Tom’s Tacos

I guess I’m old as I started eating here back when the first opened (as Tito’s) so yes I am very sad they closed. One of the cooks was there for 25 – 30 years!!!
I will have to try to hit them up when I am in Torrance at the new location. Click on the Link it has the new location.
ALSO: There was a sign up (saw it 5÷9÷15) saying a new Mexican Grill was going to be opening in that location.
RIP Titos…

Been going here 25 years. Sad to hear they are closing at the end of December. Tom is opening a new location in Torrance. Thank You for the great food and friendship. Good luck with your new shop.

I’ve been going to Tom’s for years and I don’t live close by — however, it’s worth the drive! Yes, it’s identical to the original Tito’s Tacos in Culver City, but better! It used to be a Tito’s Tacos years ago, but the name changed to «Tom’s» — no big deal. I prefer Tom’s for a few reasons…
One, never a crazy line to wait in, so getting your tasty food fast, is possible. Two, they have French Fries! Not just any French fries, these are the crinkle kind, which are fried to order and served piping hot, crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle! (Tito’s doesn’t offer them on their menu). And they go perfect with their perfect bean and cheese burritos! Did I mention that even their soda is delicious? I think it’s their shaved ice!
Yes, I consider myself a true bean connoisseur! Put it this way, if I were on death row, my last meal request would be a bean and cheese burrito, French fries and an icy coke from Tom’s!
The only negative about it, is there’s no drive thru. But maybe that’s a good thing or I’d be there all the time, lol. However, I usually call ahead, tell the staff about not wanting to have to get my wheelchair out of the car because I’m a paraplegic, and they’re glad to run it out to me! Love this place!

This place has been running for years now so I guess it must be a popular or at least decent spot.
I come here when I’m craving Tito’s Tacos but can’t drive all the way near Culver City to get it because it’s sort of a close second.
The food is decently comparable in many ways. They have a killer enchilada, and bean and cheese burrito. I like their salsa as well.
The only thing is that I usually come here around dinner and they don’t always have an abundance of their cheese enchiladas so it’s a little annoying when I’m craving it and they’re out or they can’t make it. And I don’t quite remember the credit/​debit card policy but I know they have one so I suggest bringing extra cash just in case.
The service is okay. They could be nicer to customers but they aren’t shrewd so I’m not completely upset. The inside is a small undecorated sit-​in designed for a really fast bite to eat. Nothing pretty or festive.

I was craving Tito’s Tacos but wasn’t in the mood to drive to culver city. Decided to give this place a try and boy was I happy. Thank you Unilocal!I ordered the beef and cheese tacos and a bean and cheese burrito. So delicious! I should have ordered extra salsa to go. In my opinion the taste and quality was better than Tito’s without the long lines.
Seems like the negative reviews are from people who were expecting a taqueria. This isn’t that type of place. If you’re a Tito’s fan you’ll definitely appreciate Tom’s Tacos! Shredded beef hard shell tacos with lettuce and cheese. The perfect combination of crunch and flavor. I’m beyond happy that I found this place and will no longer have to drive to the westside to satisfy my cravings.

This place is horrible, if I could give negative stars they would get –100 stars.
I asked for a beef burrito. then asked what kind of beef they used they told me Chilli Colorado that looked awful, after showing me what it looks like I told them I was aware of what it was because I am chef.

The service was bad they, I ordered the Carne Asada burrito took them 20 minutes to cook the meat and make my food. Meat was rubbery and tasted like they mixed cheap dry packaged taco seasoning with the meat, true Carne Asada, is steak marinated with lime juice, garlic, and pepper then grilled over and open flame. I would have been happy with just salt and pepper instead of that garbage of a seasoning they used along with the watered downed gaucamole, and the canned salsa that taste of metal and pickle juice made me want to go and get my money back… Don’t waste your money on this garbage!

This is my second review and I must say that the beef tacos with cheese were amazing as usual. HOWEVER! The service has become less friendly throughout the years, I wish I would get more free salsa too! P. S
They are closed on Mondays, and Tuesday-​Sundays open 11−8pm.

