Food was very salty. Service was extremely slow---it took about 20 mins to get my "fast food!" Then while we all stood around to wait, someone walked in from the street and yelled at other customers at the top of her voice and insulted another customer with the "N-word." The staff did nothing the whole time. The security guard stood at a far corner and didn't do anything either until the other customers start looking to him for help. He then strolled over and still didn't do anything while this person continue to yell at other customers. This went on for a while. We were so uncomfortable, we wanted to leave, but guess what? Our food took forever and we had to wait! 20 mins! Unpleasant!! Horrible management and customer service! read more

Not totally disgusting, but I would not come back because there are just so many options for excellent Mexican food in LA. Got the carne asada and al pastor as well as nachos. First of all, I asked for limes and the guy said "we do not use limes." My sister had to pick my jaw off the floor - it is a huge red flag if you're a Mexican joint and don't use limes - I mean it's like going to a Vietnamese place that says they don't use limes (it's not even Vietnamese without them). Anyway, sometimes I can overlook one thing but the tacos were mostly dry and flavorless. And the nachos were actually quite terrible - limeless guac was lackluster, meat again was dry, and they put the pickled spicy veggies on top of which I'm not a fan. I literally stopped eating so I could eat something else shortly after. If you've never had delicious Mexican food, this place is probably a little sub-par but perhaps tolerable. If you've devoured bites of taco and nacho heaven, save yourself the calories and skip this joint. No taco flavored kisses for you here!!! read more

We went there to have lunch and I remember friends talking about how the place was really good and it was a Los Angeles staple. We happened to find this place while hanging out in Pasadena. I thought the food was ok. We got asada and al pastor tacos ,an asada quesadilla and al pastor nachos. The quesadilla was good but the tacos were missing something. They did not have lemons or radishes which I believe all taco places should have. The meats were ok. I thought the quesadilla had good taste. If you haven't had it you should try at least once to see if you like it or not. read more

Quick, tasty, and super cheap. The food's always hot, fresh, and good.

I am Mexican and surprisingly enough I had never come to King Taco. I wanted to check it out for myself though since I hear mixed reviews about it. I ordered two sopes de asada. Unfortunately they were not good to me. They lacked flavor, just super bland. I just finished eating them because I took them to go and I was starving. Parking also is also very difficult to find. I will not be coming to KingTaco again. read more

King taco is the only place in southern cali to get the best fast mexican food! They use real ranchera meat, not like all the other taco shops with fake cuts of meat. read more

After hearing the hype around this place I really wanted to like their food but in all honestly I've had better tacos and burritos. I thought the tacos were just ok. read more

Way better options out there in terms of Mexican cuisine. King taco has been massly overrated for what it is. Although cheap in price, the wait here isn't worth it and the only good thing are their chimmichangas. I've had almost every item on their menu board drunk and sober, and always sorely regret it afterwards. The carne asada (a good indicator of whether or not a Mexican eatery is legit) always seems to be cooked over seasoned and filled in a pool of grease. Not really a fan, and probably would only come if I were drunk and no where else is open. read more

They just need to expand their menu and lower the prices a bit. I like everything else

Wait is long. Seating is horrible. Not enough tables for customers. Most people loitering after they've eaten. Management really needs to step up on making sure that people aren't loitering after they've eaten so others can enjoy their food. Food is typical Mexican food with typical prices. Not impressed at all. read more

I never grew up on these -- but I gotta say, they grew on me. After a late night in old town -- this joint hits the spot. Sopes - 5 Stars Tacos - 4 Stars Burrito - 4 Star Horchata - 5 Stars +++++++ Horchata is bomb ... sooooo good. =) read more

I already love King Taco for their delicious, fast, and friendly service, but props to this location for accommodating my weird diet requests. I was really craving nachos but since going keto, didn't want the actual chips. Apparently you can get a side order of a scoop of any meat as well as a scoop of cheese. Add some jalapenos and voila. Keto-friendly, protein-rich, fat-excessive, cheesy, spicy delicious meal. read more

