Carnitas are still the unsung hero of L.A.’s grand Taco Life, typically relegated to the second or third-string position at any given taquería where asada, al pastor, and birria take top-billing.
Most Mexican restaurants that serve carnitas, but don’t necessarily specialize in them, tend to roast a piece of pork butt (a shoulder cut), then shred that meat, sear it on a flat-top grill, lay it on a tortilla with salsas, and call it a day.
And while for some that might still hit the spot, those are not true carnitas.
Carnitas, at least according to Michoacán-style, where the dish originated, is a dish where pork, lard, and salt are cooked low and slow in a cazo (a specialized cooking vessel designed explicitly for carnitas), creating tender, caramelized pork that only time and waking up early in the morning can achieve.
Marinades (such as orange juice, milk, or Coca-Cola) are a contentious topic among the carnitas community. But no matter how it's made, you'll know when you encounter an excellent batch.
These are a handful of the best carnitas players in Los Angeles to get you started on your quest to find the absolute most melt-in-your-mouth carnitas tacos in the city.
Carnitas Los Gabrieles ~ Piñata District
Across the street from L.A.’s epicenter of piñatas on Olympic Boulevard and blocks from downtown’s skyscrapers is a massive cazo on the sidewalk with 800 pounds of glistening carnitas and a woman with a story to inspire.
The pork is perfectly rendered in its own fat, leaving your fingers sticky from her respective secret recipe that every carnitas abides by.
Guadalupe Baez's Michoacán-style carnitas are so tender, crispy, and sticky, that she's known to sell more than 1,200 pounds on Sundays alone. What sets her apart from other carnitas stars in L.A. is her commitment to making handmade corn tortillas, too. Her story of resilience is the stuff of taquera legends.
1235 E. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90021. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 66 - “Olympic/Central.”
Open: Monday through Sunday, 8:30 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Los Cinco Puntos ~ Boyle Heights
Since 1967, the juicy, rich, and tender carnitas at this classic puerco paradise in Boyle Heights are braised in a traditional cazo (pot)—unlike many local spots where shoulder-only pork is boiled, then fried to achieve a golden-brown tint.
Here, you can get the more approachable maciza (shoulder meat) or go whole hog into delicacies like cueritos (skin) and buche, either in tacos for your immediate consumption in front of a location that's legendary to its neighbors and cult-famous to everyone else from its appearance in Blood In, Blood Out. Or by the pound to bring to the party and impress her folks.
While you can’t go wrong ordering any of the pork on offer, we highly suggest their tacos de carnitas surtido, which comes with a mix of carnitas, cueritos, and buche. The best way to enjoy these tacos is by having them topped with their hottest salsa, guacamole, and nopales. The corn tortillas are handmade and extra thick, as is the norm in old-school East L.A. and Boyle Heights-style. Ask for a chile en vinagre, bite the tip, and squeeze the jalapeño juice on your taco, and you are set.
3300 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90063. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 70 - “Cesar E Chavez/Indiana” or Metro E Line - "Indiana Station."
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M., and Saturday from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M., and Sunday from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Carnitas El Artista ~ Inglewood
For true Michoacán-style carnitas, there are few options in Los Angeles on par with Carnitas El Artista. Inglewood is fortunate to have this champion of confit pork, serving a family recipe that has been passed down for four generations. The carnitas are stewed in traditional hefty copper pots for impeccable quality and served with love and pride. Order pounds of these glistening hunks of juicy pork meat, with tortillas and salsa to complete your taco feast. Or order the carnitas by the taco and eat them on the spot.
510 N. La Brea Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 212 - “La Brea/Hazel” or Metro K Line - "Downtown Inglewood Station."
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 A.M. to 6 P.M., Wednesday 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., and Saturday and Sunday 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Zamora Bros ~ Boyle Heights
Snuggled between a laundromat and dental office, you will find Zamora Bros., which has some of the meatiest and most perfectly gelatinous chicharrónes we have ever tasted, hands down.
The family-owned business has a piece of chicharrón for everyone’s taste buds. Do you seek a piece with less meat and more crunch? They have it. Do you prefer pieces with the perfect amount of fat? You guessed it, they have that, too.
