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Tacos y Birria La Unica birria tacos
Photograph: Patricia Kelly Yeo for Time OutTacos y Birria La Unica

The 34 best tacos in Los Angeles

Food trucks, sidewalks, pop-ups and brick-and-mortars: we ate our way through them all to find the best tacos in town—now it's your turn.

Patricia Kelly Yeo
Edited by
Patricia Kelly Yeo
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In Los Angeles, there seem to be as many good-to-great taco spots as there are stars in the sky, but how can one even begin to decide where to start? After all, you can easily find chef-driven tacos in the $10 to $20 range made with the finest ingredients—though we'll have little to none of that on this list—as you can find $2 street tacos, ready to be popped straight into your mouth while you're standing on the sidewalk.

Our non-exhaustive best tacos list serves as a carefully curated selection of what we think are the city's finest tacos (some of which have even landed on our best restaurants list), along with a few more practical considerations like more regular operating hours and consistency in quality and service. (In our eyes, a "best" taco only the most dedicated, patient fans can get after waiting several hours isn't really a best taco at all.) Whether you’re a visitor or a local, read on for an excellent guide for anyone hoping to become a well-rounded taco connossieur.

RECOMMENDED: The best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles

Where to find the best tacos in Los Angeles

  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • Boyle Heights
  • price 1 of 4

Come on—did you really think we wouldn’t include these guys? One of the long-standing heroes of the old-school taco trucks (aka loncheros), Mariscos Jalisco has earned a deservedly loyal and devoted following. Their signature tacos dorado de camaron ($2.50) are far from a secret, but they live up to the hype with flavorful and fresh shrimp folded into a corn tortilla that is then fried to a golden brown and topped with thick slices of avocado and a vibrant and complex salsa roja. You’ll also want to save room for their legendary tostadas like the Poseidon ($9.50), topped with shrimp ceviche, octopus and a fiery red aguachile of shrimp.

  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • Mid City
  • price 1 of 4

If you want one of the most popular types of tacos from one of the most popular purveyors, grab a couple of tacos al pastor ($2 apiece) from Leo’s. Your meat is either pulled from the plancha or else sliced from the hunk of marinated pork that’s flame-roasting on the large trompo, then topped with fresh pineapple shavings for a spicy and sweet charred snack. Leo’s now has seven locations, but it’s the La Brea spot that offers the reliable outdoor trompo and talented taquero on weekends and after 5pm on weeknights. In normal times, crowds swell for a party vibe in the gas station parking lot.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • South LA
  • price 2 of 4

This no-frills family-run food stall in South L.A. offering one of L.A.’s best Mexican seafood experiences—and all at a fairly reasonable price. Housed inside food hall Mercado La Paloma, Gilberto Cetina Jr.’s Yucatecan-style mariscos counter is a profound revelation for those who enjoy spice, citrus and smoke. The approachable deep-fried fish tacos and well-made coctel mixto, of course, bring in the daytime crowds, but more upmarket dishes like the smoked kampachi tostadas and freshly shucked oysters more than hold their ground against other seafood heavyweights. When it comes to tacos (around $6), the menu changes often and you’re just as likely to find scallops spilling from corn tortillas as you are uni, crispy octopus or kanpachi.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Huntington Park
  • price 1 of 4

This beloved Orange County taqueria has finally expanded to Huntington Park, putting amazing mesquite-grilled meats within a short driving distance for much of Los Angeles. Open until midnight most days of the week (and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays), Tacos Los Cholos serves some of the best street meats on tortillas we’ve ever had. Yes, we mean ever. Three price tiers—regular ($2.35), premium ($3.50), prime ($7.50)—offer a wealth of flavors, from the chewy, perfectly grilled panela cheese to the ultra-tender rib eye. Our suggestion for first-timers? Go for mid-tier options like the costilla de res (pork ribs) and arrachera (skirt steak), which strike the balance between affordability and quality. Tacos Los Cholos’ self-serve topping station includes a creamy chipotle mayo, cucumbers and several varieties of salsa, ranging from mild to heart-stopping.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • South LA
  • price 1 of 4

