- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Oaxacan Quesadilla Cart
Categories: Restaurants Food Stands Restaurants Mexican Food Stands, Mexican [Edit]
1246 Echo Park AveLos Angeles, CA 90026
Neighbourhood: Echo Park
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for Oaxacan Quesadilla Cart
Review Highlights
-
"The blue corn, zucchini flower and cheese are the best." In 11 reviews -
"...spots include Placita Olvera and Echo Park/Sunset Blvd." In 3 reviews -
"Third on the rotation was the chorizo and potato quesadilla." In 3 reviews
Loading...
25 reviews in English
-
Review from Karen C.
3/27/2012
These are super special quesadillas made from blue corn. I can't recall ever having Oaxacan food before, so these Oaxacan Quesadillas were a treat. Hand made from blue corn and freshly grilled it was mighty tasty. I heard about this cart from Gino E. and made a trip out here just for lunch on a Sat.
You don't really know it's there unless you are looking for it specifically, it looks like any other hot-dog, taco cart in LA but when you get up close you can see the difference. These quesadillas aren't Your puny hoity-toity truck fare, these quesadillas are a meal! The blue corn tortilla is thick and fluffy and worth the $3 price, because the amount of filling you get is about the weight of 3 street tacos.
I got two quesadillas, Chicharon and Huitlacoche. If you are gonna put hot sauce, don't go with the red one do the green one. It's spicier and has better flavor... yum. A sprinkle of cheese, super fresh diced onions and cilantro and a few pieces of nopales (cactus) and you are set!
Chicharon- Porky goodness, I can feel my heart slowing down with each bite of crunchy grease. But hey, for my first Oaxacan Quesadilla experience I had to go all out! My $2 Tamarind flavored Jarritos helped wash down the oil, dude kinda felt like the Jarritos was a rip off considering the quesadillas were $3! =p
Huitlacoche- The better of the two quesadillas, so good it's got this juicy mushroom flavor and with the melted cheese, highly pleasing to my taste buds. It makes sense since Huitlacoche is a corn fungus, but it's not very appetizing to look at since it's this runny black mush and also-known-as "corn-smut".
So many fillings, I need to come back and them all! I had a bite of my friend's Pollo quesadilla and found it had good spice, it wasn't hot spicy but flavorful spicy! You can get combinations of fillings so if you want a little of this and that, the woman in charge will be happy to oblige, the chorizo y papas seemed like a delish one.
This cart was on the corner of Echo Park and Sunset, right across and behind the Bank of America. Good luck finding her, I heard she moves around. These elusive quesadillas are totally worth a hunt, the taste of Oaxaca in the streets of LA! -
Review from connie k.
Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2012
seriously, this lady is elusive. every single time we've tried to come out to find her, we were out of luck. pretty sure we did the sad drive-of-shame back home about half a dozen times. then one day, when we weren't even looking for it, we saw her. in all her glory, hand smushing blue corn onto her griddle. b promptly made the most illegal u-turn in his life and in under 2 minutes, we were parked and awaiting our orders.
the blue corn is really tasty. she doesn't skimp on the fillings, and what you get is seriously some freaking delicious quesadilla. the best part is you can usually find salina's churro truck nearby and have a whole meal. a whole meal that will set you back about 2 pounds, but still, tasty! -
Review from Francisco G.
Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA
12/19/2011
I'd heard the rumors of the lady and her delicious quesadilas de maiz azul, but it wasn't easy tracking her down. Several times, when home on afternoons, I'd take walks around the neighborhood hoping to run into her, to no avail. I considered printing out some of the Yelp photos to hold out in front of me as I walked and make sure I was standing in front of the right telephone booths. I did find the churro truck mentioned by other reviewers. At least I was close, I thought... still, no Oaxacan quesadilla cart.
Several weeks of this and part of me had kind of given up. Perhaps she'd moved on, I thought to myself... hung up that apron and sold her comal. Or maybe it's some kind of Yelp gag people play on each other, and I'm just not in on it. "Have you heard the one about the fictitious Oaxacan quesadilla cart?"
Just last weekend, a friend texted me to say that she was in the neighborhood having quesadillas at Echo Park Av and Sunset. Mind you, this is the girl who had told me about this lady well over a year ago. Excited, a homie and I raced down there to meet her.