I lived down Ball for so many years and never gone in. I finally decided to, even though a friend told me it was only «okay». That warning was actually less than accurate because it was less than okay. It was pretty lousy.
For a place called Tom’s Tacos, I suppose the plural still means more than one… but it only means two. Tom’s only serves up beef and chicken tacos of the hard shelled variety. These are frozen tacos, deep fried. Is that what you want?
If you want soft tacos, you can get it for beef only, not chicken.
Why would anyone want to come here. ever? The food is bland and not fresh. They say there’s no lard but there’s also no carnitas, no al pastor, no… the list can go on.
It’s clear this isn’t authentic mexican food but never in my life would I think that Del Taco or even Taco Bell would be the better option.
Maybe if the place was called a generic Tom’s Mexican Food, I wouldn’t go in expecting well… tacos. Maybe the other food is better than the tacos but seriously, if you don’t have good tacos why would I bother with anything else?

Big Fan of Titos in Los Angeles and this is the exact same. I think it is one of the brothers that split off.
THIS IS NOT AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD. Get over it. Think of it as «Mexican Like Tasty Food» and you will do a lot better.
The tacos are very tasty. I even like the heavy tomato salsa.
You have to really set your expectations of what this is and just go there for «tasty factor»

There should be a ZERO star, I have never, ever until today walked out and thrown away over ½ of my food. This was atrocious.
The Order: 2 Asada Tacos, 2 Chicken Tacos, Chips and Guac.
A) Restaurant was dirty, over half the tables had food on them (not on trays waiting to be bused, but food, beans salsa whatnot)
B) Horchata is watered down, serisouly I didn’t even know you water down Horchata out of a fountain, it was mostly water, couldn’t taste any cinnamon or other spices, it was water with a chalk-​like after taste, on top of watering it down they loaded it with ice so you don’t get very much, which is fine, trashed.
C) Guacamole also WATERED DOWN! what the heck, who waters down guac, inexcusable, a tragedy, a travesty. Ate a little more than half a container due to it being 2pm and starving from not eating all day, the rest went in the trash.
D) Their «fresh salsa» is canned, all my wife and I could taste was preservative, couldn’t even pick up a hint of cilantro, or lime, or even onion, it’s like they took a can of diced tomatoes from Costco, threw them in a blender with some green onion on top pushed go and then poured it in lil styrofoam cups. Two bites each of the salsa was too much, trashed.
E) Chicken tacos, no seasoning on the chicken at all, which by the way if you take the time to look is shredded into lil canned tuna size bits deep fried then lettuce added, they asked about cheese, no thanks I was in the mood for Mexican food, not Taco Bell. We ate about ½ a taco each before trashing them.
F) Asada taco, this at least looked like what you would expect, small pieces of asada some onion, some cilantro, but the happiness ended at looks. This taco was at least passable, meaning both my wife and I finished them. However the asada was flavorless and over-​cooked.
Bad, Bad, Bad … the customer service was «acceptable»
10 years ago I ate here with a friend and was happy, somewhere along the line, someone decided they wanted larger profits and started cutting corners, there are numerous better places within two miles, I don’t plug other restaurants in bad reviews so look for yourself, old school Mexican done right? Not even close.

Came in as a Tito’s fan. Tom’s was recommended by a close friend; he indicate Tom’s was a great alternative. Tried Tom’s for myself and was hooked instantly. In the Anaheim and Hermosa area often; so there’s a Tom’s conveniently located near me #yeahhhh. Brought my GF recently and she is now a fan.
All beef and cheese burrito is my food choice. Portion is spot on and every bite is packed with flavor.
Try it for yourselves America !!!

