It was a nice day for a drive, so I persuaded my friend Leili to make the trip to La Puente for what I promised would be some of the best tacos in Southern California… We weren’t disappointed. Forewarned that it was basically a bar that served tacos, we weren’t surprised to find a big, sparsely decorated room with the menu choices written on a blackboard. And we felt immediately at home by the friendly service.

These are not your abuelita’s tacos. I started with the duck taco – how can you beat duck confit with a smoky guacamole? The full, rich flavor of the duck was remarkable, beautifully enhanced by the complex tastes hidden in the sauce, and I was convinced it would be my favorite of the day. Leili was craving the potato tacos – believe it or not, there were 2 choices. One crispy with mashed potatoes, rajas and crema, and the other stacked with layers of crisply fried potato slices and cheese.

We kept ordering until we couldn’t fit another taco into our mouths. We didn’t try all of the 15 tacos on the menu, but we came embarrassingly close. I decided my favorites were the braised beef and the deep fried cauliflower (both pictured here), and Leili stayed with her original instincts, and voted for the crispy mashed potato taco.

We finished off with bunuelos – lightly toasted tortillas dredged in sugar and cinnamon – and coffee, and chatted well into the afternoon, celebrating that great feeling of having made a great food discovey.

Here’s the address: 13030 E. Valley Blvd., La Puente, (626) 363-4691