El Tepeyac
Feb. 22nd, 2005 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
randomnessLong ago, I got a pointer to El Tepeyac. Then girlfriend H, her best friend K, and I went, and were overwhelmed by the enormous portions. At one point much later on, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bedfull_o_books and I were visiting antoniusrex. We were trying to think of a place to have dinner, and I mentioned El Tepeyac. So we went.
El Tepeyac Café
812 N. Evergreen Ave. (in Boyle Heights)
Los Angeles, CA 90033-2620
tel: +1.323.267.8668
(last visit August 2001)
Su-Th 0600-2145
Fr, Sa 0600-2300
Someone on Chowhound.com once described the burritos here as "weighing as much as a small child". Be warned, the portions here are gigantic. And the food is nonetheless tasty, and pretty cheap. Most entrees will be in the $9-$14 range, and they will feed you for at least two meals.
There are a number of signature burritos, like the Hollenbeck (pork, guacamole, rice, beans: big) and the Manuel Special (chili, pork, cheese, guacamole, rice, beans: even bigger), as well as all the old Mexican standbys. Machaca is available, and they have menudo on the weekends. There are even burgers and a T-bone steak; but if you're here you should probably order Mexican food. (I haven't been here at breakfast time yet so I can't say anything about that menu.)
It isn't the most authentic Mexican cuisine around, but as my friend M once said, "Cuisine evolves!" The food tastes great, which is what matters.
Once, the neighborhood had a bad reputation. I understand it's improving. We certainly didn't have any trouble on any of our visits, though having said that we've only been there in daylight. Still, the Hollenbeck is named after a local police station, and there are cops around; they love the food here, too. I certainly wouldn't let the neighborhood stop you from coming.
The ambiance is family diner, i.e., casual. There's often a line, but it's worth it.
El Tepeyac has been here since 1955. They must be doing something right.
bedfull_o_books and I were visiting antoniusrex. We were trying to think of a place to have dinner, and I mentioned El Tepeyac. So we went.El Tepeyac Café
812 N. Evergreen Ave. (in Boyle Heights)
Los Angeles, CA 90033-2620
tel: +1.323.267.8668
(last visit August 2001)
Su-Th 0600-2145
Fr, Sa 0600-2300
Someone on Chowhound.com once described the burritos here as "weighing as much as a small child". Be warned, the portions here are gigantic. And the food is nonetheless tasty, and pretty cheap. Most entrees will be in the $9-$14 range, and they will feed you for at least two meals.
There are a number of signature burritos, like the Hollenbeck (pork, guacamole, rice, beans: big) and the Manuel Special (chili, pork, cheese, guacamole, rice, beans: even bigger), as well as all the old Mexican standbys. Machaca is available, and they have menudo on the weekends. There are even burgers and a T-bone steak; but if you're here you should probably order Mexican food. (I haven't been here at breakfast time yet so I can't say anything about that menu.)
It isn't the most authentic Mexican cuisine around, but as my friend M once said, "Cuisine evolves!" The food tastes great, which is what matters.
Once, the neighborhood had a bad reputation. I understand it's improving. We certainly didn't have any trouble on any of our visits, though having said that we've only been there in daylight. Still, the Hollenbeck is named after a local police station, and there are cops around; they love the food here, too. I certainly wouldn't let the neighborhood stop you from coming.
The ambiance is family diner, i.e., casual. There's often a line, but it's worth it.
El Tepeyac has been here since 1955. They must be doing something right.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-23 05:33 am (UTC)I'm running out of good date/dinner spots...
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-23 05:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-23 06:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-23 09:50 am (UTC)I offer you this link: http://www.laweekly.com/ink/00/30/roundabout-gold.php
Haven't eaten any of the listed places except El Tepeyac, though, so you're depending on the LA Weekly.
Also, there's Belisle's.
Date: 2005-02-23 10:04 am (UTC)I'm not really recommending them because although the portions are gigantic, the prices are proportionate. I ate there once and didn't order much. I've never seen an eclair that large since, though.
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/archives/97/happy.html says:
"This isn't a restaurant so much as a carnival sideshow. The size of the food here defies description: a Texas-style breakfast, featuring a 26-ounce steak, a dozen eggs, pancakes and hash browns; a barbecue platter with a ham steak the size of a Frisbee, three large beef ribs and a half-chicken; burgers with a pound of meat; foot-tall sandwiches; and cakes the size of ottomans. That's just a sample of the unbelievable volume of food thrust in your direction. Yes, the cooking lacks finesse, but Belisle's serves the biggest food in OC. For some, that's enough."
Not me.
http://eld.lib.ucdavis.edu/newsletter/5-95/Anaheim.html warns that it's a "tourist trap" and "If you want to see a $7.95 sweet roll, this is your kind of place".
On the other hand, that sweet roll is probably the size of my furry hat.
Oops, wait, the whole point is moot. http://www.coalitionforredevelopmentreform.org/references/morrreport.php says:
"For 40 years, family-owned Belisle's stood at the corner of Harbor and Chapman, famed for generous portions of home-style cooking and 24-hour service. The Garden Grove Redevelopment Agency then seized the property on behalf of a developer. An Outback Steakhouse now stands at the site. Belisle's never found another location."
So, it's wrong that they got eminent domain-ed, but--comparing the food memories right now--I think the Outback may actually be a culinary improvement.