sent to us by matt korba

South LA Pastor Stylee

It was a cold night, when Anthony and I decided to hunt down a new taco cart. We had heard of some places around 3rd and Rampart, but we decided to pick up a friend who lives around Pico and Alvarado. It’s a lucky thing we did, because on the way out we noticed a crowd of people standing around a construction site.

Anthony declared “Dude, it’s a stand” with a spit of pastor in full view from the road. We immediately busted a U-turn. The cooks were in fine spirits, serving up a long line of customers. After a greeting, I straight up order me some pastor and carnitas- which they were out of- so I rolled with carne asada.

The pastor tacos were phenomenal, with just the right amount of tang and spice independant of salsa. After my initial bite and chew- I doused the suckers with salsa roja and savored the awesomeness. Lately, stands like these have been THE place for pastor tacos, where the meat is delivered not to soggy and not too sweet.
But like other stands, this tends to make the other taco choices suffer. The asada tacos were starkly mediocre, even with some decent salsa verde.
One day, I swear to find a stand that serves horchata, but until then its Orange Crush and Diet Coke with my salsa. One needs some sweetness to douse the sizzle of the al pastor at this joint.

Overall, not too shabby at all- especially for the price.
Rating: B
Horchata Rating: n/a
Salsa Roja: Hot

Positives: Bomb Ass Pastor, Good Salsa

Negatives: No Napkins (they were all out, which is probably a good sign, but still annoying), No Carnitas

Westmoreland and Pico, Near the Construction Site

Los Angeles 90006

More like El MichoaCAN’To

Anthony and I heard from the husband of one of our professors that a mystical machaca taco hut existed out in North Hollywood. My interest was piqued, as machaca is usually a breakfest beef served with eggs and onions. And I love me some breakfast (next to tacos)- so of course, we had to experience this particular brand of meat between tortillas.

We should have known the night would end up disappointing, after getting lost on the freeway trying to connect to the 170 from the 101. After a twenty mintue detour of jumping on and off the freeways onto random suburb streets, we found El Michoacano. Immediately, I ran up to the stand and ordered the machaca along with asada and carnitas.

All the tacos were served in a home-made tortilla which was heartning at first but the machaca was pretty much flavorless, reminding me of wet corn beef. Machacha is supposed to be a dry type of meat, slightly crunchy and with a hint of chile sauce. It was also served with cabbage which just added to the overall taco weight.

I wish I could say the carnitas were better- but they weren’t. The pork was soggy and flavorless, and the gigantic corn tortillas had me pretty much full after a second bite. I sampled Anthony’s carne asada, and it was suprisingly decent with the salsa roja but overall nothing to write home about.

Still, the service was positive, the price reasonable, and the horchata was excellent. But when one’s mouth isn’t burning from sabor, even great horchata isn’t going to save your ass.
Rating: C
Horchata Rating: A
Salsa Roja – Normal

Positives: Machaca, Decent Asada, Price (1.10 per)
Negatives: Flavorless Carnitas, Way too much meat, have to request which salsa you want, Its in the valley

7201 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91605-3804

Holy Crap Balls, Batman. This spot is off the hook.

On Fletcher Avenue just North of the 5 Freeway is a neighborhood called Atwater Village. It’s a quaint place- a small town yown on the border of a big city. A pivotal scene from Pulp Fiction was filmed one block up from this joint- (when Butch runs over Marsellus Wallace).

I’ve driven by this taco stand on my way home for over a year now- and I’ve seen this joint appear in the last 6 months. El Taco Vapor used to occupy this place, but I haven’t seen them for awhile.

I called up Anthony, and decided we had to hit this joint up. Check out the Pastor Spit below.

It was a cold night, but the chefs were in good spirits. We ordered the tri-fecta of pastor, which was clearly visible roasting from the road, carnitas, and carne asada.

