Tacos Lionydas - Redondo Beach

They lit out of Long Beach and regrouped on the side of Hawthorne Blvd, near the cross-street of Artesia. Pulling over is a no-go, but there's plenty of parking in the lot behind the stand. 

Order in your best Spanish, and if you don't speak it, now's the time to learn because (repeat after me), Burritos de Pastor is where it's at. Pork slice straight off the spit stays so juicy, saturated with seared spice. Their burritos are to-the-point; more than half is meat with a small scoop of rice, beans, and "con todo". 

The Carne Asada Burrito makes a strong showing if you're not into eating pork. The steak tastes flame-seared, and the melty cheese holds it all together. 

Catch them if you can...before the health department can. They've been shut down before but now they're back and I'll be back for more. 

Antojitos la Chiapaneca - Tulum, Mexico

There is literally nothing that can make me feel better after that Isla Mujeres disaster-tour. Absolutely nothing on this planet...wait, is that pastor?

Antojitos la Chiapaneca specializes in street tacos, most notably al Pastor. Strips of pork parade around a spinning, shimmering spit, as a small fiery furnace chars each slice of glistening gristly glory. These tacos melt in your mouth, putting even pork belly to shame, and suddenly my nightmare day is barely a memory.

The Carne Asada is another option. The steak is tender with ready juice, and it's one of the best I've had, but there's no real reason to stray from the pastor.

Get any meat in a Torta if you don't want the taco mess, but pay the extra for the melted queso on top. The pastor savors up the soft, toasted roll, a porky pleasure in every bite.

The pastor at Antojitos la Chiapaneca is the best thing I've eaten in Tulum to date, and it's also the cheapest. 130 pesos (that's less than $7 USD) buys 12 tacos and a torta as well as a couple of glass-bottle cokes, and had I known we could eat this well for this cheap, I would have come here for dinner every night.