The Original Carnitas Michoacan

This place serves one of the most incredibly crunchy and flavorful tripas (beef intestine) tacos I’ve ever had! It’s open 24 hours, making it the perfect spot to satisfy late-night or early-morning cravings. However, the neighborhood can feel a bit sketchy at night, so it’s best to be cautious. Takeout is usually the better option, as the tables and chairs inside are sometimes dirty, and occasionally you might see a homeless person going through the trash inside the restaurant. The cleanliness inside can be a concern for some.

I've been hitting up this spot for 20 years, but lately, the customer service is straight-up awful. They practically chased me and other customers off just for asking for some condiments! The burritos are $13, which is way too steep, but honestly, the worst part is how they treat you—like you're a nuisance or some kind of thief. It's just not worth coming back anymore.

The tacos al pastor were great. The combination buche was not. The buche was overly fried and crunchy like chicharron. The rice and beans on the side could have been better. Mine tasted okay but my partner's was extremely salty, probably the end of a batch that was oversalted. The pros are they are open late and the prices are low. However, I would stick with the tacos.

I've been coming to this establishment for years. It was a hidden gem for us but after last night, I won't be supporting them anymore. I had a huge order so I called it in. They had me pay over the phone which is understandable since it was a large order. Over the phone I asked for a lot of salsa, the man hisself said "we're going to give you a ton of salsa" I got 16 burritos & nachos and they gave me 12 salsas. That's not even one per burrito. We go up ask for more, he gives us 4 more but seemed irritated. My brother goes for a drink refill, they charged for a refill. Before I left, I asked for more salsa to take for my 16 burritos. He goes "you're going to have to pay." I told him, I just spent $250 here and I couldn't even get one salsa per item. He says nachos normally don't need salsa. Still, we were not given even one per burrito!!! It's a big burrito and a tiny ass salsa container, way smaller than other places. One salsa is enough for half, you definitely need two for a whole burrito given how small they are. He ended up charging us $6 for 12 more salsas. I don't mind paying for things but it's the principle for me, they did not give enough to begin with, I didn't feel as if I was wanting an excessive amount, just enough to eat a full sized burrito. The attitude, the argumentative response, not giving enough to begin with. I've never had to feel like I was begging for condiments that are usually provided. They were giving stingy/greedy vibes. For spending $250 and having try so hard to get extra salsa left me never wanting to come back to this establishment. They charge for every little thing.

This place has been around forever and still delivers. The carnitas are juicy and flavorful, and they give you generous portions. Open late, which is great after a night out. Their green salsa is spicy in the best way. Solid, no-frills Mexican food.

The tacos here were delicious and definitely worth trying. I believe you won’t be disappointed with the food. However, the cleanliness of the place was a bit disappointing. While the restaurant itself looks beautiful, there were a lot of flies around while we were eating, which took away from the experience. If the place were kept cleaner, it would definitely be an added advantage.

Service is always quick and friendly. It's been a minute since we came and they did a few minor renovations. New heaters, fans, and updated flat screen TV? The seating areas have new pest flaps as well, that help deter flies. The food is always amazing and filling with an affordable price tag. Street parking is available, but comes at an hour time frame. They do have a lot on the backside, but depending when you go, can fill up quickly and takes a bit of maneuvering for larger vehicles.

How can you not love this iconic spot with the colorful exterior and placid indoor patio seating area? I came for the carnitas tacos, I got three and a soda for ten bucks. You can taste the quality of the carnitas and one of the great thing about la/Mexican style tacos is they are so simple and elegant, a little meat, a good corn tortilla, some onion and cilantro and a little hot salsa. Perfection!

9/10 Breakfast burrito 10/10 green and red salsa packed with flavor and spice 10/10 horchata 10/10 Friendly service

I saw this place everyday on my way to work. I always noted that it was 24 hours and had customers even at 6:00 am when I'm driving by. One day I forgot my lunch at home and decided to stop here. I got a carne asada burrito and some pastor tacos. The burrito was a healthy size, fresh, and really good. The pastor! DELICIOUS! Not too sweet just like I like it. The service was fast and the atmosphere was really cute. The seating is a nice, open air patio. I've been back a few times since my first visit and love that it's so close to my job.

