Unlike men, not all tacos are created equal, and after years of chowing down on the city's finest, we've come up with a list of the 12 best slingers of tortilla handhelds that you'll find in LA.
Ricky’s Fish Tacos
Silverlake
Baja native Ricky Piña has been kicked out, ticketed, moved around, and forced underground, but his insanely good fried shrimp and fish tacos refuse to be silenced. These days, his demure silver truck parks back on Virgil Ave in Silverlake, where he pushes out Piña-signature tacos to waiting hipster crowds.
Tacos Punta Cabras
Santa Monica
This Westside staple serves up inventive tacos with skilled precision, almost singlehandedly keeping the Westside fed with fantastic Mexican eats, including their delicious scallop tacos.
Tacos Leo
Mid-City
Regional Mexican specialties abound in LA’s taco scene, but few are as enduring as Tacos Leo, the Distrito Federal al pastor assassins who sling thin slices of marinated pork (with a spike of pineapple, no less) from their massively popular gas station parking lot off Venice in Mid-City.
Tire Shop Taqueria
South LA
South LA’s burgeoning food scene still feels like a well-kept secret, except when it comes to the bustling Tire Shop Taqueria. A late-night staple on Avalon Blvd, just South of MLK Blvd, these dudes are killer asada specialists.
El Korita
East LA
East LA denizen Tacos El Korita may be the ideal workaday lonchera. The truck is loaded with prized options and they hand-pat their own tortillas -- don't overlook their mulitas, either.
Carnitas El Momo
Boyle Heights
A relative carnitas newcomer, El Momo has taken the city’s taco-lovers by storm, serving authentic Mexican pork tacos in true snout-to-tail fashion. Nothing goes to waste here -- it all just goes in the oil.
Coni’Seafood
Inglewood
The smoked marlin tacos at Coni'Seafood are legendary, served alongside a fiery salsa meant only for the bold. There's a lot to love about this Inglewood-based mariscos operation, but none more so than an order of the marlin tacos.
Guerrilla Tacos
Arts District
Just when it seemed like the age of the chef-driven food truck was disappearing, along came Wes Avila's Guerrilla Tacos to save our fair city. These days the Downtown crawler serves inventive (and often seafood-laced) tacos from in front of several Arts District coffee hotspots.
Guisados
Boyle Heights
One of the city's true taco prides, Guisados has done much to move the city away from bland, overpriced carne asada tacos. Their stewed creations, served on thick, pliant tortillas, have expanded the city's taco lexicon, and their business: from Boyle Heights to Echo Park to Downtown.
El Coraloense
Downey
As fan favorites (they won 2014's Taco Madness tournament), El Coraloense in Downey is renowned for its handling of all things seafood. Ceviches are popular and well worth the trek, but even the everyday mariscos tacos here shine.
Mariscos Jalisco
Boyle Heights
Longtime taco fanatics don’t view the drive to Mariscos Jalisco in East LA as a hassle -- it’s a pilgrimage towards perfection. Frying up massively flavorful shrimp tacos dorados from a truck along Olympic Blvd, Raul Ortega has built a following that often stretches down the block on weekends.
Aqui es Texcoco
Commerce
Expect a weekend wait at Aqui es Texcoco in Commerce, when families, whiskey headache-addled party kids, and taco aficionados all brave the lines for a taste of the signature pit-roasted lamb barbacoa.