King Taco

I’ve been coming to this location regularly for 5 years. The food is always excellent. Today, I was surprised to see that a line cook and a training grill cook were not wearing protective hair caps. When I ordered my food I brought it to the attention of the cashier and she assured me she would remind them to put them on, she never did. I spent my time looking closer at my order for hair than I did enjoying my meal. Not happy.

After hearing the hype around this place I really wanted to like their food but in all honestly I’ve had better tacos and burritos. I thought the tacos were just ok.

Long lines but it moves quickly. Simple menu, yummy food. This isn’t the place you go to if you want fancy — but it is the place you go to if you want some quick and decent mexican. I can easily and happily inhale one of those burritos.

Food is always good. Bathroom and dining area was very dirty full of grease. Need major cleaning!

King Taco in Pasadena?! Since when? I must live in a hole. I was pleasantly surprised when I was looking for a quick snack in the area. The lengua tacos were so soft and juicy! They’re kinda skimpy on the cilantro and onions though. The red sauce is spicy and I love it! Shared nachos with the hubs and the portions are pretty big. Oozing with lots of cheese, jalapenos, and pickled veggies. The tacos here are much pricier than most taco joints. It did the job in satisfying my cravings!

Took a star off for these reasons…
Been a fan of your tacos for many years but recently have been very disappointed due to you guys serving the tacos COLD… not once, twice, but 5 times in a row that we’ve gone there, and they seemed to get a bit bothered cuz it was brought to their attention. Pls don’t make me look elsewhere. Your food deserves 5 stars but couldn’t do it cuz of that. Im not royalty or anything of that sort that would want perfect service, I just want my tacos… Nice n hot. That is all.

The carne asada tacos are absolutely TO DIE FOR!!! stay away from the chicken tacos however:// very bland! LONG LINES! And even when there isn’t a long line, it still takes forever! The only bad side to this restaurant! Worth the wait though!

Yo Nacho, I wouldn’t say this is the King of Tacos!
Certainly noteworthy as a franchise business for making traditional dishes however it misses the mark for authenticity. Flavors and taste are delicious, prices are reasonable but with so many other choices this will be my grub and go spot. Not sure if the salsa is made fresh but it definitely has a bite.

I came here not because I needed to use their bathroom, however I did just have a tea next door. This isn’t a place I would make a special trip for, but if I’m already in Old Town Pasadena and I’m hungry then worth it.
I ordered extra meat (Carne asada) and guacamole. My cousin ordered 2 carnitas tacos. Our total was $ 6.52. We have a place to sit and for me to swipe this review, so that’s a big plus. The food was good. Today’s trip did result in less extra meet…(container wasn’t filled to the top) But, I am not really going to complain about this, but I did snap a picture.
Basically if you need something that’s cheap and will hold you over this is a great place. During lunch it’s busy but that’s understandable with all the buildings near by, and they are quick about it because they get it!
Oh, and just a tip, this place is called King Taco not King Burrito… I maybe wouldn’t get the burrito. The tortillas look gummy.

King Taco is an LA staple «to go to» place. I’ve been to the DTLA location and recently came to the Pasadena location after being slayed by the Queen herself, Beyonce Knowles, during her Formation World Tour 2016 stop at the Rosebowl. Like many of the attendees of the concert, I came to this place starving and wanting some late night grub! There was a line at the door since the venue is small so that was their way of doing crowd control. it took us about 20 mins to get in side to line up to order.
I order 5 tacos, a sope, and tamales for my friends and I to share. I waited quite a bit for my food to come only to be given the wrong order – my sope never came, instead I was given 6 tacos and a tamales. The food was alright a bit dry for my taste and it’s kinda of ridiculous that the condiments were on an ask basis/​gotta pay extra for it. From my first time at the DTLA location and my experience here, King Taco has not made a good impression on me given the abundance of great Mexican restaurants in LA. Would I come back? Yes, but only as a last choice. The staff were a bit rude to folks, although I understand that they were overwhelmed by the amount of customers that they had that time. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this place to my friends. I shouldn’t have too much of an expectation given that this is a chain store.

