The grandaddy of the modern food truck bonanza since 2008, Roy Choi’s Kogi empire still rules the streets (and Twitter feeds) with a delectable mashup of Korean and Mexican flavors. The signature short rib taco delivers big with double-caramelized Korean BBQ depth balanced with a bright spike of salsa roja, a chile-soy slaw, cilantro and onions on two grilled-charred house tortillas. The now-classic kimchi quesadilla is still a winner, but the blackjack quesadilla with spicy pork, caramelized onions and salsa verde is also a solid choice. And if you’re looking to skip the meat, you can always swap in tofu as a filling. There are now three trucks to track down (known as Roja, Verde and Naranja) in multiple locations daily, check the schedule online and find them on Twitter. You can also hit up their new brick-and-mortar taqueria in Palms (http://kogibbq.com/taqueria/).
Typically I hate having the hype shoved in my face but when I finally caved and tried this place, I begrudgingly conceded that it was delicious as my friends stared at me after my initiation. I'm usually a burrito person but I'd recommend going for tacos at this place—you get to the good stuff without working through tortilla and other flavors that you can taste with any other burrito. My favorite thing to get is the Pacman Burger. It's messy for sure but OH HOLY GAWD IT'S LIKE MY MOUTH DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN. It has all the meats, sesame mayo and all the delicious things crammed between buns. If you don't want to chase down the truck, you can always go to Alibi Room in Culver City. Their kitchen serves Kogi.
I'm kind of over food trucks as a fad, but I'll almost always make sure to stop at Kogi when it's in the area. Prepare for some long lines, but it's really worth it. The short rib tacos are simply fantastic. The meat is tender and marinated in the most awesome sort of spicy chili sauce. You'll probably want to order three if you're making it a meal. Sometimes I'll order fewer and split it with a Kogi Dog—a hot dog topped with kimchi. The quesadillas are also great, if a little bit messy.
