tacos in century city?

I get the question now and then..”where can I get a decent street taco near Century City?” On the surface it sounds like a totally ridiculous request. But I wanted to find out how ridiculous it was and after getting some taco intelligence from a local informant I set out to sample the street taco fare in the area.

My source told me of three day time taco trucks near century city so I set off to check them out.

Tacos El Pastor



First up was a truck parked in front of the Blue Sky Car Wash at the Northeast corner of Westwood and Santa Monica blvd named Tacos El Pastor. The clientele was made up of mainly car wash employees and local construction workers who don’t feel like dropping an Alexander Hamilton at Eduardo’s Border grill. Eduardo’s is good but a two taco combo plate and a drink shouldn’t cost 10 bucks.

I'm always cautious when a taco truck doesn’t have a menu. A catering truck is a pretty expensive endeavor..why the secret menu? I’m also kind’ve paranoid...is there no menu so the local workers can get the good deal and my white ass gets hosed?



The tacos came on medium sized tortillas with a salsa verde. The tacos had alot of meat in them but give me quality over quantity . These tacos were horrific. The meat was so fatty and flabby it had Richard Simmons on speed dial. I got through half of each taco before I wanted to T.O myself. The damage? two tacos and a jarritos $4.50 . Ouch.


Century West Car Wash



Next I made my way to a truck parked at the car wash at Pico and Beverly next to the Century West Car Wash. Upon a closer look this wasn’t your classic taco truck, more of a do it all lunch truck serving everything from burritos to pastrami and burgers. A few workers from the car wash were enjoying seafood tostadas that looked really good. The menu had three tacos on it :ground beef, carnitas and carne asada. I ordered the carne asada and carnitas. Tacos were $1.50 each.



Both tacos came with a pico de gallo and avocado sauce. The carnitas also came with carmelized onions. The asada while not fatty was just very bland and tasteless. The carnitas was really good though . The pork was tender and browned on both sides . But the avocado sauce was too dominant, it just overwhelemed everything.
Like I said..this isn’t really a “taco truck” and more of a do it all lunch truck. Something on the grill smelled really good and the people kept lining up so give it a go but I can’t recommend the tacos.


Paloma Selestial



By the time I got to the cemitas poblanas truck parked outside the washington mutual at Overland and Pico I was really dying for an authentic LA taco. This truck’s name is Paloma Selestial but my source referred to it as "tacos wamu". The signature dish here is the cemita poblana de milanesa. It’s a sandwich with a domed roll, thin breaded beef, slices of avocado and a chipotle pepper. You can order the sandwich with any type of meat but the milanesa seems to be the most popular.



I ordered carnitas, al pastor and carne asada. Tacos were $1 each. The carnitas and al pastor hit the spot. The carnitas was salted shredded pork on top of well oiled tortillas, and the al pastor a stewed blend of pork and onions with lots of flavor. The asada was decent but it was a bit pulverized and lacked the juicyness and flavor of good carne asada. All three tacos came with an excellent salsa roja that reminded me of King Taco’s famous red sauce, the difference being it was much lighter and not a total assault on your senses.



This is a popular lunch hour truck that can get quite busy. They park at two different locations. Between 11:30 and 3:30 at the Wamu and then move about a mile east at the corner of Pico and Manning in front of the Pep Boys where they stay til around 7pm.



So yes you can get a good LA taco near Century City. Who knew? Not me...but now I do..and so do you my little taco conquistadors.

El Tapatio

Burbank may be the media capitol of LA but it is mostly a taco wasteland. Aside from the excellent Fiesta Taco on Hollywood Wy it’s slim pickens in this east valley city. It seems the farther from the major studios you get the better your chances are of finding an authentic taco. There’s a couple taqueria’s in east burbank I’ve heard good things about. El Tapatio is one of them.

El Tapatio at Alameda and San Fernanado serves up authentic tacos at $1 a pop. The usual suspect of meats topped with a spicy salsa roja and a free side of chips and salsa. Three tacos and a tamarindo sets you back 4 bucks and change which sure beats the corporate offerings of baja fresh and la salsa.



I ordered carnitas, asada and al pastor and enjoyed my tacos in the laid back patio area. The free chips and salsa were a nice touch.

The carnitas and al pastor shined with the salsa roja . The carnitas shredded and soft, the al pastor a blend of seasonings and juicy goodness. The asada was disapointing however..the beef was bland and unseasoned and a bit fatty. I only got through the asada taco because I drenched it in the salsa. The salsa isn’t crazy spicy but the tamarindo came in handy after I chomped down a couple jalapenos.



If you’re in burbank this is a place to check out. Quite a large menu with everything from tacos, burritos, and tortas to chile verde, enchiladas, and mariscos. All quite affordable as well.



926 S San Fernando Blvd
Burbank, CA 91502
Tacos $1

NYLON Magazine

NYLON is a NY based fashion and culture magazine. Their latest issue is all about Los Angeles: the music, the food, the culture, the fashion and of course tacos.