Drawn by the sight of glistening trompos, we’ve sampled al pastor all over town, hoping for a taste of sweet, porky nirvana—and now we’ve found it. While Leo’s continues to offer delicious, highly accessible al pastor (the kind that’ll never fail in your time of need), this South L.A. taco cart parked off the 110 freeway offers the absolute best taco al pastor ($2.75) in the city. Only available after 5pm (though the cart opens in the morning), Tacos Los Güichos serves the beautifully charred, slightly smoky meat sans the pineapple and avocado salsa other taqueros rely on to compensate for not-so-great al pastor. During the day, you’ll still find great cuts of offal like lengua and tripas, but the trompo is the true star here. Arrive in the evening and anoint your taco with their delicious salsa verde, or perhaps the subtly fiery salsa roja, and you won’t find a better taco al pastor in Los Angeles.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Inglewood
  • price 1 of 4

It’s all in the name at Inglewood’s Carnitas El Artista, where Gustavo Chavez’s tender, slow-cooked Michoacan-style cuts of pork and offal will have you second-guessing the definition of carnitas. Best mixed with ribs, lengua and cabeza (though you can also order pure carnitas), the carnitas here offers a craveworthy mix of textures, from crispy to soft and buttery, plus a seriously aromatic mix of garlic, lime and spices. Order it inside tacos ($4.35), tucked into a burrito, heaped onto a platter of rice and beans or paired with chilaquiles for breakfast—the vehicle matters less than the meat itself, which is among the best carnitas in the city. The squeeze of lime and trio of housemade salsas simply gild the lily.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Southeast Cities
  • price 1 of 4

Can we be honest? We’ve never understood the hype around Sonoratown—whose flour tortillas often turn gluey and somewhat hard by the time we receive our tacos. Now that we’ve visited Tacos La Rueda, however, we completely understand the fervor over smoky meats, flour tortillas and sinus-clearing red salsas. This Bellflower strip mall joint offers the best Sonoran-style taco experience in L.A., with buttery, pliant flour tortillas that travel well, but taste even better eaten right on the spot. The carne asada, al pastor and crispy, crackly beef tripas are all winners here, as is the tender beef cabeza (available as a daily special), whether adorning a simple taco ($3.50 to $4) or piled into a decadent caramelo—which adds pinto beans, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole and grilled Anaheim chiles into the mix. Stop by on the weekends for a soul-warming menudo.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • South LA
  • price 1 of 4

Named after the ancient Mayan site, this stall inside Mercado La Paloma from celebrated chef Gilberto Cetina Jr. specializes in affordable, authentic Yucatecan cuisine. There are tortas and full plates and tamales and even a handful of breakfast items, but we’re sold on the tacos ($6.45 to $7.65 for two), which come buried in saucy meats and tart pickled red onions. Try the cochinita pibil, the panuchos (miniature stuffed tortillas) and the octopus tacos—though take our advice and administer the habanero sauce carefully: A single excess drop of the fiery liquid will have steam shooting out of your ears..

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  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • East LA
  • price 1 of 4
Run by Melva Pérez and her family, this East L.A. taco truck specializes in Mexicali-style guisados—saucy, ultra-tender braises and stews (as well as the name of the popular citywide taco chain). Only available from 8am to 1pm, Asadero Chikali’s breakfast-ish tacos ($3.25) come on handmade flour tortillas stuffed with the likes of steak and potatoes, chicharrónes in red salsa, spicy chorizo with scrambled eggs and other mouthwatering varieties. Come in the afternoon, and you’ll find those same paper-thin tortillas used in classic carne asada and chorizo tacos. If you arrive too late for the guisados, grab one of the vampiros ($5) as well—the grilled asada particularly lends itself to the crisp corn tortilla and oodles of melted cheese.
  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Echo Park
  • price 1 of 4

If you're looking for pura calidad, you're in the right place. Taquero Walter Soto's Echo Park taco trailer is one of L.A.'s most popular spots for perfectly tender mesquite-grilled meats and just-bubbled flour tortillas, and it operates under that slogan—and man, does it deliver. During the week you can find Sinaloa-style specialties (including corn tortillas, tripitas and tostadas), but from Friday to Sunday you can get El Ruso's OG menu: The Sonora-style grilled meats stuffed into fresh flour tortillas for some of the heftiest, hottest, most flavorful tacos in L.A.

