhich: Atwater Village
Vince’s Market is located in one of the residential nooks in Atwater Village in between Fletcher and Glendale Boulevard. It is one of those rare local family owned markets still in existence here in LA and its existence is a testament to the charming ness that is Atwater Village. It also just so happens to be across the street from my apartment building and I frequent it often for my early morning cereal needs. However, Vince’s is also a deli and offers up a special Atwater treat: Carnitas sandwhiches.
Check out the large pork chunks in the this South of the Border style po’boy. Big, greasy, and savory these carnita chunks will remind you that pork is king of fatty white meats. The flavoring of the carnitas was a bit on the plain side- but still enjoyable. The sandwich is seved with a heavy helping of guacamole which soggs the sandwich up if you don’t eat it right away. The guacamole was tasty enough but I found myself picking out and masticating over the carnita cubes. Fatty, filling, and greasy at $2.50 a pop- the Carnitas sandwhich provides quite a high ratio of pork to the dollar. Eat it while hot and drink it with a Jarritos for an enjoyable sleep coma inducing morning sandwich.
South Bay Street Tacos: El Gallito in Wilmington
As a South Bay native who grew up only eating hard shell tacos in the beach cities, I am rather new to South Bay street taco scene. One does not usually find street tacos lurking in the cities of Torrance, Redondo or Hermosa- mostly cuz the popo would drive them out. But if you drive out anywhere east- you’re bound to find a truck. And in this case, East means Wilmington.
Over by the 110 Freeway Entrance for Sepulveda, is El Gallito. A truck that appears in plain day light in front of a Laundromat and stays out until at least 2 am most days of the week. I’ve noticed it there for a better part of the year whenever passing through Wilmington, and after a friend in Lomita expressed curiosity- we decided to hit it up.
I ordered the taco tri-fecta: dos carne asada, pastor, y carnitas. And as I am warrant to do- I tried each kind with both salsa verde y roja.
The carne asada was tasty but a bit on the salty side and a tad dry. The carnitas were pretty crispy and full of sabor, reminding slightly of Taco Zone which is always a great comparison. The al pastor tacos were decent but overall the sweetness overpowered the slight burning sensation one usually looks forward to in a pastor taco. Their horchata was quite delish with nice slabs of cinnamon floating around the milky-rice goodness.
Overall, Wilmas was representin hard with their street tacos. For a moment, it made this LA city-proper resident not be ashamed from being from the South Bay.
Overall Taco Grade: B+
Salsa Roja: Hot
Horchata Grade: A
Price: $1.25/taco
Vince’s Market- On the Corner of Atwater Avenue and Silverlake Boulevard in Atwater Village
El Gallito Taco Truck- On the Corner of Sepulveda, one half-block past Normandie in Wilmington
For South Bay-ish eats, check out El Antojito #2 on Figueroa and 168th Street. It’s a permanently-parked truck at what used to be a do-it-yourself car wash place. They have a fruit drink stand and some tables under a canopy also.
Wow, Vince’s Market - dejavue. I was just thinking about them last week as I drove thru Atwater on my way back to work in Glendale after a meeting in Downtown LA. I missed the turn to check if they were still there. I used to buy sandwiches from them 20-30 years ago. They sold a ham & cheese on french roll for 50 cents back then… and I would buy 10-15 sandwiches on Fridays and bring them into work for the office. How much are the ham & cheese sandwiches now??
i love it! thanks for all the taco talk last night, i feel much more educated on taco street eats now. also, it was good to meet you. you and your gf are so cute!