Danny's Tacos - Downtown LA

It’s a strange thing keeping a blog. Because even though you can see how many people visit your blog, you never really know how many people actually read your blog, or if anyone actually reads it at all. How many read the whole article? How many just look at the photos? How many typed in something dirty before taco and ended up here? Today I checked my blog stats and so far this month I’ve had 975 hits from Ukraine. I know, Ukraine is weak; it’s a sitting duck.

I walked from my office to the corner of Olympic and Grand. That’s where Danny’s taco truck has parked for years now. And yet I’ve strangely never been. Why is this? Give me some vague coordinates of a taco truck in East LA and I’m on it. But tell me about a taco truck I work five minutes from and you’ll have to twist my arm for months.


tacos $1.25 each

So I finally went. I ordered three tacos: chorizo, carnitas, and carne asada. The tortillas were homemade which was good. The salsa roja had some heat to it as well. But they weren’t great tacos. The meat was average. The chorizo was your typical sad state of affairs, greasy and pointless. The carnitas was dry and the carne asada bland. The orange soda really hit the spot though.

While walking back to my office I got a text from a friend asking if I had plans for the night. I said I didn't and he replied back asking if I wanted to look for an outlaw taco cart that sets up outside a church somewhere in City Terrace in East LA. Of course I said yes.

2.5/5

1000 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Neighborhood: Downtown

Paloma Selestial - Pico & Sepulveda, West LA

Sometimes all you need is a couple of tacos, a grilled jalapeno, a bottle of Mexican coke, and the sun in your face.

They don’t even have to be great tacos. They just have to be good enough not put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day.



And if they are good enough you may wave to the man inside the truck as you leave. If they are real good you may lay a buck on the counter.


tacos carne asada $1.25 each

You know that you’ll never find a great taco truck on the Westside. Whether it’s just the lack of competition or some unwritten law in the taco cosmos that says for great street tacos one must head east. So you get over it.

3/5

Cemitas Poblanas Paloma Selestial
Pico and Sepulveda
West LA 90064
tacos $1.25

taco wire - Rambo's Tacos, 10 Great Tacos in OC

Taco Tuesday: Norma's Barbacoa de Res - [The LA Beat]

Los Angeles: Rambo's Tacos Puts Up a Fight in Eagle Rock - [Serious Eats]

Cochinita Pibil Taco Fight: La Cabanita vs Chichen Itza [Squid Ink]

Tacos y Carnitas Sahuayo: Follow Your Nose [OC Weekly]

10 Great Tacos in Orange County [OC Weekly]

Tacos Monchis - Arleta

When I look at the map of the taco trucks I have covered so far on this blog the San Fernando Valley seems to be neglected. Yeah the Eastside is where a lot of the action is but for me the SFV is totally unexplored territory. There’s no dominant player in the SFV like there is on the Eastside, which makes it all the more interesting. So I paid the SFV a visit.

It was late at night and I had been driving around for a while. My iPod was turned to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and I drifted through the streets as gracefully as one does behind the wheel of a couple tons of rubber and steel. The streets were dark and I felt like I was completely lost, both physically and in the music. I thought about the old days when I barely knew any part of the city and would just drive around until I saw the flashing lights of a taco truck. And then out beyond the traffic light I saw a flashing taco sign mounted to the roof of a wagon. I had no choice but to acquiesce.

There were a couple of other gents waiting for their tacos. They were surprised to see me. Everyone is always surprised to see me. Not that they knew I was a taco reporter, although it’s possible they did, because of the photo taking and all, but I think they were more surprised to see the guero who looks like he took a wrong turn somewhere off Sepulveda.


chorizo, al pastor, carne asada $1.25 each

I ordered chorizo, carne asada, and al pastor. My tacos came topped with a bean tostada, which is customary with SFV taco trucks. I ate the bean tostada before snapping the photo then noticed that some of the beans had escaped. Their defiance only bought them a few seconds more of freedom as I devoured all but one of them with my first taco. The remaining bean I flicked off into the night as a warning to any future beans that have thoughts of mutiny.

