Let me admit something annoying (perhaps even snotty?) about myself: I try to go against the grain…read morein most things. I prefer things that are underground, independent and not mainstream. When EVERYONE loves something; I tend to scoff. I am this way with most forms of art, places and even food. I simply question trends and prefer to rely on my own opinion. So, when fellow Yelper and dining partner Michael B. suggested we try North Hollywood's Birrieria Familia Castro (only minutes from my apartment!) which received the coveted #1 position on Yelp's Top 100 Taco Spots list - I was hesitant. I wanted to hate it. But there is no way to hate Birrieria Familia Castro because they deserve their title. Let's explore... Birrieria Familia Castro is located near the Oxnard/Vineland intersection close to the Noho Arts District in a teeny tiny strip plaza next to a smoke shop across the street from a tire shop. Being the literal definition of 'hole in the wall'; don't let this environment detour you from dining at Birrieria Familia Castro because it is these hidden gems that are often the best (and obviously in this case). Birrieria Familia Castro is a family-owned eatery that is the baby of Anthony Castro and his parents opening the venture in 2022 and focusing on homemade recipes passed-down generations of their family tree focusing on layers of flavor and hours of marinading and simmering. Anthony begins his day with a prayer and takes nothing for granted with each patron who walks in the door. Those who Anthony welcomes will find a tiny dining space in terms of square footage and super-hot in temperature (their AC isn't the most consistent so they need to open the door as the day-long cooking heats the space); but it is clean and cozy enough. The menu at Birrieria Familia Castro is rather simple focusing on what they are good at: breakfast, tacos, various birrias (quesatacos, vampiros, mulitas, dorados) and some a la carte plates. I personally enjoyed the smaller menu as I tend to get overwhelmed with too many choices. For my dinner, I chose two Quesatacos (crispy corn tortillas filled with meat, mozzarella, onions and cilantro - $5.25 each choosing one birria and one asada) while my dining partner chose two Birria Vampiros (toasted corn tortilla with meat in between burned cheese on top, onion and cilantro served with beans and rice - $13. 49) plus, Birrieria Familia Castro's famous birria consommé. Our dishes arrived rather quickly and were served on gorgeous, culturally-authentic clay plates that I thought were a lovely touch. My desire to go against the popular fan-favorites is out the door because Birrieria Familia Castro is sooooooo goooodddd! My quesatacos were fantastic: perfect texture tortillas made by spreading the consommé fat on the tacos because throwing them on a hot griddle with tender, amazingly-flavored long-simmered meat. Even the little picked onions were marvelous. The birria consommé was to die for: an orchestra of harmonious flavor with chunks of meat swimming in the broth: I could consume a bucket of this! Yelper Michael B.'s Birria Vampiros were, by his account, delicious and "a win": hard shell with burned cheese that was a perfect combination with the pickled onions and tableside salsas and birria consommé. Micheal even mixed some of the consommé with the rice and beans which was "an extra treat". If the amazing food wasn't enough; we had a pleasant chat with the main man Anthony, himself. Anthony is hyper-focused on not only offering delicious food; but genuinely caring about his customers and how he can improve. Anthony reads all Yelp reviews to see any areas that need finessing and cares about small details of his business: remember those clay plates I am obsessed with? Anthony curates those from an artist in Mexico and he even orders plates with dividers for those who don't like ingredients touching on their plate. It is this concern and attention to detail that helped land Birrieria Familia Castro as Yelp's #1 in the nation. Although limited in hours (closed Mondays, some days closing as early as 5pm due to overhead costs and competition); Birrieria Familia Castro is highly recommended. Top-tier food, customer service and priced well - truly deserving. Don't be stubborn like me and find out why Birrieria Familia Castro is #1

We decided to try this restaurant for the first time after reading positive reviews online and…read moreseeing a CBS News report. We went out of our way to visit and were looking forward to the food. When I arrived to pick up our order, the employee at the counter said she was unsure whether it had been paid for and would check. Approximately 10 to 15 minutes later, she handed me a bag and apologized for the delay. During that time, I observed her having an extended conversation with another customer. I did not see her check on the order during that conversation, although I cannot confirm when the food was ready. About six minutes into my drive home, my wife called to tell me that the restaurant had contacted her because a second bag from our order had been left behind. I returned to collect it, adding approximately 12 minutes to the trip. Including the remaining drive home, roughly 32 minutes passed between my initial departure from the restaurant and my arrival home. The employee apologized, acknowledged that the situation was unacceptable, and offered me a complimentary drink. I appreciated that acknowledgment, but the additional delay was particularly disappointing because this type of food can lose its temperature and texture quickly. Our main concern was the coordination of the pickup: confirming the order's payment status, providing it promptly, and ensuring that all bags were handed over before I left. I understand that mistakes happen, and this review reflects a single visit. Nevertheless, the wait and return trip detracted from the first-time experience we had anticipated.