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  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • Mid City
  • price 1 of 4

Teddy’s Red may have made birria popular citywide, but this cash-only taco truck in Boyle Heights and Mid-City showcases a cleaner-tasting, less greasy side of the ubiquitous stew originally from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Available in both goat and beef varieties, taquero Yasmany Mendoza serves fall-off-the-bone tender birria, dorados-style ($2.75), with a rich, salty consommé. While both are delicious, we prefer the mildly funky-tasting goat, which perfectly complements the vinegary adobo sauce. For even more flavor, order the deep-fried quesatacos ($3), which come with melted soft white cheese. Beyond birria, Tacos Y Birria La Unica also serves a few cuts of tender beef offal: cabeza (head), lengua (tongue) and hard-to-find labio (lips).

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Highland Park
  • price 1 of 4

After years of popping up around Highland Park (and a stint on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles), Victor Villa has brought his critically acclaimed blue corn tacos and mesquite-grilled meats to a strip mall spot along Figueroa. Made with family recipes, these “tacos estilo Los Angeles” are among the very best in the city, with seven different salsas to choose from and excellent guacamole, which is never extra(!). Three solid vegan taco options further broaden the appeal of Villa’s cooking, but the first-timer’s go-to order is usually the sampler trio of quesotacos (think charred, crispy Monterey Jack soldered to each handmade tortilla, drizzles of fresh snow white crema and a shower of cotija cheese). Lines here usually form early, but these tacos are worth the wait—and, sometime in early 2024, Villa's Taco is planning on expanding to Downtown's Grand Central Market.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • Boyle Heights
This East L.A. taco truck run by the Villegas family provides one of the most unique tacos in the city: the taco arabe ($6). Influenced by 19th-century Lebanese immigrants who settled in the Mexican city of Puebla, each thick flour tortilla holds curls of a distinctive shawarma-like al pastor that tastes faintly of cumin and marjoram—though the exact recipe is a deeply guarded Villegas family secret. Topped with stringy Oaxacan cheese and slices of avocado—a.k.a. especiale ($6.50)—and paired with a tangy chipotle salsa, these super-hefty, super-delicious tacos are worth going out of your way for. Pro-tip: You very likely won’t need more than two.
  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Boyle Heights
  • price 1 of 4

This Boyle Heights taco operation is all about the meat. The carnitas tacos boast heaping portions of tender, juicy braised pork (obliterating the thin tortillas underneath, which are simply a delivery method). You can order your favorite cut, or try the extra saturated pork scraps on the bottom of the pan (migajas), or go for the popular “aporkalypse” surtido taco with a mix of shoulder, stomach, belly and skin ($2). This is the spot to pig out on pig. But don’t stop by too late, as the small family operation can run out of several options before closing time due to high demand. Note: The original business is no longer affiliated with the Carnitas El Momo in Monterey Park.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Compton
  • price 1 of 4

This Compton carne asada specialist relocated to Long Beach a couple of years ago, bringing Sinaloa-style chorreados (a type of carne asada) to the LBC. At Tacos La Carreta, each corn tortilla gets slathered with lard, then topped with asada and a hearty cabbage-thickened salsa. Add cheese to make it a vampiro—just be sure to get the grilled onions and hot peppers, too. It’s a delicious taco, and towards the center, where the meat juices and cheese have pooled and the tortilla is softer, it’s also a little like a delicious cheeseburger. You can also swap your tortilla for a baked potato, if you’d like to switch things up. Wash everything down with agua de cebada, which uses barley instead of rice for a creamy, horchata-like drink.

