La Rinconada

Really good carnitas, but not for the faint of heart. This place is hidden away in the back of an empty store. You buy by the pound of meat and the dozen for tortillas. Salsas come bagged. The meat is VERY good!

The smell of hot manteca engulfs you the moment you walk into Carnitas La Rinconada. The nostalgic cafeteria style line is 12 people deep. The people in line vary from the family who just finished cheering on their children at the Mexican soccer league up the street to the sweet old couple. I can’t help but watch the cutter take out the meat from the manteca filled tray. His Los Angeles hat holds back the sweat as he swiftly and carefully chops away into fat and juicy fist sized chunks of carnitas. My mouth waters as I see carnitas sitting in a hot manteca jacuzzi. I ordered 1 lb of carnitas, 12 tortillas, salsa and of course an ice cold Mexican Coke. The kind of Coke that burns your throat and waters your eyes as you say “Puttaaa que rica Coca!” In every bite you can taste the saltiness

I go here for carnitas on the weekend. Everything is delicious and freshly prepared. The tortillas are thick and hand made. The nopales and salsa compliment every bite. The place is clean and the workers there are very friendly.

Best carnitas in the whole valley. My family and I have been coming here for years. The tortillas are homemade, and there’s a senora who works there and she’s so nice. Make sure you ask for nopales, they are extra and so are the tortillas but we don’t mind for the quality.

I think they need to have better control over what they cook, because for their prices, the carnitas should be freshly made and not from previous days. The flavor and presentation are horrible. I hope their business prospers, but fix that point, otherwise don't make it so expensive just to pay for the premises and improve your product.