Neighborhood friendly restaurant that feels family run and has been opened for decades in the Pico-Union area (about a few blocks west of where Staples...er Crypto is located). The interior definitely has a worn in charm and based on the groups I was dining among, this place has the vibe of a neighborhood / local favorite. Before coming here, I saw that they are best known for their Jalisco-style goat birria, but they have quite a few things on the menu. Also note that this place is cash only. I came in and was greeted by a really friendly lady who was also the server. I told here I was going to dine there and was able to grab a table right away. When I sat down, I got some chips and salsa (their house red salsa has a bit of a kick to it and is delicious). I wanted a small meal and their tacos are pretty large. Much larger than I expected. I ordered two tacos and of course one of them had to be the birria. The other was carnitas. I ended up having to take one home since I had additional meal plans not too far in the future. I also ordered a michelada to wash everything down. It was really tasty and served in a large cold mug. I'm not going to use superlatives to describe the service, food here, etc. but I was very happy with my meal and experience and just the general historic and cultural vibe here. For me, it really was one of those - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - type places. There's actually a parking lot behind the restaurant, which I didn't know. I ended up finding some metered street parking right around the corner. read more

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The birria is the main theme here!! I ordered a one pound boneless birria with consumé and corn tortillas! The birria was a little dry and the consumé was too too salty! The tortillas were really good which paired nicely with the birria and consumé! The restaurant is definitely a little dirty looking, but if you're a fan of birria it's a good option to get. Parking is around the building and the entrance looks little obscured. The service is great, the waitress gave us some great food advice! read more

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La mejor birria de chivo que eh probado. Muy deliciosa con su consomé y tortillas hechas a mano. 100% recomendado! read more

El Parian Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Mi lugar favorito para comer birria de chivo en su consume! También los tacos de asada están riquísimos y bien servidos! Los frijoles también están ricos y perfecto para botana! My favorite place to get goat birria! Additionally the asada tacos are delicious and well served! I highly recommend getting the beans as a starter to have with their tortilla chips! read more

Their specialty is birria and it's really the best birria I've tried in LA BUT they really suck at communicating. So bad, not sure it's worth it. They close my whatever time they want. So if you make plans,, don't. read more

Times change. Food trends come and go. Even birria changes. El Parian stays the same. We've all bore witness to the recent surge in birria's popularity, that great tsunami of spiced goat consome that has flooded social media over the last few years. The star of the birria invasion has been the traffic light red, oozing cheese, quesabirria variety. It is well suited to the window display case. But the more wholesome, more honest, murky bowl filled with flesh and bone is what El Parian has done since time immemorial. Its interior is cavernous and dark. The walls are adorned with amusing posters. I've heard tell they once had a poster featuring President Lincoln side by side with Presidente Juarez. I couldn't find that one. I did see one featuring two sets of gallos. One flock wore the jersey of the U.S. soccer team and the other wore that of the Mexican futbol team. The order of birria arrived and it was not for sissies. Although, there is a strong waft of so called baking spices that comes from the bowl, so perhaps it is for sissies. In any event, you must dig through the kid's ribcage for the tenderest parts of meat. You must crowd the bowl with onions and cilantro. Inundate it with chile de arbol salsa. After all these years, El Parian still serves both one of the quintessential Angeleno and Jalisciense dishes, I kid you not. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Bought a Carne Asada Taco and Burrito thinking that the meat was juicy and tender but it was the opposite. It's cheap meat and all dry. Not worth it anymore. Sad to say. read more

I've been a customer here for the past 33 years of my life back in the 90s my dad used to be a chef here The Best Birria de chivo tortillas hechas a mano read more

I was craving authentic mexican and this place did not disappoint. Now, i love birria. Its one of my favorite dishes. When i saw it on the menu as the house specialty, i had to try it. It was great! It was flavorful, the meat was good, meat did not smell bad (since its goat). I saw other people get different dishes and one thing i can say is they serve big portions. Hole in the wall describes it perfectly. I give it a 10/10. I cant wait to come back and try another dish. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Que incómodo es comer en el restaurante, parese horno adentro del restaurante no hay ventilación , y al parecer el extractor de aire que tienen en la cocina no está funcionado ,asta pena me por el personal k tienen k trabajar en esas condiciones read more

