Here’s Where To Find The Best Tacos In Los Angeles, According To Our LA Editor

Los Angeles might cater to the luxury tastes of the rich and famous, but it’s the city’s street eats—not its fine dining scene—that gets foodies most excited.

From street-side stalls to roaming trucks and spontaneous pop up restaurants, here’s where to find some of the best mouth-watering authentic tacos in Los Angeles in 2024. 

Guerilla Tacos

2000 E 7th St, Los Angeles

Image credit: Guerilla Tacos | Instagram

Overwhelmed by people chasing down their tiny food cart, the Guerilla Taco team decided to take a more permanent position downtown. They’re considered one of the best in the business, with an inventive and entirely non-traditional menu of seasonal tacos. Recommended: the pork belly banh mi taco with sesame mayo, pickled carrots and jicama, basil, coriander and ginger soy glaze. 

Carnitas El Artista

510 N La Brea Ave, Inglewood

Utilising the best butcher cuts available, this father and son team works from the early hours of the morning to prepare slow-cooked meats for the day ahead. The taco section on their authentic Michoacán menu is strong, but the burritos, carnitas, quesadillas, chilaquiles (sauce-drenched tortilla chips served with rice and beans) and nachos are equally impressive. Keto fanatics can simply order meat by the pound and call it a day.

Tacos Los Cholos

7127 Pacific Blvd, Huntington Park

Image credit: Tacos Los Cholos | Instagram

Forget birthdays, anniversaries and graduations; all life milestones should now be referred to as either before Los Cholos or after Los Cholos. The experience begins from halfway down the street, where you first notice the wafting aroma of smoked meats, gently roasted over mesquite charcoal. They’re served with fresh, chewy tortillas and zippy, lime-spiked salsas, which offset the rich chorizo, carne asada and ribeye steaks coming off the grill. It’s part restaurant, part spiritual awakening.

Mariscos Jalisco

3040 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles

First time visitors to Mariscos Jalisco food truck should start with the taco de camaron before even considering the rest of the menu. Biting into its deep fried outer shell reveals a soft centre of creamy avocado, sweet juicy shrimp and tingly tomato salsa. From there, delve into the tostadas which come piled high with fresh ceviche, octopus or a serve of oysters.

Sonoratown

208 E 8th St, Los Angeles

Image credit: Sonoratown | Instagram

In the small town in Sonora, Mexico where owner Teodoro Diaz-Rodriguez Jr grew up, tacos are characterised by their ultra thin flour tortillas. This is the style that’s replicated at Sonoratown, where around 4,000 of the wafer thin tortillas are served daily across their two locations. Which seems like a lot…but when you consider how easy it is to put away a chicken taco with fresh cabbage, spicy chilli salsa, avocado puree, sliced radish and lime, those numbers start making a lot of sense.

Tire Shop Taqueria

4077 Avalon Blvd, Los Angeles

It was originally a sporadic taco stand that appeared (some days) in the parking lot of a neighbourhood tire shop (hence the name). But Tire Shop Taqueria has grown a bit since then…and upgraded to the parking lot of a nearby liquor store. It still has lines around the block each night, with its ‘Tijuana Style’ handmade corn tortillas, stuffed with braised beef cheek and gorgeous globs of guacamole, earning the operation a reputation for the best tacos in Los Angeles.

Los Dorados

5373 Alhambra Ave, Los Angeles

Image credit: Los Dorados | Instagram

Technically not a taco but close to it; Los Dorados specialises in taquitos—which is like a taco that’s been rolled up into a tasty cigar and fried until crisp. Instead of the typical beef filling, these taquitos contain smoky barbacoa made with lamb that’s been cooked down to an almost jerky-like consistency. They come adorned with salsa borracha (meaning ‘drunken salsa’ because it’s made from beer), which adds a more deeply nuanced, nutty flavour and subtle spicy heat.