Asadero Chikali - Inglewood - Taco Tour #13

Lucky number 13, fabulous tacos from LA land near the South Bay, just a Doordash away from my house.

Coal-kissed Carne Asada is the way to go, and the Barbacoa is good as well.

And Pastor is also alright. 

The tacos come unadorned, just meat in a tortilla with side bags of pickled onion, diced onion and cilantro, shredded cabbage, and salsa to choose your own adventure. 

The Asada Burrito is probably the most bang for your buck. Generously stuffed, this beauty is at least half meat. The rest is a bit of rice and beans that don’t want for flavor.

Break away from the grill to get a Guisado Sampler if you’re craving the thicker stew. It’ll be the least attractive plate you’ve ever seen, but it could be the most interesting. It’s worth getting at least the uniquely textured chicharron. Thick strips of semi-gelatinous sponge soak up a tomato-pepper stew that pops and makes you pause. The other guisados are good too but a bit interchangeable, IMO.

They say it’s the rice that makes the sushi, and here it’s the tortilla that makes the taco. These handmade beauties are thin and oh-so supple. I wish they’d let you order extras via DoorDash - I’d pay a premium for a pile of possibly the best tortillas I’ve ever eaten. 

If the list of best new restaurants by both Eater LA AND Thrillist didn’t convince you, I highly doubt I can, in which case I’m not sure why you’ve actually read this far. And I don’t care. If you can’t appreciate these tortillas, you’re an idiot. 

Tacos Los Guichos - Los Angeles - Taco Tour #12

Chasing taco trucks has been a new obsession, and today's journey is one a little less well known. 

Say hello to Tacos Los Guichos, a Florence food truck that sits in the corner of an auto shop parking lot. No convenient places to park, a lot of trouble to get to, easy to miss. My kind of place. 

These are street tacos, exactly what you'd expect from a truck. Warm tortillas, generously loaded, everything hot and assembled on order. Their Pastor is on the drier, more crispy side, finely chopped rather than cross-sectioned off a spit. 

Birria is a newer offering, juicy shredded beef with a consommé that is a bit salty. Not bad, but they can't beat Tacos el Goloso. 

Lengua is lengua, those pillowy little cubes. 

This particular truck came highly recommended by a friend, and what's not to like? Good tacos, affordably priced, grab them to go for a quick lunch or nighttime nosh. That said, there's a reason they're not a legend. Good stuff but just another good taco truck, a good player that can’t quite stand out in a very deep field. 

Leo’s Tacos Truck - Los Angeles - Taco Tour #10

There's a truck in a parking lot off La Cienega flanked by folding tables and stools to sit on. The awning is festive and the picture-menu has plenty of picks with a long list of meats. 

My first taste of Suadero is here, and there's nothing not to like about the tender white cuts framed with a crispy sear. The flavor is more delicate and very simply seasoned.

Cabeza is all those soft, gooey cheek-bits. Impossibly tender, melts in your mouth. 

If you didn't get the Pastor, did you even come to Leo's? They're gorgeous and they're generous, a cross-section of layers stacked in every slice. The meat is smoky and spicy with a hint of sweet to finish, and the pineapple juices make the spice rub come alive. 

The red salsa is smoky, the green has a kick and a sweet but manageable burn. The avocado salsa has a creamier tang, and the combination of three is best. Be liberal with the lime and sprinkle some chopped onions and cilantro for sass. 

Forget the fine dining, LA's real food scene comes straight from the spit. Taco tycoons like Leo's are what gives us our claim to the best ethnic food in the country. After a taste of these tacos, your new hobby will be chasing trucks. 

Taco Tour #9 - Gish Bac - Los Angeles

I rarely let a single dish decide a restaurant, but Gish Bac’s Barbacoa Roja is all I need to know.

The consommé is a bright red balance, strong with chilies and savory like drinking meat. The meat itself has a stronger gamey-er finish and slides off the bones in clumps of shredded bliss, actively falling apart as it moves. There's a warm tortilla to wrap it in, some salsa to add the heat, and with a cool squeeze of lime and a dab of cabbage slaw, it will be the best thing I've eaten this year for quite some time.