The thinly sliced cucumbers were a nice touch. As for the tacos they were above average. The tortillas were nicely oiled; the asada had good flavor and was missing those fatty bits that so often can ruin a taco. The chorizo actually had a sausage-like texture. I think I enjoyed this taco the most. As for the al pastor it was edible but far too oniony. The salsa, a mix of guajillo chile and chile arbol was spicy enough but some variety of different salsas would have been preferred.

I drove around a little more but the night was growing old on me. I felt like a cold beer more than I did another taco. And I wasn’t having any luck anyway. So I got back on the 5 freeway and headed home.

3/5

Tacos Monchis
Nordhoff St (2 blocks east of Woodman)
Arleta, Los Angeles 91331

Rate Tacos Monchis

Tacos El Gallito- La Brea and Venice

Tacos El Gallito parks at the corner of La Brea and Venice day and night. The first time I went it was daytime. I ordered three tacos and a grape soda. Then I took a few bites of my tacos and wondered what had happened to Tacos El Gallito. The tacos were terrible. The meats were dry and flavorless; the tortillas were wilted; the salsas were bland.



I put off blogging about the experience. Weeks passed by and I heard that El Gallito had started cooking carne asada on a charcoal grill at night outside their truck. I figured they deserved a second chance so I went back.




When I arrived they had just pulled the carne asada off the charcoal grill. The meat goes from the grill into a tin container then is taken inside the truck where it is chopped up. It’s a difficult setup but it’s understandable given recent city crackdowns.



There was a good size crowd. It wasn’t Taco Leo, which from across the street looked like a small taco riot but there was a steady flow of patrons. That’s a must when taco trucking at night; all the good trucks have a crowd.

It took awhile to get my carne asada tacos. Ideally you would want that carne chopped up right after coming off the grill then scooped up into corn tortillas then garnished. But these were pretty good anyways and had a nice charcoal taste. The meat was much better than it was during the day; so were the salsas. The salsa bar was stocked with four different salsas: roja, verde, avocado, pico de gallo as well as all the fixins: radishes, onions,cilantro,and limes.

El Gallito has been moving westward the last couple years with outposts at La Cienega and Venice, another at La Cienega and Sawyer and recently at Westwood and Santa Monica Blvd. Eventually I’ll get to them all.

3/5 for the carne asada

Tacos El Gallito
La Brea and Venice Blvd
12pm until late night
tacos $1.25

Rate Tacos El Gallito

El Antojo - County USC

I was meeting someone but took a wrong turn when I saw El Antojo. I was early and hungry and I remembered someone emailing me about a taco truck that parks near County USC. It was too good to pass up.






I ordered carne asada, adobada, and chorizo. My tacos came garnished with onions, cilantro and a splash of salsa roja. The grilled serrano pepper was a nice touch. I expected a taco truck at this location to be a little pricier but these were only $1 each. Another pleasant surprise was the flavor. These tasted like Eastside tacos. The kind that taste better than they actually are after you’ve lubricating yourself all night. But I was sober and these were delicious.



El Antojo parks in front of USC county hospital during the daytime. Would I drive out of my way for El Antojo? Probably not. But if I ever get checked into County USC someone is going to be making a taco run.

3/5

El Antojo
1640 Marengo
in front of County USC
Los Angeles, CA 90033

Rate El Antojo

Cemitas Poblanas Juniors - East LA

I’m officially addicted to tacos arabes. And I probably haven’t even had a proper traditional one yet. But the tacos arabes I have been eating from Cemitas Poblanas Juniors(Olympic Blvd and Rowan Ave,East LA) are all the tradition I need.



The pork is stir fried with onions in a light sauce then wrapped into a flour tortilla. And that’s it. No salsa, no cilantro, no rice; nothing else. These are like burritos and at $2.50 each they are a bargain.



