Al & Bea's Mexican Food2025 E 1st St
Los Angeles
323-267-8810
Al & Bea's Mexican Food is a Boyle Heights institution, that has recently became better known to the rest of LA when the Gold Line Extension opened a few years ago. The Mariachi station is 2-3 blocks away and foodies have blogged about Al & Bea's bean and cheese burrito. So in Labor Day I decided to give them a try, giving traffic and parking wouldn't be too bad.
So I arrived at Al & Bea's quickly since there was no traffic and parking was pretty easy to find. Located near a very busy intersection, 1st and St. Louis, you can tell Al & Bea's has been serving the neighborhood since 1966, the sign says so. You order at the window and you can eat at the covered patio which has about 6-8 tables.
Bean and cheese burrito with red sauce, $2.99.I didn't want anything fancy, so I just got the bean and cheese burrito with red sauce, $2.99. The burrito was filled with chalky beans and very little cheese! How can any Mexican restaurant screw up beans? These beans were undercooked and lacked flavor. I mean if Del Taco or Taco Bell can get a bean and cheese burrito right, why can't Al & Bea's? The amount of cheese in this burrito wouldn't top most tacos, much less this burrito.
Service was ok. Nothing great but nothing bad.
Going to Al & Bea's Mexican Food is something everybody should experience, but one trip is more than enough. The burritos are bad and aren't worth the price. I would rather go to Del Taco and get a bean and cheese burrito for $1, than drive back to Al & Bea's!
LA Weekly listed the bean and cheese burrito at Al & Bea's one of the 9 best burritos in LA! WTF were they thinking?
