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    King Taco

    3.3 (1.8k reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 10:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    King Taco Photos

    Business Info

    KING TACO ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - King Taco

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    Kevin J.

    I live in the Bay Area, but anytime I'm in Los Angeles, King Taco is one of the first places I hit. It's one of those spots I actively look forward to, and it never disappoints. This time I kept it classic: one carne asada taco, one al pastor taco, and a carne asada burrito. Everything was solid. The carne asada had great flavor and was cooked just right--juicy, not dry. The al pastor had that slight sweetness and depth that keeps you coming back for another bite. The burrito was simple, packed, and exactly what a carne asada burrito should be. The chili (salsa) really ties it all together--flavorful with a real kick. Spicy enough to let you know it's there, but not overpowering. It's the kind of salsa that makes you slow down and enjoy the food. King Taco doesn't try to be fancy, the restaurant is clean and simple with plastic seats, and that's the point. It's consistent, straightforward, and always hits. When I'm in LA, this stop is non-negotiable.

    Menu 1/2026
    Conor B.

    King Taco just hits the spot. It's a great place to get street style tacos & other Mexican dishes quickly. I also appreciate that they have cuts like Lingua & Cabeza which you can't always find a chain taco joints. The meats here are all tender and packed with flavor. The meats are all so tender and juicy that it feels like they could just melt in your mouth. I've truly never had a bad dish here. From the tacos to the quesadillas to the horchata, you're guaranteed to have a great meal here. The staff here is extremely efficient while also being very friendly. You know they are doing their best to move the line along, but they do what it takes to give each customer a personalized experience from ordering to picking up your meal. I truly appreciate it. This location is slightly small, but it is kept clean and inviting. It can, however, get full during peak meal times. Even with the second room all for eating, it might be a better idea to get your meal to go and eat elsewhere. I often come here before shows at the Civic Auditorium and just walk my meal back to the venue and eat out there. Even with a 10ish minute walk, my order still tastes as if I'm eating it right off the line thanks to how they individually wrap all of their food. In all, King Taco is an LA institution and rightfully so. Do yourself a favor and stop by. Even if you just ate and just have enough room for a single taco. Your tastebuds will thank you.

    Spilled salsa in bag

    Came here on Cinco De Mayo expecting there to be a rush but was pushed into something MUCH deeper! I placed an uber eats order for pickup at 4:40. At around 5:10pm, i get a notification saying my food is ready for pickup. I drove to the restaurant and honestly wasn't disappointed with how many people were in line waiting due to it being Cinco De Mayo but i was clearly mistaken! I waited over an hour for my food. The server Abraham kept telling me 5 mins every 10 mins and I didn't get to pick up until 6:10pm. Not to mention my sauce was spilled all over inside the bag and missing extra salsa that i PAID for! Overall experience was a 1 star.

    Nancy E.

    The place is clean and plenty of seating. Parking next door is $5 per hour. The 3 stars is for not having limes, radish, pickled jalapeños and carrots! For the price is the food, those items should be offered like all other taco places!!

    Suadero and Al Pastor tacos
    Francisco M.

    There's street or structure parking to get here. There's lots of seating inside. It's very casual place for a quick meal. It's mostly clean. The staff are good and nice. I got three tacos. Suadero, al pastor, and carnitas. They were all fairly okay. The suadero was the highlight. It was the most juicy and flavorful. I probably could've had a forth taco, but three were decent enough to get full.

    Carnitas taco
    Brian V.

    4+ This location (in Pasadena) is a classic. Over the years, I've been here many times and they have always been reliable for solid classics at reasonable prices. This location is great because of its proximity to bars or other eateries. It's open on the relatively late side (for Pasadena) as well. My go to order is usually tacos and/or sopas. The meat differs depending on what I'm in the mood for. My last trip, I just got a suadero and a carnitas tacos with green sauce. Both available salsas are pretty spicy in my opinion, but the green is the milder of the two. The service has always been quick and friendly when I've gone and the vibe is like a beloved regional chain spot that always seems to be somewhat busy. Never had a problem finding a seat, but if it gets too buys, it's perfectly okay and easy to get a take out order. Parking in the area can pretty busy, but there always seems to be a metered spot available.

    Susan M.

    I don't care what all the haters say - King Taco will always and forever be my favorite burrito & taco spot until the day I die. Carne asada burrito, tacos, cheese quesadilla, jamaica + drowning everything in red sauce = one happy SoCal girl.

    Combination burrito
    J C.

    King Taco has been my favorite place since I was a kid! Having one nearby office is a plus. Came in here many times before Yelp & any checking in. Decided to do that today! Simple and easy menu choices with reasonable price and tasty ingredients. All that makes a quick lunch worthy.

    Allene A.

