10 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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| T. Nguyen |
| Al pastor on a spit at Tacos Leo |
4. Tacos Leo:
Ideally, you've figured out the telltale signs of a great lonchero by now: There's the time (around midnight), the crowd (somewhat disorganized) and the location (random). If it was Tacos Leo that taught you how to read these signs, you wouldn't be its first student: Ever since word got out about its al pastor, spinning and marinating on a spit, the gas station where it parks at La Brea and Venice has been perpetually crowded with people waiting, patiently, for their tacos al pastor. The pork is shaved right into the tortilla, topped with a bit of pineapple and finished in two or three bites. At just $1 a taco, this might the best bang for your buck in the city. Corner of La Brea Blvd. and Venice Blvd., usually after 7 p.m.
T. Nguyen Mexicali Taco & Co.
3. Mexicali Tacos & Co.:
To find Mexicali back in the days when it set up in a parking lot on First and Beaudry, all you had to do was look for the plumes of smoke. Because if you followed the smoke, you'd find the fire: powering a big grill, with two guys -- Esdras Ochoa and Javier Fregoso -- cooking up the finest carne asada in town. After losing their parking space, the guys came in from the cold and opened up their own brick-and-mortar on Figueroa above Cesar Chavez. They're no longer grilling in what was essentially downtown's backyard, but what they lost in theatrics, they have more than made up for in permanence. You also can now add a fried egg to your carne asada taco, an option that wouldn't have worked in Mexicali's previous incarnation, but is exactly what you didn't know you were missing this entire time. 702 N. Figueroa St., L.A.; (213) 613-0416.
T. Nguyen Ricky's Fish Tacos
2. Ricky's Fish Tacos:
Frustrated by the lack of proper Ensenada-style fish tacos in Los Angeles proper, Ricky Piña did what any enterprising former florist might do: Empty a filing cabinet, cut a hole in it, McGyver a fryer of sorts to sit in said hole, find the proper fish for his perfected batter and make the best fish tacos in the city. And so he did. He eventually filed that cabinet away as a fond memory of a simpler time and upgraded to a double fryer; nowadays you can find him and his wonderful fish and shrimp tacos in a lot near a now-defunct Blockbuster in Los Feliz. And while fish and shrimp remain his forte, he often has lobster and, recently, stingray and angel shark. Ricky is generally open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4:30 p.m., though check his Twitter feed before heading out just to confirm. 1400 N. Virgil Ave., L.A.
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Location Info
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2100 E. Cesar Chavez Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Category: Restaurant
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