A tamale tucked into a neon arrow gives La Tolteca in Azusa a roadside introduction with its own menu suggestion. The arrow handles directions, while the tamale gives hungry motorists something to think about. Fortunately, the familiar sign moved along with the restaurant up Azusa Avenue. 09-10
Ben Arrietta Sr. started the business in 1948 as a corn tortilla factory. The family added a small dining area in 1967, expanded in 1981, and moved to its present home in 2008. Apparently customers kept finding reasons to stay for a meal.
An unverified tale describes a rolling pin thumping against a preparation table before dawn, stopping when the kitchen lights come on. Really? Perhaps breakfast needed an early start.
UPDATE: La Tolteca remains open on North Azusa Avenue, with the Arrietta family continuing its tortilla-making and restaurant traditions. The business reaches 78 years in 2026. 10-26
Gay and Larry's (Demolished)
Rubidoux, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A floating sombrero gave Gay and Larry’s in Rubidoux a restaurant announcement worth looking up for. Apparently an ordinary rectangular sign wasn’t going to provide enough shade. The oversized hat put some imagination into the roadside greeting, even for motorists who weren’t ready for dinner.
Unfortunately, the building eventually met the bulldozer. Losing the restaurant also meant losing a distinctive piece of neighborhood scenery, the sort of landmark people remembered when giving directions.
An unverified tale describes a sombrero-shaped shadow spreading across the pavement on foggy winter nights, despite the old sign being gone. Think this is true? Perhaps the hat wasn’t quite ready to leave.
UPDATE: Gay and Larry’s is demolished. Its floating sombrero remains a memorable part of Rubidoux’s roadside restaurant history, recalling a time when even the signs dressed for dinner. 10-26
Puerto Vallarta (Gone)
Pomona, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The name Puerto Vallarta might suggest beaches and ocean breezes, but this Pomona restaurant’s marquee offered a different introduction. Its angular outline put the emphasis on catching passing eyes rather than recreating a seaside vacation. Apparently dinner didn’t require a trip to the coast.
The sign’s unusual geometry gave the business something beyond plain lettering. For roadside visitors, those shapes could be worth a second look before getting around to the restaurant name itself.
An unverified tale describes an old cash register ringing in an otherwise quiet building, accompanied by the aroma of sizzling onions. True story? Hopefully the invisible customer remembered to pay.
UPDATE: Puerto Vallarta’s distinctive marquee is gone. 10-26
Taco Tio (Closed)
La Mirada, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A green, multi-stem cactus gave Taco Tio in La Mirada a roadside introduction that was hard to overlook. Along the Firestone Boulevard frontage road beside Interstate 5, the sign advertised hamburgers and Mexican food, while an “EASY OFF / ON RAMP” panel reassured hungry freeway travelers. Apparently even a quick taco stop needed directions.
The cactus supported a trapezoidal sign cabinet with cursive lettering and vertical stripes, giving the restaurant considerably more personality than an ordinary pole sign. Taco Tio belonged to a regional fast-food chain associated with the 1960s and 1970s, when tacos, burritos, and hamburgers could share the same ordering window.
The restaurant closed in the 1980s, and the property became a used commercial truck lot. Its cactus remained above the inventory into the late 1990s and early 2000s. Fortunately, nobody expected it to start advertising diesel engines.
UPDATE: The cactus sign has been removed. The former Taco Tio site was subsequently overhauled during Interstate 5 widening and frontage-road realignment between Carmenita Road and Valley View Avenue, ending the landmark’s long roadside afterlife. 10-26
King Taco
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Whether stopping for dinner or a quick snack, King Taco gives Los Angeles motorists a familiar reason to pull over. Apparently becoming taco royalty didn’t require a castle.
Raúl and Lupe Martínez started the business in 1974 with a converted ice cream truck named La Güera. Their Cypress Park restaurant followed in 1975, where Lupe developed the famous salsa roja. King Taco also began serving racing fans at the Long Beach Grand Prix in 1994.
An unverified tale describes an old truck engine idling in an empty parking area before dawn, accompanied by the aroma of cooking meat. Really? Perhaps La Güera still had one more round to make.
UPDATE: King Taco continues operating across Southern California. Its original Cypress Park restaurant received Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument designation in 2026, recognizing its place in the city’s food history. 10-26
El Speedy (Demolished)
North Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
A cactus-shaped sign and an amusing cartoon character gave El Speedy in North Hollywood a roadside greeting with some movement to it. Apparently advertising Mexican food called for a little more energy than standing around beneath the restaurant name. 03-07
The combination made this neighborhood eatery worth noticing even before hunger entered the picture. A cactus supplied the outline, while the character added personality. Together, they gave passing motorists something more entertaining than a plain menu announcement.
Signs like this are part of what makes exploring the Valley’s smaller restaurants worthwhile. A modest food stop can have a marquee that puts considerably larger businesses to shame. Sometimes the best roadside attraction is right above the ordering window.
El Speedy (Demolished)
North Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
An unverified tale describes tiny paws scratching across hollow metal after closing time. True story? Perhaps the fellow on the sign hadn’t finished running his nightly errands.
UPDATE: El Speedy’s cactus marquee remains remembered among North Hollywood’s distinctive restaurant signs, recalling the days when signs like these were around. The place was demolished for a McDonalds. 10-26
A tamale tucked into a neon arrow gives 
Gay and Larry's (Demolished)
Puerto Vallarta (Gone)
Taco Tio (Closed)
El Speedy (Demolished)
El Speedy (Demolished)