TLDR: I ate barbacoa made by LA's barbacoa queen, and believe me, she's earned all the worship she gets. 

Taco Tour #8 - Tacos 1986 - Los Angeles

The less fine dining I eat, the less fine dining I want. LA is a city of street food, though most of it is brick-and-mortar. Still, Tacos 1986 is best consumed standing, best eaten fresh from the fire at one of their tiled bar counters. If you need a celebrity endorsement, they have a framed photo of Biden on the wall. 

A mere $5 will get you the secret-menu Perron, where a hand-rolled tortilla is covered with a crackling layer of queso to cradle the carne asada. Impossibly soft pinto beans cling to a dab of guac, and each item is exquisitely made. 

Delicious but I prefer my simpler street tacos by the bunch. Theirs are small enough to try one of every kind. 

The Chicken is meh. Well-seasoned, yes, and also very savory and tender, but what else? This is LA; you can’t just slap some breasts on a grill. 

Carne Asada is king; this meat chews as a tender steak should, beefy bits of juicy bliss. 

Wash it all down with a super-sweet Hibiscus Agua Fresca and take a bite of the placid Pastor. The spice mix is mild but savory and you can see that the sliced-off-the-spit pieces are glistening with dripping juice. 

Mushroom tacos are my new curiosity, and these did not disappoint. The texture is meaty, though the soup tends to spill. 

The carne asada is what you order here. Take every opportunity to wrap it up with the thin and chewy and not-so-corny handmade tortillas, and for your tacos, order no less than five. 

Taco Tour #7 - Mariscos Jalisco - Los Angeles

To try this location of the Mariscos Jalisco truck, you have to really want to try this location of the Mariscos Jalisco truck. Parked along a madhouse major street running through a neighborhood of nothing good, you risk getting rear-ended by pulling behind the truck or risk getting run over by a lingering-left or over-eager-right turner as you cross at an uncomfortably wide intersection.  

But I think LA cuisine was built from the stuff of the streets, and these iconic Shrimp Tacos are worth any risk. I love the crunch of this hard shell that vibrates inside my skull, and I love the experience of eating it next to a total stranger with my plate perched on the ledge that runs along the outside of the truck. It’s a balancing act between the backless stool and uneven sidewalk, but it’s all part of this most delightful experience. The tortilla is fried hard and strong, so strong you lose the more delicate bread-and-shrimp stuffing inside. There's a rich contrast of textures with gooey avocado on top and a watery tomato sauce all around. It adds up to an unforgettable experience, and although it's far from perfect, my mouth will never forget those 15 minutes. 

The Fish Ceviche is a cold contrast to the intensity of those tacos, a balanced mix of fish and tomato. The fish is a little bit fishy, but it's still good overall. 

Mariscos Jalisco took LA by storm with its crispy shrimp, and there is something indescribably beautiful about it. It’s perfectly imperfect, and those tacos are a reminder of how great that can be. The fish could have been fresher, the balance could have been better, but everything together was better than good, and sometimes that’s the best. There are better taco places, including several along my taco tour so far, but Mariscos Jalisco was by far the most fun. 

Taco Tour #6 - HomeState - Los Angeles

Still chasing tacos with unending enthusiasm.

Next stop: Homestate. Uniquely Tex-Mex, love it or hate it, Homestate serves this conglomerate cuisine with subtlety and style. 

True Tex-Mex is a rare find this far from the Lone Star State, and Homestate hails straight from the source. Briana Valdez is a native Texan transplant whose Austin cuisine adds another layer to LA’s already-rich diversity. 

The ingredients are pasture-prime, often organic and ethically sourced. “You’re only as good as your ingredients,” said many a chef, and the three-ingredient Blanco is one such example. Juicy shiitakes add the savory to a melty Monterey Jack on a bed of fluffy egg whites. Slather on the salsas for sweet tomato and biting tomatillo.

Less is more when you have a thick paper-thin (no, that’s not a typo), house-made flour tortilla. That chewy texture contrasts the tender inside, especially in the Trinity, with its soft scrambled eggs and chewy bacon. Home-fry potatoes and shreds of slightly-sharp cheddar cheese break up the denser bits of egg. 

