Expert Article


Taco-bout the King of Tacos


To preface, I am no king of tacos. But if “eating tacos in Los Angeles is a sport”, I could be the Kobe of eating tacos with how much I eat tacos (LA Taco Staff, 2023). Tacos in general are elegant creatures in this crazy world. There are only a few moving parts when it comes to this classic Mexican dish, which makes the concept of a taco easy to understand by most people. This dish, aside from other Mexican foods, can be described as “the ultimate individual eating experience” and even though you can find tacos almost anywhere, it does not undermine the importance of making the food taste good (Carpenter, 2021). These individual experiences contribute to the comfort that one feels from eating a taco. For example, the moment you get off work after not eating beforehand could lead you straight to the nearest taco stand. Another scenario is grabbing a quick bite (of tacos) on your lunch break or break between classes. What about after a night out of the town? The answer to all these scenarios is a taco stand. Well again, maybe most of the time the correct answer is a taco stand.

The Grading Scale    

 

With a blazing passion for only the tastiest tacos, this is my best attempt in trying to find the taco stand that could qualify as the king of tacos within a two-mile radius of the USC campus. Who am I to judge what a taco is supposed to look like though? What about the taste? The ingredients? The authenticity of this taco? Well, Taco Bell checks all those boxes. This is funny to me because no, I do not think that Taco Bell has the best tacos, but most of the time these other questions may not even come up when enjoying a taco.

I have been eating tacos since I was the age of two. My grandma was to blame for starting me off so young, but now I have a deep appreciation for Hispanic culture and Mexican cuisine, but I only have an appreciation for food that tastes good. Typically, I eat Mexican food multiple times a week but I eat tacos at least once a week which is where I get most of my taco-eating experience from. Sometimes it is difficult to discern what makes a taco good or bad since almost anything can be put in a tortilla and called a taco (University of Wyoming, 2019). Some of the key factors over my twenty years of experience that I think about when enjoying food boiled down to three major categories:

  •     The Ingredients
  •     The Execution
  •     The Experience


The Ingredients category inspects the freshness, variety, and quality of the food that is going into the tacos. Execution refers to the state of the taco upon completion, including the authenticity, the toppings/condiments, and the sogginess of the taco when you go to eat it. With all this being said, arguably one of the most important aspects of a good taco stand is the Experience such as the atmosphere, the company you bring, the prices you pay, and the workers that are helping you. Tacos unify people in a universal love for the food by people of any background, especially in Los Angeles (Moseley and Hagan. 2020).

The Leaderboard


Without further ado, I will start with the honorable mentions:

  •     Taco stand on Figueroa and 28th (90 Stand)
  •     Tacos El Pony on Hoover and Jefferson
  •     Birreria Villalobos food truck (Ralphs)
  •     Tacoyos (Ralphs)


These four destinations received honorable mentions due to their convenience to booming locations such as the 901 Bar, Rock and Reilly’s, Campus, and Ralph's, but the pricing of being in more convenient locations makes it difficult for these stands to continue in the competition for best tacos at higher price points.

5. El Ostion

This food truck specializes in seafood dishes and executes on their fish tacos. El Ostion receives a spot in the top five due to the quality and freshness of their shrimp tacos. Shrimp tacos are rare to come across in Los Angeles at the average stand. The fact that El Ostion executes these shrimp tacos indicates that they are well deserving enough to get on the leaderboard. This food truck is located off Hoover and Washington right by the 10 Freeway, which makes it convenient, the seafood is fresh, and the workers at the truck are polite enough to have a good experience.

4. Taqueria Taco Truck

The Taqueria food truck is the food truck that you often see parked on Hoover across from Target in the Village or recently I have been seeing it closer to the row on Hoover and 28th. This place specializes in convenience and experience because of the high traffic that this spot receives from students and local workers. This taco truck is well priced at three dollars a taco, has tasty food, and a lot of variety in the dishes they offer but points are deducted for not having as much variety in their condiments and the meat is not as fresh as other stands.

3. Taco Tamix

Taco Tamix gets the third place spot from the flavor, pricing, and experience of being a customer here. To start, this taco truck is located on the corner of Hoover and Washington but is known for its two-dollar taco deal. Additionally, the other dishes are tasty, the condiments are good such as the avocado green salsa, and they have fresh meat. One of the stars of the show is the fresh al pastor tacos that come with pineapple, which is odd to hear, but it works on this taco. This authentic taco truck is lit up with bright lights and select seating if you would prefer to eat there as well.

2. Taco Zone

The number two spot on this list is the incumbent, Taco Zone. If you go up to a USC student, most of the time they would say their favorite taco stand is Taco Zone located on Vermont and 30th. This taco stand has al pastor on the trompo which is the vertical spinner of the meat that you can see at the taco stand and is used to shave off al pastor to cook on the grill. This place has tasty tacos that are the bomb, customizable with the self-serve salsa bar, and fresh ingredients. The reason why Taco Zone was not at the top of this ranking is because of the experience of waiting in line since there are a lot of students who are now aware of the high-quality tacos that they produce, but also this stand is cash only which is inconvenient to some of their customer base.

1. Lasso My Taco

The king of tacos around USC has to be Lasso My Taco. When ranking these spots, I was going through the three categories in my mind, and only one place checked all the boxes. This taco stand is also successful enough to have two stands one on the side of Vermont and 29th while the other stand is in the Autozone parking lot on Vermont, but during the days they have a storefront location that is a Mexican restaurant and bakery. In terms of ingredients, the meat is shaved off the trompo (spinner), the execution is phenomenal as the food is authentic Mexican food, a self-serve salsa bar with a tasty green salsa, and the only sogginess is from the salsa that you would add on top of the tacos. Alas! There is a solution for the sogginess because they provide condiment cups for the salsa to go on the side. 

The experience is beyond positive as the workers talk to you, there is seating available if you are hungry in the moment, portions are unreal, and the prices are reasonable. Pricing is nine dollars for a burrito and the tacos are about two to three dollars depending on which meat you order. For all these reasons, Lasso My Taco is the king of tacos in this ranking of the top taco stands near the USC Campus.


“The 69 Best Tacos in Los Angeles in 2023 ~ L.A. Taco.” ~ L.A. TACO, 18 Oct. 2023, lataco.com/69-  best-tacos-in-la.

Huablack, Kiki. “Nextbite Let’s Talk Tacos: Expert Tips for Taco Deliciousness.” Nextbite, 10 Dec. 2021,  nextbite.io/lets-talk-tacos-expert-tips-for-taco-deliciousness/.

Mosley, Tonya, and Allison Hagan. “We Are What We Eat: L.A. Taco Editor Talks about His City’s Most   Iconic Dish.” Here & Now, WBUR, 7 Oct. 2020, www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/10/07/la-taco-      food- journalism.

“What Makes An Authentic Taco?” Nutrition and Food Safety, University of Wyoming, 3 Jan. 2019, uwyoextension.org/uwnutrition/newsletters/what-makes-an-authentic-taco/. 


Picture Sources:

“Al Pastor.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor.

Kopetman, Roxana. “After Santa Ana’s Crackdown on Taco Stands, Council Asks California to Amend Its Street Vendor Laws.” Orange County Register, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2023, www.ocregister.com/2023/03/09/after-santa-anas-crackdown-on-taco-stands-council-asks-california-to-amend-its-street-vendor-laws/.

“Taco.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco.


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