Food was real salty and when I told waitress she told me she will add water to make the consomé less salty. The cook said he only serves food that the morning cook makes. I been coming to this restaurant for last 25 years and use to love food. Now mmm not recommend I read more

worst tacos i have ever had, ambiance is depressing and the food taste like nothing -- please don't waste your time or money .. i had the carne asada tacos yuck! literally threw up in their restroom read more

El Parian Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is a total dive. That's probably the charm and one of the reasons why Jonathan Gold liked the place so much. I read that he liked their birria more than the birria he tried in Guadalajara, Mexico. I stepped in for dinner and the place was dead. Empty. You order at the front of the restaurant from the cashier who might not speak any English. I had to speak in my imperfect Spanish to order. You will be told in Spanish to sit down and they'll bring your food to you. What I didn't like is how she slammed my utensils on the table without any napkins. Thank goodness I have wipes with me all the time. As far as the taco de birria, it was flavorful. You'll have to be careful because in my case there was a little piece of bone in the meat which I can see could be dangerous if someone were to swallow it. There are warning signs on the wall of the possibility of choking eating their birria. After your meal, you'll have to get up and pay at the front as well. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? Probably not. If I were to choose a birria spot in the area, I would probably stick to Birriería Chalio for their handmade tortillas and more lively atmosphere...and agua frescas. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Birria de chivo estilo Jalisco, consomme, y frijoles - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Iykyk! Pico-Union staple. Real Birria (Goat) not the trendy beef stuff everyone calls "birria". if that's what you want don't go here. Bring Cash. This place is old school. The Carnitas 5 read more

I have been coming here since I was 10 years old , I am now 30 and may I tell you this place remains the same - the only thing that has changed is obviously the prices however still very worth it. I love coming in here and getting the Taste of a home cooked meal , great family atmosphere , Jukebox playing in the background and along with great tasting Birria. I have always done carnitas ( which are tasty ) along with a side of the tortillas ( which are made fresh and taste amazing ) however this time I went with the chilaquiles of Birria - LET ME TELL YOU ....... Chilaquiles game changer the meat was very juicy and tender , the cheese and crema was the icing on the cake. Highly recommend getting there Birria with broth or there carnita plates , you will not regret it. ( the service could be better but the food makes up for it ) read more

El Parian Restaurant - Chilaquiles with chopped Birria - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Hidden with good reason. I would drink their hot sauce. In a city filled with tacos, I will go out of my way for El Parian.

My favorite place to get birria de chivo this place has never disappointed me and today well I'm definitely going back I see some poor reviews and I'll be the REAL JUDGE OF THESE POOR REVIEWS!!! Im very picky and I expect good customer service and the same deliciousness at read more

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This place is a whole in the fall, don't expect anything fancy because you won't get it, you're not going to a trendy place where all the hipsters go (thank goodness lol) but the food is great! I had taco de asada and one of carnitas and the carnitas are one of the best I've had, and the tortillas are hand made there at moment you order. The waitress was so kind and helpful and attentive. Take cash because they don't take anything else. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We got two orders of birria with masisa and the nephew got a fried tilapia. Nephew was loving the tilapia, he ate the whole fish no complaints. Birria was not as I expected. Broth was salty but adding the onions, cilantro and limon helped. Animal fat in the dish was minimal so that was a plus. They didn't have chiles en vinagre only chile oil and a red sauce. I've had birria all my life and have had it zacatecas style and Jalisco style. This is not really on par with what I've had in Mexico or other places in LA. The birria broth is runny so it makes me think 'lo cortan' to make it last. We had a 50/50 experience try it for your yourself and see how it goes for you. read more

El lugar en su Totalidad podría está un poco mejor, la comida está más o menos Lo que si me gustó fueron las tortillas echas a mano. read more