  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 1 of 4

For old-school mariscos fans, there’s nothing more satisfying than a simple mixed seafood coctel served with a couple tostadas. If you’d prefer to experience a newer, zanier side of Mexican seafood, head to this Arts District lunchtime seafood truck, where new-school creations like octopus con papas ($6), smoked marlin tacos dorados with Oaxaca cheese ($2.50) and some seriously great shrimp aguachile ($7.50) await. While you’ll find the classics here, we’d rather steer you towards the new-school stuff, like the Peruvian-inspired ceviche blanco and the excellent aguachile rojo. Be sure to check ahead on Instagram before going to see if Mar-Es is open—the truck closes for catering gigs from time to time and occasionally decamps to Alhambra.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • South LA
  • price 1 of 4

This South L.A. institution slings $2.75 Tijuana-style tacos absolutely dripping with avocado salsa—and now, you can also find sibling spot Tacos Los Poblanos at nearby 5821 Avalon Boulevard. At either spot, mesquite-grilled meats provide flavor and texture from the smoky char, especially the carne asada. The kicker? Tortillas here are made to order, then folded into little paper-wrapped cones that ooze the green salsa out of one end. Of course we’re also partial to the freshly grilled chorizo and the complimentary charred peppers, and the massive mulitas ($7.50) and, well, everything. Just be sure to bring cash, then make your way through the line, grab your plate and take a seat and make some friends at the large plastic tables.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • San Gabriel Valley
  • price 1 of 4
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It can take a few bites to appreciate the full appeal of a Baja-style fish taco ($3.99) from this local mini-chain, which has five locations throughout South L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley. It’s a familiar concoction—a warm soft corn tortilla stuffed with deep-fried white fish—but the batter is thick, the fish is flaky and the crema is rich, rich, rich. The seasoned and roasted small yellow peppers (“famous chili gueritos”) and the roasted chili salsa made on-site add nice spice and flavor to the taco. While the original location in La Puente is still going strong, you can also snag their delicious fish tacos in Bellflower, La Habra, El Monte and Baldwin Park.

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  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • Echo Park
  • price 2 of 4
The wait can be killer, but this eye-catching deep blue lonchera with two locations—Silver Lake’s Sunset Triangle Plaza and a roving location near Sawtelle—serves some of the most creative mariscos in town, including a unique fish al pastor ($4.50). Drawing upon culinary school training, Francisco Aguilar serves a seasonally driven menu of tacos, tostadas, ceviches and aguachiles that pack acid, flavor and heat all into one delicious, beautiful package. If available, be sure to get the soft-shell crab taco ($5.50), but you also can’t go wrong with the fish al pastor and enchilada suiza ($4.50)—a mouthwatering mix of grilled shrimp, melted cheese, habanero lime crema, avocado slices and salsa verde. Best of all, Simón offers a selection of colorful, ultra-fiery salsas that add even more zhuzh to your meal.
  • Restaurants
  • Street vendors
  • Little Tokyo
  • price 1 of 4

Though its original Lincoln Heights location has since closed, this excellent taco stand (whose popularity eventually gave rise to the virally popular Avenue 26 Night Market) still has locations in Little Tokyo and Eagle Rock. You’ll know it when you get there because it’ll be a party: There’s usually music, and late-night revelers, families and all other walks of life are here and lined up for some of the city’s best tacos. Al pastor is the staple at them all, and every option here is cheap—just be sure to tell them you want a free broth-soaked potato to go with it, then make your way to the serve-it-yourself salsa stations. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Boyle Heights
  • price 2 of 4

Made with heirloom blue corn tortillas, the creative tacos at this lunch residency inside Milpa Grille in Boyle Heights are complex, saucy creations with plenty of tangy, flavorful salsas for contrast. Run by self-taught chef Jonathan Perez and his sister, Ana, Macheen’s greatest hit might be the fried chicken taco, served with guajillo ranch and hibiscus slaw, but regulars also swear by the six-hour-braised pork belly with nopales, avocado salsa, refried black beans and cotija cheese and El Chilango—a brisket confit with chorizo beans and pickled onions. The mushroom al pastor makes for a decent vegetarian taco, and we think Perez’s birria is one of the best in the city. Enjoy your lunch within Milpa Grille’s built-out patio parklet to enjoy the tacos in their prime. You can also find Macheen at Smorgasburg on Sundays, as well as nearby Distrito Catorce.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Chinatown
  • price 1 of 4

