We waited in Taco Madness’ lines so you don’t have to
Rachel’s life has essentially been one long LA taco tour since she set out to find the best truck in the area back in 2020. Don’t believe us? Check out the rankings on her Instagram highlights here. And we’ve followed L.A. Taco’s annual Taco Madness bracket as a resource for years, but this was our first time going to the associated event, which gathers some of the top contenders in one area.
Flanked by our carnitas-seeking crew, we hit Taco Madness 2023 at around 7:00 PM, ready to balance our taco plates in each others. I mention the time because it was likely a contributor to our… operational inefficiencies on-site. While the tacos were truly some of LA’s best, and the convenience of not having to trek from Boyle Heights to the Westside was nice, we were plagued with long lines, crazy crowds, and ingredient shortages.
What we tried:
Evil Cooks: Known for their pulpo (octopus) pastor, Evil Cooks rose to the top as Janice’s favorite of the night. In addition to the pulpo, we ordered the two other selections - green chorizo and black pastor. Rachel liked the spicy green chorizo the best, but all three were worth the long line.
Sonoratown: Rachel had been to Sonoratown previously, and insisted the group wait out the long line. We got to the front only to learn they had run out of all meat and were frantically having some driven over from their original downtown restaurant. We placed our order anyway and 15 minutes later got a call that they were ready. Even with that snafu, Sonoratown never disappoints. It ditches the standard corn tortilla for housemade flour ones. They have the perfect chew and never collapse under the weight of the generous portion of meat and signature grilled veggies & green onions.
Los Sabrosos Al Horno: An unknown to the group ended up being Rachel’s favorite of the night. If you see Al Horno in the name, you can bet you’re going to be served up tender juicy whole hog, topped with the crispy skin, and we’ve never met a crispy pig we didn’t like. Only one thing on the menu - cerdo al horno served with one kind of salsa that was almost yellow in color. The pork melted in your mouth, the salsa and lime added an acidic spicy kick, and the crispy pork skin is the stuff a modern day Shakespeare would write sonnets about.
Other honorable mentions:
Lines were too long and we were too full, but Villa’s Tacos and Teddy’s Red Tacos were both in attendance and are 100% endorsed by this blog. Both favorites of previous taco tours, these tantalizing trucks turned brick & mortar staples are #CheapGirlsEat approved.
Our advice? Take the time to savor the flavor. Skip the long event lines, inflated prices, and ingredient shortages. Digest during your drives and use the Taco Madness bracket (or Rachel’s previous tours) for inspiration to design your own Taco Tour! Don’t forget to formulate a scoring system or message us to get your hands on Rachel’s patented ranking structure.
Cost: ~30%+ prices than if you went to the restaurant. Tacos were purchased via tickets.