I ordered a carne asada taco and a taco arabe. A mole type salsa came on the plate. I assumed it was for the taco arabe. The carne asada was decent but an afterthought after I bite into the taco arabe. After a few bites I drizzled some of the mole on to the taco arabe. It was okay but I preferred the simplicity of just the pork and onions.





I ordered a couple more tacos arabe. These ones were piping hot and required a tricky dance to get through. But they were beautiful and with the sun in my face and a cold bottle of Mexican coke I must have been the envy of every car passing by.

Cemitas Poblanas Juniora
Olympic Blvd and Rowan Ave,East LA
tacos $1
tacos arabes $2.50

3.5/5

Rate Cemitas Poblanas Juniors

Cemitas Tepeaca - East LA

Now that I’ve been back in LA I’ve had the itch to get back on the taco beat. But there is the matter of blogging about all the tacos I had prior to going out of town. Ideally my preference is to write about the tacos I eat either that day or the day after. The experience is fresher in my mind. Did I like the tacos? If I didn’t like the tacos maybe something happened at the truck I could write about. It’s LA where all walks of life go to taco trucks: low life degenerates, weirdos, hipsters, preppies, the criminally insane, food bloggers, laborers, immigrants, day-trippers, white collar, blue collar, no collar. If you pay attention you could blog just about what happens at taco trucks.



I went to the Cemitas Tepeaca truck two blocks south of Atlantic Blvd on Beverly in East LA a couple months ago. There are a few trucks under this name. I’ve reviewed the one in Boyle Heights. There’s also one that parks across from Los Cinco Puntos on Cesar Chavez. I’ll try that one soon too.

I haven’t found that many taco trucks in this area of East LA. The area around Atlantic and Beverly has become more modernized with strip malls and chain stores. Strip malls have no imagination. They suck out the soul of a city. You can see the city losing its romance. You can feel it viscerally. Sometimes though all it takes is a drive through the winding streets of somewhere like City Terrace and you can feel the romance again. Not of a lover, but of a real city. Yeah, maybe the walls have graffiti and the buildings are run down but at least it is the people's template.



My plate came loaded up with all kinds of goodies: a grilled jalapeno, limes, radishes, pickled onions and carrots. The meat was packed into small tortillas. The chorizo was greasy with little crisp bits of tasty sausage. Each taco came with a dollop of a great spicy salsa roja (they ask if you want green or red). Any faults the meats had were masked by everything else going on. For one of the beef tacos, I went what a friend of mine coined “the full bandini” and just rolled everything inside: some pickled onions, a jalapeno, and a slice of carrot. It was delicious.

They serve tacos arabes and of course the cemita poblana but you’re better off just letting them load your plate up with $1 tacos and if you’re lucky a nice blistering orange jalapeno.

3.5/5

Cemitas Tepeaca
S. Atlantic and E. Beverly
East Los Angeles
90022
Tacos $1

Tacos El Tito - Gardena

In two days time I head to New York for a week to put NYC on notice. But I’m still in Los Angeles so I thought it wouldn’t be right to leave the city without one last taco report. The truth is I’ve been eating tacos like a mad man the last few months and have a ridiculous amount of photos and notes waiting to be shaped into blog form. I should have been blogging like a mad man but instead I just stare at the blank screen and listen to Arcade Fire.

Tacos El Tito is a little taco trailer that parks at the corner of Vermont and 167 St in Gardena. In a neighborhood with very few street taco options El Tito is pretty consistent. The first time I ate at El Tito I was pretty sure they overcharged me. But this time I made sure they knew I was from the Internet and I was only charged $1 a taco.

The tacos came packed with meat on two medium sized tortillas. The al pastor wasn’t cut from the spit and was pretty forgettable.. The asada and the chicken (yes chicken) though were more my fancy. The asada for simple reasons; the greasy beef with the onions and chile salsa was just a classic LA taco. The beef may not have been of the highest quality but the salsa roja had enough punch to make me reach for my cold bottle of Mexican coke.