Exactly what you would expect for nachos. Standard cheese and chips. Meat was about average. Long line but staff cool. Outdoor ish seating. You sit outside but under a canopy type thing. Lots of place to sit. Clean.

This place is always a hit. Authentic Mexican food and great customer service. Been coming to this place for over 15 years and it always hits the spot. Their nachos are crispy and the meat perfectly seasoned. The order is pretty big and can easily feed two people.

Was craving nachos so I came on yelp to see what the best ones in town are and this seemed to be the spot most people raved about. It definitely didn't disappoint! Nachos were spectacular the meat (Asada) was tender and savory, the guacamole, sour cream, picked jalapenos, onion and cilantro with both green and chipotle sauces on top is a "party" in your mouth. I do wish I would have gotten the all the liquids on the side because my nachos were soggy by the time I got home. Staff is very straightforward and quick. The spot itself has old school character. They could use a little sprucing up but hey this doesn't take away from the phenomenal nachos.

They charge for every single thing - jalapeños, salsa, literally anything that typically come as part of the dish will get an extra charge at a couple dollars each. Our order 3 tacos, 1 burrito and 1 special asada nachos get 2 miniature sauce containers (heavy on the miniature) - if you want more it's an extra charge The food is definitely not cheap either, so these extra charges just feel greedy and ridiculous. The taste isn't anything special, so you might as well go to a taco stand on any random street in LA and get more bang for your buck.

Parking is limited in the parking lot on Avenue 19. I usually park in the residential area across the street on Avenue 19. I normally order the carne asada nachos. The portion is huge and is very filling. Service is great and I love coming here because the portion is really good,

The best Carnitas tacos in LA is at this place right here. Grand Central market has so much food choices. Grab yourself one taco walk around and grab other food but this place is so good they give you a free sample Taco.lol super chill place. Great people be back soon.

The food is good. The burritos are the best in my opinion. I always get the asada or the al pastor burrito. Sometimes I'll add on fries but they give too small of an amount for the price so keep that in mind. Service is prompt as your never kept waiting for too long even when there's a long line. Definitely a late night grub spot.

Late night eats! I found this place while Yelping for tacos open late in the area we were in. Saw this was a 7 minute drive from where we were and it was open 24 hours! Awesome- really excited to get some tacos. Our group that night had somewhat of a big order and here's how it went down... I ordered an all meat burrito with guacamole, onions cilantro and salsa. I heard the cashier say something along the line of it being extra for am all meat burrito and extra for guacamole. I didn't catch what he said but looking at my receipt later, he charged me $20 for an all meat burrito plus $2.75 for guacamole. The regular burrito on the menu is about $11 and extra asada says about $4. To top that off, there was barely any guacamole in my $23 burrito. It was my fault for not noticing it until after we left so it's fine, but I feel like I should let other Yelpers know that if they eat here, they need to pay attention to what they're being charged. Someone else in our group got charged $1 for a cup of water in a soda cup, another person in our group got free water but in a smaller cup... The food was fine, I don't think it was amazing but I wouldn't say it was bad. I'd rate the food alone a 6.5/10 and the overall experience 5/10. They have plenty of seating in a well lit, outdoor dining area. Clean. No public restrooms.

After a night out, we were looking for some Mexican food. I had this place bookmarked for awhile, so we stopped by here on the way back home. The great thing about this place is that it's 24/7! It's about 2:30am and the moment we arrived, the parking lot was full and the street parking was pretty filled too. I just dropped off my friend so she could order first and I wait aside. Moments later, there was a whole wave of people! So based off of my friend's ordering experience, she said if you don't know Spanish, it would be pretty difficult to order. She couldn't really understand him nor could he understand her, so I think she just pointed at the menu and just said ok lol. She meant to get the Nachos Especial, but when we opened the box, it was kind of like the nachos especial but it was with fries? She said a bunch of people also tried to help her order too lol So we ate in the car and opened up the heavy loaded box of cheesy fries! It was pretty decent, but this would definitely only taste good if you were drunk lol. The cheese tasted kind of cheap, and we wished the jalapenos were chopped more thinnly than just cut in half. The fries were okay, and there was barely any meat. Overall, this place is probably okay if there's nothing really open in the area lool.