Great time! Love the vibe of the place, friendly workers, good food!…read more I came for Taco Tuesday with my good friend, and we fell in LOVE with the inside! It's so colorful with emphasis on purple and blue. I felt like I was inside of one of those adult bingo places, as if the place could transform into a game room or club at night. Super cute! It did take a while to get our food, but I will say that the shrimp ceviche was DELECTABLE and our tacos were delicious! The shrimp tacos were my fav! They have a station where you can dress them. We did have a floor table, but I was a bit jealous of those in the booths. The colors were so pretty and the seats looked so comfy! Maybe next time! From the music to the energy, aesthetic, and food, this place was pretty awesome! I'd go back for sure!

Went here for trivia tycoon on Monday at 830p. It's not quiet but the music they play is good helps…read morewith unwinding the start of a work week. I had the mole and the heat level was perfect.

I rank this based on the type of food they serve, the quality of the food, customer service and the…read moreold school Spanish theme. It isnt necessarily the kind of place you would go out of your way for, but as a local gem when you're looking for mexican food. The menu is rather short, but pick randomly and you will be sure to be happy with what you selected. I opted for the duck tacos, and it was very satisfying considering you're served with just two tacos on a plate. Very simple but prepared to near perfection from the tortilla up to the sauce. The guac was freshly made and the salsa is with roasted tomatoes both seemingly made in house. Sometimes a 5 star review can reflect a place you go out of your way for, go back to multiple times. This 5 star review is simple as most of their offerings. Everything just done right. I was unable to provide pics because most of all the vibe and venue is for family or for dates and we all had a great time i didnt even remember to take pics and post my review until after dinner. The drinks were all so great it made it even better.

Went on a Friday night as a walk in and was sat right away :)…read more Server was very nice . Ordered : Shrimp aguachile 5/5 Skirt steak 3/5 (good taste but gristly ) Cornbread entree 4/5 Hibiscus margarita & spicy mezcal margarita 5/5 Place was very cute , loved the ambiance .. would def go back!

I'm giving you guys this gem because it's our favorite Mexican restaurant, so drumroll please!…read more We love, love this spot! Everyone is so nice and friendly, and the service is great and fast. It's always a vibe, with good music and a great atmosphere. We always get the same thing; guacamole and the Molcajete. We order it with just the red meat and shrimp, no chicken. The portions are pretty big, and it comes with rice, guac, sour cream, and beans on the side, a very generous side. The Molcajete also has cactus in it. Definitely one of our favorite spots! P.S. my husband also love their strawberry banana margaritas.

Came to Los Amigos for the first time this past week because I wasn't feeling great and was craving…read moresome soup. Ordered their chicken tortilla soup, honestly not expecting much because I'm a COMPLETE snob when it comes to Mexican food. My mom was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is hands down the best cook of Mexican food I've ever known. Naturally, I compare every Mexican restaurant to her cooking, so my standards are ridiculously high. That being said, I swear I had a Ratatouille moment with this soup. It tasted JUST like my mom's. It was comforting, delicious, and exactly what I needed. I swear it practically cured me. I loved it so much that I came back three days later just to order it again. Thank you, Los Amigos, and a HUGE thank you to whoever is making that tortilla soup. You managed to make something that tastes like home, and that's not an easy thing to do.

Salsa and Beer serves up giant portions. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered 2 chicken…read morecarbon tacos with rice and beans. The char grilled chicken chunks in the fresh flour tortillas were great. My guy had chicken and steak fajitas and he said it was good. Menu is via QR code. Plenty of choices ranging from $20-$30.00. There is a self serve salsa bar with a variety of choices. There are also 2 hars. Only downfall was the parking. Place is cool. A little dark in some area. Its worth checking out. The place is kind of cool.