And my God- the pastor knocked my socks off. It was succulent, only a tad sweet and had a spicy bang. The carnitas were amazing- rivaling Taco Zone in their crispness and sabor. The asada was decent- not too amazing, but by no means as flavorless as some other carts. This might be testament to the fact that they were chilling in a tin for a bit.
In addition the stand provides sweet grilled onions and a home-made guacamole salsa free of charge. I’m not talking dinky onions either- check the picture- these suckas were large!

No horchata, but thats usually the case with stands. Regardless, bomb ass carnitas always set my heart at ease. And best of all, I can walk to this joint from my apartment- so long arteries.

Summary

Overall: A-
Taco Grade: A
Horchata: N/A
Salsa Roja: HOT
Extras: Guacamole Salsa
Price: $1

Positives: EXCELLENT PASTOR AND CARNITAS. Asada was decent. Free grilled sweet onions. Excellent price, jolly service.

Negatives: No Horchata. Only open until 11 pm on Weekdays, 12am on Weekends.

I Stumbled upon El Ranchito after a night of cheap drinking and mediocre food at Native in Arcadia. After a pit stop and another pitcher of beer @ The Game we decided to find a taco truck off of Mission. Due to the lack of reliable naivgation we ended @ El Ranchito after passing up an unnamed and closed Taco Truck. Unforgivable, cuz mother fuckers were drunk and ready to hit up any open taco truck.

So anyways we stop @ El Ranchito and order some tacos. Robin and WTF Charles order some carne asada tacos. I order some el pastor tacos and some carne asada tacos con nada cuz my women can’t handle the onions, cilantro and salsa. Yah, so what, not everybody likes their taco truck tacos fully loaded. Sometimes people want to just taste the meat you know?!

I can’t memmber too much details cuz the five pitchers of beer between the three of us were catching up, but I swear to god eh the tacos kept coming and they were damned good. The tacos were served with salsa, a wedge of limon and sliced radishes. The meat had a good amount of crispiness on the outside with a good chew and flavor on the inside. The grease level for the el pastor was minimal without the loss of flavor.

Robin had a biased opinion because of his love for Taki Taco, but WTF Charles and I thought El Ranchito was good as fuck. We kept wondering where mother fuckers were coming from to eat @ El Ranchito cuz when we rolled up the truck seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere and there was only one dude eating. After we ordered our tacos a handful of people showed up. There were two esses that rolled up and BYOB’d some Heinekens which I thought was a good idea.

El Ranchito
Near N. Eastern & Huntington Dr., 90032. In front of the AutoZone.

Taco Grade: A
Salsa Grade: n/a
Horchata: n/a
Price: $1.00

El Tarasco is located on 3rd street, a block east of Loma near Downtown Los Angeles. Anthony and I were in search of a tiny cart that appears on 3rd and Crown Hill in the evenings, but it didn’t seem to be there that night. We saw El Tarasco’s Virgin de Guadalupe on its truck side across the street and made our way for a trial.

I ordered two pastor tacos but was informed by the truck owner’s teenage son that they were out. I went with carnitas, buche and lengua.

The carnitas were flavorless, and suprisingly chewey. They had a chicken-like texture, and this was quite disconcerting. Also, the taco was slabbed in salsa verde and guacamole salsa. The mixture of the two salsas did not work well. Overall, they were quite disappointing.

The buche and lingua faired no better- it was chewier than usual. So chewey in fact that I am conviced that the meat was actually pig’s fat. They were cut into strange cubes that were not pretty to the taco-eating eye. The above mentioned, Salsa Verde/Guacamole mixture did not help the situation.

The five tacos, while filled with meat, did not satiate my appetite. Their flavorless and chewy texture actually made me feel quite ill at ease. 10 minutes after ingestion, my stomach began to feel queasy. Plus, the cart didn’t offer Horchata- I had to settle for a can of 7-Up (which was covered in a strange grime). I decided, I needed to save taco-face so Anthony and I headed over to Taco Zone to kill the bad taste in our mouths with real carnitas. I still needed 2 Pepto pills to get through the night.
Beware of El Taracsco.
Summary

Taco Grade: C-
Salsa Grade: (Verde) Hot
Horchata: N/A : (
Price: $1.15

Positives: Good amount of meat in tacos. Full Selection of Tacos (theoretically). Provides beets, pickled onions and peppers, and avocado salsa free of charge.

