Primera Taza

The lonches de lomo and cafe de olla! Deadly combo like Guile’s Jumping Fierce-Upper Cut-Sonic Boom-Backfist, if you played Street Fighter growing up you know wassup.

All references aside, check out Primera Taza’s IG page.

Chuy, will let you know when he has the lonches available. It is a special bread from Guadalajara. You cannot get this sandwich anywhere else and of this quality in the greater metro area.

As of this week it is AVAILABLE! Call now to reserve! 323-780-3923.

First the cafe de olla:


The best I had, and one of the best coffee drinks in town. You have to get this! Mexican brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves come together with the coffee to bring a smooth, warm, delightfully sweet drink.

And now the Prom Queen, the Belle of the Ball:


Lonches De Lomo.
Pork Loin with a little fat still on, it is juicy,salty, and melt in your mouth tender. This is loin? The crema and avocado gives it some richness. The bread indeed is wonderful. A little adobo sauce soaks the bread but the structure is not compromised. This is one fine sandwich! Should be a instant classic, like the shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco and carnitas at El Momo.
You gotta try it.

Turns out Chuy is a huge Bruce Lee and Star Wars fan…

We got to talking and one thing later he lets me sample some of the panela cheese (that also comes in a sandwich with that same roll from Guadalajara)


Sweet, mild, with a very slight tang. Soft and creamy in texture. Very good.

It’s a small place with a lot of heart and soul, they are doing a beautiful thing here.

So to put it bluntly, get your ass over to Boyle Heights!

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The bread from Guadalajara is the best part of that sandwich, it is incredible. It really illustrates, to me at least, that Mexico’s bread tradition is is amongst the best in the world. Sadly, it feels like a lot of that tradition has not made it to Los Angeles for the most part. Even for this sandwich, the bread has to be imported to me excellent. One exception to this is Cala in San Francisco. Hopefully more of the bread baking tradition emerges Stateside.

I don’t want to disparage the sandwich exactly, but the pork itself was the worst element last time I had it. Extremely salty, and fat that was not quite rendered enough + just a sort of odd texture, not quite soft, but not quite hard.

Every other element of the sandwich: cheese, bread, sauces seemed extraordinary, so it made me wish the pork was better…but maybe I am just not a fan of loin in that context. Although it’s done to death, I kind of found myself wishing for a thick slab of crispy, rendered pork belly in there instead.

I am really interested in Mexican bread now.

What does Cala use?

Cala utilizes Tartine facilities and staff but the recipe if straight from Mexico City a la Chef Gabriela Camara.

Sadly, the main bread they made is for the brunch torta ahogada. It is pretty similar to the bread at Primera Taza, but even better. Anyone who has been to Camara’s places in Mexico City would see. The complimentary bread baskets at Contramar are among the most elaborate and delectable bread offerings I’ve ever had; I often stuffed my pockets with them after stuffing myself with tuna tostadas and al pastor fish there.

The torta ahogada at Cala is, however, easily the greatest torta I have ever had, and among the best sandwiches of any category I have ever had anywhere as well.

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they only have for day or two per moth ?

If that… these are pretty difficult sandwiches to come by.

why difficult

Available very rarely, you never know exactly when, and they don’t make very many of them on the days that they have them haha

I mean, not impossible to acquire, but as sandwiches go, pretty difficult.

so it’s only open when they have the sandwiches ?

The rest of the time it’s just a coffee shop. They coffee shop is regularly open, but they don’t have the sandwiches every day, or even every week.

ohhhh. def call ahead place ?

any thing else in area to eat

Al and Beas is right down the street and makes some wonderful bean and cheese burritos.

If you want to drive it’s pretty close to DTLA/Chinatown/Boyle Heights etc… too many places to list in the vicinity.

It’s available more regularly now. They post about their availability on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primerataza/