    Quick and open late. Parking structure across the street and hella seating. Didn't like the Al pastor but asada was good. Pineapple agua fresca was BOMB

    Indoor Area

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    Ask the Community - King Taco

    Does this location sell rotisserie chicken?

    Nope

    Can I order from this restaurant and have delivery to Verdugo Hills Hospital?

    Hello Diane. Please check Uber eats delivery. We sometimes get orders from your area. But It depends on the day and time.

    Where can you park?

    There is a pay parking lot near by. Otherwise street parking.

    Have they started serving nachos again? They reduced their menu during the pandemic.

    Yes! Nachos and taquitos are back!

    Heard that breakfast burritos was a thing at this location but I called and they said they don't have. Which is true?

    They used to. I think they stopped within the last couple of years.

    Have they started selling the chicken flautas again? That is literally the only reason we went there pre-COVID.

    They were back when we went last week!

    Do they accept phone orders for pickup?

    It's a hit or miss. I work nearby and my coworkers order often. Some days they do and others they don't. Try calling

    View All 8 Questions

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    This is a must try off of lake in Pasadena…read more Reliably good food every time I have been here. Chips and salsa with WARM chips. A to die for pork tomahawk. Amazing happy hour and I highly recommend the dos gringos. Every detail of that dish is made with thought and precision down to the proportions given and the wonderful crisp on the tortilla. Amazing deal! Be careful when ordering sparkling water because they'll bring you an overpriced bottle of sparkling water instead of just their fountain soda water without asking for clarification. I've made that mistake a couple times. Otherwise, I highly recommend Mercado; you can't really go wrong.

    A little pricey, but it's well worth it! Came here with baby and my parents on a saturday and was…read moresurprising to find that they weren't all that busy. Their patio is nestled in a small little mall complex, and therefore is a bit more quiet and relaxing than the bustling Lake Ave in Pasadena. We went on a perfect weather day, and most people opted to sit outside instead of inside the store. We sat inside since we had a sleeping baby in a stroller, and was surprised to find there are a few others doing the same with a stroller also! Plenty of space for all of us too. Between the 3 adults, we had ordered 2 main dishes and 1 ceviche to share. It was the perfect amount of food and I'm glad we weren't overzealous and ordered 3 mains as it would've been too much. We got a mole enchilada, ceviche tropical, and the carnitas chilaquiles. everything tasted amazing and it was the perfect dish to introduce my parents to the unique mole flavor. staff members were very friendly and super accommodating, glad we ventured out to Mercado!

    Madre Maiz Taqueria - Madre Maiz Logo

    Madre Maiz Taqueria

    (469 reviews)

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    We rolled up to Madre Maiz Taqueria on a full-blown Mexican food craving mission and honestly... it…read moredelivered with personality!!! My coworker and I went all in on the birria lineup, because the whole office was talking about birria so we grabbed the Birria Papas (w added guacamole) and Birria Tacos. The papas came out swinging: legit hand-cut fries piled high like they had something to prove. Messy, loaded, and worth every napkin. The tacos were a little on the petite side, like "did I accidentally order the sample version?" but still tasty enough to keep me from complaining too loudly. Now let's talk about the secret hot sauce. First of all, why is it secret?!?!? 2nd of all, I get it. That stuff is not playing around. One bite and my mouth was on fire!!! If you like heat that punches back, this is your moment!! The spot itself is super clean, the staff is genuinely nice (not the fake "have a nice day" nice), and everything just felt easy and welcoming. Prices won't make your wallet cry either, which is always a bonus, esp how expensive everything is these days!! Only downside, the parking is a bit of a game of luck. We got there early and snagged a spot, but otherwise, you might want to park across the street and pretend it was your plan all along. Overall: great food, spicy surprises, and zero regrets!!! Would absolutely go back. Make sure to ask for the "secret hot sauce" you won't regret it!!!

