La Estrella Tacos

the cash register lady has one of the worst fucken attitudes she is very rude and unprofessional… she has the look of I hate working here and I hate taking orders, every time I ask her for extra rabanos and extra limon and green salsas, this lady tries to give me a small amount, and it’s always a little bag for not even 1 person, I had to tell her ass again and again to give me more equivalent to my order of $ 30-​$ 40, apparently she is hard of hearing or just plain stupid, the food is good but when you have to dispute the sides it just kills my appetite,
It is not my fault that she has to work there, long hours, weekends and holidays, she needs to know the customers are always right, give us what we want so we can come back as happy customers, smile from time to time and show some customer appreciation.

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I love the amount of space inside. So you have the option to sit down and dine with family and friends. The service was very welcoming and professional .
I ordered an Asada Burrito it was absolutely yummy and filling. The orchata is very tasty and fresh tasting .
Hands down one of my favorite restaurants

This was my first time here i had a burrito of ½ asada and ½ carnitas the burrito had no asada on it but it was good… the salsa was old and nasty please check your sauces before you give it to anybody else

Never disappointed, always great food so yes this place is legit, been eating their food when they had a food truck in the 90’s so that says a lot

Al pastor was the same consistency as my cat’s food after sitting out for an hour. No flavor. Beans had no flavor. The salsa was good, as was the price but I won’t be back.

The LA Estrella in the mini mall has tasty food. I usually go for the $ 3.99 Taco special with one chicken and one Asama Taco, retried beans, chips, and rice. The restaurant is clean with lots of comfortable seating. Service has always been friendly and fast. The chicken taco is made with shredded white meat, lots of it, that has a delicious lightly seasoned flavor. The chicken is tender and juicy. Never had a chicken taco this good, seriously. The care asada Taco, however, is mediocre. The meat is bland and some of the chunks are all gristle. Again, this Taco has lots of meat. The two tortillas on each Taco are fresh and heated perfectly. The beans have authentic grated Mexican cheese on them, the salty kind. The rice is perfectly prepared. I wish this restaurant carried carnitas, though. Beats asada in my opinion. Now, the LA Estrella across the street is another experience entirely. It looks fancier from the outside, but don’t let that fool you. Every time I’ve been here, the place is filthy. Sounds seem to echo, so the place is noisy. There is usually a line to order, and food takes a long time to arrive. The food is not anywhere as good as that across the street, and the ambiance sucks. It’s not air conditioned. One funny note, on the wall menu tripas is translated as guts. Yum! Stick with the mini mall Estrella. I got sick on the food from the other one once.

This is my favorite Mexican joint in Pasadena hands down! While it’s in a run down, dingy strip mall, do not let appearances deceive because run down places are some of the best and La Estrella lives up to that statement.
My go-​to every time is the carna asada wet burrito (red sauce) and chicharron tacos. The tacos have a ton of juicy flavor and the spicy salsa they use has a nice kick to it. The burrito packs in a solid amount of meat, rice, and beans in the right proportions with a generous pour of their spicy red sauce. Other Mexican joints may do similar wet burritos but the flavors here just pop out a bit more.
Not to mention, the prices are very reasonable. You definitely get your money’s worth.
You might suffer a food coma afterwards especially if you get the massive wet burritos, but it is absolutely worth it.

To begin with, this review is for the La Estrella in the strip on the southeast corner of Orange Grove and Garfield. I’ve never understood why there is another one across the street. But, with that said, I am a faithful patron at La Estrella!
I usually get the 2 taco special (2 small but plentiful tacos and rice and beans for $ 4). I prefer the salsa verde, and they are always happy to accommodate. Once in a while I’ll mix it up with a burrito and those are sizable and tasty as well. In general, the ingredients always seem fresh and the workers are friendly. Oh, and the horchata is tasty too.
I’ve brought so many people to this place and they all love it. It’s simple but just right for the price.

The Tacos are good but i have tried better. But its still good.

Although this is my first time checking in. I’m here alot. The best bean a cheese burrito in the world. Everything is good here.

…the food was good and the staff was friendly. I ordered, and about 5 minutes later I was eating. It came out piping hot which raised some suspicion towards re-​heating. Though, these were some of the freshest, tastiest, and sauciest cheese enchiladas I’ve ever eaten. No complaints with the tasty soft rice. The beans were a little more re-​fried than I’m used to, but even still, decent. Authentic, straight up, and solid Mexican food. Give em’ a go.

This place is changing they must have a different cook the chicken was dry they use thigh meat now and the asada was nasty. They get 2 stars because the water was good. Go to the one on fair oaks and villa

I’ve been loving their food since 1993… have they been open that long ??? Needless to state every now & then they will have a non English speaker answering the phone and or someone gets you order wrong for the lack of English communication … But the food is hittin!

Best fish and asada tacos in Pasadena. I’ve tried them all and this is my favorite place. This specific location has the best meat and salsa. The red sauce which I think is Chipotle is amazing.

