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Carnitas La Yoca

4.3 (81 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican
Open • 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Carnitas La Yoca Photos

Business Info

CARNITAS LA YOCA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Carnitas La Yoca

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Marlene C.

Came in on a Saturday around 2:30 p.m. and there hours are 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Also found out they do take phone orders. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. This place is packed with different flavors. They offer a 1/2 lbs or full pound of carnitas, either mixed or just the meat (mixed offers crispy skin). The tortilla's are handmade. We ordered 3 lbs and it came with 24 fresh tortillas. The menu also has barria and cabeza tacos. There is a salsa bar, green is mild and red is hot. It has cilantro, onions, and pickled carrots.

1/2 a pound with only carnitas
Monica S.

If you're craving flavorful, mouthwatering carnitas, I highly recommend this spot! They serve it *Estilo Michoacán*, and you can order half a pound or a full pound either mixed or just the meat. The mixed option includes some crispy skin, which is amazing! Hands down, these are the best carnitas in town. The tortillas are handmade, and if you peek while ordering, you can watch them being made fresh right in front of you. I ordered half a pound which came with four fresh Tortillas, and I had to get a coke with my meal! 10/10 They also offer birria and cabeza tacos, plus their chili oil is one of the best I've ever had. Even when the line is out the door, the service is fast, and you won't be waiting long. Sometimes, you'll even hear musicians playing guitars and singing, which adds a nice vibe. The place is spacious with plenty of seating, so it's always comfortable. Overall, this spot definitely lives up to expectations!

Front door
Marshall G.

This is a Carnitas restaurant Where you can dine in or take away. But no deli. So you could get 2 lbs carnitas for a dinner. Closed on Tuesdays. Right across from the VA Hospital. Maybe next time.

Erick D.

So I've seen this place for 5+ years and didn't stop in. I always noticed it was busy and crowded, but didn't make an effort to go. I tried on Easter, but they were closed. I went today and understand why the place is packed. There's a north dirt parking lot so that's an option if you can't or don't want to get into the parking lots closest to the business. There's some parking in the front and some behind, beyond the chain link gate. So like Tucson Foodie mentions, leave your vegetarian friends at home in a March 5th, 2020 article. The menu is very simple offering only meats beef or pork in various forms. I opted for the carnitas taco and plato de cabeza. I've had cabeza tacos plenty of times, but this was the 1st time I've had served in a broth. It was awesome. The meat was tender and flavorful. The meat was an amazing consistency. I couldn't come to a place with carnitas in the name and not try it. The carnitas were great, but if I could only order 1 thing next time it would be the cabeza or the birria. Didn't try the birria, but it looked awesome. The service is fast and friendly counter service. The line is long, but it moves fast. The place simple and functional. This place is great, go if you want amazing Mexican pork and beef.

Salsa bar
Hannah P.

La Yoca has become a favorite spot of mine. Their handmade tortillas are always a hit, and their chili oil and salsas are delicious. This time, I tried their birria, and it was amazing. I even dipped the Carnita tacos in the consome, which added to the fantastic flavors. The service here is always quick, even during busy mornings. I enjoy the lively atmosphere and seeing so many people early in the day for tacos. I'll definitely be back many times--I love this place! If you're looking for great tacos, give La Yoca a try.

Taken 8/26/23!
Jessica G.

This is my 3rd or 4th visit to Yoca. Don't get me wrong, the taste of meat is on point; however, I cannot afford to come here too often because of their thru the roof pricing. One pound is twenty bucks with tax. During my latest visit we ordered one pound of the carnitas and one pound of the mixto. It included 2 packs of tortillas but only 1 red, 1 green salsa, 1 onion, 1 cilantro, which are only about half way filled, and 4 whole mini limes. For over forty bucks, I would expect double the amount of salsa and toppings. I didn't check at the restaurant because since my order was "to go", they tightly closed the bag. Upon arriving home I had to use scissors to open the bag. The food and tortillas are delicious but I cannot afford to return for a long while. By the way ambiance was poppin. You can tell this place is popular.

Kathy O.