They asked me to do a write up on some of my favorite LA taco spots. There’s so many excellent taco establishments in LA and it’s always hard to nail down a top 5 but I think these are essential destinations for taco lovers. Keep in mind this list was written a couple months ago and several of the taco trucks I’ve been to since could easily have landed on this list.



Also fellow taco hound Peter at Clueless and Slightly Slack informs me that el pecas #2 has changed their name to El Chato.

Tacos La Fonda

photo courtesy of Joshinthe818

The road to taco bliss is paved with good intentions. I opened up my big mouth and declared tacos zorro the king of the valley. This contention was challenged by someone who goes by the name of "the taco duder”. I recieved the cryptic note via email “ car wash - vineland and vanowen- tacos la fonda for the best tacos in the valley, not tacos zorro”

So I took up the challenge and rolled into east valley searching for the famed tacos la fonda.



When I got to the taco wagon a line was formed with a sweet senorita standing outside the wagon with a pen and pad taking orders. I ordered the trifecta- carnitas, asada, al pastor and a lime jarritos. The cooks chopped meats and flipped tortillas as the orders kept coming. It wasn’t too long before my plate of tacos were ready and to my delight each taco came with a single homemade corn tortilla.

Quite a few salsas to choose from with a salsa verde, salsa roja, pico de gallo, and even sour cream. I opted for the salsa roja which looked like it could bring the heat.



The meats were top notch. The carnitas soft and seasoned had the right amount of porkyness and the al pastor while not from a rotating spit was soft and peppered with a sweet and tasty glaze. The carne asada was chopped fine with a strong dry rub of tasty seasonings and lots of juicyness. But it's the salsa roja that takes these tacos to such great heights. The smokeyness, the spicyness, the bold flavors and the juices from the meats that swim together with the salsa to make such a flavoful broth for the tortillas hechas a mano to soak up.



The crisp grilled onions were delicious and a testament to the cooks attention to detail. When that much attention is given to the minor details you know alot of thought goes into each part of the taco.

So the taco duder got me. I admit it...these tacos are the best I've had in the valley so far and when considering the city as a whole I'm not sure there's a better taco out there. These tacos definitely belong in the discussion when it comes to the best tacos in LA.



tacos la fonda is at Vineland and Vanowen, San Fernando Valley
tacos $1.25

Rate Tacos La Fonda

El Taco Llama

Shame on me for jumping to conclusions. I've recieved enough email from people saying that indeed the El Taco Llama on Magnolia in NoHo is still open.



So I suggest everyone head on over there and try the carne asada and al pastor and their killer salsa roja.

sorry el taco llama!!!

El Quick Taco

When you want a quick taco head to El Quick Taco. Parked on the Northwest corner of 6th and Rampart El Quick Taco boasts one of the best taco deals in the city. Tacos are two for $1.50



I ordered carne asada and carnitas and dressed my tacos with salsa from the containers in the ice compartment. Roja for the carne asada, verde on the carnitas.



A squirt of lime over the carnitas and I dug in. The first taste was the salsa verde. The spice hits your nostrils, the raw jalapeno peppers, the cilantro, a hint of avocado. A complex and delicious creation and possibly the best salsa verde I’ve had on this taco hunt. The pork was fried and crunchy, a little chewy at times but the verde was so delicious it covered any weakness the taco may have had.



The salsa roja had a creamy texture and was very tomatoey with not much spice. The charred carne asada was juicy and flavorful but the salsa didn't go well with the beef. I like a salsa to make me reach for a cold beverage. This roja had some interesting flavor to it but it was too mild for this taco reporter.

Overall these were good tacos. I'll be back to try the al pastor and cabeza and for the delicious salsa verde.



El Quick Taco 6th st and Rampart, LA
Tacos 2 for $1.50

El taco Llama calls it quits?

I got a phone call from my friend and taco fanatic Kiwi Simmons. She was upset because a friend of hers said that the El Taco Llama on Magnolia in North Hollywood had closed down. Now not being one to take news from second hand sources I decided to do some taco hunting in the valley to lay rest to this rumor. Well shit..El Taco Llama was locked up at 7pm. Not just locked up but bolted down like GITMO.So yeah this El Taco Llama has either changed their hours or they have decided to quit the taco community.
There are other El Taco Llama's but this was my favorite.

In other news...



One of my favorite sites Polar Inertia has a taco truck t-shirt. Polar Inertia is a photography and urban design site that has loads of information on LA taco trucks and LA food stands.

Oh and Sign the save taco truck petition!

El Delfin Jr

There are thousands of taco trucks in LA . Not all of them are good. Some of them suck actually. Ordinarily I would feel bad about telling someone they suck and even though I’m not telling them to their face that they suck I still feel bad for pointing it out. But I’m a taco reporter not a motivational speaker. So I’m sorry if anyone from El Delfin Jr hears through the grapevine that the taco bandini has brought the hammer down(highly unlikely, nobody reads this stuff)

There’s a reason I put lettuce on notice. Lettuce has no business on a street taco(or inside a burrito for that matter) If your taco has lettuce there’s a good chance it’s there to hide something. That was the case at El Delfin jr at the corner of Mariposa and 8th st near Koreatown. I ordered my staple, carne asada and al pastor and boy were these tacos a disaster.