When traveling to La Estrella for the first time, you may notice that there are two La Estrellas on the corner of Orange Grove and Garfield. The big pink one on the southwest corner is one, and the second is located in the small corner strip mall on the southeast corner. It is there that I buy the best chicken soup I have ever had in a restaurant. Hunks of chicken with the bones inside, half potatoes and generous chunks of carrots, chayote and some other veggies in a savory, piping-​hot broth, accompanied by spiced rice, and freshly chopped onion-​with-​cilantro-​and-​limes, all of which you may wrap in hot corn tortillas.

Been coming here for some time but keep forgeting to xhexk in a write a review.
One of the best tacos in all of LA.
the meats are cooked very well.
The fish taco is awesome.
The nachos and quesadillas are great!
All at such unbeleivably low prices.
I cant imagine paying so much at chains and getting crap!

Eating tacos two nights in a row — this can’t be good for my body. :(
Ordered the taco special — 2 tacos, rice and beans for 3.99
I surprised at how much they gave me. It was quite a bit — two tacos filled me up AND I was satisfied. I totally underestimated the two small tacos. Dare I compare it to King Taco’s tacos? I think they are comparable — but I am a novice when it comes to tacos.
I think for the price, they offer a good portion size and flavor. It was also very quick — i am all about being efficient.

======Fish Taco Review Only ========
So weird. I remember having these amazing red snapper grilled fish taco’s here before. Came back recently and the cashier says they have no such dish. Anyway, the fish taco
did have was decent but I’d be hard pressed to say it was authentic. It seemed to have like a cutlet crust and for $ 3.59 it really wasn’t worth the price. I’m pretty sure this is the right place since I remember eating out on the patio with my coworkers but the dish is nothing like I remember. :’(tear.

The best Mexican food in Pasadena! Whatever you order from here you will not regret. Everything is seasoned to perfection and not greasy at all. You walk out of here always wanting more.
And the prices! You can not beat! The service is awesome. The staff are super friendly and hard workers.
The only down fall is its location. It’s not located in one of the best neighborhoods in Pasadena. But it still does not stop me from coming to eat here!

Pancho V. (a great Unilocal author) is my light house when it comes to finding great food advice. He loves La Estrella.
It was not long ago that I had a bad day. (REALLY bad day) God bless Unilocal.Like Prince Charming saves the day in the Little Golden Books, Pancho restored my omnipresent smile.
How? With his high-​caliber recommendations that spread from full belly, to ear-​to-​ear smiles. To spare myself from an almost inevitable spiral of depression, I tried new places to eat following sunshiny-​day walks around the city.
I consulted Unilocal’s Mexican food aficionado for suggestions.
What did he give me? Pure gold friends.
How do I repay him? With a two star review of one of his favorites!!! How can I be so cruel?!! Have I no heart at all?!! How can I bite the hand that feeds me like this! How can LUKE tell YODA he doesn’t know the force!
See why I want to like La Estrella? But I don’t. *At least not this location. I am vexed.
It gets worse. La Estrella has officially served me the worst taco that I have ever eaten to date.
There are a few locations of La Estrella sprinkled around the city. This location makes the third one tried in Pasadena for me, This is the most charming exteriors of the chain so far.
A cute adobe façade and a convenient parking lot, make it almost great. (if not for the food)
Di’ Angelo is blasting in the parking lot and a domestic dispute is coming to full-​fledged blows as I walk into the restaurant. «This is going to be good.» I think to myself.
When a tattooed home-​boy is screaming exclamations to the chef about NOT providing something in his carne asada burrito? I do a little dance. «This is going to be great!» I think to myself.
I ordered three tacos and a drink for around $ 5, and ducked, as one customer threw something across the restaurant at the cashier and shouted: «Here is your tip a$$hole!»
«This is going to be phenomenal!» I think to myself. Serves me right for loving the wild-​wild west, bar-​brawling-​aesthetic of this joint!
The tacos. The pastor, (marinated pork) was crumbly in texture and not well flavored at all. I have never had this consistency before in pastor. Zero stars.
The lengua was not terrible in texture, other than the large chunk of fat that made most of the taco a no-​go. (see photo) –Two stars.
The tripas (tripe) *shudders* was… Look way if you do not want to get grossed out.
Have you ever purchased your dog a pig ear? While I have never eaten a pig ear, I have seen how long it takes to get one of them down and it is very reminiscent of the tripas here.
I chewed, and I chewed, and I chewed… Much like an armored piece of beef jerky, it was not to be consumed. It was a stand off. The tripas was victor. No amount of chewing would have left this solid-​steel tripas swallowed. Zero stars.
The condiment bar? There isn’t one. :-(I love to overload my tacos with free goods and salsa. I can turn a couple of tacos into a salad and make out. The salsa (they give you a little cup) Is great. Very spicy roja. Five stars.
I’m ready to try the other locations of this chain to find the magic that Pancho V. finds. I know it is there. His reviews are TOO on the money and my jeans are TOO tight as proof.
Pancho, please forgive me for this two star review!!!