Good food open 24 hours, staff might be a little rude if you don't speak Spanish but they have a sort of outdoor eating. Come here often

We came here on a Friday night and I was told this was one of the better taco spots in the area. It's great as a late night spot because it's open 24/7. They have a very small parking lot with street parking outside. Walk up to the window to order and then get your food at the pick-up window. We ordered asada ($2.28) and al pastor ($2.08) tacos which were pretty good sized and came with onions, cilantro, and salsa. Between the two I preferred the al pastor since it was fatty. The salsa was very spicy and just a little too spicy for my liking. I liked that they had a good amount of seating and tables so you're not just eating at or in your car. They are known for their nachos and cheese but we weren't that hungry and I'm also more of a fries person myself. If you're out late it's a comforting feeling to know that this place is always open. They also take card!

I'm very shocked I never knew of this LA institution's existence until a couple friends brought me here looking for dinner on Christmas Eve when all other restaurants closed early, and I'm now a believer! Open 24/7, even on holidays, was the biggest revelation. The menu is equally just as impressive, with tacos, nachos, burritos, meat combination plates, soups, and even burgers to boot. There's ample seating in the dining area next to the kitchen and counter area. Parking can be limiting with the small lot out back, but there's street parking as well. Depending on the day and time you come, the vibes can be chill late at night or bustling through the lunch/dinner rushes. Service can be a little snappy but quick, which is all understandable with all the orders they have. The food is excellent in every way. My group of friends went all out and ordered a lot of various tacos with different meats like al pastor, carnitas and carne asada, as well as some exotic ones like the amazing 5 tacos deal for $8.88 deals with cabeza. Each taco was generously topped with diced onions and cilantro and a healthy covering of green salsa. Each taco tasted amazing and rich in meaty flavor goodness, and every bite was delicious to the end. If that wasn't enough, we also got the carne asada nachos that definitely was more than enough to round out our meal and fill whatever space was left in our bellies after the taco feast. The nachos was heaping mound of nacho chips smothered and drowning in ooey gooey nacho cheese, generously topped with smoky and tender carne asada. Each bite was super rich and bursting with flavor, with the carne asada and cheese being perfect matches for each other in each bite. Not to be forgotten, the HUGE drink sizes for dang cheap! $3 for a large horchata- you just don't get bang for your buck this often for drink sizes like this! I absolutely look forward to coming here again, and eating my way through everything else to catch up on what I've missed out on all these years!

The food was good very tasty and had great portions. The salsas were so good. Try them all, and get Carnitas is the best here. The service was super. The lady was very kind and made sure we had everything we needed. The place is ok nothing special and the bathroom is clean, have free parking lot.

Any taco place with "OG" in the name im going to stop in. Corner taco joint in Lincoln heights ...ordered a few tacos from pastor , carnitas and tripa..been around the taco block and while there are good (price , size , doubled up tortilla) ...probably not the best I had but from value perspective they are good ....the highlight was the house hot sauce ...overall decent

What a comfort spot to walk to after a night of drinking. The area is a bit sketchy at night, and even during the day, BUT the taco proteins are FIREEEEE. Really the BEST spot for tripas tacos, hands down, and that's saying a lot because there are great taco spots all over SoCal. I've never had tripas as crispy as they make it. Downside is that I've only ever gotten one salsa here and its like the dark red salsa, spicy and good, but I prefer green salsas. Their lengua and cabeza are also amazingly tender and soft. Weirdly how their carnitas didn't really stand out to me even though its in the name. Super fast service and great tacos.

Los mejores tacos de cabeza y de tripa doradita, bien recomendados. También el agua de horchata.

