By John Pecorelli
El Gran Burrito
4715 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.
“Burrito” may be part of the name but the tacos do the talkin' here. One dollar gets you a full meal. A soft shell is grilled before your eyes, then liberal chunks of beef, pork and lingua—either marinated or straight-up—and a pile of fresh-fried peppers and onions is stuffed inside.
But you ain't done yet. A big kettle of refried beans simmers nearby—scoop on as much as you need. While you're up, pop by the condiment table: Giant vats filled with whole radishes, jalapeño-pickled vegetables, a half-dozen salsa varieties, chopped onions and cilantro—everything that ever burned-out a taste bud is in abundance here. And all the condiments are free!
This is a mostly outdoors eatery, so the atmosphere is literally in the air. The semi-industrial neighborhood provides a rather grim backdrop but there's lively music blasting to help take your mind off it.
Warning: Gringos with weak tummies best run for the Taco Bell border, because El Gran Burrito's green salsa will set your, uh, heels ablaze. Similarly, a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, as in “tres tacos, por favor,” is helpful but not always necessary.