La Vallesana

La Vallesana Restaurant Review:

The neighborhood around Hilario Vargas’ popular taquería teems with new businesses and restaurants, a far cry from the dusty street where he set up a taco shack in 2000. Now it’s a full-fledged restaurant offering margaritas to wash down burritos, overstuffed tortas (saucer-size white buns loaded with chicken or beef, lettuce, tomatoes and onions) and tacos al pastor (spicy pork with pineapples, onion and cilantro). Vargas was an ice cream maker in Mexico, and he still crafts creamy, dreamy frozen fruit pops in flavors ranging from simple strawberry to mango-chile, lime-tequila and rum-raisin. The long-awaited liquor license hasn’t slowed demand for Mexican Coke and other colas or freshly made horchata and agua frescas. As the crowds discover this hidden gem, waits are longer than they used to be, but service is still friendly.