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Below its gilded sign and draped with twinkle-lights, this teeny takeout tacqueria has been offering pedestrians a short, solid menu of tacos, soups, and breakfast burritos since August 2006. (The brash interior lines only four chairs at a counter topped by religious candles and bowls of fresh-cut limes.) Bite-size meals of Mexican street food bring forth carne asada, pollo verde, chorizo, quinoa pilaf, and grilled sole stuffed into blue-corn tortillas then flavored with homemade salsa, cilantro, black beans, Monterey Jack, and sour cream. The shack’s signature drink Dragon Fuel is geared toward a late-night clientele: An iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt, this dragon’s got kick as well as fire. — Genevieve Leon