Turns out she was getting quesadillas from the older lady, on the northeast corner of the intersection. It's a lady I'd walked by plenty of times before. Except here quesadillas are more like calzones and fried -- not really my thing and, frankly, I'd avoided them until now. I suppose I needed to comfort my disillusionment. They were ok... too oily as I suspected. But really, it was more like tasting defeat... one bite at a time. I was pretty much ready to call it quits on the hunt after that.
BUT THEN...
I SAW HER!
It was the following Monday morning, I was driving up Echo Park Ave when I saw this bright rainbow colored umbrella and a woman I'd never seen before shaping masa in her hand and at the helm of a black iron comal.
I blinked a few times. Yep, still there.
It was a cloudy day, but I'm certain I saw some light rays breaking through the cracks in the sky just to shine on her cart. I religious man I'm not, but the whole scene sorta reminded me of one of those Catholic inspirational frames you'd find at the San Fernando Swap Meet or something... but with a quesadilla cart.
I drove the rest of the way home, parked and walked down there.
My girlfriend was working out of the office that day and was chilling at Stories bookstore, so I swung by for her so she could join me. More importantly, she doubled as a witness. After all, she had to deal with me coming back home disenchanted after not finding this lady several times before.
...
We shared two quesadillas -- a 1/2 huitlacoche and 1/2 flor de calabaza and a chicharrón one. Added some salsa (there's green and red), cebolla and cilantro, as well as some stewed nopales, a very nice touch I might add.
I closed my eyes an took a bite, it was delicious. The tortilla was flavorful, the cheese and crunchy chicharrones the right combination. The flor de calabaza was just as good. A couple of bites in and the tribulations that came with that whole previous search experience just melted away.
I could have easily hugged her and said... "You have NO idea how long I've been looking for you!", but I kept it cool and just inquired about when I can find her here again.
Figure I'd save you all the trouble I went through...
Her cart was at the entrance of the Pay to Park lot, about 100ft or so south of Sunset.
Mon - Wed - Fri
11am - 6pm (give or take)
----
update
I've seen here there some saturdays too.
chicharones and flor de calabaza are my fave. :)
P.S.
She's not Oaxacan, and the quesadillas are not filled with the salty mozzarella-like Oaxacan cheese. Someone must have just assumed and labeled her that.
She's from Michoacán. -
Review from Persephone L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/6/2012
This lady is the shit. She is super elusive and disappeared for the longest time. I searched for her far and wide. Finally she has returned! Yay! I love the blue corn and squash blossom quesadilla. I was so excited to hear she served huitlacoche. And the green salsa is to die for. Doesn't get much better than this. You can't beat the price at $3.00 for a good sized quesadilla. She says that she will be there every Monday, Friday and Saturday 11-6.
-
Review from Mike D.
Palmdale, CA
3/14/2012 3 photos
I had the good fortune of tracking down the Quesadilla Lady last Saturday! I found her waiting like a pot of gold underneath her rainbow umbrella at the driveway of the parking lot located right next to Hollyway Cleaners 1159 Echo Park Ave (The South West Corner Just South of Sunset Blvd). It was 12:30 p.m. and there was a small crowd around her and as people were leaving the cart holding their allusive treasure more people were arriving. I ordered the Pork quesadilla and in about 2 minutes my order was up, after adding a few of the condiments she provides I headed off to enjoy my lunch. Everything people here are saying is true, so delicious! Get down here and find her, she's worth looking for!
-
Review from Amanda A.
Los Angeles, CA
10/30/2011
I went searching for this after reading on Yelp, and I found this tiny cart on Echo Park Ave right behind the Walgreens. We went on a Sunday for lunch (around 1pm).
These quesadillas were sooo good. The handmade blue tortillas tasted SO delicious and fresh. We got squash, chorizo con papa, and chicken. They were all delicious!! She also has more cheese, onions & cilantro, salsa, and fresh cactus that you can add to the quesadilla, which made it all the more delicious. For $3/quesadilla, this was amazing! -
Review from Certified L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
So im in love with a TACO TRUCK Need i say More??? Very Clean
-
Review from Gino E.
4/10/2011 1 photo
After months, I finally tracked her ass down!!!
Kept it simple and ordered a huitlacoche and a cheese quesadilla. Absolutely freaking delicious!!! There's just no going wrong with the blue corn tortillas (made right in your face) and oaxaca cheese. And their selection of salas were all great as well. Definitely took me back to my time in Oaxaca, seeing that 99% of my meals there were out on the street.