Northern Baja-style tacos reign supreme at Mexicali Taco & Co, which has locations in both Chinatown and San Gabriel, thanks to head chef Esdras Ochoa’s housemade tortillas and excellent salsas made with ingredients from just across the border. While you can’t go wrong with their regular tacos ($3.75) and, of course, their wonderfully crispy, crema-laden Baja-style fish taco ($4.50), the real draws here are more gluttonous dishes like the triple meat and cheese-filled Zuperman ($7.95) and the garlic-lashed vampiro ($6.75) stuffed with with hand-chopped carne asada. Then again, when everything on the menu’s a winner, it’s pretty hard to pick a true favorite.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street vendors
  • Boyle Heights
  • price 1 of 4

Diehard birria fans, take note: Available only on Saturdays, and starting at 8am until they sell out—and boy, do they do sell out—this Boyle Heights stand roasts up the most succulent goat birria in all of Los Angeles. You’ll find it in taco form ($3) or sold as lamb ribs ($12), but no matter which way you’re eating their chivo, you’ll want to order a cup or four of Birria El Jalisciense’s comforting, perfectly seasoned consome for dipping and sipping.

  • Restaurants
  • Street vendors
  • North Hollywood
  • price 1 of 4

Angel’s Tijuana Tacos are packed with flavor and your choice of grilled meat and then, as to be expected from the style, get topped with cilantro, onions and a hearty dollop of avocado salsa. The handmade corn tortillas—which are exactly the perfect thickness—get formed, pressed and seared down the assembly line here and the trompo-shaved al pastor proves its own bit of showmanship, making every visit not only delicious but a feast for the eyes, too. Opt for tacos ($2.50), mulitas ($8), vampiros ($4.50), quesadillas ($9–10) and burritos ($9) in North Hollywood, Glassell Park, Echo Park, Sylmar, Van Nuys, Chatsworth and Long Beach (plus a few more in Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino).

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 2 of 4

One of the stars of California-inspired and genre-bending tacos, Guerrilla was one of the first to blaze the Alta California-style trail with a food truck that lit up the streets of L.A. Now, these farm-to-truck goods—formerly led by Wes Avila, who has sinced decamped to Chinatown's Angry Egret Dinette—have a permanent home, and a more fixed menu, with fan favorite creations like the hamachi tostadas ($18) to the to sweet potato and feta tacos ($7). The tacos might be the move, but don’t neglect the daily specials either, and the cocktails—all priced around $14 to $15—are killer. 

  • Restaurants
  • Trucks
  • Watts
  • price 1 of 4

This Afro-Mexican food truck in Watts serves up pozoles, tamales and phenomenal tacos from Mexico's Guerrero region, piling avocado and cabbage and chicharrones atop hours-long–simmered stews, and folding masa into both corn husks and banana leaves, depending on your mood. Our advice? Order both varieties of tamales (as well as some sweet ones), and always order extra to take home with you. While better known for its tamales, the just-barely-fried tacos ($2) at Tamales Elena y Antojitos stuffed with barbacoa or pescadillas are excellent as well.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 1 of 4

Owners Victor Delgado and Jorge “Joy” Alvarez-Tostado didn’t catch lighting in a bottle with their Tijuana-style tacos; they worked tirelessly, and with equal parts perfect product and total showmanship, the duo created L.A.’s most viral taco stand. Catch their team dressed in all red and tossing adobada from the trompo into tacos ($3.50)—and if Joy’s there, making kissy faces at the crowd—for dinner and a show that can’t be beat. And while the adobada is the star, we’re also partial to the mushroom taco ($3.50)—order it as perron ($5) for cheese and beans—and the vampiro ($5). We mentioned this outfit is enterprising, and they’ve quickly spread across the city: You can catch Tacos 1986 in Downtown, Burbank, Westwood Village, Pasadena, Beverly Grove and West L.A.'s Colony ghost kitchen.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Downtown Arts District
  • price 2 of 4

This stylish backdoor taqueria in the Arts District serves gourmet tacos ($7–8) by way of chef Enrique Olvera, best known for Mexico City’s Pujol and New York’s Cosme. Though the tacos come at a premium, each one is made with the same delicate, housemade tortillas and fresh salsas served at its more upscale full-service sibling, Damian, for the kind of quality and freshness you can taste in every bite. Suadero tacos ($8 and a killer molenegro tamal ($7) highight seasonal California produce, all in lush, greenery-filled alleyway with free self-parking off Violet.

