Josie’s Place

Best chicken tacos in town. Is the truth. Can not go wrong with them. I’ve been coming here for 40 years. I’ve tried others but always come back. Taquitos are great too. Warning… This is a hole in the wall. ONLY Take Out. Family biz that does it right.

Always passed by this place until I finally went in with my mom. The food is good and service is nice and fast! Little hidden or you wouldn’t think to go in but it is very good.

Best chicken tacos in any town, i’ve been going to this establishment for 40 years. Try it you’ll love it.

Old school since 1952. This place sits right next to the rail road tracks and who would ever guess that it’s been sitting here all these decades. I always try out what they are famous for and since they are known for their crunchy chicken tacos that’s what I ended up ordering plus a chili verde burrito. The taco was just perfect with the perfect spice to add to it, spot on. The only drawback is there are no tables to eat at, so either eat in your car or take it home.

the best tamale in Los Angeles, have been eating it for years. chicken tacos are also great. a true hidden jem and local

Best chicken tacos (fried tortilla) and amazing Asada burrito. I have to drive 20 min each way but worth it every time. They also have the horchata/​orange bang machines.

The rice and beans are authentic. The tacos dorados (cruncy tacos) are good. My only complaint is that it was a small portion of beans and rice. Other than that everything was yummy.

they don’t operate by the posted hours. they are also incredibly rude when they answer the phone if you call.
thanks for making it easy to not eat there!

Just flew into LAX craving some authentic Mexican food on my way to Carson and found Josies. It’s my first time here and the place feels quaint, serves takeout-​only, staffed with very courteous employees and tastes great!
The prices are on the low-​end (3 tacos will run about $ 7), and are served in styrofoam containers, beverages are fountain drinks. Don’t go here for a sit-​down dinner, go here to support a small business that gives back to the community and delivers exactly what you came for — delicious food quick!

Okay first of all the shredded crispy tacos and chicken tacos are the BOMB The taquitos are too so this review is for the customer service NOT THE FOOD. The problem is they close before the time they’ve listed. I’ve been there 3 times an hour or 2 before closing and they still were closed. DOORS LOCKED! I’ve even called before I drove there to make sure of they were open and if the may close anytime soon and they said they are closing at 7pm but guess what? Again, I get there at 6pm and they were closed? I guess their business is that booming to were JOSIE’S PLACE can close 1 – 2 hours before closing? Thats BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE and to me that means a lot. Unless you go early you might not get your food from Josie’s because their closing times are not predictable enough for me. The doors just might be locked or maybe not. Hey why not take take a chance on the drive, I guess if you have that kind of time but I dont. If you don’t mind the unpredictable closing times then maybe you can deal with that but sorry I can’t. Other than that the crispy tacos and taquitos are really good. Everything else? Eeeehhh just okay.

This is THE place for amazing Chicken tacos! Been going here for a few years now and they never disappoint. Good food at a good price!

I had the wet chicken burrito and it was delicious! It’s a pretty good size. I couldn’t finish it in one sitting. Take out only and reasonably priced

DO NOT BOTHER WITH THIS PLACE. horrible customer service… Ordered $ 60 dollars in food but they would not take a 50 dollar bill and a twenty. or a $ 100 bill. really !!! Only reason i sent cash was because the last time the CC machine was down, so they had me walk to an ATM machine down the street !

Very good mom and pops take out mexican food. Although parking is terrible, the food makes up for it.
I really enjoy the food here just wish they had outside tables.