Quesadilla lady... I'll be back. -
Review from terrie s.
Los Angeles, CA
12/3/2011
i went to search for her but can't find her anywhere! any sitings lately??? i ended up going to the yummiest taco stand tonight after my failed attempt, but i need to find her, i'm on a mission. please post locations if you've seen her lately.
i'm giving her 5 stars just for her cult following.
update! i finally found her yesterday! she said she's there mon, fri, sat 11-6. i had the squash blossom with chesse, it was an incredible treat. and she's super sweet. it was a perfect little cinco de mayo celebration. -
Review from Brian J.
Los Angeles, CA
11/15/2010
I had my most authentic quesadilla experience this weekend in Echo Park. I finally stumbled upon the Oaxacan style street vendor who makes blue corn quesadillas. I went for one with pork and one chorizo. Can't beat it for $3 each. The pork one had chunks of fried pork and pork skin (chicharron?), and the chorizo one also had potato. I added some spicy red salsa/sauce to the chorizo one, and the green sauce and nopales to the pork one. And some white onion & cilantro to both...
Both were quite delicious. I think I prefer the fried pork one, though. So glad to finally have found her hiding spot. I'll definitely be hitting her stand regularly on the weekends moving forward. -
Review from Ewa M.
Los Angeles, CA
3/9/2010 2 photos
The blue corn enchilada lady is equally notorious as ephemeral. You know grilledcheese truck and its tweets? Well, that lady ain't having internet nor twitter account, so finding her it's an awesome treat, pleasure and almost an honor since cops chase her business around town. So when you spot her, you better have plenty of cash ($3 each) endulge your cravings and support your community!
The common spots include Placita Olvera and Echo Park/Sunset Blvd. The typical fixings include: chicharrones, squash blossoms, chicken, potato, mushrooms, frijoles, chorizo and potato and huitlacoche (corn smut).
You choose whatever you want inside quesadilla and she starts shaping fresh blue corn tortilla from the masa, adds cheese and makes a quesadilla right on the stove in front of you. You can sprinkle it with queso, onions, cilantro and red and green salsa. Up to your liking, but be careful, that salsa is muy caliente!!!! -
Review from Abby A.
Duarte, CA
5/1/2009
Do you know what's one of the best things about having foodie friends? Simply, as one person there's no way you could possibly know about all the great eats in the city, but if you have many friends who share your culinary passions, you're always bound to hear about some new dining experience that's just too fantastic to pass up. Well, my friend Robert, heard about and eventually checked out a street cart where a woman makes Oaxacan quesadillas using blue corn tortillas. How can one pass that up? I certainly didn't and Robert led the way.
So last Sunday, off we went. When we arrived, our group of 5 crowded around the cart and after talking to the lady, we found out that we had an option of 6 different fillings: chicarrones, squash blossoms, chicken, frijoles, chorizo and potato and huitlacoche. We decided to order one of each, except for the frijoles and just share them. She was even nice enough to cut the quesadillas in 4 to 5 sections for easier eating.
The whole process was simple. First, she would get a ball of blue corn masa that was in a plastic bag next to her. Then she'd pat it between her hands and than start patting it flat on the stove's surface. I can't even imagine how hot that surface was, but it didn't seem to phase her.
Afterwards, she'd add a handful of mozarella cheese and the filling of your choice and let it lay flat for a while before folding it in half. Sometimes it was ready to go and other times, she'd let it still cook for a little while before putting on a paper plate and handing it to you.
Once you got your quesadilla, she had some additional ingredients that you could either top your quesadilla with or put inside of it. There was a mixture of nopales, red onions and cilantro in one container. You could also add a sprinkle of cotija cheese or a spoonful of a really hot salsa or a milder green salsa.
As mentioned, our group sampled 5 of the various fillings. First, we had the chicken quesadilla, but before I talk about that, I do have to say that I really liked the blue corn tortillas. It had a nice medium-thick texture and there was a nuttiness to the masa that I also really enjoyed. What was nice about the chicken was that it wasn't dry and it had a nice flavor to the marinade.
Our second quesadilla had a huitlacoche filling, sometimes referred to as corn smut or Mexican truffles depending on who you talk to, but basically it's a fungus. Huitlacoche is actually quite delicate, but can add a smoky, earthy and pungency to dishes like tamales, stews and in this case, quesadillas. I actually thought the huitlacoche in this case had a mild smokiness to it and I liked how the corn gave it a hit of sweetness.
