A Tale of Two Lunches Part II:

Deering told me he heard of a place in Hollywood that was his friend Eli’s favorite taco spot. I knew that Eli was friendly with a lot of Mexican people so I told Deering to find out what it was called because he would have good taco intel. We ran into our friend Jack while sitting at Erewhon, who happened to be the person who told Deering about Eli’s taco spot. Jack couldn’t remember the location so Deering told me to just drive. We were on Melrose and Deering told me to take a left on Vine. As we drove up Vine Deering said he knew it had a number in the name. A block after this comment we happened upon Cactus Taqueria #1. Bingo.

The sign read “best tacos in Hollywood” so of course I had to challenge them. I always like when a business decides to make a “best of” claim. It’s never based on anything concrete, but at least we know they are taking their job seriously. Also bear in mind this was going to be my first taco in Hollywood so I had nothing else to compare it to. I ordered a carnitas taco, carne asada taco, al pastor taco, shrimp taco, and a horchata. ordered  Ithe meat tacos especial, which means they put avocado, cheese, and green hot sauce on top. The tacos were on the smaller tortillas which I find to be the ideal size.

The carne asada taco was okay. The chunks of meat were too small and greasy to get a great steak flavor from each bite. The avocado and cheese overpowered the tiny pieces of meat.

The shrimp taco was a waste of an order. It came with two deep fried shrimp. The best way to eat this thing was to eat a whole shrimp in each bite. If you didn’t the taco fell apart in your hands. Also friend shrimp doesn’t have nearly as much flavor as any of the three meat tacos did.

The al pastor was not what I was expecting. Al pastor is one of my favorite taco fillings because it is roasted with pineapple juice seeping into the meat. Sometimes you get chunks of pineapple on top of your taco. At Cactus Taqueria #1 their al pastor was more reminiscent of the meat from a pork spare rib at a Chinese restaurant. The pork was sweet with a caramelized texture.

The carnitas taco was amazing. The carnitas crumbled apart like a nice juicy piece of pork brisket. The avocado chunks and cheese were the perfect compliment to the salty meat. A perfectly balanced taco.

The horchata was from a juice dispenser. I tend to think if horchata is not served with a soup ladle it all tastes the same. Meaning it is not homemade.

Cactus Taqueria #1 as far as I can tell has the best carnitas taco in Hollywood and rivals anything I have had so far in Los Angeles. Hollywood is not the culinary mecca of Los Angeles, so a boast of best tacos in Hollywood doesn’t mean much in the overall city landscape.  Don’t let their claim fool you into eating there out of anything other than convenience. Unless you are ordering a carnitas taco. I will return to Cactus Taqueria at some point and try out some other items on the menu.