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

I tried eating at this restaurant once before, but it was very busy, so I decided to leave. I…read moredecided to try again yesterday. I arrived earlier this time and was lucky enough to find a table. The restaurant is very small, with a few tables inside and one table outside. The restaurant itself is casual and cozy, with more of a small taqueria-type feel rather than an upscale restaurant. Parking can be tricky to find, as this restaurant doesn't have a dedicated parking area. The only parking available is street parking, which can be difficult to find. I ordered the quesabirria taco combo, which included quesabirria tacos, a side of rice, and a side of beans. The quesabirria tacos were crispy on the outside, with melted cheese and tender birria on the inside. I really liked that the meat was high quality. It had little to no gristle. The meat could have used a little more salt, but it was still pretty good. The rice and beans were also tasty. If you want an added kick, you can ask for their extra spicy salsa, which is a chili oil-based salsa. Their regular red salsa already pairs very well with the birria, though. The service was flawless. My server was very attentive and accommodating. She was very helpful and constantly checked in to make sure everything was okay. Overall, I had a great experience. From the tender birria to the excellent service, this is definitely a restaurant that I'll be visiting again. Ratings: Quesabirria tacos - 4/5 Service - 5/5 Ambiance - 4/5

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!

Visted Los Amigos Bar & Grill for the first time ever on Saturday night for a friend's birthday…read morecelebration. When I turned the corner into the street next to the restaurant I easily found street parking, just keep an eye on the street signs so you park during appropriate times. We were seated outside which was perfect weather and it was great the tables could be pushed together to accommodate as many people as would arrive (our group fit in 4 tables pushed together). To start, the bean dip and salsa! That bean dip is so delicious and spicy! If you told me they were sold out and all I could eat is chips and bean dip I would have been a happy girl and just sat there eating the bean dip! Yummm! For the main course I went with the Steak Tostada Salad and it did not disappoint! The tostada was fluffy and crunchy, and the inside was filled to the brim and had nice thick pieces of steak on top! I did not feel an ounce of guilt as I gobbled down the whole thing and I even splashed some of that bean dip onto the top for good measure! In looking around at everyone's plates everyone's food looked amazing with very very generous portions. The waiters were very attentive to our group coming around frequently keeping our waters full and refilling cocktails for anyone who had ordered one. I definitely recommend Los Amigos Bar & Grill for a very delicious and authentic experience!

This was our second time giving this place a try, as we really wanted to give it a fair shot and…read moresee if it would improve from our first visit. The parking appears to be full since the lot is on the smaller size, but luckily you can park on the street a bit further down if you don't mind the short walk. When we walked in, we were simply told to sit where we wanted. Inside, the service was efficient but lacked any warmth. Our waiter got our food out quickly and seemed friendly enough with the regulars, but he was a bit indifferent to us. As for the meal, I found the steak picado tasty enough and seasoned well, but my wife found the chicken fajitas to be incredibly plain and lacking flavor. She only ate about 1/3 of her plate because of it. Unfortunately, between the tight parking, the distant service, and the hit-or-miss food, this is just not a place we plan to return to anytime soon.

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

Love coming to salsa and beer! This location has lot…read moreparking with a staff to tell you availability The menu is available via QR code on the table California burrito isn't on the menu It's a shrimp and steak burrito! Highly recommend! Service was fast and plates were piping hot! Inside is very dark and ominous! Love the art! Always gonna be on my list!

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.

Great service, I had the carnitas which were delicious. They were not dry, beans with cheese and…read morerice were delicious. Thanks again great service. We will definitely be back.

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!!!

I have been wanting to try this place and today was the day!…read more I was very excited to try the mazapan latte, which was very good. For food, my boyfriend and I both got chilaquiles with barbacoa! It was the perfect portion size and great flavor. We were both happy with our meals! The space itself is more spacious than you'd expect and they do move people in pretty quickly. We waited a bit for a table, but nothing major. Service was friendly and efficient enough. It was a cute spot and we will definitely come back!

I've driven past this spot a thousand times but never tried it until today. My friends and I…read moredecided to have brunch. I made reservations just to be on the safe side. They have seating inside and out. I would recommend reservations because the place is not too big. Service was good and fast. I tried their Mexican matcha with rose syrup. Not sweet at all which I liked but I do wish there was more matcha and more rose flavor. I also ordered the chilaquiles divorciados which had both green and red sauce. Both sauces were delicious and I'm so glad they had this option for people who want to try both. It came with an egg on top and you could add a protein for an extra charge. I really enjoyed the dish and it had the perfect amount of sauce, the chips were not dry at all. I would be back to have more.

If you're in the area you HAVE to come here. Best hole in…read morethe wall Mexican food in NORTH HOLLYWOOD / NOHO Not only do they have amazing, freshly made food, all the people that work here are some of the kindest people I have ever met! They treat everyone like family. I always get tacos, but they have cheeseburgers , breakfast burritos, BIRRIA , menudo , quesadillas, fries, nachos, fajitas, enchiladas, taquitos, enchiladas, tortas, and even Ceasar salad! They have shrimp tacos also if you like seafood! There's a few tables inside, and they have nice Spanish music playing inside. Salsa bar with every spice level you want, and super flavorful salas made fresh. They give you a lot of food here for what you pay. If you're in the area, or local to noho, don't miss this spot. It will be your new go to. 10/10

The birria is amazing !!!! 10/10 My son had a burrito…read more Steak. It was delicious. We had quesabirrias. Double tortilla double cheese??! Worth every penny.