Negatives: Dirty cart. Overall bad tacos. Ran out of Pastor and Carnitas. Terrible Buche and Lingua. No Horchata, and bottom of Soda cans covered in filth.

Your Taco Truck Primer…
Taco trucks and stands are quite different from the restaurants that serve “tacos”. Tacos from restaurants in the US are filled with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and ground meat. In fact, I am hard pressed to count tacos from restaurants as “true tacos”.

True street tacos possess only the essentials. Meat wrapped in a warm hand sized corn tortilla. Onions, cilantro, and salsa (red or green) is up to you, but highly recommended. We often like a squirt of lime on there too. Order it up “para aqui” (for here) or “para llevar” (to go).

Below is a guide of common fillings you may see on the menu:
asada – beef, grilled or broiled steak, often marinated
pollo – chicken
al pastor – pork; you’ll often see it being cooked on a vertical spit, it is marinated, and sometimes served with grilled onions
carnitas – pork; roasted pork, pulled and often fried to give it a crispy exterior
chorizo – pork sausage
cabeza – cheek meat from a cow
chicharron – fried pork rind
lengua – tongue
buche – stomach
tripa – tripe/intestines
molleja – sweetbreads
sesos – brain

One of my favorite late night carts in all of Los Angeles- I’ve seldom been led astray by the tacos at Taco Zone.

At any time of night you’ll see a good mix of Echo Parquians standing in line- from blue collar laborers to hipsters and families. That’s when you know a Taco Truck is a neighborhood staple. The owners are quite friendly and don’t mind orders coming in English (which can be kind of a big deal at some smaller joints and temporary stands).
Taco Zone offers the entire gamut of tacos: carnitas, asada, al pastor, pollo, buche, lingua, cabeza, tripas, and even vegetarian (sidenote: another truck offering veg taco options is located near Rambo’s). The carnitas are some of my favorite in the city- as they are flavorful, and slightly crunchy (usually a sign of overcooking-but in this miraculous case it works to an advantage). The asada is always fresh and lean. I’ve yet to try lingua, cabeza and buche here but the tripas was excellent. Like the carnitas, the tripas were cooked deeply and offered a crunchy experience. Coupled with onions, cilantro and some excellent guacamole salsa- you have yourself taco perfection.

The price is right with each taco costing about $1.10 a pop. Soda runs a dollar, but the horchata runs $1.50. That’s a bit expensive for Horchata, especially considering it comes in a medium sized Styrofoam cup. However, it’s certainly not bad- and is worth a sip especially if dousing your tacos in salsa roja. Plus, pico de gallo is available as taco filler- not shabby at all.

Summary

Taco Zone

Rating: A-
Horchata Grade: B
Salsa Roja- Hot.
Positives: Serve full variety of tacos (Carnitas to Buche) and have mulitas, burritos, and quesadillas too. Excellent pastor and carnitas. Solid asada. Vegetarian tacos (beans) for your hippie vegetarian friends. Full salsa control offering red, verde and guacamole flavored salsas.
Negatives: Can be a little slow. Sometimes might not be there.
Price Per Taco: $1.15
Location: Montana and Alvarado in Echo Park (next to Vons).
Hours: 8PM -2 AM Sun-Fri, 8PM-3 AM Sat

El Taurino, the bull, is a legendary taco hot spot in Los Angeles. Located on Hoover at 11th street in a very crowded part of town- it is constantly bustling.

The restaurant is laid out cafeteria style- with many small plastic tables with attached chairs stationed all around. Everything is served on paper plates- so the mind set is definitely food on the go.
However, its decor is top notch! It’s decorated with fine Matador paraphernalia and even a few mounted taurino heads (which I’m intent on nabbing for my apartment now).

