Taqueria La Hermita - Ventura

Hi there! haven't posted anything in a month or so and figured today is as good a time as any to get going again.

Sometimes, there's a man, and sometimes there's a man who eats quite a bit of Mexican food. Since I categorize myself in the latter, I just had to step away from the tacos for a spell and take an extended break.

And when I mean "break" I mean I'm still eating plenty of  tacos except I'm not blogging about it.

Anyhow, today's post finds at me at Taqueria La Hermita in Ventura off Johnson. Its located in a large strip mall who's main attraction is a movie theater. The building that actually houses La Hermita, is like one of those food courts you'll find in a shopping mall. So the neighbors are dishing up all kinds of fare like: Korean food, BBQ, Hamburgers, a deli and so on and so forth.

You may be asking yourself if a taqueria located in a food court is worth the time to review. The answer is pretty surprising.

I order the carnitas, asada and al pastor and take a seat. Included with my order was a small bowl of complimentary chips and spicy salsa roja. The chips were thin and lightly salted and the salsa was pretty watery but had the strong bite and flavor of Chile De Arbol. Still, a little to watery for me.



Carne Asada: Very nice! really strong flavor, chopped into small bits but not pulverized into almost ground beef. Juicy too, with some crispy char after the extended once over on the plancha. Again, really good carne asada taco with a simi-crispy exterior and juicy/moist interior.

Carnitas: Again, gooooood; Juicy, moist and crispy throughout. In a shredded fashion with big time depth of flavor that lets you know you're eating pork. I've said it many times before, when it comes to carnitas the flavor of pork is not always there. But that was not a problem with this taco whatsoever; delicious.

Al Pastor: keeping with the theme of the other two, this taco was great. Again, the taquero/cook who prepared this really knew what he was doing. The pork was marinated and cooked quite well. Then, a nice re-heating on the plancha which gave it a beautiful blackened char all over while still retaining its moister. This added texture stood out in the flavor along with the strong notes of sweet pineapple and achiote paste. Nice.

All of these tacos came topped with cilantro/onions and the salsa roja I described earlier.  And all of them were really piping hot, I mean really sizzling. The tortillas were a little thick and rustic in taste plus lightly oiled. And again, really freaking hot.

Eating this quality of taco in a place like a strip mall food court was a big eye opener for me. The tacos were fantastic and if not for the salsa being the weak link here, they would most certainly get 5 stars. 

Most of the notable taquerias are loacted on the other side of town in Ventura. Don't fall asleep on this place though, if you're a taco fan, I highly recommend it. 4.5/5 stars.

Taqueria La Hermita

2950 Johnson Drive

Suite 131A

Ventura, Ca 93003