I never order chicken from a taco truck but I got a tip from a source that said El Tito makes a pretty good chicken taco. It was the same source that tipped me on Tacos Tamix, one of LA’s best al pastor spits. The pollo, a taco made of shredded chicken tinga had great flavor. Chicken tinga is a rarity at LA taco trucks. If you’re at El Tito skip the al pastor for the pollo.



The bowls of nopales and habanero, cucumber and red onions on the table looked a bit peculiar and out of place. For someone that eats from taco trucks I can be neurotic about something as simple as where a bowl is placed. If these garnishes were in tubs next to the salsas on the trailer I likely would have had some. But there was something grimy about them and the lone cucumber that had escaped that made me wary.

Well there you have it my friends. One last LA taco blog post before I head off to NYC to take the town by storm. Are you ready NYC? Can you handle this shit? You lucky bastards. Think of me as the Howard Dean of tacos. We’re going to be all over this town. We’re going to Manhattan, we’re going to Brooklyn! To Queens! We’re going to Hells Kitchen! To East Village! We’re going to the Bronx ! We’re going to Harlem and then we’re going to need lots of toilet paper!! Raaaaaaaaawwwwwr!!!!

3/5

Tacos El Tito
16702 S. Vermont Ave
Gardena, CA 90247
tacos $1

Rate Tacos El Tito

Taco Truck Rankings 6/11 - El Chato Back on Top

Friday night crowd at El Chato. The line moves quickly at LA's most popular taco truck.

El Chato has regained the top spot in the Top 20 taco truck rankings replacing Marsicos Jalisco, who held the top spot for two months. There have only been two trucks to hold the top spot but the top 5 is starting to tighten up with all five trucks within a couple decimal points of each other. Elsewhere in the top 20, Tacos Leo dropped from #7 to #10 and Kogi dropped from #18 to #20.

From this point forward the rankings will be posted bi-monthly. Under each taco truck review you will see a widget to register your vote for that truck. If you’ve been to the truck register your vote.


1. El Chato 4.6 (39)

2. Mariscos Jalisco 4.5 (30)

3.El Taki Taco 4.4 (33)

4. El Tauro Tacos 4.3 (12)

5. El Matador 4.2 (22)

6.La Golondrina (4.2 (12)

7. Tacos El Korita 4.1 (18)

8.Tacos Sinaloa 4.1 (15)

9. Tacos Leo 4.0 (37)

10.Tacos Tamix 4.0 (13)

11. La Estrella 3.8 (18)

12.La Isla Bonita 3.8 (13)

13.El Navagente 3.7 (11)

14.La Estrella- Eagle Rock 3.7 (10)

15.El Taquito Mexicano 3.6 (20)

16.Taco Zone 3.5 (22)

17.El Pique 3.5 (10)

18.Tacos El Pecas 3.4 (19)

19.Ruben's Tacos 3.3 (13)

20.Kogi 3.2 (24)

Para Tacos El Guero - South Central

Friday night is taco night in Los Angeles. Friday night is when the trompos come out. From Highland Park to Montebello to South Central the streets are alive with al pastor. The rotating spits of pork line the streets in even the grittiest parts of town and the tacos cut from them are some of the best in LA.

A few years ago it was rare to find pineapple on top of an al pastor spit in LA, but not anymore. The bulbs of onion that crowned many of LA’s al pastor spits have been replaced by the more traditional al pastor condiment. Al pastor vendors use different methods of preparation though, from the more traditional style of cutting the pork from the trompo directly on the tortilla, to the more common practice of cutting the pork from the spit on to the plancha, mixing it with grilled onions, and scooping it up with corn tortillas. The former is rare in LA, with Tacos Leo and Tacos Tamix being the only known purveyors of this method.