I won't lie. I usually don't give 5 stars - the restaurants that get 5 stars from me are usually my "go to's" in their respective categories, and this is my "go to" for cheap delicious tacos. The thing that I look for in a delicious taco is the flavor of the meats, the consistency and spiciness in the salsa, and the texture of the tortilla. I've been to too many places where I just eat the insides of the taco because the tortilla is too dry, or end up unhappy because the salsa/juices turn the taco into slop, or the flavor in the meats just don't do it for me. But I can't explain why, for some reason King Taco gets it right for me every time. I've had the Carne Asada, Al Pastor, and Lengua Tacos, and for $1.25 per taco, everything comes together really nicely for me. I find myself eating both tortillas (which I almost NEVER do), enjoying the spiciness (although I do enjoy spicier foods than most people), and just having a great experience overall. I continuously come back to this place when I get the chance (was actually just here today), and will continue to do so while I'm still in the area. $1.25 a taco? Better than any taco truck in the area that I've had so far. read more

i LOVE the king taco on pico (in LA) a lot. but the one in pasadena has really REALLY slow service. even if i'm the only one who ordered, i still have to wait like 15 minutes to get my stuff. how hard is it to lay out tortilla and put some meat and onions and pour some sauce over? how long does that really take? AND there's like a million workers. so i really don't get it. it's not efficient at all. maybe i'm just spoiled by the efficiency of the pico one. they push out orders so fast! i love it. i guess i wouldnt mind the slowness if the taste was equally good. good food is worth the wait. but it isnt.... the meat isn't as flavorful. and the horchata isn't as creamy. and the burritos are poorly wrapped. they should learn a thing or two from the pico branch. ps. and no, i don't think they're slow because i'm high. they are just SLOW. i know what efficiency is. and this king taco is lacking it. read more

After a late night bar hopping in Old Town, come to King Taco. I recommend the CARNE ASADA burrito con todo y salsa verde. This spot is open late night and definitely attracts characters who stumble in. read more

I like this location because they let you get extra green sauce without charge. Their carne asada is very good, so I gave their chicken a try and was mildly disappointed. I was expecting grilled chicken, but they served roasted chicken, which makes the texture too soft for my taste. The nachos was also disappointing as they used the "Americanized" nacho cheese (something you would see at a ball game), and I was looking forward to true Mexican style nachos, topped with guacamole and all the fixings. Head to Mocasalsa or Alberto's for better nachos. read more

I LOVE KT! the reason i gave 4 stars is because they ALWAYS challenge me on the amount of sauces i want - i pretty much use one per taco and they refuse to give me one each - that pisses me off. other thn that - i will continue to go to :) read more

Best late night drunk food I've had to date. I love their quesadillas, simply amazing with the chicken. Also, this place is somewhat keto friendly. Lots of cheese and a fair amount of protein. Oh, get a sope as well. Also amazing. read more

Have been here a few times and between the cold meat, no limes, and horrible and I mean horrible service I'm not sure how this place stays open other than the fact people have probably been to other King tacos and enjoyed it just as we have. Where's the owner in this! Get rid of your parole type employees and invest in customer service! read more

I've been to Mexico, the tacos are nowhere near as good as they are here. The carne asada taco with verde salsa is my favorite but they have other good stuff like chimichangas, nachos and the all meat burritos. Yum! One of my ex boyfriends was always inclined to take me taco trucks. He said that the real mexican food was there and as a real mexiacn he knew what amazing mexican food tasted like. He always talked smack about King Taco. One day I finally got him to try it and he admitted it was "okay." I ran into him after we broke up, at KING TACO. =] read more

Love King Taco, and i really like the Pasadena location. Some of the other King Tacos in ELA has been slacking lately, and the quality seems to have gone down a bit. I took one star off because finding parking can be a PITA read more

Walked in the get a bite since I was down the street hadn't came here for about a year last time I remember getting some tacos and an horchata, this time I came in moderately busy, workers were honest hard working looking people got my order right and everything it did take a little long since I was hungry but when I got the food I got the green and red salsa loved it shared with some friends and enjoyed the environment, safe as they have 2 securities always by and over all a good meal just wish they would have the big tortillas but I guess that's what makes King Taco. read more

This is what I automatically crave for when I'm broke. Cheap yummy dinner for $6..and my stomach feels like exploding from the pig fest! I'm so happy LA has great tacos. They are open for breakfast., so its great for having an early lunch. Then u can stroll around and shop around Old Pasadena. And their Hot sauce is HOT! It makes my ears ache. I do wish the meat was a little more flavorful though. Maybe it should have been marinated longer. And yes, I know there are a million better taco trucks out here in Los Angeles, but what happens when I actually want to sit down comfortably. read more