Breakfast is a gentle start, and the lunchtime proteins pack more punch. An assertive achiote marinade makes the Chicken squawk, the hotter bites cooled by cabbage slaw and guacamole.

Picadillo is salty ground beef in all its juices, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage slaw, perked up by pickled jalapenos. It's not bad but it’s a bit much, and it’s my least favorite of the bunch. 

The Potato sounds bland but it's filling and rather refreshing, best for hot, humid days. The potatoes are crunchy and crisp, jalapeños add much-needed acid, and guac is always welcome. There could be less sour cream. 

Simplicity is special at Homestate, and it really is about appreciating every part. The tortillas are as good as they get, the eggs are the eggiest of eggs, and every ingredient tastes fresh off the farm. I'd easily eat their tacos again, but I’d stick with the breakfast options for best results.

Taco Tour #4 - Sonoratown - Los Angeles

It’s still a seedy-looking strip mall, but the counters run long, the stools gleam in orange and turquoise, and the clean walls and vibrant murals highlight the obvious difference in target audience.  

$11.50 buys three Tacos to try. The three C’s; costilla, cabeza, and chorizo are a winning combination, though bigger appetites will want one of every option. Cabeza is so fatty-soft it’s almost creamy. Costilla is chewy, with cartilaginous cuts where rib meat meets the bone, but the smoky flavor is quite special. Chorizo is spicy, fiery little pieces of good-textured ground. The tortillas are so thin you can see right through them, and the chewy texture reigns supreme. Unlike the bigger options I've had so far, these are truly 3-bite street tacos and they disappear deliciously and a bit too fast.

Of all the taco places so far, this one is the trendiest. The decor is instagrammable, and it was built more recently with aesthetics in mind. The tacos are perfect pockets with amazing flavors, and both their spicy red tomato and tart green tomatillo salsas are standouts. Great for a quick meal or a much-needed snack. 

Taco Tour #3 - Las 7 Regiones - Los Angeles

A small diner-like space with a huge TV that you can't hear above the music. Casual service, professional and polite, but it still feels like you can just relax and eat. 

There's a Mole Negro Con Pollo where rivers of black mole run over a tender chicken breast and leg. Let it sit and savor for a second before you scoop up some more. The mole has so many layers working together, first the sweetness, then the earthiness, then the darkness and almost-bitter smoke that packs a bit of heat at the end. Drag the warm corn tortillas through it and don't just skim the surface.

Dab a sizzle of salsa on top, very little or a little bit more depending on your tolerance. A single drop makes your mole come alive. 

The Goat Barbacoa Taco is a must. This foot-long tube is a kaleidoscope of tenderest meat, with tendon and connective tissue stewed soft to add texture to each shreddy bite. If this tortilla isn't handmade, it sure has me fooled. Dunk in the consomme, bow your head over the bowl to catch every delectable drop. 

Oh man, this is a meal. You can't leave here not stuffed, and you'll never feel so good about being full. Don't waste a single drop of mole or consomme - the meats are good but the sauces and soups are even better. 

Taco Tour #2 - La Flor de Yucatan - Los Angeles

The building is small, almost like a stall. There's a fridge and a counter and a few folding tables outside to sit. No frills, but the tacos are thrills.

There's a Combo of 2 tacos and 1 Tamal, and it's first Tamal de Chaya I've had since my girls' trip to Belize. The masa is so soft, the chaya adds a leafy fragrance. It’s the simplest of the tamales but the subtle flavors are so satisfying I ate mine plain. 

Cochinita pibil is a soup-dripping, warm and savory with a lift of citrus. Tastes like it’s been buried and braised for days. 

This may be the only time I’ve ever had turkey taste good. The relleno negro puts sweet, black achiote on a bland bird and I am obsessed. There’s a char and a tar and a sweet earthiness much like mole but it’s cooked into the meat, not just poured on. 

I had to order in Spanish and if the spiciness of my salsa is any indication, I may be the most gringa they've ever seen. The red is tomato water and the green is tomatillo juice. But tacos like this need no sauce and they so good I almost ended my taco tour right here.