Dia De Los Puercos - Thumbaeating

A few weeks ago I heard that Dia De Los Puercos was opening a brick and mortar not too far from me in West Covina. Joe was still in China at the time of opening so I held back, HOLD HOLD HOLD.

Finally he arrived back in the states, and surprisingly he agreed to tacos over his standard in-n-out. Super shocking.

Located in a strip mall just south of the 10 freeway, the place is pretty unassuming. The gentleman at the front (who we later found out was one of the owners) was super friendly.  Good start. We decided to sit at the bar and, like we usually do when trying a new place, ordered a ton of food.

First things first. I get the novelty of serving food in Styrofoam and on pizza pans, but it was difficult to deal with and we really wanted some plates since we were sharing.  And they only have plastic utensils - not even the thick good ones, so get ready for some bending, and you have to ask for them. I guess they expect you to use your hands, which i'm fine with for some things, but sticking a sopes in my mouth is not an easy task and i prefer to cut mine up. Beers are also poured in thin plastic cups, no pint glasses here.

mexi corn

*mexi-corn - this was awesome and super hot (i think i'm still a little singed). Like the elote on a stick you might find on a corner, but cut from the cob so its easier to eat and the bacon is EXTREMELY crispy.

sopes

*sopes - one asada, one mochomos. We didn't know what mochomos are. Either did the guy behind the bar serving us :( but we decided to try it anyway since there were no carnitas on the menu.  Very similar to carnitas cooked with less seasonings. The sopes "cake" was difficult to get through with a flimsy plastic knife, but the flavors are good and you can really tell things were home made.

los 5150's

*los 5150's - nachos with asada and barbacoa - the seasoned crema on this was awesome. And they do some fried oaxacan cheese on top that sits like a pancake covering the whole thing. Chewy and salty and delicious, but you can't get through that with a plastic knife so getting your hands in there is the only way to do it.

the homie

*the homie - this is the only burrito on the menu. I got mine filled with barbacoa, but the real surprise here is that there are ooey gooey fried eggs and french fries inside. The only burrito on the menu is a breakfast burrito! I got some sort of guac salsa for this one which was awesome. Similar to the one at el pollo loco - which i for one love that sauce. Really. If i ever go to el pollo loco i practically fill a bag with containers of that sauce. mmmm. but i digress...

Joe also had an estrella del mar (fish taco) and the darth mariachi taco (pork belly taco). Both were good, but I probably wouldn't order them again. I think the tortilla just isn't my style. Its so fresh and has so much moisture still in it that I felt it was a little...soft. The flavor was good though. The pork belly was 3/4 inch cubes of pork belly deep fried - crispy and sort of like soft chicharrones on the inside.  That taco wasn't really dressed up and a little difficult to eat.

All in all we'll probably return.  The owner came over to talk to us for a bit and gave us some background on himself. Super friendly. I always like when owners work the place and seem like they actually care about how things are running.  All this food, plus 2 beers and a cucumber agua fresca came in around $62. We could have gotten away with half of the food, but it was the first time..and we know how that goes. The owner even said he though either we were reviewing the place, or we had a serious case of the munchies :) ha!

Dia De Los Puercos

222 S. Citrus Ave.

West Covina