There are a lot of great meat experiences in Los Angeles, ranging from Argentinian steaks to Shanghai style pork shanks, but I’ve just added a new favorite to my list.

El Borrego de Oro serves lamb barbacoa style, in which the whole lamb is steamed in an underground oven, covered with maguey cactus leaves. The result is a remarkably flavorful meat so soft that it falls off the bone. This is the style that has been perfected in the Mexican state of Hidalgo over many generations. They sell barbacoa by the pound, and will even cook an entire lamb for you by special order, but I went for the tacos… despite my good intentions, I can only eat so much.

The meat is cooked essentially without spices, to preserve the rich meaty flavor, so I was slightly surprised to receive two tortillas, each with a generously large, but unadorned piece of meat on top. Accompanied by cilantro, chopped onion and lime wedges, all I needed was a liberal splash of smoky, spicy chile sauce for a perfect experience.

With all 3 locations in East LA, I had to drive for this experience… I’m looking forward to doing it often in the future.

Here’s the website: http://borregodeoro.com/