Overall, I'm bummed that this place has lost its touch. The nostalgia of El Parian has been replaced by a meh experience. Not a fan. Wouldn't and couldn't recommend. The freshly made corn tortillas were thick and hard even when freshly made and eaten ASAP. Birria de Chivo was on the under-seasoned side. Big portion of meat though. It wasn't as fall off the bone tender as before. Rice was undercooked. My mom is old school and always pays cash at independently owned restaurants to show her support. When she whipped out her wallet, the cashier automatically said "Cash Only". I thought that was a bit premature and it annoyed me. She's a 60+ Asian lady, I'm pretty sure she's gunna pay cash at a hole in the wall restaurant regardless... most mom and pop shops in the SGV are Cash Only as well.... anyways.... read more

The food is absolutely exquisite and tastes like heaven. The best part is the beans which are godly nothing will change my mind!!

I had the birria since it's their specialty. Asked for the caldo separately. The meat is soft but not so tender. It's dry if not submerged in the caldo but the taste is ok. Nothing out of this world. Service was good and fast. The restaurant is not good looking, looks like a whole in the wall in a semi sketchy street. Inside looks kinda clean but not like a nice restaurant. Don't bring a date here. Or their family. It's a good size portion. read more

El Parian Restaurant - The birria portion. Masisa which means with no bone in it is $23 with tax included. - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

One of my hidden gems in Los Angeles, I've been coming here since a child and its never changed. Everything is homemade and cook with time the birria plate is always my go too but can't go wrong with the asada burrito great flavor amazing job with their hot sauce. Service is great Only downside is that it's cash only read more

My husband and I love Korean goat stew and were excited in seeing how differently other culture does it. Just like most Mexican soups - el parian's wasn't quite a stew but closer to a bunch of goat meat swimming in consommé (very watery base). The goat meats were extremely tender and flavorful. The soup base was too salty for my taste however. I added the whole plate of lime and cilantro, the sodium level was just too much for my kidney to handle. Maybe the soup base was more for flavoring and not so much for drinking? We purposely ordered an additional side of rice and beans to help dilute some of the salt content. We also tried their tacos. They were burrito (steroid) sized. It appeared I got more meat out of my two tacos ($3.50 each) than my goat soup ($13.95?) alone. The housemade flour tortilla were thick and chewy. They generously stacked two in each (one to absorb all the dripping, one to actually fold + hold). Topped with some lime juice and salsa - beyond delicious! Overall - Want to try their goat? Just get their tacos! Limited English but very sweet and helpful. And don't forget to bring cash! read more

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This place has solid birria and asada. Their tacos are double tortilla a mano and have plenty of meat to make Dos tacos. Have tried their carnitas, birria and carne asada and they are all delicious. Place is straight Legit good. So if you fancy yourself Birria, Carnitas or Carne Asada then this is your place to get that yummy fix. Have ordered plenty of times through grub hub. Check them out. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Burrito de Asada - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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A hole in the wall place with great food and great service. We had the pozole with all the usually and a side of refund beans. Beans were really good. And the pozole was really good and made with the big nixtamal corn. So delicious. The horchata was really good too! Cash only. read more