    Alright, so I gotta say food is pretty darn good. Just few things I can say that need improvement…read morebut all in all great flavors and service. Lots of seating, lots of parking( lot in the back). From the design and thought put into the decor, menu and all the other options (like candy, liquor, beer and wine) you get, it's pretty amazing. We ordered a plethora of items to see what would be our favorite. I gotta say it was pretty much everything. Super polite staff and the flavors of the food made you feel good. You're truly in for a treat. Asada burrito super bomb, great flavor decent size and for the price it's great. See I like to eat(like you!) so I wouldn't have minded if it was tad bit bigger and tad bit heavier. But flavor was super delicious. Crunchy potato tacos, like finger food, once I saw someone else's tacos I was like uh oh I'm gonna need a lot more tacos. Except we stuck to ordering a few items to just see how it goes. And yeah, like I said tacos are SMALL. Like baby size. Not normal if you ask me but to each their own I guess. Birria cup lacked meat, but the flavor was amazing, you get 3 baby sized corn tortillas and that's pretty much it. You would expect more meat but after looking at the taco sizes yeah. You ain't getting anymore! So order more! Asada fries as well, portion wise could have been more giving. Loved the house made fries, great touch. Or atleast I am assuming they are house made, tasted very fresh cut if you know what I mean. Except the portion is tiny, like everything else. So if anyone is understanding my lingo is that Madre Maiz doesn't really put out large portions, which makes you want to order more and spend more. Then again they have their flavor to compensate for the quantity? Last can't leave out the guacamole, fresh and delicious with the bag of chips. Now that food portion has been expressed, let's talk about the meat being slightly on the dryer side. Soft but definitely dryer than majority of the taquerias I have been too. The asada 100% was dry and lacked any form of juiciness. Flavor was there but just dry. 100% needed sauce. The red sauce was chipotle based, the orange was habanero, and the green was cilantro/maybe avocado based(no heat in the green). Every bit of sauce helped every bite. Was it worth trying and reviewing? Yes. Will I ever go back? 100% cause that burrito was pretty good. For 12-13 bucks it's not bad at all, might need two. Beautiful decor, and plenty of seating outside and limited on the inside.

    Mijares Mexican Restaurant - Baja Special

    Mijares Mexican Restaurant

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    Happy Hour margs, need I say more?! Hard to believe that this restaurant is over 100 years old, not…read moremany establishments can say that. It is a real cornerstone of Pasadena dining, there is a love or hate feeling when you bring up this restaurant among locals. Chips and salsa is provided with orders so it is the perfect after work stop. They do have better the ability to make quality margaritas for full price which is almost 2-3 times happy hour but if you like mezcal it might be worth it for a more refined taste. Conveniently located by the 210/134 freeway entrances, it has it's own lot that says a lot for Pasadena establishments.

    Came here to have a nice lunch with the family. I was excited because I had seen the pictures of…read morethe food and everything looked good. This was not the case when we had our dining experience. We got the plate of chile relleno with a beef enchilada, the mole plate and a kids quesadilla with rice and beans. 1. The chile in the chile relleno was soooo tiny, the battered egg was big and fluffy which is why it looks big. The rice was crunchy and had pieces of overcooked rice. The beef on the enchilada was on top of the enchilada NOT inside and it tasted like boiled beef with no flavor! I put it to the side. The inside just had a bit of shredded marble cheese. So disappointed. The beans were ok, restaurant quality, canned flavored. 2. The mole was very sweet and although that's not a bad thing, it still didn't have any kind of authenticity in the flavor it was as though it was just packaged sauce dumped on the chicken. 3. The kids quesadilla has bellpeppers and onions inside! Which was not disclosed on the menu. My kid likes bellpeppers but not the green ones and not in her quesadillas... come on. I had to pick them off. Over all I'm glad I live far away from here because it was really bad quality food. The service was nice and attentive. The ambiance was empty and almost abandoned... and I even went on a weekend.

    Cerveceria Del Pueblo - Pau Hana Hawaiian Sour available in the taproom and in cans to go while supplies last!

    Cerveceria Del Pueblo

    (204 reviews)

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    Great little beer spot in old town Pasadena…read more We arrived around 6pm on a Saturday and the place was packed, but we were able to find 2 seats at a communal picnic table inside. Small joint but they have a few bar seats and picnic tables inside and a nice outdoor patio with more seating. They don't offer food but usually have a food truck outside. We ordered a flight of beer to try a few different styles. The guy behind the bar was great and the beers were tasty.

    Small local brewery in Pasadena that's beneficial to the community, have seen people reserve a few…read moretables for parties and they have meet-ups. For example, they have a Spanish Language Brewery Meet-up every 3rd Thursday from 7:30-9:30pm monthly. Parking is street only so be mindful of the neighbors. There is no food service at this location but they seem to partner with a couple food trucks serving tacos. Some inside open air seating but the main draw is the relaxing patio. I liked their hard seltzers with fun flavors as jicama, tamarindo and passionfruit. I didn't like so much their signature Yerba Mate Pale Ale, but thought it was an interesting concept. The happy hour special is Monday all day and Tuesday-Friday open until 6pm $2 off full pours. Very family friendly, I always see a couple tables with children and dogs at them. Maybe I'm getting to be an old fuddy duddy but I hate when parents let their kids go free range. Screaming and running around like the establishment is a park these kids becoming trip hazards. There needs to be a revamp of their board game collection. There three boxes of games that looked incomplete or used up, not good with such games as Scrabble and Pictionary. Free Wifi with log-in is a bonus!

    King Taco - mexican - Updated May 2026

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