Mexican Evolution: El Goloso Cantina, a popular taqueria’s upscale restaurant, has a certain charm

El Goloso server Paco Esquivel with the restaurant’s signature Tacos Dorados de Birria. Photo by Kevin Cody

by Richard Foss

Culinary history is full of fast-food joints that evolved into high-style restaurant empires. A shining example was a Jewish immigrant named Al Levy, who came to Los Angeles in 1886 with one asset – a bright red pushcart from which he sold oyster cocktails to downtown theater patrons. This delicacy was so popular and profitable that he opened a seafood restaurant in 1892, expanded it in 1897, and then opened a second and larger eatery in 1906. He never forgot his roots, though – he proudly hoisted his original oyster cart to the top of his flagship restaurant and used it as a sign. He eventually owned four upscale seafood houses, and was the founder of the Los Angeles Restaurant Association.

Not every fast food mogul makes this transition, or aspires to – some are happy making burgers, tacos, or pizza in humble surroundings. Those were good enough for their grandmother who taught them the business, and it’s good enough for them. Others get the urge to try something more ambitious, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

The El Goloso taqueria chain has an unlikely name for an upscale restaurant – it means “the greedy one” or “the glutton.” They have been very successful, going from a single location in Harbor City to eight outlets in less than six years. Their signature dish is tacos dorados of birria, the stewed meat that is credited to the state of Jalisco, and at six of their seven locations this is served in lunch counter surroundings. The seventh and newest location opened on Hermosa Avenue in a stylish space that had housed two other Mexican restaurants. It boasts both grander surroundings and a liquor license. Is this chain about to depart from their humble origins and head upscale?

The first impression is they’re going for the party vibe, because the music is loud even at the tables at the edge of the patio. We asked the person working the door to turn this down, and she said she hears that request every day. She lowered it a few decibels so we could converse at something like normal tones.  

I have dined there several times, and their ambitions are still ambiguous. The menu has more offerings than the other locations, including ceviche and other seafood items, but they haven’t gone all the way to grilling steaks and slabs of fish. There are a few non-traditional and interesting items on the menu, like the zippy tuna tartare with cucumber, pineapple, avocado, pickled onions, and of all things, fried wontons. Things are still in flux, with occasional daily specials and at least one menu item that seems to never be available, so they could go in any direction.

While the menu has separate sections for starters, seafood, salads, and such, most items are in moderate portions suitable for sharing. An appetizer of chicken taquitos arrived buried under so much salad and sauce that we thought the server might have delivered the wrong item, because we couldn’t see them. They were very good but rather messy, and I’d have rather had the sauce available for dipping. The ceviche tostada was the opposite when it comes to portion size, a very small amount of seafood atop a crisp tortilla garnished with avocado slices. We liked it, but it’s one of the few items here that was overpriced for the quantity.

El Goloso’s specialties are the potato taco dorado and the birria taco dorado, so we ordered one of each as starters. Both of these have the filling added to a folded corn tortilla, which is then shallow fried, so they arrive slightly greasy, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s exactly the way they’re supposed to be, so have plenty of napkins ready and bite into a street food specialty. Both come with a small cup of beef consommé on the side, and you can dip your taco in it or drink it as a chaser. The consommé is the broth from the birria, a stew made with beef here rather than the traditional lamb or goat. I prefer the goat because the spiciness of the stew and the gaminess of the meat pair so well, but this beef birria was first class. I find the tacos moist enough already, so drink the spicy, oniony broth as a chaser. My only quibble is the staff should let people who order the potato tacos know what this is, in case they selected those tacos because they’re vegetarians.   

El Goloso Cantina has a full bar with an adequate stock of tequilas and other alcohols, and they make the standard Mexican cocktails. We found the tamarind margarita and mezcal old fashioned to be the best mixed drinks, while the Jamaica margarita was a bit too sweet.

A quesadilla at El Goloso Cantina is garnished with pickled red onion, and served with spicy salsa, some shredded lettuce, and a cup of spicy beef consommé.

Among the entrees, the chicken quesadilla was a standard item very well made, and was enhanced by the pickled red onion that garnished it. I actually would have liked that chopped and put inside so that it was spread through the whole thing, and may ask them to do that next time. I also liked their mulitas and vampiros, which are both essentially sandwiches made with crisp tostadas rather than bread. The difference is that vampiros are essentially a tostada with a top crisp tortilla, while the mulita tortillas are griddled with cheese before various items are stacked on them. In both cases, every one that I have ever had fell apart as soon as I started eating it, but they’re good enough that I keep ordering them again. Of the various meats here, I recommend the al pastor, which has herbal flavors and a cumulative spiciness that is addictive.    

Ceviche tostada topped with avocado, is served over purple cabbage.

Meals at the El Goloso Cantina end with a very good eggy flan or churros that are made to order. The fluted doughnut is crisp with a soft interior, sprinkled with a little more sugar than I would’ve preferred and a slight drizzle of caramel that didn’t overwhelm it. I prefer chocolate, preferably bitter chocolate, to caramel, but this was fine indeed.

The El Goloso Cantina may have a niche in the crowded Hermosa restaurant scene, an upscale family place at a moderate price for this neighborhood. I hope they keep experimenting and adding items to their menu without compromising on their traditional flavors.

 The El Goloso Cantina is at 1320 Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa Beach. Open:  Mon. – Thu. 11 a.m – 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. – 1 a.m., Sun. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.  Street parking, wheelchair access good. No phone, menu at tacoselgolosocantina.com.           

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