Greetings + LA Questions:

Be sure to mix and match. You can get two different types of tacos per order. The hot sauce they give you on the side is very spicy so try a little before you add way too much like I did the first time.

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Hi @Ns1,

Well realistically Taco Maria’s Lunch Tacos come out to be a whopping $10 PER Taco! (including Tax & Tip since it’s a sit down restaurant with full service) :open_mouth: :angry:

I only enjoyed their Tocino (Pork Belly) and Black Cod. The other ones (at the same ridiculous price, were disappointing). They are very hard to recommend at that price.

None of us thought it was worth it except to try once, or if we wanted to really splurge once in a while.

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I think Taco Maria is a bit out of my league but I’ve been to Taco Asylum a couple of times and really enjoyed it. Anyone wish to compare and contrast? Tacos seem to be half the price.

There’s probably a $4 up charge at taco Maria for the artisan organic semi-local hand formed heirloom masa tortilla.

I’m only partially joking.

anyplace to try that not in a 10$ taco?!

I believe chowseeker’s got you covered…

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I like Vaca quite a bit. The steaks and tapas have mostly been excellent and a nice selection of Spanish wines and cocktails. I thought the paella de carne was good, though not up to the ones I have enjoyed in Spain.

Taco Asylum makes a decent taco. The tortillas are a big difference. When Taco Asylum first opened their claim to fame was their variety of hot sauce - not sure if they still have that ghost pepper salsa.

For more reasonably priced tacos in that area I would recommend Taqueria Zamora. Great tortillas, very nice meats and excellent salsa. I usually get the al pastor and carne aside. The tacos here are large than your standard street taco so 2-3 should be plenty. OCSteve originally led me to this place and in the price range I think Zamora is better than Asylum.

Agree on Zamora, though I haven’t been to Asylum since they first opened.

@js76wisco, Glad you like Zamora. You will also want to try Taqueria El Zamorano on the NEC of Flower and Warner. Not related to Zamora. Seating is limited. Tacos are smaller and delicious. Al pastor and cabeza are my go-to’s there, but it’s all good…

We like this place as well. Definitely more of the street taco experience in terms of the size of tacos. The al pastor is very good, haven’t had the cabeza but will try when it cools down. That room can get very hot.

Agreed on all counts. I don’t work down there anymore, so I don’t get in there nearly as often as I’d like. Just went to Zamora for breakfast last weekend. You can’t beat the food and hospitality there.

These are definitely some of the most expensive tacos. But they are delicious and fantastic if you take price out of the context. Looking back on my 6 or so lunches at Taco Maria I think all except 1 were on an expense account. If I had to pay out of pocket I probably would not have been there as many times.

After doing quite a bit of research, I’ve decided on a restaurant for Sunday night that I don’t believe has even been mentioned in this thread - Tan Cang Newport Seafood! Their house special lobster looks DEADLY and I’m excited about the spicy clams, black bean oysters, and salt & pepper baked shrimp as well!

The only downside is that they aren’t taking reservations over Labor Day weekend because of the heavy foot traffic so I imagine we’ll be in for a long wait. When I asked what to expect for a 7pm arrival, I was told it was their busiest time. Any tips or even just expectations for queues and table turnaround this Sunday night? Also, can we leave our name/number with the host and walk around Newport Beach for an hour and return when our seating is ready?

uh, Tan Cang Newport Seafood is nowhere near the beach.

Okay, that’s helpful… I’m obviously from out of town and have no clue where the restaurant is other than the general N.B. area. My question still stands though.

it’s not even in the general newport beach area; newport is only in the name.

The locations (which are related in lineage) are Beverly Hills, Alhambra(ish), and Santa Ana. None of which are close to Newport Beach. All 3 are pretty much “go there to eat, and then go somewhere else” type places.

The Santa Ana location seems closest for your drive, but you’re still changing freeways and whoever is in Fullerton will have to meet you in Santa Ana. I guess if you go to the one in Santa Ana, there is a legit vietnamese coffee shop across the way. Depending on who you’re with, this may or may not be suitable for something to do while you wait.

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Rowland Heights location is just over the hill from Fullerton.

didn’t even know they had an RH location - still far from the beach though :smiley:

We went to the Rowland Heights location once and felt it was second string at best compared to the location on Las Tunas.

Thanks for that info - we’d definitely go to the Santa Ana location. Will they call you when your table is ready or do you have to hang around the block? Any idea what the wait should be like btwn 7-8pm this Sunday evening, bearing in mind it’s a holiday? Are we talking +/- 40 mins, 1 hr, 2 hrs?