King Taco, I love you. You have easily become one of my favorite Mexican chain establishments since I moved to LA. While your meats — Al Pastor, Carnitas, and Carne Asada — may not always be consistent and may be a bit too salty and/​or dry at times, your green sauce never fails. Your green sauce is bomb! I often ask for extra green sauce on the side only so I can bring it home and add it to my own personal homemade tacos. Hell, I think this review is basically for your green sauce. ;)
Still, you can never go wrong with their tacos. I once had their «All Meat Burrito» that was OK but completely forgettable. Their horchata is really a hit or miss, sometimes being too watery. Their champurrado, while delicious, has been sold out half the time I’ve requested it.
Overall King Taco is a solid restaurant to get solid Mexican food. Plus, they’re like the only good, cheap food joint open past 12 am in Old Town Pasadena.

BIAS DISCLAIMER: Review from spicy food lover.
PROS: Wonderful carne asada tacos and burritos. Big menu, roasted chicken and sopas and nachos. Crazy delicious frickin HOT red salsa; green salsa delicious too. The salsas are hot, smokey, tangy. Rich flavors. Value.
CONS: Wait in line. Chicken tacos lacking compared to beef and pork.
VERDICT: King Taco is a WINNER.
COMMENTS/​TIPS: L.A. homie born and raised, I grew up with King Taco, which means I also grew up with a lot of other taco stands (tacos are ubiquitous in Los Angeles). King Taco is a larger local chain, over 20 locations you can find a King Taco within driving distance anywhere in L.A.
Once there, be ready to wait in line, lunch or dinner time 20 – 30 minutes from ordering to eating can be expected. Try telephone order well before busy time if you plan to take out. But reasonably fast during non-​busy hours 10am-11:30am or 2pm-​5pm depending on location.
When I’m craving a real spicy carne asada soft taco or burrito, I go to King Taco (or El Taurino on Hoover). They kinda make everything to order, so it’s not really «fast food», it’s more like good street food inside a building. You can watch them make your meal behind the plexiglass.
I prefer the carne asada tacos and burritos. The tacos are the little soft half-​moon munchies wrapped in two layers of corn tortillas, topped with diced onions and cilantro, I taste a bit of lime. I weight 150 pounds, 5 tacos is perfect for my lunch, but I’ve eaten 8 tacos before, I have friends who can eat 10 tacos. Sometimes I mix it up, a carne asada burrito (hold the beans) with 1 taco, or I have 2 – 3 tacos and share a burrito. It’s up to your appetite.
The burritos are flour tortilla wrapped and fairly well-​constructed, meaning they don’t fall apart as long as you pay attention to it. Carne asada, rice, cilantro and onions, salsa, hold the beans for me, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. A 6 inch brick of L.A. Mexican delight with enough protein and carbs for the day. Fat? Yes, it probably has lots of fat, but it’s delicious fat and perfectly fine as long as you’re not inhaling 3 at a time.
I don’t know the entire menu, I stick to the tacos and burritos, sometimes nachos or a half roasted chicken to share in a group. All delicious, but I go for the beef tacos and burritos. «Al pastor» is good when I’m in the mood for that sweeter beef treatment, but the standard carne asada is my usual that I suggest everyone try at least once.
There’s nothing like a semi-​greasy fluffy corn tortilla wrapped around marinated beef topped with onions, cilantro, and that delicious red salsa. But I usually get at least one taco with the salsa verde (green salsa) because the green sauce is really tasty too.
King Taco’s salsas are mysterious. Not just a condiment, they are an integral part of the dish. Flavorful. Smoky and spicy and tangy, hard to explain. Very addictive, I can drink the stuff but I would pay for it later. I’ve taken the salsa home and had it with eggs, hot dogs, over rice, it’s that good. I’ve looked far and wide for a similar salsa, and only El Taurino on Hoover has salsa that’s on par with King Taco. Anyone know of other places with this kind of salsa?
Overall, King Taco is a WINNER! But I’m biased.