The first thing to know about this place are the limited hours: they are closed Mon and Tues, and the other days they close by 3:30pm. I came around 1pm on a Fri and the place was not packed, but there was a steady stream of customers and with a live mariachi accordionist it was a bit loud indoors (if you choose to dine in). I ordered 5 tacos to go, one of each flavor except carnitas (since I knew I'd probably come back another day and buy the 1/2 lb or 1 lb option anyway). At $2.20 per taco, it was definitely a steal for a total of $13. The service was quick, and I got my order within about 5 minutes. If you are ok with the more "unusual" cuts of meat (head meat, offal aka organ meat, etc) then this is a must visit place. I am not too familiar with them separately, so could not differentiate which taco was which. However, I enjoyed them all; each was quite flavorful. I told myself I'd eat only half my tacos since I wasn't too hungry to begin with, but before I knew it, they were all gone! Half an hour later, my stomach was crying in pain from being overstuffed, but my taste buds were still longing for more...the tortillas themselves are also soft and tasted fresh, soaking up the delicious meat juices. Even if you don't know if you like a particular "unusual" type of meat, I highly recommend you try it. If not, there are still more traditional options like the carnitas, which I plan to try next!

Carnitas
alan l.

While driving down 6th ave south of the i-10 on a whim, I noticed this place with a full parking lot. Once inside, I see people scanning for free tables and a line almost out the door. English is not a primary language at the counter but that didn't slow anyone down. I ordered 1/2lb of carnitas and wow, just wow. It comes with a red sauce that was smoky and full of flavor.

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6 months ago

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

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9 months ago

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24 days ago

This place is Amazing! The owner is great and food is delicious ! Always great customer service as well!

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

The carnitas tacos are the bomb. All the yelp and instagram rave is a fact . I had 4 tacos and a coke under 20 bucks

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Best carnitas around. Affordable and delicious. To bad they close early. Would be nice to be able to go there for dinner.

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3 years ago

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Mi Nidito Restaurant

Mi Nidito Restaurant

3.9(1.1k reviews)
1.2 mi
•$$

Been years since I've been here, and now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long!…read more Mi Nidito is a Tucson legend, famous for the celebrity photos of notable celebrities who have visited through the years and of course for the food that brought them here. It's colorful, and welcoming. The service was quick and friendly. Of course the chips and homemade salsa were on the table as we sat down. Our waitress was happy to take our order and she was able to make helpful suggestions about the menu. I had the Burro Deluxe and I was overwhelmed by the size of it. The burro was covered in cheese sauce and it was literally bigger than my shoes! The photo doesn't do it justice. I managed to eat 1/3 of it and the waitstaff graciously provided to go boxes to allow me to eat it for the rest of the week!!! It was great fun looking at the celebrity photos and watching all the massive food plates being delivered. Truly a great experience and glad I returned to Mi Nidito! I will be back soon.

Food start with chips that were so bad I maybe ate 4 of them total. (Out of a bag?) The #3 combo…read morewas ok but nothing to slap yo gramma about. They only serve red sauce not really salsa at the table. Asked for some green sauce and was offered whatever they put on the green enchiladas. No thanks! Service was great all around. Ambiance is standard Tucson Mexican restaurant decor. Yelp on!

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Birria (spiced Shredded Beef)

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El Charro Cafe

El Charro Cafe

3.6(2.6k reviews)
3.0 mi
•$$

Service is always good. Food is always fantastic. Ambience is pretty good, but oh golly! Noisy! I…read morecould barely hear the music playing through the speakers - one reason we try to sit outside, but it was a record-wind day in Tucson yesterday . . . OTOH, the waiter had an "outdoor" voice! My favorite foods there: *Original "Charro Style" Tacos (like my Mexican friends' moms made them) *Seafood Enchiladas - con Rajas en Crema, a delicious white sauce *Green Corn Tamal - NOT your everyday tamal, but a finely ground masa, and great cheese and chiles; it was so fresh I asked if they were made to order So, to get two out of the three of these, order the Numero Cuatro Combinacion - with the Seafood Enchilada, a Shrimp Taco, and a Green Corn Tamal Oh, and they take reservations for two online - very accommodating. (Now if they could do a little acoustical treatment in the ceiling . . . )

Great food, ambiance and service. We love this place. Found out this is the birthplace of the…read morechimichanga, had to try it out. Ian is our server, he's very knowledgeable of the menu. They have people walking around just refilling chips and salsa. You can't go wrong. One person mentioned the salsa was spicy ketchup. Couldn't be further from the truth. It is a bare bones salsa but tastes nothing like ketchup. We got the chimichanga app. Very tasty. We shared some chicken tortilla soup and an air dried beef platter. The beef was interesting. It's the only place in the US that is allowed to do this. Very busy place! But they take great care of their customers.

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El Charro Cafe - Steak burro

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Carnitas La Yoca - mexican - Updated November 2026

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