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taco spot in eagle rock: serving up authentic and vegan mex.
8February 9th, 2009LA restaurants, taco spotborn and raised right here in socal, i can say mexican food is one of my all-time favorite cuisines. it’s tough being a vegan, because so many mexican joints use lard in their beans and chicken-meat-juice in their rice. it’s really tough to know what’s safe to eat, and what has been rubbed around with animal parts…plus in many of these restaurants, the staff aren’t knowledgeable about vegetarianism, let alone veganism! that’s why i was so thrilled over the weekend to try out taco spot in eagle rock for the first time. i found that they serve up huge portions of cheap(ish) and delicious authentic-style mex…with several clearly marked veganizable items on the menu.
taco spot’s menu has so many vegetarian options, all of which can be made vegan by omitting the cheese and/or sour cream. and i’m not just talking rice and beans here, they also have fun protein choices like grilled tofu and soyrizo. for some grubby mexican food on the east side, i think i’ve met my perfect match.
we hit up taco spot over the weekend and were super impressed with the quality of the food, the authenticity, and the value. good shit all around. starting with the tofu tacos.
tofu tacos (no cheese!): 3 soft tacos with marinated tofu, cilantro, onion and guacamole. served with rice and beans. $6.95
the tofu tacos are entirely vegetarian, but they normally come with cheese (as do almost all the meat-free items on taco spot’s menu). it’s ok though, because when you leave off the cheese, these suckers are completely vegan. and i can tell you, they are so good, i don’t see why anyone would want to order these with dairy. the tofu was so succulent, and the cilantro and onions were ridiculously fresh. the guacamole was rich and creamy as well…not to mention the fluffy vegetable-filled rice and lard-free beans. so damn awesome. and taco spot doesn’t slack off on the tofu, either. they piled it on, and it was grilled perfectly…all high-quality delicious.
my husband ordered the vegetarian burrito and added tofu. that was also spectacular.
vegetarian burrito (no cheese, plus tofu): black or refried beans, rice, guacamole, and lettuce. $8.75
my one gripe about this burrito, although it tasted damn good, was that to add tofu was an additional 2 bucks. the burrito started off at $6.95, but once we got rid of the cheese and added a bit of protein, it came in at just under nine dollars. i’m convinced that through some menu modification/order fuckery, we could get this same burrito at taco spot for under $7. does that make any sense? i think i ordered the wrong thing and the extra tofu charge was high, especially considering i left off the cheese. there has to be a way around that. ANYWAYS, the burrito was downright excellent. it tasted like scrappy gutbomb mexican food in a really good way, and it was all guaranteed vegan. i could totally eat at taco spot every day.
i bet right now you are just thinking about how awesome the vegan entrees are at taco spot, and i haven’t even mentioned the best part! taco spot has a full-on slap-up salsa bar with everything from little radishes to carrots and chillies, to spicy pico de gallo and salsa negra. this bar has got it all and it’s FREE…and you can get as much as you want. dude, i would pay 4 bucks a head just to eat this salsa.
epic salsa bar. i love you.
as you can guess, we took advantage of the salsa bar at least 3 times. total spicy, vegetable gluttony. a decent salsa bar will always bring a restaurant up to the next level, and this shit was crazy good.
fresh vegetables and awesome sauces from taco spot's salsa bar.
so all you vegans and vegetarians out there, who like hanging out on the east side and are jealous because you’ve been watching your omni-hipster friends shoving carne asada burritos into their faces like there’s no tomorrow, have no fear! go eat at the taco spot! they have a billion vegetarian and vegan options, plus that greasy/homemade mexican food taste, so you won’t feel like you’re missing out.
i suggest you start off the day with some beers in highland park at the york, then grab some spicy mex for dinner. with awesome options that won’t break the bank, and located in a some-what sketchy part of town, taco spot is enough to make us vegans feel like normal people. we deserve guilty mex meals as well, dammit!
taco spot. do it.
taco spot
2006 colorado blvd.
eagle rock, ca 90041
323-256-7001open 7 days a week
Tags: burrito, eagle rock, highland park, salsa, tacos, tofu
11am-9pm
7 responses to “taco spot in eagle rock: serving up authentic and vegan mex.” 
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Totally.Envious.
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drainote February 10th, 2009 at 02:02
I was told that they used to sell the veggie tacos ala cart, but then the cook changed it into making you buy 3 a while back.
Also you could just drink at the Coffee Table Lounge instead of having to drive to the York. You can just walk, as its literally like two doors east of the Taco Spot, right next to the regular Coffee Table. They have a really massive beer selection there.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-table-lounge-eagle-rock
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That does it. I have to start planning my visit to enjoy all these incredible vegan eats. As soon as my dog sitter is back in business, I’m outta here.
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Bogus of them to add $2 for tofu…it’s your substitute for meat & cheese, duh! BUT…I bet they don’t use a separate grill thus there’s the cross-contamination concern. I know someone who yrs ago got food poisoning from eating vegan ta non vegan place & was deathly ill for 3 wks! Oh – Colorado Blvd in ER is NOT somewhat sketchy AT ALL…GREAT, wonderful, eclectic, friendly, neighborly area. Now parts of York Blvd could be a different story, tho still ok in that block where that bar is cuz there’s a decent amount of people around that block at night. And yes try COFFEE TABLE- VERY friendly staff, have a great veg burrito that can be made vegan (& ask for the tortilla to be cooked in OVEN not on grill), Tofu Breakfast Scramble, great House Salad (only vegan dressing is Sesame Vinigraite…they have Alternative Bakery cookies, organic coffee w/organic soy milk, & fresh delish OJ.
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hippierunner July 30th, 2010 at 20:12
Taco Spot is (mostly) amazing, and being a resident of Eagle Rock I find it hard to resist when I bike and walk by it so often. I recently went in and ordered potato tacos, not something I usually order but something I have had maybe a few times. I had felt safe choosing this as it is accompanied by the vegetarian sign. When I was brought my food, the server asked if I had wanted vegetarian rice. I was shocked to hear him say that the (orange) rice he served me contains chicken stock. I said that yes I wanted vegetarian rice and he promptly brought me some. I know I should have long ago asked if the rice were free of animal stock but I had thought the vegetarian symbol referred to the entire dish. I am so grateful to have walked in at a time when it was empty as I likely wouldn’t have been told about the rice otherwise. Just thought I should warn that the orange rice is NOT vegetarian; the rice pictured above obviously is though.
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