NAUGLES on Beach Boulevard in Stanton.

By John M. Borack/Special to The Tribune

I’ve always been a sucker for culinary nostalgia: restaurants such as Farrell’s Ice Cream
Parlour (remember the Zoo and the Pig’s Trough?) and Bob’s Big Boy have always held
an appeal that goes beyond the dishes they serve. These sorts of eateries always bring
to mind good times with family and friends and sometimes wistful memories of the past.

(For example, I vividly recall frequenting three local Big Boy restaurants in the San
Gabriel Valley with my parents and childhood pals.)

Another establishment that is currently trading on this sort of nostalgia is of the fast-food
variety: Naugles. The fondly remembered Mexican-American chain operated locations
in several states (including California) during the ‘70s and ‘80s until most of them were
converted to Del Taco restaurants by the early ’90s.

In 2015, an Orange County-based
entrepreneur named Christian Ziebarth worked with a few others to revive the Naugles
brand, which led to the opening of a brand-new location in an industrial park in Fountain
Valley. Five years later came the opening of a Stanton location, located on the site of
the former Mad Greek restaurant. (An Artesia location came and went in the blink of an
eye in 2023.)

I recently stopped at the Stanton location for a quick bite on a Tuesday afternoon. I was
greeted by a friendly cashier who cheerfully took my order of an Ortega Burger and a
cheese burrito (and called me “dear” several times in the process). The food was
prepared quickly and was served hot and tasted fresh. The Ortega Burger includes an
all-beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, white sauce, tomato and a sweet
green Anaheim Chile.

It was definitely very tasty and brought back memories of those
good old days. (The new Naugles does their best to replicate the original recipes they
used back in the day.)

The star of the show, though, was the cheese burrito. It sounds simple enough: heaps
of grated cheese and sauce inside a tortilla, but the taste is sublime. The green sauce is
tangy and flavorful without being too spicy and it serves as a perfect complement to the
warm, gooey cheese. 10 out of 10.

The Stanton Naugles also has a drive-thru, which is great for those who are on the go.
There is not a ton of seating inside the restaurant; as a matter of fact, there is only one
table and a bunch of counter seats. (There are also several tables outside if you don’t
mind the constant Beach Boulevard traffic noise.)

I sat at the indoor table, which had a piece of bright red duct tape covering what must have been a rip in the booth.

But if you’re looking for but good old fashioned Mexican fast food with a side of
nostalgia, ignore the lack of atmosphere and head over to Naugles. They are located at
12120 Beach Blvd. in Stanton and their website is http://www.nauglestacos.com.