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    Cocina Express

    3.8 (165 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Order Cocina Express Takeout or Delivery

    Cocina Express Photos

    COCINA EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Cocina Express

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    Reviews With Photos

    World famous Red Tacos

    These are the best birria tacos i've ever had in my life. They were so flavorful and juicy and packed with so much meat. The waitress was so kind and even let us wash our hands in the sink which was so kind. The restaurant has a nice seating area outside and I will definitely be back!!

    Proof of payment and receipts to show outrageous prices.
    Julia T.

    I had high hopes for this place but unfortunately, I was disappointed. Not only are they beyond overpriced (19$ for albondigas) but the food isn't worth it at all.. to spend 80$ here for two soups, one burrito, a juice and some guac.. is crazy. I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their money or their time. And honestly I have never went to a Mexican spot that didn't serve rice with their soup. That was the cherry on top. So make sure you pay extra for rice if you want it for your soup!

    World famous Birria Ramen combo
    May W.

    Parking: Can get pretty tricky to find parking near the restaurant because it is located IN a neighborhood. They do have small parking lot near the restaurant but it's usually full. I went on a weekday during lunch so the parking was already hard to find. Food: Holly Molly, the Birria Ramen was so good and so worth for it's price. I would DEFINITELY recommend coming back here on a non busy day to pick up the food. It's a little on the saltier side, so to balance it out dump all the condiments they give you (tapatio sauce, sliced white onions, lemons/limes). With the leftover consome, I like to take it home so I can drink it. Personally, I took it home to eat with more ramen or pair it up with some side dishes. Service: You would have to order at the cashier and tell them if you're picking up or dining in. We dined in so they came by to drop off our food. The lady at the cash register was so nice when we requested to-go containers since we wanted to keep our consome soup.

    Chile verde container not sturdy enough for the sauces.
    Maria S.

    Food containers were not sturdy enough to hold food with sauces. Torta cubana was not as expected as to what the image shows to what was received on white toast not a telera. Our employees were not too happy with the way the food was. And did not meet the expectations.

    Taquitos de pollo
    Tina D.

    Amazing food and service!!! Definetly a must try. The young lady is very nice and attentive

    Refried beans and season potatoes
    Sergio Z.

    This my first at the Cocina Express couple of my friends of mine recommend the restaurant to me. The restaurant is very close to my mom house I decided to try it out. I know the area and street especially this area to find is going to be hard but lucky I found park close to the restaurant. This restaurant reminds me tamales restaurant in the same location but I'm not sure. I walk in the restaurant and then I saw the menu on the wall literally I was looking what caught my eye I decided to order the Huevo Ranchero and a Mexican Orange Fanta the big bottle. They brought the food to me I open the container and smell was so good the Huevo Ranchero come with three hand made tortillas and two side refried beans and season potatoes and two type of sauces. I took bite of it wow amazing flavors in the red sauce including spice,chile,onion and red pepper and other ingredients in the sauce. It come two egg and a fried tortillas holding the eggs it was so good. The three tortillas comes in handy adding the red sauce was so addicting. The refried bean very good great flavor and season they good I really enjoy it. And orange Fanta was great.

    The front of the place! Easy packing when I got there in a Saturday morning!
    Andrew H.

    Not only does the place smell amazing when walking in... the service is fantastic!!! I went in a Saturday morning and the person helping at the register was super nice and helpful! The red cheese taco.... !! Woot woot!!!!! I also got the menudo here!!! Fantastic! This is definitely a place that I'll keep on a Normal rotation!

    December 2021 menu prices

    Recently came after not coming for a couple months and was shocked to see the price jump. I live a couple houses down so on the weekends we would just walk here and get some breakfast but we noticed it kept getting more and more expensive. Usually get the chilaquiles with egg and meat but the price jump being $23 for ALWAYS cold beans & potato or if I don't want potatoes it's always cold rice. Don't get me wrong it's good but the food is almost always cold. But for this recent price jump it has me evaluating coming here. I 100% get it it's gonna get pricer and I wish I had a pic of a menu price from just a couple months ago. But you can see the huge jump on some items from December 2021-March 2025. Like I said it's good, but for the cold food and sometimes you can taste that the food is old/reheated.. then when I first started coming I guess they were barley starting out their menu and it used to be potatoes in a red sauce and then it changed to potatoes with jalapeños. Also if you do come here try to eat it there, like I said it's usually cold so I can imagine taking it home. Also sometimes the way they package their food it gets all thrown so when you get home it's a mess usually my daughter gets a taco de asada and it would be in a huge box with the meat all over and the tortilla just on the side.

    Inside as you enter
    Fab G.

    The ambiance is nice. The food was ok. The beans needed more flavor. The chicken had no flavor. The rice was bland. It was ok. The service was quick. More salt ..bullon.. I said no cheese...they put cheese....will I go back ...no.

    Taquitos Dorados Combo
    Elisa S.