The food is mediocre, not too bad but it's not for me. The waiting system is kind of weird though since people would just cluster where the ordering line is. But the worst thing about here is that I witness the security guard breaking 2 laws by demanding this person with their dog for a service dog license and making them leave! You're lucky they didn't sue the crap out of you. If it happens again, you might not be so lucky. read more

this is one reason i cannot commit to being vegetarian. i friggin love tacos de asada or pastor with both the red and green sauce (you get the ass kicking of the red, salsa roja, with the tartness of the green, salsa verde, this way). the sopes are a nice change to the usual tacos, but mas frijoles dammit. the asada has a lovely lemony flavor to it. my lover always gets lengua...he orders it everywhere and king taco lengua is high up on his list. he says it's perfectly tender. i say it tastes like organ meat...bleh. this king taco (vs. the one in LA or Vernon) seems stingier with the meat. we always gotta watch them and be like "ay, don't be cheap" shoooot. so, if you can handle spicy, ask for the red sauce and get ready for mouth heaven and ass hell. if you are not used to indulging in spicy, get the green sauce. still has a kick but won't leave you panting like a dog. and if you really like things HOT ask for jalepenos. they keep the jalepenos, carrot vinegar goodness in the back. and remember K.I.S.S.: can't go wrong with tacos de asada. read more

This place is definitely my go to spot for carne asada but it seems that every location I go to is different. Consistency is important and that is why I have to give them 3-3.5. For the food alone I would give them a solid 4. For some reason also, there will always be some type of error with my order. I always get the carne asada burrito, no onion & cilantro please. There's nothing worse, to me than biting into a burrito with onion and cilantro. I mean, fool me once shame on you, but I continue to come back so shame on me. They are always busy but they have more than enough staff to accommodate so no excuse there. And when it comes to salsa it can be a little annoying. I understand that they must control this to keep costs down but depending on the person you get it can get frustrating. There's a chart of how many 1 oz cups you can get based of what entree you order (i.e. 1 burrito - 1 salsa, 2 tacos - 1 salsa)....such a tease! There are times when I order $30-40 worth of food and when I ask for sauce the employee looks so annoyed and will just give you the bare minimum. I found that if you are nice and try to talk to them they are more inclined to giving you 1 or 2 extra. The sauce is what makes this place so good so make sure to ask for it. There is a mild green sauce and a got red sauce, both very good and warning..the red sauce is HOT. The Piña (pineapple drink) is good here too, not too pulpy and right amount of sweet.) Other than that the stores are always clean, the food is pretty good, and the food comes out relatively fast. The best location they have imo is the El Monte store. read more

The first time I went there I wasn't impressed with my sopes or taquitos, then a friend said, "Did you have the tacos?" So, I went back just for the tacos and it is now one of my favorite taco places. The suadero, carnitas, al pastor are all amazing. I even liked the molleja (throat?) that I tried. The suadero (beef rib meat marinated in lime juice) is my favorite. read more

It hurts me to leave this review. I used to love King Taco. It was my favorite taco place by far. Unfortunately, for some time the quality has been slipping and King Taco has progressively become increasingly greedy with their salsa. That said, I still would not and did not give them this low a rating until today. Today, we went to King Taco and we ordered a good variety, a couple tacos (al pastor and carne asada), a carne asada burrito, nachos, and flautas. I'll start with the tacos. The carne asada quality was a little lower than usual, and the al pastor was bland, and quite honestly just bad. The Burrito was plainly put horrible. I generally order a carne asada combination burrito with refried beans instead of regular beans. When I got my burrito, it was basically a bean and rice burrito, with barely any meat, and almost no salsa. When I say barely any meat, I really mean barely. It felt almost as though i had ordered a bean and rice burrito and someone accidentally put some meat in it. I was so disappointed. Furthermore, as usual, they had a strict control on the number of salsas they would release.I was allowed 4 salsas. I spent over $20 and was told that I couldn't have more than 4. Completely shocking and completely unacceptable. I understand that a restaurant is a business and has to watch the bottom line, but when the quality of the food slips so much, the customer service stoops to all time lows, and the prices steadily increase, it's simply unacceptable. I will not continue to be loyal to a business that seems to no longer care about quality. It is truly a sad day. Up until a year ago, I would have never considered giving King Taco below 4 stars. For the last year, I would have still given them 2 or 3 stars, but out of loyalty, I did not rate them at all rather than giving them 2 or 3 stars. Today, I had to write a review and give them 1 star. Hopefully, if enough people become upset enough and stop going to this sad shadow of a what was a great restaurant, King Taco will get the message and correct the problems. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen. I will not be going to King Taco again until I hear that things have improved. read more

