Juanita's Cafe on Olvera Street

Pops with Combo #14

Olvera Street attracts a swath of characters: tourists, church-goers, foodies, gritty locals, and Dodgers fans grabbing a bite before taking the nearby shuttle to the game. My dad and I fell into this final category of punters when visiting from Vancouver in the spring of 2013. We had some time to kill before heading off for a Dodgers vs Giants game and decided to wander down Olvera. There are at least a dozen places to eat along this historic stretch, but we quickly noticed something about the patrons of these various establishments: people of Latin descent were primarily eating at the shops and stands, while the sit-down restaurants were primarily occupied by tourists and bawdy Dodgers fans. Even though the little taco shops lacked liquor licenses, and we were attempting to pre-tune before the game, we quickly opted for one of the stands.

Juanita's was appealing to us because it was busy, it was cheap, and the food looked muymuy fresh. We both ordered the Combo 14, which is a chicken enchilada and a beef tamale. Juanita's is known for their taquitos, but this was one of the best enchiladas either of us had ever tried! Packed with green chilis, moist chicken, and a bit of fresh tomato, this enchilada was much more than just meat in a tortilla. The tamale was also excellent, with a perfect corn-to-beef ratio. It is so easy for restaurants to skimp on the meat contained within tamales. We also liked the fact that they served limonada and horchata. What a find :)

Keywords: "Alex Dawkins", "Juanita's taquitos", "Olvera Street"