Zamora's pieces of salty pork belly are perfectly combined with a guacamole salsa, which adds some freshness to the hefty cut of chicharrón. For some spice, we recommend any of their salsas that not only pack a punch but are rich in flavor.
And while you load up on their chicharrón, grab some of their famous carnitas with dessert because they also sell fresh pan dulce and pastries. One step into Zamora Bros., and you’ll quickly see why it’s so popular, with a bounty of edible options, including tacos, mole, guisados, and more, that taste just like home.
1559 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 30 - “Pico/Union.”
Open Monday through Sunday, 6 AM to 9 PM.
La Mano ~ Pico Rivera
The taco here is simple: classic, tortillería-issue, caramelized carnitas consisting of confit pork, shredded and served on a soft corn tortilla, topped with fresh cilantro, diced onions, and a squeeze of lime. La Mano is a mandatory Sunday morning stop to pick up a pound or two of carnitas, chicharrón, tortillas, and salsa, especially on a game day.
9237 Whittier Blvd. Pico Rivera, CA 90660. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 265 or 266 - “Rosemead/Whittier.”
Open: Monday through Sunday from 8 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Carnitas El Barrio ~ Watts
When you run into a true carnitas specialist like Carnitas El Barrio in Watts and taste the magic of what simple pork, salt, and four hours of low-and-slow cooking in a cazo can accomplish, it’s an unforgettably precious, porcine moment of life.
This truck sits in front of a public library and offers only one item on the menu: carnitas. Thirty-year-old owner Jorge Cruz feels confident in his craft. Having worked his way up from a stand in the street to launching his carnitas truck ten years ago, he sells out daily. Loyal customers have continued to return ever since. If you want to eat carnitas like a pro, opt for “surtido” when ordering your tacos, which means a mixture of lean meat and the confit, caramel-like pork skin.
10205 Compton Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90002. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro A Line - "103rd Street/Watts Towers Station" or Bus Lines 55 and 117 - “Compton/103rd.”
Open: Monday through Saturday from 8:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. and Sunday from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Villa Moreliana ~ Downtown
In an ever-developing Grand Central Market, one of the biggest comforts is knowing that a taco at Villa Moreliana will still be overloaded with caramelized pork. Many stands have come and gone, but Villa Moreliana has withstood the test of time and food trends.
Like any true specialist, carnitas are all they have on the menu, offered in all kinds, including tacos, burritos, and tortas. No matter how you eat them, an order is still one of the best values in downtown L.A. and will forever be.
For some reason, they manage to taste even better if you manage to squeeze them in with your allotted lunch voucher in the midst of performing your civic duty for jury duty.
317 S Broadway Grand Central Market Los Angeles, CA 90013. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro B and D Lines - "Pershing Square Station", Metro A and E Lines - "Historic Broadway Station" or Bus Lines 4, 30, 40, or 45 - “Broadway/3rd.”
Open: Monday through Sunday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Carnitas Valley ~ Arleta
If you are the kind of carnitas enthusiast who swears allegiance to “surtido” and nothing but, meaning you love your tacos with a 50/50 skin-to-meat ratio, then this street vending gem in the middle of the Valley is for you.
Their cueritos (pork skin) melt in your mouth like caramel. Combine them with the maciza (lean carnitas meat), and it is one of the better tacos you'll find in the Valley. You’ll also have to make the trip here to try one of L.A.’s rare carnitas tacos that come on handmade corn tortillas.
14421 Van Nuys Blvd. Arleta, CA 91331. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 233 or 761 - “Van Nuys/Woodman.”
Open: Thursday through Sunday, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Metro Bladeras ~ Highland Park
Metro Balderas is a carnitas O.G. in northeast Los Angeles. It specializes in snout-to-tail carnitas on weekends only, so make sure to go then and not in the middle of a Monday. If you do, you'll still be privy to a menu full of Mexico City-style antojitos that are equally as satisfying, including pambazos, flautas, and chilaquiles for breakfast.
But when you order carnitas here, the world opens up. As you’ll get to choose between ribs, shoulder, tongue, snout, and nana, which we will let you figure out what part of the pig that belongs to. Either way, you can't go wrong.