    Loved the food here! I ordered their carne Asada tacos and was pleased to see that they use homemade tortillas. I also ordered their tacos dorados plate which came with a side of beans and rice. The only thing I was really disappointed with was the horchata. I love cinnamon, however, when drinking it I felt like I was reliving my middle school years of putting a spoonful of cinnamon in my mouth. I kept coughing after every sip, and it wasn't until all the cinnamon settled to the bottom of the cup that I was able to drink the milk at the top. I would come back for the food and maybe their other agua frescas, but I would be hesitant to try the horchata again. On a side note they have a parking lot adjacent to the place which makes it convenient as there is rarely any parking in CT. Also. they have an outdoor seating area to eat at.

    Anita L.

    Craving something warm and found this little gem on Grubhub. Menu is short and simple and prices are reasonable. Ordered their Menudo and Pozole and loved it. Located in a residential area near the 60 freeway. There is a parking lot just a couple steps from the restaurant. I decided to Pick up directly from the restaurant because I didn't want to pay the ridiculous Grubhub fees that pushed my order up by $10 (Grubhub fees, Delivery fees, etc.) Cocina Express is one of few restaurants that didn't mark up their prices on Grubhub. They did call me within minutes of me placing my order and let me know one of the items I wanted (de Pollo) wasn't available. The order was ready by the said time in a bag clearly marked with my name. I had to reheat my soup slightly when I arrived home because I like my soups steaming hot, and loved it. Will definitely be ordering from this lovely spot again soon. #SupportLocalBusiness - Check this spot out if you are in the area and support your local small business!

    Best home cooked Mexican Food in Southern California!!! Hand made tortillas, amazing customer service and the food is just amazing! Great Job guys!!! Definitely found my new breakfast spot!

    Chilaquiles
    Mariko F.

    So this isn't the first time I've been here, but the first time I was able to hold off eating my food right away to take some photos. Covina Express is smack dab in the middle of a residential area. Their menu has been extended and everything that I've tried ha been delicious, especially the birria. I ordered the chilaquiles but will ask for the sauce/salsa on the side next time, as the chips were super soggy since we have to take it to go. The sauce was spectacular, very flavorful with so much good spiciness. I used all the sauce I could spoon up for the rice and beans. We wanted to try out the Ramen Birria and were pleased we did. While it was way to rich for me to finish, having some of the consume, noodles and meat was perfect. I don't think I could finish a whole serving, as it was so rich! Each time I have visited, I have gotten a side of birria, at the very least and it has consistent been bomb.

    3 Dorado Red Taco Consume rice horchata

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    3 years ago

    Great food , great service and friendly people. Will definitely recommend this place to friends.

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    5 years ago

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    Gabriel H.

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    5 years ago

    This place has the hardest taco shells ive ever had to bite into and the customer service disgusts me ... y estan feos los tacos

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    Gabriel H.

    Lmao sure you did

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    Gabriel H.

    Thank you sooo much ! Your review’s are the reason we do what we do

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    4 years ago

    Good Menudo. Well-prepared. The only knock is that I would've preferred a little more robust broth. Otherwise, overall a good bowl of soup.

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    4 years ago

    The Birria Ramen and the birria tacos are so good. Everytime we are in the area we stop by.

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    5 years ago

    Good food but extremely pricey. Lots of options but you can get same qualify food for half the price in east la

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

    The homemade mexican food you are looking for. Very awesome and very tasty. Highly recommended

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    Page 3 of 5

    Ask the Community - Cocina Express

    Is this place no longer in business? I stopped by today at 5:30 PM and they were closed.

    Hi sorry we recently changed our hours and various sites haven’t been updated. We’re sorry but it takes time for different sites to update. We’re open every day 8-4 pm

    Anyone know their hours?

    The restaurant hours are 8am-4pm Monday-Sunday and the taco stand outside is 6pm-11pm Thursday-Sunday

    View All 3 Questions

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    I visited Cinco Puntos with my family after hearing so much about it from Blood In, Blood Out. It's…read moredefinitely an iconic spot, and if you're a fan of the movie, it's worth stopping by to see the famous location. Don't forget to take a picture by the "Cinco Puntos" sign on the wall and the well-known tree nearby! The food was edible, I ordered a carnitas taco with chicharrón. The meat itself was flavorful, chicharron nice and crunchy and I liked that you get to choose your own toppings. The tortillas are handmade, which many people will appreciate, although they were a little thicker than I personally prefer. If you enjoy authentic, handmade tortillas, this place may be more your style. The service was the highlight of our visit. Everyone was genuinely friendly, welcoming, and kind. It was an extremely hot day, and one of the ladies even gave my daughter a small bag of ice to play with and cool off, which was such a thoughtful gesture. Thank you for going the extra mile. There is a small parking lot, and we were able to find street parking right in front near the outdoor tables. The outside seating area was perfectly fine for enjoying our meal. The biggest downside for me was the cleanliness inside the restaurant. While nothing prevented us from eating there, I felt the interior could really benefit from a deep cleaning. Overall, I'm glad we visited and experienced such a well-known East L.A. landmark. While I probably wouldn't return because it wasn't quite my personal preference, I can still recommend it to anyone looking for authentic carnitas, handmade tortillas, and a piece of East Los Angeles history.

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    Tirzahs Mexi-Terranean Grill - Watermelon/Pineapple agua fresca, Super Street Korean BBQ taco, Queso Birra Taco and a side of refried beans.

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    Cocina Express - mexican - Updated August 2026

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