I finally visited Guisados in West Hollywood and was immediately filled with regret – that I’ve wasted so much time on mediocre pseudo-Mexican food when I could have been eating here.

The only thing keeping me away was the fear of trying to find parking in WeHo, which is completely aggravating at night. Yeah, I know I could Uber/Lyft, but I like making life more difficult for myself. Plus I’m cheap and would rather spend the money on food than on a ride. I finally ventured into WeHo during lunchtime, when metered street parking is plentiful.

Guisados has 14 different tacos, not including specials – from steak, chicken, pork, seafood and a vegetarian options as well. If you have problems choosing, there’s the taco sampler, which gives you 6 mini tacos so you can try more flavors. I was warned that the heat levels were no joke, so the cochinita pibil at 2 peppers was not to be. I got the chicken tinga, camarones and the chuleta de chile verde. My favorite was the chicken tinga, with its one pepper heat level, which pushed me to my heat limit, but in a good way. Luckily, I could help myself to more water (which I did multiple times).

I also really enjoyed the camarones, with 3 big fat shrimps that were cooked perfectly.

The tortillas were amazing and had that great freshly handmade taste. The fish taco had a nice piece of fish on it and was tasty too. At $2.95-$3.25 per taco, you could make a nice meal of 3 tacos for around $10.

I heard good things about the agua frescas but was saving my sugar load for Salt and Straw a few door down. Next time (because there definitely will be one). Forget the convenience of going to Chipotle or Poquito Mas and come to Guisados instead. Sure, parking may be a struggle, but it’s worth it.

Location – 8935 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles CA, 90069. Additional locations here.
Website – http://www.guisados.co
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian-Friendly  – Yes
Vegan Friendly – Yes, they can make a sautéed bell pepper and onion taco.
Gluten-Free Options – Yes