"mira we are going to be on the internet" ..."ayy chistoso"

They run a pretty tight operation at Tacos El Guero. One man takes the orders and handles the money, another mans the al pastor spit, while another is in charge of cooking the offals, sausage, and carne asada; all of which are cooked in a cylinder grill, except for the buche which is crisped up on a flat top grill. Inside the truck cooks prepare tortas and burritos, but the action is outside the truck; most people are here for the tacos.

On occasion the taquero cut the pork right from the spit on the tortilla but as the orders started coming at a faster rate he used the flat top next to the trompo. The pork wasn’t crisped up on the flat top. Instead, the taquero would cut a large amount of pork off the spit on to foil, then rest the foil on the flat top and make up all the tacos. This was probably not the most theatrical manner of taquero-ing, but it got the job done.



Once my tacos were ready I attempted to garnish them from the salsa tubs on the table next to the truck but I was no match for the salsa baggie lady, who for the next 10 minutes reigned over the table as if this were the Game of Salsas. Getting past her to garnish my tacos was like throwing a lamb chop past a wolf. The cups weren’t enough; she thought it necessary to ladle the salsa into the plastic bags that are meant for condiments like onions, cilantro, and radishes.

There was no pineapple on my al pastor, a fact I didn’t realize until I started eating my tacos. I may have been distracted by the fact I was in South Central (Yeah, they changed the name to South LA a few years back but it’s still South Central). Nevertheless, the al pastor was excellent .The seasoning had a little spice to it and the meat had the right balance of tender and charred bits. With so much flavor only a little dab of salsa was needed.

The carne asada was just okay. I always order at least one asada taco when I’m taco- trucking, but this time I should have gone with buche, which was being cooked up just the way I like it – dorado style. But missing out on the buche gives me another excuse to head back to the corner of Vernon and McKinley in South Central. Also, next time I won’t forget to ask for piña.

Para Tacos El Guero
Vernon and McKinnley
Los Angeles, 90011
tacos $1.25
4/5

Rate Para Tacos El Guero

La Reyna Tacos #2 - Western Ave and Romaine St

There’s a pretty good chance that at some time during the day or night you’ll see a taco truck parked in front of a Smart & Final. I don’t know what it is, but practically every Smart & Final in LA has one. There’s Tacos El Compita that parks outside the Smart & Final in downtown LA where you can get excellent tacos dorados. There’s the Pico Union Smart & Final where you’ll find Tacos El Magalon and their insane habanero onions. Then there are some of the weaker trucks in LA that try to tempt unsuspecting Smart & Final customers into trying their bad tacos. I guess there’s no rule that you have to have great tacos to park in front of a Smart & Final.



Tacos Reyna parks in front of a Smart & Final Extra which I figured was just a bigger Smart & Final. But once inside it looked like the same size as other Smart & Finals I have been in. I went in to get some cash and buy some water but I was also tempted to buy some Ramona’s bean and cheese burritos. They aren’t nearly as good as the fresh ones you can get in Gardena, but they are kind of a nostalgic snack for me. But I decided not to because I hadn’t planned on returning home until later that night and didn’t have anywhere to store them other than a friend’s house. And frozen burritos aren’t important enough that you would ask a friend if you could keep them in their freezer. It’s the kind of thing you would forget about and eventually you would have to make the decision to go get them or give your friend permission to do what they want with them. And if you aren’t all that crazy about the friend in the first place and they constantly remind you that you left some frozen burritos in their freezer. Well, it just not really worth it no matter how nostalgic a snack they are.



La Reyna Tacos is pretty worth it though. Not worth driving out of your way to, but certainly worth eating at if you're exiting the Smart & Final. The truck seems to only serve tacos, though a secret menu may include burritos, quesadillas, and tortas for all I know.