The food, the service and the ambiance were fantastic. We decided to have a little snack in the area and decided on tacos. Alex and the team there were extremely helpful and accommodating. The tacos were hot, fresh and extremely tasty. The birria platter with the rice and beans were so tender and juicy and the quesadillas were a compliment to everything. They have a parking lot so parking was a breeze. I will definitely be back when in the area.

This place has lots of good reviews, but unfortunately i had a below average experience. I ordered the Asada, Pastor, and Carnitas tacos. The tacos weren't bad, but there's a couple reasons I didn't enjoy it as much as other taco places I've been to. First reason is that the tacos were really spicy and they didn't ask whether I wanted them to be spicy. Other places I've been to either don't make the tacos spicy so that the taco can be customized to your spice level with the salsa you add or if they do add spice, they ask you how spicy you want it. Another reason I didn't enjoy it is that there is no condiment bar so I couldn't get lime or salsa. They did give me one salsa for my five tacos, which actually ended up being enough (since the Al Pastor didn't really need salsa), but they didn't give me a lime, which is a necessity.

Love this little hole-in-the-wall spot. This place is SO GOOD. A coworker and I recently came for lunch (dangerous because it's so close to the office) and wow. I've never had better tacos or nachos. We ordered 5 al pastor tacos to share and carne asada nachos and had plenty of leftovers (yes, I saved it. I didn't care that the cheese made the chips soggy, they are THAT good that I couldn't waste them!). My only gripe is that when you order the 5 taco combo you can't mix-and-match- you have to order 5 of the same taco. Come on now, I want to try them all! (Tbh though the al pastor was so good that 5 of just those ones is A-OK)

Amazing food, great service and plenty of seating. I highly recommended getting the carne asada nachos.

I really need to stop believing all these social media influencers who post food and claim that it's amazing or a great deal. Stopped in over the weekend for an order of nachos that one of the social media "influencers" claimed was amazing and out of this world. Got an order of the Al Pastor "Nachos Especial". It came with watered down nacho cheese and a small amount of meat. There was about 3 or 4 pieces of pickled jalapeno included. That's it, nothing else. There was no avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, nothing. It was just nasty watery cheese and meat. Such a disappointment. Some of the worst nachos I've ever had in my life. Took 2 bites and we dumped the rest. There is a covered area next to the restaurant that has tables where you can eat. Bring disinfectant wipes, they do not clean the tables. I will NEVER believe another social media review again. I've been burned too many times now. The order was $11.00 and change and they charge $1.00 to use your card. This is not mentioned. You've been warned.

This place is ALWAYS so delicious; AND I left just as happy as the last time. YUUMM. I didn't have a chance to take piks of my food this time #demloished with no regrets . Still, this place is really a hidden gem of LA -- so you have to stop by -- and enjoy the ambiance of a take on Mexico. Love it here & of course i'm circling back ASAP!

Ok, It's Latin X heritage month. My Latin X Amiga had to take me to her spot for home style Mexican. CM was very good. Huge menu, but the only item she orders is their chicken burrito. Yeah , she told me ahead of time I wouldn't be able to finish. She was right. It was huge appx. 10" & hefty. Delicious stewed chicken, I was faded ,& I took a picture. These are the left over ,still big.

Another home-run, and close to dodger stadium, so fans can feel free to pile-on and order some grub that is leaps-n-bounds superior to ballpark food. Seems the go to dish are their heavy-as-a-real-thing Nachos. They supe it up with basically the kitchen sink, and its heavy. But I opted to order some tacos for dinner. You can order a plate of tacos (5) for eight dollars -- a very good deal. However, you cannot mix and match. That means you're gonna be forced to go with the 2 tacos with lets say 'unique' cuts. Such as the stomach and head. This made me squeamish, so ordered the more regarded meat cuts: carnitas asada Al-Pastor. Out of all the tacos the eponymous carnitas is the one to get. Well-marinated, shredded, you can't go wrong with either of these. All tacos come with a dab of their homemade salsa. It has a harsh almost hot potent taste to it, and anyone who is sensitive you might want to order without the salsa, but I don't know if they offer a more milder alternative. Topped with cilantro and onions, that's all your gonna need. Elevates the spice factor even more. I'm a big fan. I'm even a bigger fan of the price. 3 tacos for around seven dollars. You can't go wrong.