The anticipation was killing me to try the infamous Tom’s Tacos. The anticipation might have killed my experience as well. Maybe I was so pumped up to try these Tito Taco replicas that I was expecting too much. Maybe I had Tito’s on my mind as I pulled into the parking lot with apparently no visible lanes that I was unimpressed by the curb appeal. Maybe I had tasted Tito’s so much as I grew up that my taste buds were already accustomed to the Tito’s way. Maybe. But maybe Tom’s Tacos is just Tom’s Tacos and doesn’t want to be compared to Tito’s which would explain a lot.
Beef Taco — Very similar to Tito’s but just not the same without the brown box. Just kidding. For whatever reason, it just seemed to be all shell and no meat. It was like eating a giant freshly fried tortilla chip.
Salsa — I’m not sure why you would want to duplicate Tito’s Salsa but it seems very close to the original. In other words, it was tomato purée with a little bit of onions and cilantro. Not spicy at all and all tomatoes. I’m not a fan of Tito’s salsa and I’m not a fan of Tom’s salsa.
Beef Tamale — The meat is tasty but it was not as tender as I like it. The tamale was dry even with the sauce so I didn’t even finish it. Hard to make tamales dry with all that lard in there.
Asada Fries — A new item on the menu apparently. Fries, carne asada, and cheese. That’s it. No onions, no cilantro, no guac, no salsa, no crema. Not very sexy. The meat was dry and the cheese was sparse. Not the best but that’s what you get for ordering asada fries from a place that doesn’t even specialize in carne asada nor french fries.
Such a nice staff and I really do appreciate the effort in their décor and offerings so I won’t blast them with anything lower than a 3-​star rating. I hope they up their game and create their own signature and migrate away from the Tito’s ties. I love home-​style food like this but they need to improve the overall quality.

Ive heard RAVES about this place and perhaps was expecting better. Its o.k. I’ve a had much better. Old school? Not even! Fresh salsa? It was canned tomatoes placed in the blender! I got 1 chicken taco & 1 beef taco (the only choices) the beef was unusual, the tacos were deep fried then opened up & lettuce placed inside. They asked if i want cheese on my taco?!? If i wanted american style, i would have gone to taco bell (which i love) I guess I was expecting authentic, taqueria style mexican food-​Thats what I call old school. Toms isnt old school taqueria style.
FREE small drink w/​yelp check in – cant complain about that!

$ 4.35 for a taco plate including rice, beans, AND chips? Count me in! The taco was nice and crispy, the guac was really good, and these guys were NOT stingy with the cheese! The taco and beans were full of cheese! 5 star experience for the value of the dollar. Just go! There’s plenty of room to eat (sit down dining), and for $ 5 a plate… not too shabby, I say!
This place does not take credit cards, which sucks, but they do have a ATM machine that charges $ 1.50 in the restaurant. The first refill is free for fountain drinks, and refills for water is unlimited =)

I did not see a taco or any type of Mexican food item for 2 weeks. As soon as I woke up yesterday I went to Titos tacos to get my fix. Later on that night, before the Angels game, me and my buddy went to Toms. Take that Tito/​Tom! Hit you both up in the same day ;-)
Placed my order for 3 tacos with cheese and a large Coke. Total was just under $ 10.00. Took a seat and waited about 5 minutes. The food was ready.
Beef Taco– Damn near identical to Titos. I still give a slight edge to Titos but its almost identical. They use a different type/​shred of cheese here but the shells, lettuce, taste etc are just about the same. I did notice that they give you less chips with your meal here. Titos hooks up the chips. I did like the fact that they gave me and my buddy individual cups of salsa. It was refreshing and tasty just like Titos.
Coke– I always appreciate places that serve Coke. It just tastes better IMO. Titos is Pepsi territory. Toms gets the advantage in the drink department ;-)
The ladies working there were nice. I enjoyed my food. If I lived in OC, I would be here often. If I were in the middle somewhere between Titos and Toms, I would still drive to Titos. Toms was damn good though and I will eventually make it back again!

Solid food good portions. It is a simple place, very casual.
I ordered the meat burrito with cheese and a pair of beef tacos. The burrito is stuffed with tender barbecue shredded pork. It was tasty. You get a lot for your money. The taco was OK. Nothing special, but good enough.
This place for me is a 2.5 star. It could be higher, but I give a full point deduction for any place that does not accept credit cards.