I ordered carne asada, al pastor, and a lime jarritos. The tacos came topped with onions and cilantro, and I peppered them with salsa from the squeeze bottles they had on ice. My plate also included a grilled serrano pepper and grilled onions but sadly the pepper was cold and the onions luke warm. I can’t complain about the quality of the meats, which were fine. There were no fatty bits or tough bits in either taco and both salsas had good flavor and a little spice. The beef with the salsa roja was a pretty good pairing. It was definitely a drunk man’s taco. The kind of taco you would think was the best thing you ever ate after you had been drinking pints of Stella Artois all night.

All of a sudden I wondered if this was La Reyna Tacos #2 then where was #1? I asked the gentleman that was taking the orders but my question was misunderstood. He thought I wanted another taco. I said I didn’t, that I just wanted to know where #1 was. He looked at me like I was crazy and after all I might be, but my question went unanswered. I guess if I really want to find #1 I can start by looking for other Smart & Finals.

La Reyna Tacos #2
Western and Romaine
Los Angeles 90029
tacos $1.25
2.5/5

Rate La Reyna Tacos #2

Tacos Savannah - Echo Park

Driving through Echo Park it’s not hard to tell which of the two trucks parked on Alvarado is more popular. You have Taco Zone (1342 N Alvarado St) and its taco wagon plastered with stickers from everyone from Shepard Fairy’s Andre the Giant “Obey” to Pabst Blue Ribbon. Then you have Tacos Savannah with two lonely stickers on its menu board: a 100.3 The Sound sticker and a peace sign sticker with the words “don’t tread on me”. Not exactly hipster swag. It sounds like Echo Park was infiltrated by a confused hippie.


Tacos Savannah's meager sticker collection


Taco Zone: "All your stickers are belong to me!!"


Tacos Savannah salsa containers


al pastor, chorizo, carne asada $1 each

I ordered al pastor, chorizo, and carne asada. The tubs of condiments included three salsas: roja, verde, avocado, as well as radishes, lemons, onions, and cilantro. The al pastor wasn’t helped by the too mild salsa verde but it was pretty plain anyway. Ground pork that is marinated in pinapple juice isn’t real al pastor. The chorizo was better than most chorizo I’ve had which can be too greasy. This felt like I was eating real sausage. The carne asada with the salsa roja was good enough that I ordered another. The greasy bits of steak had good flavor and no fatty bits.

The salsas at Tacos Savannah are inferior to Taco Zone’s, which to be fair are pretty damn good. But any meat-to-meat comparison would have to favor Tacos Savannah. But if you absolutely must eat from the taco truck with the best stickers then go to Taco Zone.

Tacos Savannah
Alvarado and Kent St
Eco Park 90026
tacos $1

2.5/5

Rate Tacos Savannah

Tapatios de Jalisco vs Tacos Texano - East LA

Instead of going west when getting off the 710 freeway at Olympic I headed east. All this time I’ve been going west and neglecting the east . Maybe it’s El Korita, the 50-cent tacos at El Capitan and the shrimp tacos from Mariscos Jalisco that kept me west of the 710, but east has its treasures as well. This stretch of East Olympic Blvd isn’t called the taco mecca for nothing; the boulevard is lined with sidewalk al pastor spits. At one point there was one at every block. I was tempted to pull over but since I’m on a mission to eat from every taco truck in LA I was looking for something on wheels.




carne asada & al pastor $1 each

The first truck I came to was Tapatios de Jalisco. The tacos here tasted similar to Tacos El Galuzo and Tacos Arandez, which is a good thing. I like that my tacos came garnished with minced onions, cilantro, and salsa, but the salsa could have been spicier. The grilled onions were nice but a grilled jalapeno would have really won me over. The al pastor is cut from the spit then griddled. It has a nice crispness to it with tender bits of pork; no pineapple though. The carne asada was finely chopped and mixed well with the onions and salsa. I really should have asked for a jalapeno to go with it.