Great service, food and HUGE portions. You will have left overs!…read more It gives you that old school feeling like eating at your local Mexican restaurant that's been around for years! I recommend the Steak Picado burrito! Insane portion! Every order comes with free chips and beans

Best Food ever. Have been coming here for 21 years now and take all of my friends and family here…read more Food is delicious and staff are caring and kind. Best restaurant in the world. Ambiance is always the best. I love you Don Cuco *specifically Toluca Lake on Riverside Drive

Parking is a bit scarce at this location, especially around lunch time. I parked around the corner…read morein a 1 hour spot, luckily didn't get a ticket because I think I went a little over. I had a very pleasant experience with my work friend out front on the Don Cuco patio. Our server was very attentive and constantly checked on us, offering refills of my Coke, and so on. I was super happy with my chicken flautas, which came with rice and black beans (by choice). The flautas were lightly fried and not over-done. The chicken inside was very tender and fresh, and came with yummy guacamole and sour cream for dipping for an added bonus. The rice was also soft and fresh tasting, while the black beans were hearty and not overly runny like some places. Really good food, really good service, really good vibes, all at reasonable prices -- what more could you want?

Everyone should go to Casita just be blessed by Lex's energy. She's bound to bring you good luck…read moreto your life. Great food, but service is one of a kind.

We had a little mini-celebration (6 people) at Casita on 09/20. The food was very good - nice…read morequality. The ambiance was a little dark, but quite nice. But what was truly outstanding was our server - Lex. She was charming, bright, witty, friendly, personable, I can't say enough good things about her - she truly made the evening festive and enjoyable.

I don't remember writing this but I've been back since it's reopening & it's my local!…read moreTheir own Parking lot & street pkg. Clean bathrooms. Excellent service!! My fave chips & salsa. IMHO the best chicken wings! I get them crispy and at happy hour - It's $13 for 12 wings and they come with celery, carrots, and ranch and/or blue cheese and they're fantastic.! $8/10 margaritas at HH as well. HH til 6pm, I believe all week??? I looooove this place!!!

Mucho Mas offers a pretty good menu with a variety of items ranging from about $18-$25. We have…read moredriven by for years. We finally tried it. I had the chicken fajitas which had more vegetables than anything else. It came with rice and beans and pico de gallo. My guy had the enchiladas combo plate. He said it was good. Service could of been better. We were kind of left at our table for several minutes before we flagged someone down to take our order. They cant say they were short staffed. I saw 3 female waitress walking around. We already had finished our chips. We even put our closed menus in the corner of the table to hint we were ready. We finally waved someone down to see if they could take our order. At the end of the meal it was the same thing. It took time to get our check. We had to ask for it. I did notice regulars got top knotch speedy service. One regular came after us and had his order taken and drink out quick. Many staff came to give him hugs too. I guess if you are a regular you are VIP. If not good luck. They have their own parking lot, but its pretty tight. One way in and one way out.

The food was so good! Tried the barbacoa hash, French toast, steak sandwich family style…read more Barbacoa: my favorite so far. Savory and it honestly felt light French toast: I actually liked it alot, it wasn't too sweet. The jam was my favorite you can taste the fruits and the whip cream wasn't too sweet. If you're not into sweets and want something light then you'll like the French toast Steak sandwich: the steak was juicy and it wasn't too heavy filling which is a good thing. Everyone was so nice and super helpful. They were on top of it. The inside was beautiful too. Chill vibes.

My parents were in town so I wanted to take them somewhere unique and special! Amor A Mi was…read moredefinitely not what I expected! The food was incredible, light and unique! We did it family style: Tlayuda Norteña- a large thin crunchy tortilla with steak, beans, cucumber, cilantro and more! It was amazing and definitely hit the spot Taco Gobernador- I love tacos gobernador, which come with shrimp and salsa and packed full of flavor Quesadilla De Huitlacoche- it's my first time having it and it tasted unique and was probably one of my favorites! We ordered the Margarita and Aguachile Cocktail to drink! They both tasted amazing! This is definitely a nice spot for dinner or a date! The food is good and not greasy at all! The service was incredible, the staff knowledgeable and explained everything thoroughly and made the best recommendations! I highly recommend Amor A Mi