Decided to get some tacos and sopes on the go. Being around the area you can never go wrong with king taco. Walked in, busy night. Manager Margarita was nice and courteous, helped me get my order correct. Within a minute I had my order. This location didn't disappoint, sopes were awesome as well as the tacos. read more

I'm surprised this location is still in business. Was there last night with a friend, she ordered a burrito and was charged more for Mexican cheese (really? You charge more for the Mexican experience?), needless to say, the burrito was over-stuffed with rice, few beans, little meat, and hardly any cheese. The chicharrón tacos were ok, tacos were served with NO LIME (a staple in the Mexican culture--that and also had no Radishes). Seriously, if you're looking for better--authentic Mexican food, take your time and drive further south to ELA. This King Taco is not even average, close this franchise down, its giving the other locations a black eye. read more

Very disappointing.. I got an all meat carne asada burrito- it was small, and plain. The carne asada was good but that was the only positive. Sour cream was an extra $1.25 and they don't serve lemons or limes with the burrito. Maybe it's because I'm used to HUGE northern California super burrito's that are fully loaded with 'the works' but this place sucked... My recommendation is to go next door to "Big City Hotdog" and eat there. Every Hotdog/link I have eaten there is amazing!!! read more

Love their asada sopes with red salsa; it's spicy and delicious! For those giving  bad reviews-honestly try this place again and you may seriously change your mind. I drive 21 miles EACH WAY for this food and have lived in Mexico a few years so yes I know authentic. This is good, cheap and fast food. read more

It's been 40 minutes. I'm still waiting for my 3 stupid tacos. My car will get towed before they're done. I'm so unbelievable angry. I hate this place. read more

I have come to this place several times and each time is the same experience. There are several issues with this place. 1. It takes a long time to order be it 3 people in front of you or 10. I really don't understand why it takes a long time for the staff to take orders. 2. The meat is usually dry. Trust me, I've ordered tacos, burritos and every time I order, the meat is dry and doesn't have any flavor. DON'T order a quesadilla -- You're better off making one yourself which will be 10x better. Order a quesadilla and you'll get a cold folded flour tortilla with chilled Monterey Jack cheese in the middle. 3. Just as it takes a long time to place your order, it takes longer to get your food (hence, the cold quesadilla). 4. The staff is too busy to pay any attention that their soda dispenser is out of ice cubes or is out of your favorite fountain drink. I don't know why people keep coming here. I gave this place one last chance and it has failed to win me over. Today will be the last time I step into this place. read more

Delicious carnitas street tacos at a cheap price. Buy a few.

I love King Taco and have been craving Nachos for weeks, I recently moved and there's no good Mexican food near me. I finally made it to Pasadena today, and am so disappointed there's a pool of grease at the bottom of my nachos yuck. read more

King Taco - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

well it should be 4.5 mostly because cashier girl felt like i should know my mexican food, but i'll round up because the tacos were good. food: i had the carne asada, carnitas, and suadero tacos. they all tasted pretty good, though i couldn't tell which one i was eating. im pretty bad at distinguishing my mexican food, sorry. BUT IT TASTES GOOD, SO THAT'S ALL IT MATTERS RIGHT? service: standard walk up to the counter and order your food. however, the cashier got impatient with me when i asked her what suadero, cabeza, and buche are, and she just rolled her eyes like wth and turned to the chef next to her and said "tell him." i mean come on girl, i don't frequent mexican food, my last spanish class was 7 years ago, and how would you feel if you walked into lets say a japanese restaurant and asked what gyudon and oyakodon and the waiter simply rolled his eyes like come on girl, know your japanese food! the service is no biggie though in a place like this(hence i decided to round up) so it won't stop me from going back for more tacos in the future because it simply was pretty good. read more

Very unsatisfactory experience. The tacos are still great, don't get me wrong but the place is just horrid! It's open late so you think you can stop by for some late night munchies but the place is so dirty and filled with people you just don't want to be around at that time. But again the tacos are still killer! read more

This place is pretty nice. I don't always eat here but after eating these tamales in the morning I will definitely come here once a week. I've known this location for several years. Great location and great customer service. Out of all the times I've been here I have never had any issues and I am a very picky person when it comes to eating at a restaurant or a food spot read more

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure that this place gave me food poisoning. I had a taco and quesadilla, which were both cheap and decent. There's plenty of seating in the restaurant. But, about 4 hours after eating here I had a not so fun visit to the restroom. I probably won't be coming back anytime soon. read more