The Best Burrito in Los Feliz... and Hollywood?
2056 Hillhurst Ave. (original location) | map
4666 Hollywood Blvd. (new location) | map
Phone: 323-661-0523 | website

The original location is a tiny little stand on Hillhurst in Los Feliz. You order from the pleasant lady behind the window; behind her you can see four other people working in a space about the size of a closet. You wait with a bevy of patient Yuca's fans, then sit outside with a little bottle of hot sauce and go to work.

The carnitas are moist and amazing, the machaca even more so. I get the cochinita pibil, which is Yucatán style slow-roasted, citrus-marinated pork. The burritos are wide, flat and require some manual dexterity once you get near the end of them, because of the juice from the meat and the pinto beans threatening to run down your forearm.

Now a slightly larger taqueria has opened on Hollywood Blvd. & Vermont (where Casa Diaz used to be). It's got a bigger menu and is still working through some kinks, but it's got indoor seating, a bit of parking, and some bright decor. They have drinks, too (at the Hillhurst stand, you'd usually go into the liquor store next door to acquire a beverage before ordering), so I get a horchata which is sweet and has a bit of cinnamon coating the bottom of the cup.

So, Yuca's on Hillhurst: the original source for your junkie cravings. Great for lunch; they close at six. The Hollywood location: open until nine in case you're hungry later. Both are closed on Sundays, which is a painful thing to realize when you're thinking about a burrito on a Sunday.