El Taurino offers a fine number of Mexican dishes from enchiladas to tamales- but the tacos are what lead me to their halls. The usual suspects are available: carne asada, al pastor, carnitas, lingua, buche and cabeza. Pollo makes an appearance, which is a definite plus for my non-carne eating friend Mike Brazil. Also- the chef’s handle everything here- so you’d best specify what type of salsa you’d like at the get go.

I sampled pastor, carnitas and asada with both salsa verde and salsa roja.

The pastor tacos were succulent. The marinade combined with a soft chopped onion melted in the mouth- and the proceeded to burn. The carnitas had a nice consistency- neither being too wet or dry. The asada was lean and flavorful- although I recommend taking it with the salsa verde if you want to enjoy the sabor after one or two bites. The salsa roja- while delicious- is extremely hot for the non-fireman. Use with caution. The salsa verde complemented each type quite well- being flavorful and just a smidge hot.

After eating a total of six tacos with all salsa roja (on my first visit) – I ended up going through two horchatas to pacify the burning ulcer in my stomach. Luckily, the horchata is thick and delicious- with a few cinnamon sheddings clearly floating in the mixture.

Also, for those who just want Tacos- El Taurino has a Taco Truck in the back during some parts of the day. Apparently it leaves for other downtown locations at night- I’ve yet to pay attention to where it roams. Regardless, the tacos are the same inside and outside the cart.

Overall, I’d say El Taurino is a top shelf taco provider in the Los Angeles area and recommend all fine taco connoisseurs to make a visit.

Summary:

Overall Rating: A-
Horchata Grade: A
Salsa Roja: FUCKING HOT.
Price: 1.15 per taco

Positives: Delicious. Great decor. Al Pastor- amazing. Asada is fresh. Carnitas are succulent.
Negatives: Long waits. Unintelligible number calling. Very little interface with how taco is equipped- handled by a chef.

Location: 2306 11 Street, Los Angeles CA 90006

El Takitaco- one the most aptly named Taco Trucks in all of Los Angeles. The tacos are savory and come in the usual flavors: pastor, asada, and carnita with lingua, cabeza and even pollo thrown in for good measure.

The Pastor and Asada tacos are quite salacious. The steak in the asada tacos are finely chopped into even pieces, for easy chewing. The Salsa Roja on the Pastor tacos, is particulary spicy and leave the mouth burning for quite some time after ingestion. Unfortunately, the carnitas were on the dry side but this could have been to due to lateness of our arrival (11:45 PM) and the fact that it was weeknight (Weds.) Timing makes a world of a difference in proper taco preparation protocol.

The pollo tacos go particulary well with salsa verde.

Which is available via pump station…

That’s a first for me. It actually works pretty well, which is suprising considering the seed size in the salsa.
I didn’t get to try the lengua (tounge) and cabeza (cheek) tacos (I have a six taco limit per night). So upon a second visit, a review will be up for those types.

The Cart offered home made Horchata, which gives it extra points, as some carts don’t offer the beverage. Helps tremendously with the spiciness of the salsa roja. Unfortunately, the horchata excellence isn’t consistence. On my first visit- it was quite delicious; on another night I visited just for some Horchata and it was quite bland and watered down.

Overall, the 75 cent price and the general deliciousness of the Asada and Pastor make up for the dry carnitas and watered down horchata. Just watch out for the vagrants hiding around the bushes by the Food for Less.
El Takitaco Grade: A-

The Lowdown:

• Located on 53rd and Figueroa in Highland Park (By the Food for Less). Appears after 8pm and lingers till about 2 am.
• 75 cents for your choice of Asada, Pastor, Carnita, Pollo, Lingua or Cabeza tacos.
• Horchata is so-so.
• Salsa verde is mild and flavorful. Salsa roja is savory and hot as hell.