Third on the rotation was the chorizo and potato quesadilla. This was actually my least favorite of the 5. The filling was mushy. I would have preferred actual chorizo sausages that were cut and grilled and than put in the quesadilla. That would been a big improvement.
Our fourth quesadilla was a vegetarian option that consisted of squash blossoms, corn and onions. If this was the only option available, I wouldn't have missed the meat at all. Finally, my favorite was the chicarron quesadilla. Come on, it's fried pork. What's not to love?
By this time, all our sharing amounted to about one quesadilla and a quarter for each of us. This type of family-style sharing worked perfectly because we all got to sample a little bit of each filling and when it was time for us to order a full size one, we already knew what we liked. By the way, we did each filling individually because we wanted to taste them on their own, but you can choose more than one ingredient for your quesadilla. I went for the squash blossom and chicarrones combination, which was absolutely delicious.
What a great find! The quesadillas ran $3.00 each and she had also different drinks ranging from $1 to $2. The way you pay is pretty much on the honor system. Once you're done eating and ready to leave, that's when you pay her. What's nice is that whenever she collects money, she always puts on gloves and that's definitely smart on her part. Now this is street food worth driving for.
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/...Listed in: Food Stands LA
-
Review from Paul L.
Los Angeles, CA
8/26/2008
I love Oaxacan food and this cart is just the icing on the cake. They cook up fresh blue corn tortillas and you get your choice of meat or vegetable ingredients.
I got the chorizo and potato and the huitlacoche (corn fungus) quesadillas and I was pleased. More so with the meat than the corn fungus.
Those who want to avoid meat coming in contact with your vegetarian quesadilla, don't come here cause the cooks hands touch everything. -
Review from Jessica Y.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 10/20/2009
Saw her again this past weekend and lo and behold right next to her was Salina's churros! In addition to our $3 goodie bag of super oily yet crispy and warm churros, we also picked up another blue corn quesedilla despite being stuffed to the brim. Ahh... soo good. I am seriously a true lover of street food and I also appreciate how consistent she is.
Find her at the corner of Echo Park and Sunset! And park illegally but for free at your own risk. It's always worked out fine for us!1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
9/15/2009
I LOVE street food so I was so excited when we found the "blue corn tortilla lady" this past Sunday.… Read more »
-
-
Review from Anh-Dao T.
Alameda, CA
9/16/2009
It was already after 6:30pm and we had a show to catch at 7pm. After driving in circles around Downtown, we ended up taking Sunset Blvd. down to our venue, hoping to find something to eat along the way. I went speeding down the street, whipping my head back and forth for something, ANYTHING really when I saw..the churro truck! SCORE! I could already taste the churros when I noticed a cart behind it. It wasn't the fruit cart because I could see that further down...but it couldn't be the quesadilla cart, could it?? It was soo late in the evening. We slowed to a roll and sure enough, it was the quesadilla lady!!
We parked and RAN to the cart. She had only three left (no chicarrones or squash blossoms =( . Oh well, I happily took the last chicken and the potato. They were a little cold and soggy but the flavor was still there. It was DELICIOUS, esp. after we piled on the onions, cilantro and cotija cheese. Mmm. We savored every bite as we sat on the curb, next to the dumpsters. =) Finished off w/ a bag of fresh churros and it was the perfect meal on the go. -
Review from Christina D.
Los Angeles, CA
7/18/2009
Perfect.
The quesadilla is evenly fried and filled with tasty delights including picadillo (ground meat and vegetables), chicken in a subtle chili rojo sauce, chicharron and chorizo con queso or rajas. But, I think ingredients vary from week to week. The cream and vegetables- which is actually only shredded cabbage-poured on top balances the savory-salty quesadilla itself and the spice of any of your four, sometimes five, choices of salsa. For $2.50 a serving; $3.00 for two ingredients, it really can't be beat. -
Review from JUDY D.
Reseda, CA
9/12/2011
sooooooo very good looks a bit scary but sooo worth trying yumm yumm yumm
-
Review from Lacey W.
Highland Park, CA
7/25/2008
I love this cart. It's in my top 3 food carts in Los Angeles. The blue corn, zucchini flower and cheese are the best. Nice lady serves them. I ate here all the time when I lived in Echo Park, not so much since I made the move to Highland Park (smart move on my part by the way:) Anyway, don't be afraid, it's tasty and clean. enjoy!
-
Review from Jessie M.
