Head over to the adjacent park and have yourself a picnic starring some of the best fried pork this city has to offer.
Throw a stone anywhere in LA, and your bound to hit somewhere that serves carnitas. Even Taco Bell, currently involved in a lawsuit contesting that its beef is actually beef, tried their hand at a rendition of the carnitas taco. Despite the many bastardized and sanitized version that are available, there remain places in this city that serve carnitas that truly pay homage to what you’ll find in Central Mexico. One such establishment is the family-run Zamora Brothers Carniceria, located just north of Belvedere Park in East Los Angeles; not to be confused with a unrelated Zamora Bros. further west on Cesar Chavez Avenue, nor with another in Pico-Union that closed briefly last year due to a fire. This particular Zamora Brothers serves food ‘”estilo Iripuato”, or originating from the Mexican city of Irapuato in Guadalajara. The building’s exterior is decorated in regal red and blue colors crowned by a slightly disturbing mural of a teary-eyed pig ready to be cooked.
Enter inside and you will find that Zamora’s is much more of a meat market than restaurant. If you peer in the back you might be able to catch a glimpse of the cazo, a large copper kettle, where the pork sizzles in it’s own rendered fat. Carnitas are simmered slowly for several hours before the heat is turned up and the meat develops a crisp outer crust as it fries. The use of pork drippings means that these carnitas are rich with the savory essence of heavenly uncured bacon. When the meat is finished Mrs. Zamora places the meat on the deli counter in huge mounds, glistening and radiant. Almost every park of the pig is on display here: buche (intenstine), oreja (ear), trompa (snout), cuertido (skin) and of course large hunks of maciza (pork shoulder) . At lunchtime the line goes out the door, as old and young alike quickly snatch up the sizzling carnitas before they have even begun to cool...
Zamora Brothers Carniceria
4771 E Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90022
(323) 264-1214
$
Read the full article on the LosAngelicious Times
Read More:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from L.A. TACO
‘We Will Win:’ USC Students Won’t Back Down, Committing To Their Fight For Palestine Despite Arrests
One of their main demands is for the school to not only commit to a complete academic boycott of Israel and their killing of Palestinians, but also to be transparent about how much the school is investing.
What To Eat This Weekend: A Booze-Filled Piñata, Ethiopian Lamb Tibs, Mole Poblano in East L.A., and Tito’s Tacos’ Rare New Menu Item
Plus, one classic Mexican restaurant that promises its "last cinco de mayo on Skid Row."
Swarm of Police in Riot Gear Destroy Peaceful Pro-Palestine Encampment At UCLA During Early Morning Raid, Over 200 Arrested
At 4 AM, CHP broke through the fencing on the other side of the encampment and set up a police line, consistently firing flash-bang grenades into the air. They also fired on protestors with “less-lethal” munitions and rubber bullets, causing an injury to one protester’s face that required stitches.
Ten Palestinian-Owned Restaurants to Support in L.A. and O.C.
Supporting our local Palestinian restaurants not only allows you to experience excellent cooking and recipes from a culture and people who have been making these dishes for generations, but it also helps to broaden our worldviews on a culture some forces seek to bury and erase.
Where To Find Don Perico, The Mexican-Owned Brand Bringing Tropical Flavors To Dispensaries
The products, with their festive packaging, tropical flavors, and colorful parrot mascot, are relatable and better yet, they taste great, are fast-acting, and strong.
