The 1st Annual Taco Crawl!

Recently I embarked on a journey of taco goodness with 3 other friends, Matt, Rob, and Jorge. There were no parameters for the first annual taco crawl. I suppose the only parameter was that we had to eat tacos. No problem. I compiled a list of spots that would start in Los Feliz then lead us to Highland Park and Eagle Rock, with maybe some additional stops along the way. The first spot, which was not on my list but should have been was the obvious taco stand located down the street from my apartment. A spot that I, former roommates and many friends have frequented over the past seven years. Ginas Taco would get this crawl started.


Rules were never established for this crawl and when I compiled the list I made it up of a few spots that I've visited. The majority of this list was compiled of places that I've read about, heard of or that I just wanted to eat at. I also wanted variety on the list and variety is what we got. At Ginas Taco I started the crawl with a cabeza taco, it was a good primer for the day ahead.

Following are the highlights. All of the tacos were enjoyable but some really stood out.

After enjoying our first fish taco of the day at the Best Fish Taco in Ensenada we had to check twitter to locate our next stop. We walked a few blocks to Ricky's Fish Tacos. His set up is simple and unassuming. Two deep frying pans plus a couple of chairs and tables. We each had a fish taco, the batter crispy and delicious. The fish moist and a portion big enough to engulf the tortilla. Ricky tops the taco with a fresh pico de gallo and cabbage. On the side there are bottles with cream and salsa for you to squirt as you please. This is a spectacular taco. Plus Ricky is a really nice guy. I will return to try the shrimp version.



Next we stopped at our first taco truck on this trip. Los Paisas on Figueroa, next to the big lots. I had a tripa (intestine) taco. I was asked if I wanted the tripas crispy and of course I said yes. I ordered it with a green salsa. Good.

The fifth stop was Metro Balderas. I had the al pastor taco . I don't know if their "al pastor" is cooked on a spit because the kitchen is not visible. Regardless it was very delicious. Not too spicy with chunks of pineapple. The taco had a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Very good.

At La Estrella we all decided to go with the shrimp tacos. We didn't expect what we got. What we got were giant tacos with what had to be 10 shrimp per taco, these things were beasts. The batter on the shrimp was spicy and light which was good because the taco was ginormous and too much batter would have weighed it down even more. It came with cabbage, cream, pico de gallo and a red salsa. The shrimp tasted fresh and tender. I could have easily made 3 or 4 smaller tacos out of this massive creature. It was good and satisfying, my belly was reaching it's tipping point.

My Taco provided the second best or best taco out of the crawl (Ricky's and My Taco were my top two). The lamb taco, taco de borrego, arrived with a sprinkle of cilantro and chopped onion. I had a choice of many topping from the salsa bar. But honestly this taco was delicious without salsa, the meat succulent and full of flavor with bits of crispy parts. It tasted as though the meat had been stewed for many hours in spices and other good stuff then grilled right before being placed on two tortillas. I was tempted to order another, but I knew this crawl was far from over. I must return here soon. Drool.



El Huarache Azteca specializes in huaraches but they also make some good tacos. I knew they carried huitlacoche, corn truffle or corn fungus and that is what we were here for. The huitlacoche taco was not very appealing to the eye. The flavor was good though, a smoky, earthy, mushroom-like taste. Although I still prefer my huitlacoche in a quesadilla. Good.

Fortunately for us Kogi was on our path of taco destruction. By this point the crew added another friend, Jeremy. After a brief break we made our way to the infamous Korean taco truck. I've had Kogi many times but I have to be honest, I didn't like their tacos the first time around. It could have been the combination of waiting in the cold for the truck to arrive then waiting in line, then not getting my full order, then walking to my car and finally eating cold tacos. Also the relish/salsa was too overpowering and I couldn't really taste the short rib meat. It was also during the peak of the Kogi rage. I've given the truck many go's and can say that I became a fan, plus I think the tacos just taste better now. For this taco crawl we had the short rib taco and it was delicious, it was like experiencing Kogi for the first time (it was the first time for the rest of the crew). The meat was tasty and the salsa/relish provided a nice kick but was not overpowering. Very good.

Cacao Mexicatessen was a late addition to the list. This place provides gourmet Mexican dishes with such options as duck carnitas, wild boar, rabbit and much more. We all decided to have the bacon enchocolatado tacos. Basically bacon in a chocolate mole sauce on house made corn tortillas with little slivers of jalapeño on top. The bacon was thick and cut into little cubes of goodness while swimming in a spicy chocolaty sauce. These were more on the spicy side. Splendid little morsels of flavor. Muy bueno.

By the end of this crawl I was just handing off my barely consumed tacos to my fellow comrades. The last stops were good but I was just too full to enjoy them.

Below is the final list of locations. The variety of tacos we ate included al pastor (pork), mole & bacon, huitlacoche (corn truffle), cabeza (head meat), lamb, fish, shrimp, lengua (tongue), asada, tripa (intestine) and buche (stomach).

The List

1. Ginas Taco - 470 W Colorado St, Glendale
2. Best Fish Taco in Ensenada - 1650 Hillhurst Ave, Los Feliz
3. Ricky's Fish Tacos - Check his Twitter for location
4. Los Paisas (truck) - 5100 N Figueroa Street, Highland Park
5. Metro Balderas - 5305 N. Figueroa St, Highland Park
6. La Estrella - 6310 N Figueroa, Highland Park (they also have a truck on York)
7. My Taco - 6300 York Blvd, Ste. 4, Highland Park
8. El Huarache Azteca - 5528 York Blvd, Highland Park
9. Kogi (truck) - Check their Twitter for location
10. Cacao Mexicatessen - 1576 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock
11. El Pique (truck)- York and Ave 53 Highland Park
12. Tacos Sinaloa (truck)- Figueroa and Ave 55, Highland Park
13. El Takitaco (truck) - Figueroa St and Ave 51, Highland Park
14. El Taco Sabroso (truck) - 5100 N Figueroa Street, Highland Park