This winter is colder than the average here in our little paradise called LA. Not only did I bring out my winter coats this year, I brought out my winter food cravings too. Pozole, tamales, atole, champurrado, oh my! I have yet to hit the last four, but Saturday night I started my list with pozole. El Parian was the nearest opened restaurant that offered such dish so there I went on my way, with one mission and one mission only: pozole. The first sign you'll see before entering the business is one that reads "CASH ONLY", luckily I had enough for me to go in and continue my mission. [There's an ATM inside in case you don't have cash with you.] Immediately as you enter, you come across a counter to order (only for to-go orders), if you prefer to eat your meal there, you're directed to your seat and given a menu. That's what we did. The area was pretty sizable. We sat next to the jukebox machine (digital). I already knew what I wanted so I ordered right away. We were given chips + salsa in the meantime. The chips were the round kind you buy at Smart&Final for nachos. The salsa was spicy, but not flavorful at all. I didn't wait long until a great big bowl of steaming hot pozole was being brought to me, mission accomplished! I added cabbage, onion, spices, lime. I reached for the bottled homemade salsa that was already on the table. I don't know how long it had been there, but you could see the clear definition between the water and the salsa, it was distasteful. 20 photos of every angle later, I mix it all, say my prayer, and in I go! But ugh, it's salty!! El Parian may have seen too many Morton Salt commercials, because "when it rains it pours" is right. This one bowl of pozole must have had the appropriate salt portion for a month's consumption. I tried adding some water to it, but that didn't help! It ruined my entire meal. If I return, which might not be likely, I will make sure to order something else. During my meal, the waitress came to our table and asked if we were using the bottled salsa, we weren't. I still didn't find it appropriate for her to take it from one table to give to another. You should have sufficient for your customers. I couldn't eat anymore, so I asked for a to-go box for the rest of the pozole (maybe if I add more water and reheat it, it'll be better). When I asked the waitress for extra tostadas to go, she took my plate and peeked underneath to see if I had any hidden below. She hesitantly agreed to give me ONE MORE, after I asked politely. She really didn't want to give me any at all. She's so stingy! Tostadas cost you close to nothing. I thought that was so rude and really left me with a terrible ending to my experience. I doubt I will be coming back, sorry. read more

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Came back here for the second time with my coworkers for lunch and they loved it! The birthday boy in the group was super happy that I suggested this place for lunch, woohoo! I didn't know that you can order the birria without the bones. However, I do recommend experiencing it with the bones the first time to gauge your taste, thoughts and reactions. Again, ¡La birria era muy tierna y suculenta! The pieces were also really big too! The broth, just so darn delicious and the house-made tortillas were so fresh, hot, plump and excellent. This time, I was able to eat my birria wrapped with the tortillas without worrying about the tiny bones, lol! Service was sweet and professional. The female servers took great care of us. Now that I've got to enjoy the boneless version, it's rounded up to Five Stars all.the.way! Looking forward to dining here again, yay! read more

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Unfortunately, we haven't been back since the pandemic started, but what a terrific restaurant! It was always our favorite place to go to and so I did want to pay homage to them. Should have written this before, but better late than never...This is a very unpretentious place with good and reasonably priced food! We usually order one of the combo plates, like tacos rice & beans (we aren't very adventurous eaters), but they are known for their goat dishes. Anyway, you won't go wrong here. read more

the woman over the phone is so rude it' CRAZY. She literally told us she didn't want to make our order of 15 tortillas because it was just her.. 15!!!!! I will NEVER go here!!! the reviews are so true it's crazy. I asked her if i can Order in English and she just screamed "no English!!! " and hung up. Do. Not. Go. here. read more

Coming back home from Oregon I stopped in LA for pozole thinking I would get that homey feeling. Pozole was bland with huge chunks of pork I had to shred my own meat I wished they took the time to shred the meat of cut them into bite size and add more flavor to their broth . My son order a carne asada burrito it look like half of a burrito was missing(for the price they charge) customer service was on the old man seem not having a good day. read more

Food was good but the service was ok. I won't be coming back. It's ok but won't go out of my way

I will not be recommending this place I called an order in sent my husband to pick it up and the lady never put in my order because she thought I was going to add something or idk what her excuse was. I had order a pozole which they already have made and ready to serve they're we're about to close at 8:45 pm when on yelp says they're open until 10pm. To top it off she wasn't apologetic at all and hung up the phone on me. read more

El Parian. Birria nonpareil. There are so many reasons to come here, yet they all boil down to one thing: The best birria you will ever have, at least on this side of the border. I hadn't really been a big fan of birria before visiting El Parian. This is because I'd never had birria like the transcendent birria here. If you're not familiar with birria, it's a stew, often make from goat, which has been marinated practically forever in subtle spices, creating one of the most delightfully delicious broths ever. At El Parian, birria is served with onion, lemon, cilantro, radish and some really delicious hand-made tortillas. Tonight, we ordered Una Libra de Birria (one lb. of birria) which was enough for three people. (We also ordered some tacos. Don't bother. Just get more birria.) Add to this $3.99 beers, both imported and domestic, served with chilled beer mugs, and you have the makings of one fantastic night. Birria and beer. That's all you need to know. Except cash only and there's parking in the back. And the price is right. Trust me. read more

