In my opinion, San Pedro does not need any more Italian restaurants, pizzerias, sandwich shops, or Mexican food spots.

While they fully represent what our community has been known for, it’s also time to encourage the opening of a variety of independently owned gastronomic establishments. Of course, the stipulation is they offer unique and well-executed dishes. As it turns out, two new places recently opened that stand out. They are not your average “Mexican” restaurants.

Tacos El Goloso’s birria tacos dorados. (photo: Sanam Lamborn)

I was excited to see a sign for Tacos El Goloso (247 N. Gaffey St.) when driving into town on Gaffey from the freeway because my husband and I have been to their Harbor City location and enjoy their food.

Their new San Pedro location has a history of adversity, as several restaurants have come and gone in recent years. I predict Tacos El Goloso won’t suffer the same fate, as their food is good, and most importantly, their specialty birria can’t be found at this level, consistency, or speed in town.

Authentic birria is made by stewing goat meat in red adobo sauce, and it’s served in a bowl with its broth and a side of tortillas. However, lately, it has been reinvented into tacos, made with beef instead of goat and served with consomé, the broth in which the meat is cooked, for dipping.

I order three menu items at Tacos El Goloso exclusively with birria. First, their tacos dorados stuffed with generous chunks of meat, cheese, onion, and cilantro. A new item to me is the vampiros, a tortilla crisped on the griddle topped with meat, a layer of golden fried cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, onion, and cilantro. They include an additional crisped tortilla on top to scoop up the delicious concoction. Lastly, their quesadilla — it’s pretty messy and greasy but finger-licking good. All three items are served with a small bowl of consomé for dipping, green or red salsa, and a roasted chili pepper.

The meat in their birria is consistently tender, and the consomé is very flavorful. They declare to have the best birria in town; I agree, it’s not hype. It’s true.

Jefe’s Cocina’s lengua quesadilla. (photo: Sanam Lamborn)

I am told the owners of Jefe’s Cocina (726 S. Pacific Ave.) are originally from Guatemala; however, their menu also includes options inspired by Mexican and Salvadoran cuisine. I was immediately drawn to their lengua (tongue) quesadilla. Imagine my elation when my food arrived, and I saw that the tortilla was handmade. I was impressed. I was even more impressed that the meat was not minced, but the quesadilla was stuffed with big pieces of tasty tender lengua and cheese. Equally good are their Salvadoran pupusas (filled with your choice of chicharron, cheese, or beans) served with curtido (a tangy slaw made with shredded cabbage, carrots, onion, and oregano) and salsa.

A must-try is their signature sandwich, La Mamalona. I equate it to a comfort sandwich made with toasted bread filled with refried beans, cheese, guacamole, and meat of your choice. By the time my carne asada La Mamalona arrived, the cheese had melted from the heat of the beans and meat, and it was incredibly satisfying. What makes this sandwich even more over the top is the housemade mango habanero sauce that it comes with.

I highly recommend the Guatemalan garnachas, which are crispy small tortillas topped with braised chicken or beef, curtido, salsa, and cheese. These are one of their weekly specials, so they are not on the regular menu. Noteworthy are their housemade salsas, which have a superb balance of spice and flavor and a dense, almost creamy texture since they are not watered down for volume. The signature Jefe’s sauce, a puree of serrano peppers and garlic, is delicious.

Overall, the portions are large, all tortillas are handmade, and to my amazement, despite the generous amount of cheese in various dishes, the food is not greasy at all. spt