Tom’s Tacos is great. K introduced me to it a few months ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s hard to get to because it’s not really close to any freeway (go north off 22 on Beach or SW-​ish from 5), but it’s worth it for good, cheap Mexican food. I love their crunchy shell tacos, the freshly made chips, the Super Nachos with real or nacho cheese/​beans/​shredded beef. They have beef tamales there that are always delicious and moist, drizzled with meat sauce. Wednesday tacos are a bit cheaper, and I think Thursdays tamales are cheaper (normally $ 3). And we always get a large Orange Bang to share. They’re quick and nice, plenty of parking, you order, then pay after you get your food. The dining room is simple and clean, and they have a small TV. Great for a quick Tito’s Tacos fix without having to go all the way there.

I came here for dinner with a friend who has been eating here for just about his entire life. He even told me whenever his mom is in town, she makes sure to stop here for a bite every single time. I figured with all that raving, the place must be great.
I was reminded of A’s Burgers because the menu here is very simple, yellow, and looks like it hasn’t changed since Nixon was in office. I got 2 tacos — one shredded beef, one chicken, topped with cheese (when I asked what kind of cheese it was, she replied «Um… it’s a shredded») and featuring a side of rice & beans.
Unilocalers, be aware there’s a check-​on offer good for a free drink with entrée purchase.
This is real deal, authentic Mexican food, so don’t expect anything mind-​blowing. I only mean that in the sense that they appear to make their own tortillas, chips, etc. If you’ve ever read my Mexican food reviews, you’ll know I don’t think ANY of their food is mind-​blowing. Well, occasionally my mind is blown by how bad someone fucks it up. But I digress.
Tacos were good, if not a bit bland. They don’t seem to favor seasoning here. The chicken was shredded, just like the beef, and both tasted like they came from the same animal, only one was darker than the other. I will say the beef has slightly more for the palate then the chicken, but, really, they’re practically indistinguishable in my mouth. Both were devoured without prejudice. I recommend heaping some of their house salsa on top if you enjoy things like flavor and spice.

S side of Ball Rd. just W of Beach Blvd.
Their 75^th review… my 75^th review (sorta… it originally was my first, but…)
I’ve been coming here since they were still called Tito’s Tacos, but that hasn’t been since the 80s!
Many people will knock this place by especially saying «they are not authentic Mexican» and I can agree with that statement, however nobody that works there including the owner has ever claimed their food was authentic Mexican… no no… this is Mexican inspired cuisine. You can get tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, and other items here, but they don’t have very many choices at all in terms of meats and styles of meat. Their menu varies slightly, but just enough to please a varying bunch or varying appetite.
The place is quite large and simple. Not very modern looking, but it doesn’t look old either. There are lots of tables to sit at.
I absolutely love their salsa. It’s pretty thin, but still very very flavorful. I find it so delicious that I could probably drink it!
The place is called Tom’s Tacos, but I’m not really a fan of them. They remind me of a subpar version of Jack in the Box’s tacos, but not as good. What I mean is that the tacos are already premade American style, frozen, then dropped into the fryer. Seems very soulless. I do however love their burritos. My regular seems to be the Beef and Been Burrito. I must warn thee though… their beans are very runny, so if this is not your thing then I might recommend skipping them. The beef is actually prepared Chile Colorado style so it simmers in that most delicious red sauce!
When I think back I see that it was Tom’s that actually got me into Unilocaling back in like 2008. I felt the need to come on to this reviewing site and share my opinion which varied greatly from the masses, so I guess I have Tom’s and its owner to thank!
Make sure you bring cash with you though because if not they have a machine you can use which is nice, BUT you will be charged by both the machine and your bank making the food even more expensive!!! Seriously Dude… I defended you and your restaurant’s reputation… now please defend mine and others’ wallets!
They have plenty of parking!

Got me a couple of Titos/​Toms Tacos tonight. Changed names long time ago but the Cheesy Tacos are still the same. Darn good and darn good priced too! The beef burritos and the chips & salsa, not hot not spicy yet very fullfiling. Your stomach will thank you. Good dinner fare not the 2am über habanero munchies type tacos here.
Been a fan for many years. Plain old good comfort mex/​american goodness. Big portions too. Great value.