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hugo’s vegan taco fix!
9September 11th, 2008hugo's tacos, LA restaurantswell, i didn’t actually order a taco, but hugo’s tacos in the valley definitely scratched my mexican food itch. god, so good and so vegan…what a great place to intersect. this creative yet wonderfully traditional mex left me wanting more. string beans, white beans and zucchini all seemed a little out of my comfort zone, but when they came rolled up with some guacamole goop on seasoned rice or in a huge, thin white tortilla, i definitely remembered i was at a taco stand. superb.
the food withstood the car ride home and was so much tastier than it looks.
burrito: flour tortilla with spanish rice, white beans, choice of filling, choice of salsa, onion & cilantro. $5.95
it’s so hard to take a picture of a taco stand burrito. you don’t want to cut it in half because it should be eaten whole, but then it just looks so boring. take my word for it, the thing was huge and there was a lot of exciting stuff on the inside. at hugo’s you pick and choose your salsa & filling for every dish, and lucky for us, they have two different vegan filling options. we got this burrito stuffed with zucchini, corn and string beans along with salsa habenero.
not bad! the vegetables were well cooked, and even though the salsa habenero wasn’t quite spicy enough, some extra hot sauce solved that. at under $6, the best thing about this burrito wasn’t the taste, but that it was such a great deal. seriously, i’m used to paying like 9 bucks for a burrito of this enormousness. the bowl was pretty good as well…
choice of filling, choice of salsa, lettuce, spanish rice, white beans and onion & cilantro topped with a dollop of guacamole. $5.95
this dish originally comes with cheese, so vegans beware! the bowl pictured came covered in salsa negra with a soyrizo, potato & zucchini filling. i was stoked to try the soyrizo, because i love the stuff at home and have never heard of it being used at a taco stand. hugo’s definitely delivered—it was well seasoned, perfectly browned and juicy. one of the bestest fake meaty things i’ve ever had.
while i can’t really ask for much more than a soyrizo option, there are definitely some things on hugo’s menu i would change. i’m really not sold on the white beans. while it mostly tasted like traditional taco stand food, the beans kept throwing me off. some lard-free refried beans, or even black beans would be appreciated. also, the zucchini, corn & string beans filling was kind of meh. i wish they had a mushroom option or something instead. string beans really don’t belong in a burrito, they belong with gravy and mashed potatoes and other shit like sprouts. but these are pretty minor annoyances…i like to nitpick.
overall, hugo’s was a great find. i am gonna go back and try out some of their taquitos and tacos as soon as i get a chance. they are cheap, fast, serve large portions, and offer food that you can be sure is vegan. for a mexican place especially, this is very rare. no lard, no chicken stock, and they even have bloody soyrizo on the menu!
come on, vegans! let’s give hugo’s tacos our support!
Tags: burritto, hot sauce, mexican, soyrizo
8 responses to “hugo’s vegan taco fix!” 
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Yes to all. Though I got say that I love their beans as well. Just clean white beans without distraction… yum. And dear god their soyrizo is the bomb! I like it with the honey chipotle sauce which is kind of sweet, and then any of the spicier sauces to kick it up a notch. Bam!
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OMG!!!
We were just there last night for a late taco run.
Thank to Foodeater for posting about this place awhile back.I dream about their tacos.
I started ordering them with extra cilantro and onions.
total heaven. -
Whoa…Seriously! If I lived where you do, I would never have to cook. Every freaking block must be crammed with delicious vegan fare. I’m jealous!
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miss anthrope September 11th, 2008 at 19:02
foodeater – hell yeah, this place rocks! and the soyrizo is the shit. i am looking forward to going back and trying out more salsa/filling/dish combinations! mwahahhaha.
vegantickles – awesome, thx for the extra cilantro and onion tip. i can never get enough of those.
destiny – i am so lucky to live in LA, yes. but let’s focus on how ridiculously lucky the people in portland are! now that is nuts! vegan crap EVERYWHERE. i’m gonna book it to nyc or london one of these days & set up a home—i just hope those cities can satiate my vegan appetite. LA is working out just dandy for now.
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mr meaner September 11th, 2008 at 19:19
Destiny: Miss Anthrope hasn’t been to Portland yet (although on a recent trip to Seattle she and I totally veganed-out). Are you not Portland based? Is the vegan fayre better up there? We’re planning a trip to OR, and your presumption about the LA vegan scene scares me — there’s no way it can be better down here than up there. Heck, you guys have Food Fight and the Field Roast place on your doorstep, to say nothing of McMenemin’s oh boy!
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your site is amazing — i’ve learned about so many LA vegan & vegan-friendly places i never knew about. the only way you could make this blog better is by listing the addresses of the restaurants… otherwise perfect!!!!
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i had the soft serve icecream today and i hate to say but it was not good at all =/ btw have u dined at al cove?
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Gauri Radha April 9th, 2010 at 12:48
I stopped by and sampled the vegan nachos, they were very good!!
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vegan vietnamese food at vinh loi tofu in reseda | vegan food and living in Los Angeles December 10th, 2008 at 22:51
[…] valley. they’ve got everything over there. follow your heart, madeleine’s bistro, hugo’s tacos and a slew of vegan thai huts. i didn’t think the valley could possibly offer anything better […]
Foodeater September 11th, 2008 at 09:49