3/21/2009
No blue corn tortillas today, that was sad. I ordered the pork, my two friends got chicken and chorizo and we were all satisfied. Of course, you'll need to order two, or three, or grab a bacon-wrapped hotdog down the street to actually get full. But it's definitely a tasty treat and we were happy we made the trip there. I felt bad for the guys selling fruit, everyone was at the quesadilla cart!
-
Review from Johnny K.
Monterey Park, CA
1/17/2009
The lady's quesadillas are phenomenal. For only $2.50, you get a fried, half-moon quesadilla stuffed with your choice of potato, beef, chicken, or pork. The potato and beef were great, the chicken was good, and the pork was passable. She ten adds lettuce and sour cream to the dish and lets you spoon as much red/green chili sauce all over it. To make things easier, she puts it all in a handy to-go box, though if you're planning on seeing her you might as well bring your own tupperware. She's usually on the sidewalk in front of Walgreens and is hard to miss. Once in a while a bacon-wrapped hot dog guy will have his cart near her, but you'd best go for the good stuff. No formal jacket required.
-
Review from Heather D.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2009
Best blue corn tortilla's ever! The gal who runs this makes a fantastic quesadilla. She pounds out the tortillas herself so they're made with love - you can taste it! I'm a vegetarian so I get the one with mushrooms and squash blossoms "flowers" is how you order that one. It's really close to Echo Park so you can grab a few quesadillas and watch the ducks yell at each other...bliss.
-
Review from Nicklas S.
Los Angeles, CA
12/10/2008
YUM!
She makes the danks. Raw handing the tortilla dough all over the grill. Puts a glove on when taking money. -
Review from Chris R.
Los Angeles, CA
2/18/2008
"What better way to celebrate Presidents Day than to eat Mexican food served from a cart that avoids health inspection, paying taxes, and speaking English?", I thought to myself as my girlfriend and I headed over to Echo Park for lunch. Now normally, I'm a taco man, but this cart on Echo Park Ave. just south of Sunset only serves quesadillas. However, your (or at least my) mother's culinary standby when she didn't feel like whipping something together more intricate, these are not. The tortillas are the first difference I noticed. Made from blue corn masa pounded into form on the spot, the tortillas add a sweetness to what I was informed was a typical dish of the Oaxaca and Puebla regions of Mexico. As the thinned masa cooks, our cocinera adds some cheese and it's time to choose a filling. Our options are squash blossoms (flor de calabaza), corn smut (huitlacoche), mushrooms (hongos), fried pork skin (chicharrones), or chicken. We tried the flor de calabaza, hongos, and huitlacoche with delicious results and topped it off with an Orange Crush. Garnishes include a deliciously spicy red sauce, cilantro and onions, an untried green sauce, and nopales. Three quesadillas filled me to the gills, and at $3 each, they better have. With baseball season starting soon, I have a feeling I'll be taking a few of these into Dodger Stadium instead of paying $5 a pop for the processed raccoon snouts marketed as Dodger Dogs.
-
Review from Jenny Y.
Oakland, CA
3/10/2009
At the corner of Echo Park Ave and Sunset Blvd, a beacon of deliciousness grabbed and propelled me towards this quesadilla cart. She parks in front of the Walgreen's lot and has a tub full of ice and Fanta next to her and a bubbling vat of oil in front of her. A fried quesadilla is $2.50 and is half the size of your face. She works hard for the money so hard for it honey. She added a tong full of shredded cabbage to the side, topped it with sour cream and cheese, and I was free to add as much salsa as I wanted (she had green, red, and orange that day). I had the potato filled version which was slightly spicy and very tasty and it was made with yellow corn instead of blue. The outside "crust" stayed crispy and was delicious on it's own as I ripped off pieces and dipped it into my mess of sauces. I was tempted to try the pork or beef version but my mouth was so lined with grease and my stomach so filled with hotness that I waved my saucy fingers in front of me, shook my fat cheeks, and declined.
-
Review from Suzanne O.
Los Angeles, CA
11/11/2009
Fun and yummy! You get to watch the woman press the corn tortillas on the smoking-hot grill with her bare hands. I found the meat fillings more flavourful than the veggie ones. There's nowhere to sit and the hours are limited, but you can always carry your quesadilla over to the lake. The one thing I didn't like was that the quesadillas didn't all taste fully cooked to me; if I knew more Spanish, I might ask for them well-cooked.