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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Commerce
  • price 2 of 4
If you love lamb, the tacos at this Commerce sit-down restaurant are positively dreamlike. If you don’t love lamb, the tacos here will convert you. Aqui es Texcoco specializes in the traditional Texcoco-style barbacoa, which involves slow-roasting lamb covered with maguey leaves for more than seven hours. For your taco, you can choose lean leg meat, rib, tripe, brains or head ($3.25), but you can also opt for non-lamb fillings such as pressed pork belly or blood sausage. They’re all good, but our preference is the tender, fatty and very “lamb-y” rib meat (you may have to remove some bones). Served with onions, cilantro and salsa, these tacos are simple yet extraordinary, and can come either soft or grilled—though if you want to do it up you can opt for BBQ plates, combos, flautas, sopes, enchiladas and more. Pair with crunchy chapulines (fried grasshoppers) or grilled cactus slices for a true Texcoco-style feast.
  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Central LA

At this Pico-Union bakery specializing in all things Yucatán, you'll also find an excellent cochinita pibil taco ($3)—one of the region's specialties. The menu expands on the weekends to include harder-to-find dishes such as rellenos negros ($3)—a type of succulent braised turkey meat—and blood-sausage tacos. The friendly service often leads to enthusiastic conversations on the subject of Mayan culinary history, so feel free to speak up while you chow down.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street vendors
  • Highland Park
  • price 1 of 4
Outside a strip mall containing an AutoZone, Waba Grill and a Big 5 sits Tacos La Guera, a cash-only sidewalk operation that serves some of the best tacos in the city, including their delicious al pastor ($2), freshly carved off a glistening trompo, plus a selection of aguas frescas and horchata. Open nightly from 4:30pm to midnight, Tacos La Guera also operates in South Gate, Huntington Park, Boyle Heights and Venice—look for the taquero outside the Whole Foods off Lincoln Boulevard. Though your eyes may be drawn, as ever, to the rotating spit, we’re also partial to their other tacos, including lengua (beef tongue), buche (beef cheek) and ultra-tender suadero (navel beef plate).
  • Restaurants
  • Boyle Heights
  • price 1 of 4

A slightly thick, freshly pressed corn tortilla does its best to wrap around piles of fillings so good it’s impossible to choose a favorite here. Armando de La Torre and his son, Armando de La Torre Jr., have built an L.A. taco brand whose foundation is in the very name of the business. Guisados, flavorful hours-long braised and stewed meats and vegetables, are what make these so special, whether you’re opting for the spicy cochinita pibil with pickled onions ($3.79) or the mushrooms with cilantro and queso fresco ($3.45). Of course we’re also partial to the lightly battered fish taco ($4.25) and the tamales ($4.75) are killer. Can’t decide? Get the sampler ($9.50) made of six mini tacos whether you’re dining in Boyle Heights (the OG), Downtown, Echo Park, Pasadena, Burbank, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills or Hermosa Beach.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street vendors
  • El Sereno
  • price 1 of 4

Is a flauta a taco? Look, we’re not here to debate you on this, but yes. And fried up perfectly from a colorful truck, the flautas from the Los Dorados truck provide some of the most satisfying taco crunch in town—and come dripping with refreshing salsas for a perfect hot-to-cold sensation with every crunchy bite. Massive corn tortillas wrap around chorizo, chicken, potato, and our favorite, the lamb barbacoa, all ordered two of each variety to a pair ($9) and topped with a showering of cotija. Find them popping up at Smorgasburg on Sundays; follow along on Instagram for location updates and hours on other days of the week.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Downtown
  • price 1 of 4

Since 1934, these legendary deep-fried beef taquitos ($3.60 for two) have sizzled in bubbling vats of oil on Downtown’s Olvera Street, the oldest street in all of Los Angeles. Smothered in a runny avocado salsa, these crunchy, corn-based cylinders are made fresh to order, as they have been since the shop opened, with a sort of nostalgic, crowd-pleasing deliciousness that once inspired the late L.A. writer Eve Babitz to extol their virtues in her autobiographical novel Eve’s Hollywood. Beyond the shop’s iconic taquitos, however, you’ll also find an extremely solid burrito ($7.50) and chile relleno ($5); all three are best enjoyed after strolling through the entirety of the touristy historical landmark.

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