December 31, 2017

Try Yuca’s Tacos in Los Feliz Village at Yuca’s Hut

Local Stories

RestaurantInterviews

Today we’d like to introduce you to Los Feliz Village’s Yuca’s Hut.

Please tell us about how you got started in the restaurant business.
Yuca’s, as you know it today, grew out of a young immigrant’s dream and a need to feed a growing family. In search of the famous “roads paved with gold” my parents, Jaime and Socorro Herrera, left their hometown of Mérida, Yucatán in México and landed in Los Angeles without fanfare.
Conscious that the “roads paved with gold” were a parable for the opportunities available to those who worked at making their dreams a reality, my parents became serial entrepreneurs:
the Garment Industry where Mom’s skills soon got her the post of Sample Maker.
Avon, where Mom became the #1 in the Region by helping others (she created a consortium of women who weren’t able to sell the required minimum and together they made sure everyone could rise).

Each year brought a new opportunity to explore and conquer. In 1976, the opportunity came as an 8’x10′ converted shoeshine stand. Mama Yuca’s, as Mom is now known, loved the small stand and launched her dream of feeding Los Angelenos authentic Mexican food on April 1, 1976.
They didn’t speak English, know about marketing strategies, or business plans and projections. What they did know was good home cooking and how to treat customers like family. Word of their delicious cooking spread quickly, and within months Mom had to enlist the family to help her out.

Has it been a smooth road to get to where you are today?
One of my favorite stories of the impact they had on people is when the Food Critic for the L.A. Times chose to play host when her article about Yuca’s was printed. She knew my parents English was limited and that they wouldn’t be able to handle the onslaught of calls generated by the publicity so, she showed up that day and answered the phone for over 8 hours!
That center page article in the Food Section was the turning point for Yuca’s.
Other reviews followed, USA Today, GQ, New York Times…Mama Yuca’s dream had become bigger than she had ever anticipated! In 2005, that dream expanded beyond our wildest expectations when Patric Kuh, Los Angeles Magazine food writer, nominated Yuca’s for a James Beard Award. Socorro Herrera received that award in full Yucatán regional regalia in New York. Only then did she discover that many of her “regular” customers were famous L.A. chefs. The crowd loved her spunk and was soon calling her Mama.
Today, the food remains the same but Mama Yuca’s has become GrandMa.

Tell us about what makes Yuca’s Hut special or unique?
When people land at LAX, and the first thing they do is head for Yuca’s, you know that there’s something special going on at that tiny Hut.
It could be because Mama chose years ago to only buy quality meat, get her achiote spice from the old woman in her hometown, and to cook things the same way every day. The food is good and it tastes the same as it did 10, 20, or 30 years ago, but people come for more.

They come for the feeling of coming home to a place where they are loved and accepted. Where they will get advice coupled with laughter, and sometimes tough love. Where they may not know your name (chances are Mama has even given you a new one), but your “usual” is ready by the time you’ve finished paying because they saw you get out of the car and they know how you like it. Sometimes it’s only your third time coming, and you feel that specialness when people remember what you like.

There is a secret menu. It’s secret. Need to know and all that…

Most Popular Items

Yuca’s Tacos

Tasty corn tortillas filled with
Machaca (juicy shredded beef),
Carne Asada (grilled pieces of steak),
Carnitas (shredded pork), or
Cochinita Pibil (our signature dish from the Yucatán: pork slow-baked in a bed of banana leaves and achiote spices).
Topped with Yuca’s pico de gallo.
Dietary: Gluten-free
Yuca’s Burgers

What makes these burgers so good is that they share the grill with Yuca’s other goodies. The flavor meld is amazing. Try a double for 10x the flavor!

Yuca’s Carne Asada Burrito

All our burritos come with meat, beans and Yuca’s pico de gallo. Add some heat with a few drops of El Yucateco hot salsa. Nothing else needed.

Yuca’s Tamales

Also known as “Vaporcitos” or Little Vapors, these tamales are made with masa filled with seasoned ground pork, cooked in banana leaves, then garnished with a light tomato sauce.
Dietary: gluten_free

Yuca’s Vegetarian Option

Be sure to request vegetarian beans when you order! Beans, American Cheese, and Yuca’s Pico de Gallo. Something this simple shouldn’t taste soooo good.
Dietary: vegetarianParking Advice:
Street and off-street parking is available.