The al pastor was crumbled undercooked ground pork with a sour gamey flavor with bits of pork fat in every bite. The asada was pretty awful as well. More than half the taco was gristle and the rest of the meat lacked any flavor whatsoever. No salsa roja on earth could have hidden the flaws of these tacos.


al pastor?

The bar has been raised high by many of LA's excellent taco trucks. I'll put LA's taco trucks up against any other city.LA is the taco truck capitol of the country. However that doesn't mean every taco truck in LA is on top of their game.




El Delfin Jr 8th st and Mariposa Ave, Los Angeles. Tacos $1

Tacos El Primo

Having previously reported on the taco trucks outside the "R" Ranch market I decided to head back to check out the taco wagon that parks on the Northeast side of W Adams and Redondo Ave. While the other two trucks in this area operate during the day and night, Tacos El Primo rolls into a dirt alley behind the vacant lot on the Northeast side of the street everynight at around 5pm.



Other than the street art which adds some character this vacant lot is a disaster. Broken down fences, abandoned shopping carts and trash liter the area. One has to wonder why City Hall is so worried about clamping down on the taco truck culture when there are so many other important issues to deal with. I’ve been all over the city on this taco journey and sadly there are many run down areas of the city that are being neglected.



The fellas at Tacos El Primo are on their game though with a rotating al pastor spit for the pork and a cylinder grill for braising asada and other cuts of beef. The smell of grilled onions and chiles filled the air as I looked over the choice of meats - asada, al pastor, cabeza, lengua, buche.

I ordered asada, cabeza, al pastor and watched as the cook cut slices of pork from the spit next to a small pile of grilled onions mixing the pork and onions together and then scooping them up into the tortillas.



My tacos came with a grilled onion and a red jalapeno, a nice touch. I didn’t eat the onion but I just like having a big grilled onion on my plate for some reason. There was also a help yourself salsa bar attached to the wagon with a tasty salsa roja de chile arbol and tomatillo salsa verde as well as onions, cilantro and radishes.

The cabeza was somewhat fatty but didn’t have the gamey flavor I’ve had with some cabeza. It wasnt as good as the cabeza from Chatos Tacos but it had some good qualities.



The carne asada was very soft, the excess grease from the beef soaked into the tortillas with the salsa adding the proper balance.

The al pastor was the best out of the three. The carmelized onions and slices of soft pork were excellent. The spicy chile arbol neautralized the sweetness of the pork and the toasted corn tortillas were sturdy enough to hold it all together.

The corner of Redondo ave and W Adams is somewhat of a taco colony. I’d probably rate Tacos El Primo’s al pastor slightly better than Leo’s across the street but I may need to try them both again on the same day for a definitive answer on that.

After eating my tacos at El Primo I walked across the street to Don Jose and ordered a carnitas taco. I was previously disapointed with Don Jose and the carnitas didn’t change that opinion. It was literally a gob of warm pork fat.

If you want to check out all three trucks wait until after 5pm but if it’s mid-day and you’re jonesing for a taco Leo’s and Don Jose will be there as early as 11am.



Tacos El Primo is at Redondo Ave and West Adams. Tacos $1 each

Rate Tacos El Primo

Tacos El Korita

When a fellow taco hound emailed me and said they make the trip all the way from Agoura hills to a taco truck in East LA called Tacos El Korita I knew I was in for something special.

So thursday afternoon I made my way east out of downtown LA in search of this glorious truck. It was just after 5pm when I made it to East Olympic Blvd. Taco trucks started popping up everywhere, a mariscos truck in a parking lot with a tent and table setup, a taco wagon across the street. As tempting as it was to pull over at the first taco truck in view I was in search for the famed Tacos El Korita.




I order the taco trifecta - asada, carnitas, and al pastor. A hunk of pork twisted on a vertical spit, a tortilla press clamped next to the grill with the cook forming fresh masa into the press and then tossing the fresh corn tortillas on to the grill. Tubs of salsas and condiments- marinated carrots, jalapenos, a salsa verde, roja and pico de gallo were set on the counter attached to the truck.



Everything starts with the tortillas hecho a mano(homemade). The carnes are excellent and skillfully prepared but it is the homemade tortillas that leave the lasting impression. The carnitas had a crunchy texture and a soft moist center, the asada charred and peppered and the al pastor packed with juicy chunks of seasoned pork.All were delicious and complimented by an intense roja that brought the heat and a smokey salsa verde that complimented the carnitas perfectly.



The salsas reminded me of king taco, especially the verde. The roja wasn’t as thick as the King’s but it’s intensity and flavor rivaled some of the best roja’s i’ve had on this taco journey.

The strip of east olympic off the 710 and 5 freeway is a taco mecca. The trail of taco trucks culminates where the 710 and 5 meet with a massive King Taco that looms large over the taco landscape. This is the major leagues where only the big players in the taco scene lay down their taco fare.



Tacos El Korita is at East Olympic Blvd and Herbert Ave, East LA
4pm to 12am weekdays
4pm to 2am weekends
Tacos $1.25