Returning to Carnitas Michoacan after decades, I was excited to revisit my high school favorite--an all-meat carne asada burrito with onions and cilantro. The flavors were just as I remembered, delivering that classic taste. However, the $22 price tag felt steep compared to other places, which are $6-$10 less expensive. While the taste remains nostalgic and satisfying, the cost is a significant jump from the budget-friendly days of the past.

Two words: Papa Nachos. Carnitas Michoacán is an LA institution, serving Mexican comfort food 24/7 since 1977. They are located a stone's throw from some of the best bars in DTLA and Lincoln Heights, making them the optimal late night stop. They offer sit down dining on a sparsely decorated covered patio, which has ample seating. Everything here is excellent, but you must order the Papa Nachos. The dish is large enough to feed a small family, containing a generous portion of fresh crinkle cut fries, smothered in velvety nacho cheese, and topped with escabeche and your choice of meat. These were so delicious that I forgot about all my problems. My Chile Relleno Burrito was almost as good. The fresh tortilla housed a tender, juicy, fried poblano that was lightly breaded and stuffed with cheese. Nestled within their seasoned rice and house made salsas, this was truly extraordinary. Pro tip: ask for extra nacho cheese, and pour some into your burrito along with the salsas. My husband enjoyed their Tacos Al Pastor, and the Horchata was very good too. It comes in one size and is like 40 ounces lmao. The staff are really nice and only speak Spanish. I will be dreaming of Carnitas Michoacán until we meet again.

Bomb ass lengua!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bomb ass EXTRA CRISPY Tripas!!!!!!!!!!

A friend wanted to visit here, so we went. They have a small open dedicated parking lot that can accommodate about 10 cars, but the chances are they are full. There is street parking, but this is L.A., so you are at the mercy of the parking god. The restaurant has a decent sized semi-enclosed eating area (no table service) with metal fencing and doors. You order on the street side of the restaurant and pick up your food behind the metal door. My party ordered the Asada Burrito ($11.18) Asada taco ($2.28), Pollo taco ($2.08), Carnitas taco ($2.08), and Nacho Supreme. The tacos were decent, the burrito was okay, and the nacho was meh. With any dish here with meat in it, the chances are you are going to find tendon and chunks of fat mixed in, so don't expect pure meat. The nacho gets meh because the nacho cheese is more watery than usual, the presentation is poor (even for a casual spot like this), and the tortilla chips are mediocre. My biggest problem was with the cleanliness of the back of the house. When they got my order wrong I took them back to the counter. The lady opened the foil wrap to check, and her finger touched the taco meat and the salsa. Then she gave it to the cook and I could not see what happened to the food (it probably made its way back to me). Another lady was using a dirty rag to wipe something off of the napkin bag. Given the location and the overall quality, I don't see myself coming back here anytime soon.

Always get the asada burrito and the nachos are good as well with their spicy cheese sauce. Open 24 hours with a dining area but it seldomly gets swept and the tables are always dirty, so it does feel icky to eat here. Careful with the hot sauce, it is especially spicy (to me)!

Probably the best late-night spot to hit after a night of having fun in DTLA or even WEHO for that matter and a way to round it off. legendary nachos and open 24/7 in East LA nice spot. they have sit-down and takeout options. Everything here is good but my go-to is the nacho especial some people ask for extra cheese or salsa on the side it does cost extra but it is worth it. Everything I would say has a bit of heat which I love the salsa is a lot spicier than most normal salsa's as well so be aware. Other then that service is fast and good you can see them make your food pretty openly too so It's a nice joint.

The hot sauce is very spicy, and their extra crispy tripas tacos are perfect. The food comes out fast, and there's a compact parking lot available.

