Fat Burrito

Fat Burrito
9608 Baseline Rd
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-527-3588

Just when I thought the only places in the Los Angeles area for a puffy taco was at Arturo's Puffy Tacos and BAR Ama- which is a terrible, overpriced version of a puffy taco, David Allen wrote about Fat Burrito in Rancho Cucamonga.

So, I head out to Fat Burrito for lunch.  It's a small restaurant, on the corner of a strip mall.  You walk right into the counter where you order.  There are tables to the right of the counter.  It's a nice cozy atmosphere.

$3.55- Vegetarian puffy taco- Beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, onions, cilantro, cotija cheese and sour cream.  The puffy tacos are fried to order.  My tortilla came out hot and flavorful.  The beans and rice were cooked well and seasoned perfectly.  All the other toppings were fresh!  A great example of a puffy taco.

Service was good.

If I had to choice between Arturo's and Fat Burrito, I think Arturo's is slightly better, but both are great choices for a puffy taco!

BAR Ama

BAR Ama
118 W 4th St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-687-8002

Bar Ama came onto my radar after reading LA Eater's 38 Essential Tacos in Los Angeles! I had puffy tacos at Arturo's Puffy Tacos, and when I heard that Bar Ama serves them, I made a trip to downtown LA.  I'm glad I did, because right behind Bar Ama, is a location of Vito's Pizza- a damn good pizza place!

Located just down around the corner from Orleans & York,  Bar Ama is one of the many bars that have opened up in downtown LA. As you walk into you're basically in the bar area.  To the left is their fairly big dining area.

The puffy tacos are on their secret menu.  You have to ask about them.  The puffy tacos are $7.  But, $4 at the bar on Sunday nights.  There are six different fillings the day I went; ground beef, pulled pork, shrimp, potato, and two others I forget.  I got the shrimp and potato.

Shrimp puffy taco-  The puffy taco was so oily.  The shrimp, cabbage, and crema were fine, but it was too heavy because of the oil.  The tacos were warm, so I'm guessing they were fried before and all the oil just soaked in. 

Potato- same oily puffy taco.  A very small amount of potato, no real flavor.

Service was good.

The lists LA Eater comes up with do contain some good restaurants.  But, they also contain some bad restaurants.  Bar Ama, at least for the puffy tacos, falls into the second category!  Not going back.
If you want puffy tacos, just go to Arturo's Puffy Tacos.