121 W. Duarte Rd., Monrovia 626-359-9099
Type: Mexican
Quality: !!! Price: $ Ambience: *
This is Mexican fast food at its finest! Los Chiles Locos is a classic Mexican roadside restaurant where the only seats are the outdoor benches and tables. The food is really something. I love their Carnitas burritos. Of special merit is their Relleno burrito. It's vegetarian, but it certainly can't be healthy with all that cheese. You don't go to a place like this to eat healthy food. They also have a nightly Taco Special: 75� if you buy a large drink. It starts at 9 PM from Sunday through Thursday, but it starts at 10 PM on Friday and Saturday. It's noisy--located on the corner of Duarte and Myrtle with a car wash next door. Parking is limited, but you can find street parking. Unfortunately, they had to get rid of the Chile Toreado: the health department said they couldn't keep the chiles at room temperature, even though Mexicans have probably done that for many, many years.
5312 N. Irwindale Ave., Ste. 1D, Irwindale 626-338-2080
Type: Mexican
Quality: !!! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
I like eating burritos. I really like wet burritos. And I really like eating wet burritos here. The machaca (shredded beef and eggs) is my favorite here. The carnitas burrito is good. It retains a slighty charred flavor from roasting, which isn't found in most Mexican restaurants. Portions are very generous. Everytime I go, the place is packed. It moved from its old location on Huntington Dr. in Monrovia to its current location in a business-type mini-mall. It's pretty cramped and has outdoor seating. But it's not much fun looking at the neighboring businesses in this industrial part of Irwindale. The food is definitely worth it, though.
457 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia 626-599-9071
Type: Chinese. Just kidding. It's Mexican, of course!
Quality: !! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
The food here is good, but not spectacular. On the bright side, the ambience is isn't too bad. You can actually sit down in a table here, and they've given some thought to the decor.
313 W. Huntington Dr., Arcadia 626-445-9998
Type: Mexican
Quality: !! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
Again, the food here is good, but not spectacular. They have a lot of decent combinations to choose from.
1818 E. 1st St., Los Angeles 323-268-9353
Type: Mexican/Vegetarian
Quality: !!!! Price: $-$$ Ambience:
I've never been here, but my co-worker highly recommends it. They have very interesting salads, such as Nora's Salad that has jicama, cliantro, and homemade dressing. But wait, there's more. A true "only-in-L.A." experience: vegetarian Mexican dishes. Yes, you can order your Enchiladas de Mi a Ma with tofu. In fact, you can order many dishes with tofu instead of meat. They serve only breakfast and lunch.
1355 Huntington Dr., Duarte 626-301-0115
Type: Mexican
Quality: !! Price: $ Ambience: **
Again, the food here is good, but not spectacular. They say they don't cook with animal fat, but the food still tastes good.
1601 S. Mountain Ave., #B., Monrovia 626-599-8680
Type: Stop asking me. You should know by now.
Quality: !! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
Sometimes, restaurants have very limited menus, so you don't need to order all the items to get a general feel of the place. This one is a bit different. Unlike the other restaurants, they actually have a significant number of seafood dishes: 19, although most of them are shrimp. I haven't ordered these, so, my quality rating is only a tentative rating. Please let me know if you try any of these seafood dishes.
625 E. Live Oak Ave., Arcadia 626-445-5327
655 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena 626-795-0230
1856 E. Huntington Dr., Duarte 626-359-3614
Type: Mexican
Quality: !! Price: $-$$ Ambience: **
The food here is good, but not spectacular. They have a lot of combinations to choose from. We went to the one in Arcadia.