Super good 24/7 spot. Right off the 5. Kind of in the hood but that's how you know it's fire.

As a native Angeleno, I'm always on the hunt for a good taco spot. Carnitas Michoacan hits the spot and is 24/7! It's a small restaurant located in Lincoln Heights right next to China Town. If you're in search for some delicious tacos or late night drunchies, this is a must have. The tacos were amazing, but I'd also recommend sharing their nachos with some friends as well. Caution on their red salsa! It packs a punch of heat and is not meant for the weak. My go to taco choices are al pastor, carne asada, and lengua. What's yours? Hot tip: They accept card, but like most taco places cash is the preferred method of payment and helps you avoid an added credit card transaction fee! Instagram: @jessgoeat

mediocre food, without any flavor: Carnitas Burrito bland meat, bland beans and bland rice. Taco Al Pastor no flavor at all. underwhelmed, especially since your Restaurant is Named Carnitas Michoacan. very underwhelmed.

20+ years patronizing and still our fav down home Mexican food eatery in Lincoln Heights. The food is AUTHENTIC and DELICIOUS. Service is friendly and quick. Roll up your sleeves and dig into some delicias Latinas.

Sooo... I came here on a whelm, daughter wanted tacos and I've had them book marked since forever!! Ordered 3 carnitas tacos with everything.. I love carnitas but these weren't that great! Upon leaving happened to peek thru the window and wished I hadn't :(- No the tidiest looking spot!! Hard pass!

These nachos are the best! Open late and always tasty. They can get really busy on weekend nights. My parents have been coming here for nachos for 30 years and I'm keeping it going.

Love the asada burrito here at 3am! lol perfect place to stop at after a night out in downtown LA

There's a small parking lot in the back. From the parking lot, u gotta go to the front to order. We ordered 5 al pastor tacos, burrito, and nachos. The Al pastor tacos were p salty imo. But the nachos were rly good. Service was quick.

Friendly service, Food was fresh and delicious. Didnt wait too long and price was worth it :)

Apparently the location that used to be in East LA was the best but ended up closing down or changing owners. To try it I got two carnitas tacos and one fish taco. My boyfriend got the asada nachos. The carnitas tacos were amazing as expected, the fish taco was pretty gross honestly. Little to no fish, greasy soggy crust and topped with lettuce and tomato which was kind of weird. The asada nachos were good but had a lot of excess oil on the bottom of the tray. Ordering and getting food was relatively quick and there is a lot of seating in the shade

Excellent service and food. Definitely lives up to the hype and will exceed expectations!

Delicious hole in the wall. Great prices and very large potion sizes. You do walk-up ordering on the street but there is parking behind the restaurant and seating on the covered outside patio. The food tasted great and they were very generous with the 'toppings' (lettuce, cheese, limes, etc) it is located in a portion of town that has a very busy corner with lots of foot traffic. We got an order of carnitas nachos, taquitos, street tacos and tacos dorados. Every single item was delicious! Definitely recommend if you want some home style delicious Mexican food.

Cool seating area where you can sit down and eat. Authentic good vibes with a large TV to watch whatever is on. Music in the background. I got the Ultimate Breakfast Burrito and it was tasty. Not big but just right. Red salsa has good flavor and right amount of spice. Service was ok, could be better but not complaining. Good enough for a five star. I will come back to try the tacos. Hearing some good things about them. Check them out!

It's crazy that last night was my first time here considering I knew several people who have visited multiple times. Already thinking about my next trip to try some of their other dishes. Not only is it great that this place is open 24hrs, but wow, the tacos and nachos were fire! The tacos were packed with flavor and the nachos were loaded with additional toppings of your choice. The prices were also very reasonable, which made it even better!

Food is very bland. Ordered an asada burrito and it seemed to have no flavor. Also ordered a chile verde plate and found 2 pieces of metal in it! Expected more by reading good reviews but was very disappointed after trying it.

Nachos with/ meat. Fav dish on their menu. Great homemade pickled jalapenos. Cheese has good flavor.