Its no secret that I'm a HUGE foodie. I love trying anything and everything under the sun =) If I'm not able to grab my beloved sushi, my next option is usually Mexican food. Now, I have to be honest, this has been pretty difficult to find here in Louisville. Since I grew up eating authentic homemade Mexican food to my heart's content, my standards are very high. Not only do I compare restaurants around here to the authentic eats in Chicago, I also compare it to my mom's homemade cooking, as well as my grandmothers' and other family members food. I can tell if its authentic just by looking at the menu, I don't even have to try the food to know if its going to be real or not. So, unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants around here just aren't up to par. Honestly, its not even that I'm looking for fine dining, or some luxurious 4 star restaurant. I just want *real* food. Its like going to Mcdonald's, and grabbing a burger. It might be filling for the moment, and its meat (Maybe? lol) on a bun, but in no way compares to REAL BBQ hamburgers on a grill. Once you've had the real stuff its hard to go back.

A lot of the restaraunts around here use yellow tortilla shells, or gross preservative filled tortillas (NOT authentic at all). A lot of places also use yellow cheese (we use white fresh milk cheeses etc., not even sure that yellow gunk exists in Mexico), fake flavorings (Horchata should never be pre-made with splenda bleh.), and fake add ons. Ceviche doesn't have mayonnaise on it. EVER... =X

An authentic street taco should be a corn tortilla, FRESH chopped cilantro, FRESH onion, grilled meat of your choice, and a side of fresh salsa, and a lime wedge. That's it. Extra goodies you prefer are a good thing, but if you get a taco with yellow cheese, and a sauce that contains ingredients you can't point out... RUN.

I still have yet to find my beloved Chiles Rellenos around here. Unfortunately, I still have to painfully make them from scratch at home (Worth it for sure, just a pain in the butt!).  But the great news? We finally came across a very good and very authentic place. Now I warn you, this is a very hole in the wall kind of joint. It is very rustic, and very crowded... But that's how you know its good. People don't mind waiting around for good food. If you walk into a restaurant on a Saturday night, and see its empty, its usually a good indicator that the food sucks. (Of course not always, sometimes its just a bad location, but seriously.. if food is good, people will go.)

I have yet to order anything form this place, and not LOVE it.

What I ordered:


I really recommend the Flautas. They're basically tightly wrapped tacos, filled with tinga (Chicken cooked in a smokey red sauce) then deep fried. THEN topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, fresh crumbly white milk cheese, and sour cream. These are the bomb.



The tacos are delicious as well. We ordered (tacos de bistec) steak tacos this time, (Corn tortillas filled with slices of grilled steak, fresh chopped cilantro, fresh chopped onions) but I also recommend the tacos de lengua. I'm not squeamish about weird foods, but if you can get past the fact that they're beef tongue tacos, its delicious. Same toppings as the steak tacos, but filled with beef tongue that is incredibly tender, and tasty. Honestly, I think its really perfect for kids because the meat is very soft.


I also recommend the Horchata. Its a cold rice milk drink that is very cinnamon-y. I'm not sure if its home made, but if it isn't, I'd be pretty surprised. Its very sweet, and tastes nothing like the fake splenda filled crap I've tried at other places.

Last but not least, if you haven't tried Mexican Coca-Cola, I really recommend you grab a bottle! The formula they use here in the US, is very different from Mexican Coke. I think its tastier because its in a glass bottle, and they use real cane sugar. No HFCS (Nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup) at all.

After dinner, stop by their little bakery area =) Fresh baked cookies and pastries galore<3

La Torta Loca
5213 Preston Hwy., Louisville, Ky.
502-384-7910