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La Fuente After a Year of Infamy

The place is perhaps best known because a group of drag queens mercilessly kicked the crap out of each other in a massive brawl about a year ago, but it's also a place to get a late night taco.

In fact, it's really the late night taco shop on the block of University Ave in Hillcrest that is also home to some popular clubs. Here's the rub: I've found it to be, at best, mediocre.

Whether out of a sense of obstinacy or of hope (perhaps those are the same thing), I've visited La Fuente over and over again since it's super convenient for me.

I've been plagued by disappointing burritos there; some were too heavy and oily, others simply lacked anything to distinguish themselves. Sadly, La Fuente once served me the worst California Burrito I've ever had.

But I've finally found something there that is, if not exceptional, at least adequate. The adobada burrito ($4.99) wasn't fouled by inferior sauce or cooked into jerky.

Instead, it was dressed simply with some chopped onions and cilantro. The salsa for the roast pork was spicy, light, and perfectly suited to the spare preparation. True, it was almost more of a giant street taco with its minimalist aesthetic, but it wasn't half bad!

It's pretty tough to outright recommend La Fuente, since the food's been pretty spotty in the past. But it opens at eight every morning and doesn't close until three AM most nights, four on Fridays and Saturdays.

At some point, if you're out in Hillcrest, it's going to be the best or only option for a late-night feed. When that happens, stick with the adobada and run like hell if any angry ladies show up in size 14 pumps.

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The place is perhaps best known because a group of drag queens mercilessly kicked the crap out of each other in a massive brawl about a year ago, but it's also a place to get a late night taco.

In fact, it's really the late night taco shop on the block of University Ave in Hillcrest that is also home to some popular clubs. Here's the rub: I've found it to be, at best, mediocre.

Whether out of a sense of obstinacy or of hope (perhaps those are the same thing), I've visited La Fuente over and over again since it's super convenient for me.

I've been plagued by disappointing burritos there; some were too heavy and oily, others simply lacked anything to distinguish themselves. Sadly, La Fuente once served me the worst California Burrito I've ever had.

But I've finally found something there that is, if not exceptional, at least adequate. The adobada burrito ($4.99) wasn't fouled by inferior sauce or cooked into jerky.

Instead, it was dressed simply with some chopped onions and cilantro. The salsa for the roast pork was spicy, light, and perfectly suited to the spare preparation. True, it was almost more of a giant street taco with its minimalist aesthetic, but it wasn't half bad!

It's pretty tough to outright recommend La Fuente, since the food's been pretty spotty in the past. But it opens at eight every morning and doesn't close until three AM most nights, four on Fridays and Saturdays.

At some point, if you're out in Hillcrest, it's going to be the best or only option for a late-night feed. When that happens, stick with the adobada and run like hell if any angry ladies show up in size 14 pumps.

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Best of 2003: Best Late-Night Eats, Hillcrest

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