When I learned from a friend that the popular taqueria known for serving high-quality, street-style Mexican food in Redondo Beach moved into the old Kogi space in Palms, I told my teenage daughter to get in the car and let’s get dinner.

The grand opening was on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and fans were lined up to pick up El Barrio Boxes to bring home to enjoy. Boxes range in price from $12 to $15 and include2 or 3 tacos or a burrito or bowl with chips, salsa, guacamole and a few Chu-Nut churro donut hole bites for dessert. They also offer

Tacos can be ordered with either gluten-free tortillas made with Oaxacan corn or Sonoran flour tortillas filled with favorites including:

Al Pastor – spit-roasted all natural pork shoulder with avocado crema, salsa Fresca, grilled pineapple and micro cilantro.

Birria – Guadalajara estuve chile braised U.S. Wagyu beef brisket, fire roasted salsa, onions and micro cilantro.

Carne Asada – Mesquite grilled wagyu skirt steak with tomatillo sauce, avocado crema, pico de gallo and cotija cheese.

There are two chicken favorites:

Chicken Tinga- Shredded braised all natural chicken, avocado crema, pickled onions and micro cilantro.

Pollo Asado – Mesquite grilled all natural chicken breast with tomatillo salsa, pickled onions and cotija cheese. My daughter ordered this and loved the mesquite grill flavor that came through with each bite.

Shrimp lovers will want to order the Gobernador – Jumbo shrimp sautéed with caramelized onions & peppers, griddled cheese, cabbage and la original culichi salsa.

Vegetarian/Vegan

I ordered the vegetarian/vegan Cauliflower con Mole burrito filled with roasted cauliflower, mole sauce, pumpkin seeds, pickled onion, and a little cotija cheese. What they do here is place a little cheese on the grill and place the seam of the tortilla on top and grill the cheese to seal the ends of the tortilla. The burrito stays intake and never falls open when biting into. My daughter took one bite and said “Wow, this is better than most burritos.” I took a bite and totally agreed. The flavors are more real and authentic tasting. Another vegetarian/vegan favorite is the Nopal, made with mesquite grilled nopal with salsa Fresca, onions and micro cilantro. We liked the box presentation and everything is easy to eat for car and picnic dining. They also make a really good guacamole that we enjoyed scooping us with our crispy tortilla chips.

They also make antojitos that range in price from $2.50 – $8 that include:

Vegetarian items include loaded Barrio Fries with pico de Gallo, avocado crema, Monterey Jack Cheese and cotija cheese. They also have a Barrio Wedge salad with iceberg lettuce, cilantro crema dressing, tomato, cucumber, house made croutons and cotija cheese. Cauliflower Esquite a roasted cauliflower with cilantro mayo, cotija cheese and house made chili powder. The Mulitas/Gringos is a choice of Oaxaca corn or Sonoran flour tortillas with Monterey Jack Cheese and a house escabeche.

Be sure to ask if they have any seasonal specials. They also sell their black and refried beans for $2.50, bags of chips for $4, jars of salsa for $5 and guacamole for $8 and 12 packs of corn or flour tortillas for $6.

Beverages include bottled Mexican Coke & Jarritos for $3 each, bottled Agua Fresca $4 and El I-Hooo-Le Michelada Mix for $8.

Delivery is also available on UberEats, DoorDash and Postmates.

Open Monday – Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. http://www.elbarriogroup.com. 3500 Overland Ave., (424)603-4073.

This article is also featured in the Beverly Press on September 17, 2020.