About a half-mile east on Olympic I found Tacos Texano. This truck had more people at it, which may be due to the variety of salsas and condiments they offer. The containers were stocked with three salsas: roja, verde, avocado salsa, and plenty of other stuff including: pinto beans, radishes, cucumbers, onions and cilantro. The onions and cilantro were in separate bins, which is a little pet peeve of mine.





I ordered suadero, carne asada, and al pastor. The best of the three was the asada, which had nice meaty bits of well-seasoned steak. Next time I’d pair all three tacos with the salsa verde, which was spicier and more flavorful than the salsa roja. I love a good spicy salsa verde and this one didn’t disappoint. The suadero(pork rib) was just ok; a little too dry for my taste, and the al pastor was a little too sweet, but still enjoyable. I’m not sure if this Tacos El Texano is related to the one in Boyle Heights, though the flavors are somewhat similar. Between Tacos Texano and Tapatios de Jalisco its a tough call but the edge goes to Texano because of the salsa verde and better carne asada.

I had had enough for the night but drove east on Olympic just to investigate. There were a couple more taco trucks, which I jotted down in my book, and a few more sidewalk al pastor carts. The people around here must really like their al pastor.

Tapatios de Jalisco
E. Olympic and Fraser
East LA , 90022
tacos $1 each
3/5

Rate Tapatio de Jalisco

Tacos Texano
E. Olympic and Simmons Ave
East LA, 90022
tacos $1 each
3.5/5

Rate Tacos Texano

Tacos Leo - LA's Al Pastor King

If LA’s taco truck scene were like the big leagues Tacos Leo would be that confident rookie that comes up from Triple-A that keeps going deep until someone throws him a curveball. That curveball came to Tacos Leo in the form of the anti-taco city government who shut down Leo’s trompo last year. The hearts of taco lovers all across the city had been broken as word came that the trompo was no more. Some people on the internet blamed other people on the internet for mentioning Tacos Leo on the internet. People like Pat Robertson believed it was God punishing America for tolerating gay people. Others believed that the health department just happened to be driving by when they saw the trompo.



Before long Tacos Leo had figured out that the city only enforces their anti-taco policies Monday through Thursday between 9am to 5pm. After 5pm the same people that took away Tacos Leo’s trompo would eat tacos on their way home from work at one of the many trompos across the city. Within a few weeks Leo’s trompo was back, this time only from Friday through Sunday, when the city cared even less about taking away people’s tacos.



Tacos Leo upgraded their lonchero. The new sign says "Tacos Leo" in bright fluorescent lighting. These are the kind of lights you would use if you made bad ass tacos and wanted everyone to know your name.



The skilled taquero was gone, replaced by another who was more a workhorse than a showman. He didn’t have the pineapple flipping skills but he kept the plates coming: three al pastor for the man holding the baby, four al pastor to go for the man with the grey ZZ-Top beard, two al pastor for the girl with the chihuahua , three al pastor for the undercover taco reporter. Now and then someone would ask when their order was coming up and another man in a red apron would flip through the tickets and say, “your order is coming”. Everyone would just stand around staring at the trompo as if it held the meaning of life. For some people it did.

People were tempted to top Leo’s tacos al pastor with cilantro, onions, and all kinds of salsas from the salsa bar. But in fact the best way to eat them was with just a drizzle of salsa or with not any salsa at all.



People came all night to the corner of La Brea and Venice. They parked their cars where they would normally fill them up with gas. Some people would stay in their cars and send other people to pick up their tacos for them. These people were either really lazy or bossy and the people they sent were mostly children.

But the tacos were so good no one cared. Not even the people who owned the gas station who couldn’t sell gas. Not even the people that would wait thirty minutes for a taco. Not even the taquero who labored all night to make those tacos. Not even the city that decided it was ok that we have them.

5/5

Tacos Leo
La Brea and Venice
Los Angeles 90019
tacos $1 each

Rate Tacos Leo