5305 N Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro A Line - "Highland Park Station" or Bus Lines 81 and 182 - “Figueroa/Avenue 54.”
Open: Monday through Sunday, 9 A.M. to 9 P.M.
El Gordo Panzon ~ Hacienda Heights
Some of L.A.’s best tacos in this day and age come from Direct Message, a taquiza-only vendor, or an address that may change every weekend, like El Gordo Panzón. It's worth keeping up with their movements, assuming you love meltingly tender carnitas and super crispy chicharrones. Panzon is bringing such true, slow-cooked carnitas east of the east to Hacienda Heights.
Check their Instagram for hours and address.
Carnitas Los Tres Hermanos Ramirez ~ Lincoln Heights
On this stretch of Avenue 26, carnitas that could rival some of L.A.'s best are quietly being sold, taco by taco, pound by pound. This Tres Hermanos family pulls out its big steel cazuelas on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Benches are set up along the fence, and a tent provides shelter on the sidewalk in front of their apartment building.
Maciza, cueritos, buche, and ribs are on the menu. But do not, under any circumstances, pass up their chicharrones, in which crispy, seasoned pork skin barely holds tender bits of pork belly together to its frame. Structurally, it’s a perfect bite of chicharrón. It’s a recipe that stretches back home to Michoacán, where their dad is a carnitas professional.
Open: Saturday & Sunday mornings only in front of 135 W Ave 26, Los Angeles, CA 90031. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 251 - “Daly/Pasadena” or Bus Line 45 - "Broadway/Daly."
Carnitas Los Zarko's ~ Compton
Compton's Carnitas Los Zarko’s is also in the running for best carnitas in Los Angeles. The family-owned business operates from their home and only sells on the weekends. You can call in for your order or sit in their backyard restaurant and enjoy their Michoacán-style pork, made fresh at 8 A.M. and guaranteed to make your mouth water and your body rock.
2337 E 120Th St. Los Angeles, CA 90059.
Open: Saturday and Sunday starting at 8 AM- but call 562.415.5179 to make your order.
Carnitas Los Cuñados ~ East L.A.
If you’re in East L.A., head to Carnitas Los Cuñados, a place that is so confident about its slow-cooked meats that they say no salsa is needed. Here, they are known for their carnitas and highly popular and crunchy chicharron, which are made fresh every day. You can find macisa (shoulder meat), cueritos, ribs, and more. You can buy it by the taco or by the pound. And with good carnitas, one must always have a good tortilla, and here the tortillas are handmade before you. They’ve only been open for what will be two years this year, but they have already made an impact with their food and hospitality.
4032 E. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 90023. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 66 - “Olympic/Ditman.”
Open: Saturday and Sunday from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Tacoz ~ Lynwood
$1.50 Taco Tuesday specials and great tasting carnitas being sold by the pound? Yes please.
At Tacoz in Lynwood, you can find anything from corundas y uchepos (corn tamal), Michoacános, and their steamy birria and broth. But we recommend trying their carnitas, whether you are getting a pound or two for the family or want to enjoy them with their respective toppings in a taco, you’ll want to visit this location.
3639 Abbott Rd. Lynwood, CA 90262. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 251 - “Martin Luther King Jr/California.”
Casa del Tarasco
When eating carnitas, you can form all kinds of tacos, one that only has cueritos, another with just the rib meat, and then there’s el taco mixto—the taco which usually mixes the different cooked parts of the pig. And at Casa del Tarsco, they sell carnitas estilo Michoacán, and here you will find that their specialty and most sold taco is their mixto. Here, the mixto comes with, carne, cuerito, buche, macisa and more.
All the tacos here are hefty in size, and there are no tiny tortillas or small servings here. Your carnitas come loaded on freshly handmade tortillas. And don’t worry, you won’t miss it, just follow the smell of their large cazos bubbling pounds of carnitas. We recommend showing up early because while they have opening and closing hours, they do sell out fast. And it is an at-home restaurant, so please don’t be a lame and don’t burn this place out.
Open: Saturday and Sunday from 8 A.M. until sold out. (Delivery available)
Location: Check their Instagram for the Address.