One of the most famous taco chains and I finally got to try it.
We ordered the carne asada taco, al pastor taco, lengua taco, and al pastor burrito. Both of us thought the carne asada was overcooked. I ordered the al pastor taco while the bf ordered the lengua taco and we much preferred it over the carne asada. We also split the al pastor burrito, which was just as delicious as the taco.
The red sauce and green sauce are a must! If you can handle spicy, go for the red! If not, stick with the green which is great too!

Please king taco bring back the chicken flautas
Love the red hot sauce and jamacaina drink tho still…
Yum

A go-​to chain for me. consistent quality and speedy service. Always a line. They are as speedy as they can be. reasonable prices. They will not take phone orders. i get carne asada, al pastor and carnitas. Sopes are good, they come with cabbage and cheese so it’s a balanced meal. parking on the street. bring coins for the meter.

Had a taco craving. King Taco fixed that real fast.
Went around 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Luckily we found street parking right away, but there is also a public parking structure with 90 min free not too far away. There was a good line, even for this hour, but we got through it quickly and ordered a combo carne asada burrito, 2 al pastor, 2 carnitas, and 2 chicken tacos, as well as a pork tamale and a large horchata. All came out to about $ 20!
Tacos from favorite to least favorite: al pastor, chicken, carnitas. The al pastor and chicken were so tender and juicy. I also recommend the green sauce with everything. Al pastor had the most flavor and left me wanting more. The tortillas were also soft and the perfect consistency for a perfect bite each time.
The combination burrito was a little disappointing. I chose carne asada for the meat, and it also came with rice and beans. The burrito was rather small and unfilled, especially for the size of the tortilla, than the burritos I’m used to. On top of that, most of it was filled with rice and beans with not a whole lot of carne asada. Knocking off a star for that mostly.
The pork tamale was so good. The outside was soft and the right texture and the meat inside was flavorful, tender, and not dry at all. We were both so full but had to eat it all because it was so delicious.
Will definitely come again.

Out for lunch on a work day and came to have lunch with a couple friends. If your not there before noon you will have to wait in line. Line does move quickly but you do have to wait. I ordered a carne asada burrito with beans, cilantro, onions no rice add queso cotija with an horchata. Chili on the side and I enjoy the red chili. It was good but could have been better. Felt like the meat was a little tuff and not enough of it. It has its days. Sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s just ok. Try it out when in the area but remember when it’s lunch time you may have to wait a bit.

I’ve had king taco before but this is my first time trying this location. The burritos have always been smaller than burritos at other locations and they’re a little more expensive.
I ordered the all meat lengua burrito. The meat wasn’t as seasoned as I had hoped. The tortilla is also rather large for the amount of fillings.
They only have spicy and mild salsa, but if you like spicy salsa that’s actually hot, this place is for you.
Next time I’ll probably stick to my usual el pastor.

Now that Chipotle gives you e. Coli, it’s time to get your Mexican fast food fix elsewhere.
I love King Taco. The food is as good as what you’d find on a truck (and amazingly the same price), but you don’t have to wait out in the cold.
The dining area isn’t anything fancy (it is fast food after all) but the space is big and clean.

I still don’t get it! Second King Taco location I have consisted in the past month and I am still not a fan. I’m not questioning or criticizing the authenticity here. They have burritos, sopes, tamales, tacos, nachos and other goodies! My problem is the taste! Maybe my taste buds are flawed but I can’t do this!
Ordered steak nachos. The cheese tastes like CHEESE WIZ! I’m sorry but nachos in my book have real melted Monterrey jack or real cheese. The chips taste like Costco chips. It was terrible. The pork tamale that the really sweet girl behind the counter recommended was dry. Also the portion was half of what my grandma makes. I’m sorry but we live in LA and there are MANY other Mexican spots to choose from. Come here for the hype and to Instragram it, not for the food!