East Los Angeles' Most Famous Restaurant: El Tepeyac
El Tepeyac is a famous Mexican restaurant which dates back to 1942 and is owned by the Rojas family. The restaurant was originally located in Downtown Los Angeles but then moved to the Lincoln Heights area. They are currently located at 812 N. Evergreen Avenue in Boyle Heights and have been at this location since 1952.. El Tepeyac is well known for their world famous burritos and home style Mexican fare. In 2017, El Tepeyac started the "Manuel Burrito Challenge". The challenge is to eat a 4.5 pond burrito, measuring 12 inches in length, in 1 hour.
In my experience from my time eating at El Tepeyac , is that the restaurant is cozy and a little small but really welcoming. They have a nice jukebox and it is nicely decorated. This is a friendly environment for your family and friends with good food and nice service. In terms of crowds, some days are better than others. It Is not that packed on week nights and you can get good parking and a great place to eat. From time to time, it can get extremely crowded. It is a popular lunch spot for people who work in the area, and weekend nights can also get crowded. This is a testament to their excellent food.
An example of one excellent dish served at El Tepeyac is The Original Okie, which is a burrito that has a seared pork meat covered with their very own traditional red tomato based chile verde recipe with sides that consist of rice, beans and guacamole. It can be topped with cheddar or jack cheese of your choosing and red chile sauce. Another popular dish is the Original Hollenbeck Burrito, originally created for the police officers from the Hollenbeck Division who have patronized the restaurant for many years, is also made with seared pork and also covered in the traditional El Tepeyac sauce. Stepping into El Tepeyac will give the customer not only a great meal but a slice of Los Angeles history.
