S G.
Yelp
I've noticed a fair share of unfair 1 star reviews and felt it was time to speak up in Taqueria La Frontera's defense. The majority of complaints come from gringos complaining about the carnitas, including a particularly obnoxious "carnitas Karen" who dared to tell Mexcians how they should make their native cuisine! Whenever I go to TLF, I notice that the clientele is 100 to 95 percent hispanic, mostly Mexican and sometimes a handful of central Americans. Why should this place kowtow to some Karen whose undeveloped palate can only handle "pulled pork"? This is authentic Mexico City Mexican food - if you want pulled pork go to pinche Chipotle.
Here's the deal with authentic Mexican carnitas. The dude who mentioned "head to tail" was spot on. Carnitas means "little meats," which sorta means a liitle bit of this and a little bit of that, with "that" being cuts from all over the pig. Here, you get the maciza (lean meat) but you also get the bonus of buche (stomach, not to be confused with cow tripe or tripa) and cueritos (skin, also known as cuero, and when it is deep fried it's chicharron). Gringos are afraid of these bonus cuts, but most Mexicans love this stuff. You might too if you've got a sense of adventure and an open mind (you don't have to be Andrew Zimmern here either). Yes, gringos complain about these things, but why should La Frontera change its carnitas to please the 1out of 100 customers who will never try to accept truly authentic Mexico City food? The vast majority of the clientele love it. They ain't cooking for you Karen!
If you're squeamish about gelatinous, chewy cueritos and firm, crunchy buche, maybe you could nicely ask "maciza (pronounced ma-SEE-zuh) por favor, no cueritos, no buche" but don't be surprised or offended if you get the stink eye in return. Or just order something else. The birria tacos served on Sat and Sun are the BOMB (and you'll still maintain your gringo hipster cred, especially if you post it to Instagram!) The al pastor is delicious - the best I've had on the East Coast. Or get the huaraches (and don't call it a fucking tostada - it's way better).
For those bitching about La Frontera using one tortilla with the tacos instead of two? They use tortillas from La Milpa De Rosa, which are incredible. These aren't the usual cheap ass wimpy tortillas that soak up liquid like a dish rag and disintegrate like a kleenex. These tortillas have substance and body, rich corn flavor and they don't tear and collapse when holding ingredients. These are high quality tortillas that are as good as your abuelita made them (not you Karen).
If authentic scares you, stay away. And please don't try to edumacate them about how their food should be made. Either you get it or you don't. If you don't get it, get out. There's a Chipotle that will deliver to your lazy ass!