El Catrín excels at late-night eats

There aren’t many exciting options around town for those looking to grab dinner after 9 p.m., but thankfully, I thought outside the pizza box last weekend and ordered some takeout from El Catrín Tacos and More with a friend.

Open until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. every other night, El Catrín offers a variety of familiar Mexican food favorites with a Southern California spin — big burritos, street tacos, birria ramen and elote, to name a few. I’m a slave to the nacho, so my choice was obvious and immediate, while my friend, who avoids pork and beef, went for the fish tacos.

As soon as I grabbed the takeout bag off the restaurant’s counter, I was pleased. It’s nice when you’re starving and your meal feels particularly heavy. Once safely nestled in a dark basement in front of a seasonally appropriate horror movie, we dug in.

The nachos were everything I wanted them to be: chips smothered in queso, ground beef, beans, pico de gallo and a very generous portion of guacamole, all dusted with cotija cheese and drizzled with sour cream. I usually prefer melted shredded cheese on a nacho, but El Catrin’s queso left nothing to be desired. It was slightly smoky, just a little spicy and paired beautifully with the perfectly seasoned ground beef and creamy guac. The pico could have been fresher but still served its purpose, and I was thrilled to see pickled jalapenos, which I prefer over fresh ones. The chips, though, were probably the best part. Crispy, thin and clearly fresh out of the fryer, they were the best I’ve had in a while.

My friend and I often order the exact same thing, but when we don’t, we always share bites. So, I can comment on the fish tacos as well. What I liked most was the fact that they came on corn tortillas when I almost always see them (albeit in non-Mexican restaurants) on flour. The tortillas weren’t as fresh as my chips, but the flavor was rich and wonderfully, well, corny. Again, the pico lacked some snappiness, but the fish itself was very tasty and very satisfying when combined with the other components, including the zesty hot sauce, of which I only tried the mild version.

“Nachos are so lovely you get to dig around … make choices … learn about yourself and others.” So says one of my all-time favorite tweets, and El Catrín provides an excellent opportunity to explore this truth. I’m going to have to investigate that birria ramen, too.