Old School to its very core, don’t expect multi-​million dollar interior design by Phillipe Stark. I’ve been going to Josie’s Place since the early 1990’s when I started teaching at good old Gardena High. (Go Mohicans!) The Tacos Dorados de Pollo is especially toothsome. The corn tortilla is fried to a light golden crispness in oil that has a sweet almost nutty, meaty Umami. The chicken meat seems like breast meat, but instead of being the bland standard breast meat, there is a slight pleasant gaminess as well as the chicken being moist & meaty.
I usually don’t eat iceberg lettuce, but the iceberg lettuce being slightly warmed up in the the hot taco sends out a warm, green scent that accentuates the nutty, meaty oily Umami. The slice of tomato adds a mild gastrique that melds well with the gaminess. Unfortunately, Josie shows its Mexcian American culinary «chunti» side by using neon orange «cheddar» cheese that looks like something from the Kraft Foods multi-​mega-​corporation of artificially processed food. I wish Josie’s would use a good, crumbly, well aged Cotija cheese instead that would really up the game to this already taco dorado maravilloso.
The beef version is almost as good as the chicken. The beef is «deshebrada”/shredded, stringy. Nice rough fried texture that yet retains moist meatiness even after the frying. Some beefiness is evident. Iceberg lettuce, tomato, again the same chunti neon orange artificial cheese.
The salsa here is not all fresca/​cruda (raw, fresh). The tomato seems like pureed tomato from a can with possibly onions, garlic, chiles added in. The unusual flavour that I detect may be oregano which has a sharp green herbal, oily, smokey, tar-​like scent. It’s a nice contrast to the meatiness of the chicken as well as the beef.
Josie’s Place is a Gardena institution since 1952. To stay in business that long, they have to be doing something right in a world where half the new restaurant business goes belly up within 2 years. BTW, like Phillip’s BBQ in Leimert Park, it’s all take out with no place to sit down & eat. 4– Unilocal stars for the tacos dorados even with the chunti neon orange cheese.

I don’t know how I managed to go this long without writing a review for Josie’s. I’ve been eating here since I was in 7^th grade!!! The burritos are good, nachos are full of ingredients, and tacos have the perfect crunch. When I ate meat, I loved getting the steak picado. It was always tender and melted in your mouth. My family still mostly eats the steak picado wet burritos and chicken tacos. I can’t wait until the holidays to get one of those gigantic tamales!

So disappointed… ordered a chicken taco for Mac to snack on. Note: my family has been coming here sonce they opened and knows how the tacos are suppose to me.
Today they served a burned taco without any lettuce, tomato or cheese. WTF is that? To top it off, the shell was broken.
THAT EXPLAINS THE MISSING «WORLDS BEST TACOS» SIGN.
Got my money back after the 3 ladies on duty played dumb.
Off the list

PROS:
–Delicious shredded beef taquitos with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese! Light crisp crunch with actual meat chucks!
–Horchata is good. Cheap price for the great cup portion.
-$ 1.45 taco Mondays.
–Plenty of benches to wait for your order.
–Straight forward, order at the counter type of place.
CONS:
–No seating area for dine in.
Definitely coming back for the taquitos!

Hidden gem in Gardena. They have some great tacos! I’d suggest getting the chicken tacos or chicken taquitos They are small but they pack a punch of flavor. They use shredded chicken and so it is tender and soaked in juices. The taco shell is greasy yet crispy so greaspy? lol the salsa that they provide is also very good (but they dont give you enough of (order extra!). Clearly it is home made and is chunky and watery. i also like their rolled tacos (taquitos) which are slathered with guac, sour cream and salsa. if you like hard shell tacos and/​or taquitos id suggest coming here. warning tho they take some time to prepare so id advise calling ahead… these arent clean eating tacos either. make sure you got a stack of napkins!

The BEST Mexican food in town! My family has been coming to Josie’s for authentic Mexican food for as long as I can remember. This little hole in the wall consistently delivers quality food and never seems to disappoint (except when they run out of one of those scrumptious tamales!).
This Josie’s location is TO-​GO only, so there are no tables, only a couple of benches to sit on while you wait for your food. Parking lot is quite small, but it’s usually not a problem since customers are in and out quickly. Now, on to the FOOOD!
Food:
— Chicken Tacos — «The Best Chicken Tacos in Town.» Lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Classic and simple.
— Chicken Taquitos — Served with salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. Personally, I like these more than the tacos! Lots of chicken and plenty of toppings!
— Chicken Tamale Fix — Unwrapped and smothered in red sauce and gooey cheese with chips. The chicken is moist and tender, and the masa is delicious! Order before dinnertime, since sometimes they run out!
— Super Nachos — Covered with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, beans, cheese, and chips. Regular has no meat. You can also get it with chicken, ground/​shredded beef, asada, or carnitas. Eat as soon as possible, since the chips at the bottom will get pretty soggy, unless you don’t mind! These nachos really are SUPER. Super Yummy.