In 2012, a small street stand had great ambitions: take tacos out of their straightjacket and treat them with the highest respect… a real mariachi-c mix. It became a food truck a little later, but Guerrilla Tacos is now a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Arts District, and one of its walls honors the memory of Jonathan Gold. It would be impossible to describe the menu, which changes according to the Farmers Market: braised oxtail, artichokes and escabeche peppers, roasted leeks and sweet potatoes, lamb liver with persimmons… We were lucky to bite into a large taco with turmeric cauliflower, as tender as the ones Miznon serves in Tel Aviv, and which melts in your mouth like Normandy butter. After tackling the tacos, on to the crudos: the pineapple/scallop and the kampachi/avocado/cilantro ones definitely win the show. And if you haven’t eaten since the beginning of the week, get yourself a big burrito — you’ll leave begging for more. Thirsty? Get a few aguas frescas, claro! Pomegranate, watermelon, blackberry… different strokes for different folks. Guerrilla Tacos are, without the shadow of a doubt, the best tacos in L.A. Wes Avila decided one day to leave everything and become a chef, training in Paris at Alain Ducasse’s culinary school… Might this be the reason why he’s such a great cook?
Style: Mexican
Address: 2000 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (Arts District)
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 11AM-10PM, Thursday-Saturday 11AM-11PM, Sunday 11AM-7PM
Menu: guerrillatacos.com
Price: Tacos $4-6
Reservations: No reservations