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Amazing Tacos, Huge size, the Hand made tortillas make all the difference in the world. I ordered 1 Carnitas Taco and 1 Carne Asada taco. they were so big I split the asada taco into 2 tacos since they come with 2 tortillas. I washed them down with a nice modello.the service was excellent, but they don't speak English so I was lucky I was with the taco hunter. Location ???? this place is in the Getto , I mean GETTO !!! see the photos I uploaded. if your brave enough to enter this hood you will be rewarded with a great meal. one more note its CASH ONLY so don't forget that. read more

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Birria is the best, service was fast, freshly handmade tortillas, my friend tried chilaquiles, and eggs was charged $6 additional. She was surprised about $20 for chilaquiles with eggs. read more

GOAT HEAVEN in a Dive I found out about El Parian through Jonathan Gold's "Counter Intelligence" First Edition 2000 which is a compilation of his Counter Intelligence food reviews in the LA Weekly. Although Mr. Gold's reviews don't always agree with my estimation of the same restaurants (like the disasterous greasy, fried shrimp balls at Johnny's Shrimp Boat), we are congruent on the intrinsic worth of this birrieria on Pico just west of the Harbour Freeway. Order the birria, a signature dish of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, and you will receive a steaming bowl of sweet, delicately flavoured roast kid which has small bones in it with parts of the meat being succulent and meaty, and other parts having a rough chaw. This mass of primordial meat is floating in a wonderously thickened chile infused broth made from the drippings of the roasting goat. The flavour of this broth is the essence of goatiness & goodness. The birria is accompanied by a pile of cilantro, chopped onions, dried Albahaca or oregano, lime to enrich the broth. There is a pile of tortillas de maiz so I grabbed some of the meat, put in onions and cilantro to make my own Flauta. I then dipped the end of the rolled tortilla into the birria broth like a Mexicanized french dip. (This tastes infinitely better than the french dip sandwich at Phillips where their lamb meat is dry, lifeless and tasteless. The bread is stale, and the jus is weak.) This birria is so good that I also drank the broth as an elegant goat consomme. There is something very primal yet sophisticated about the birria at El Parian. So soul satisfying at a price that is almost too good to be true. (One warning: don't smell your fingers after eating the goat cuz you'll smell like one.) This dish may be the perfect food for hang-overs, and if you get the munchies (wink, wink). Also for those who like King Taco better than El Parian, the temple of Mexican regional cooking, you've got to go to Phillipe's and get their French Dips. read more

Giant tacos, huge tostadas, free chips and salsa, decent red sauce in the squeeze bottles, ample parking in the back, and never crowded like ET or KT. Beers were a bit pricey but I guess they gotta make a living too... The carne asada was NOT all that, as described by glowing reviews. Still the meat was well seasoned and I have scarfed down much worse standing out in the cold. Will have to try the goat birria someday soon. read more

El Parian Restaurant - Carne asada tostada - Mexican Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Well I finally made it down here to one of Jonathan Golds places to come to and I must say that I wasn't impressed for the most part. I ended up ordering the Goat Birria and ended up thinking it was just okay, the consome was decent but not worthy of a return visit . I will probably and lost likely not come back, the prices I thought were too much for a joint that looks like this place looks and that's just my honest opinion. No place to park other than street parking, service was somewhat slow and very forgetful , michelada was 8.99 regulars soda pops were 3.50, birria plate was 15.25 . I was sort of blown away right from the start when I was served round smart and final nacho type chips and some actual good salsa, I mean heavens sake , y'all couldn't have made some regular old tortilla chips? Really? Won't be back but it might still be worth checking out if you're dying of hunger and waking down the street. read more

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