La Fuente #3: Dancing, happy bits of porky goodness

La Fuente #3 (5/5) This is one of the few times I don’t agree with my fellow Yelpers who have come down hard on La Fuente. My creds: I’m a native Angeleno with a palette fine tuned in Boyle Heights. I’ve been around the Mexican block, grew up with hardcore Mexican street food and I must say, La Fuente is pretty damn spectacular!

There are 3 types of Mexican restaurants: 1) Street food with $1.50 tacos that are almost always satisfying 2) Mexican Mom n’ Pop sit-down restaurants with growing pains and 3) Tex-Mex-American with mediocre food and stiff drinks. La Fuente is #2.

Located in an unassuming strip mall next to Yogurt Haven on Colorado

This is a restaurant owned by a Mexican family in Eagle Rock. Everything that’s down-home Mexican is excellent, and I dare say, tastes as if a white-haired abeulita was lovingly cooking it in the kitchen as we niños hang out in the living room.

I’m a hardcore carnitas connoisseur. It’s my pork of choice, with crispy pata a distant second. Their carnitas is among the best I’ve ever tried. My preference is for salty, crispy, juicy pork shrapnel and not the squishy, shredded beef-like variety. La Fuente is the only place I’ve been my whole life, where the default preparation is super crispy. It simultaneously makes my heart and arteries sing and clog.

Rice and beans so delicious, I always get an order to-go after meals

The chile verde is savory and meaty with a sauce that was just tangy enough. The Mexican rice and beans (ironically, my nickname for many years for my Asian/Latino background) are spectacular because it’s made with God’s butter: lard.

While service can be spotty, honestly, it doesn’t bother me as much as it would at a Mexo-conglomerate like Chevy’s (ick) or El Torito (double ick). This is a family-run restaurant and what others like to call slow service, I call having dinner at abuelita’s house.

Tip: I’d highly advise against ordering anything outside of authentic Mexican if you want an dinner to remember. Save the chalupas, horrid wet burritos and red sauce smothered enchiladas with yellow cheese for El Cholo.

La Fuente #3, 2256 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, 90041, 323-258-4303