Los Angeles is a city that pulses with an insatiable love for tacos. The humble street food has become an intrinsic part of the LA foodscape, inspiring ingenious culinary creations by converting the simple handheld delight into an exciting gastronomic canvas. LA promises an eclectic and diverse taco experience where visitors can indulge in regional specialties like mariscos or al pastor in various establishments, sometimes just a short drive away from each other.

Since 2001, Mariscos Jalisco taco truck, a brainchild of Raul Ortega, has become a city-wide favorite. Stationed in Boyle Heights, and extending its delectable goodness to Downtown, Mid-City, and its new-found brick-and-mortar home in Pomona, the taco truck boasts of the city's best tacos. The demand recognition could well be credited to their sensational Taco de Camaron - a sea of creamy avocado slices, crunchy shrimp, enveloped by a deep-fried tortilla and enlivened by a spicy red salsa. Also noteworthy is their Tostada Poseidon, an overloaded seafood tostada reverberating with flavors, courtesy of its shrimp, aguachile, octopus, cucumbers, onions, and lime wedges.

Nestled inside LA’s Mercado La Paloma nixtamalizes ‘Komal’, an all-day dining restaurant and molino that champions heirloom corn. Here, Fatima Juarez and Conrado Rivera have carved a niche–churning out enticing and supreme masa-based gastronomies. Their most coveted offering is the taco Sonia, inspired by a taquera Fatima once knew in Mexico City. This blue corn tortilla crammed with pork chorizo, seared beef, creamy potatoes, prickly pear cactus and a smoky molcajete sauce promises to leave a lasting impression on your palate.

Delve into the history of Middle Eastern immigrants and Lebanese communities with the Los Originales Tacos Arabes de Puebla, a family-run taco truck based in East LA. Their specialty is the taco árabe, a signature Pueblan dish served on a thick flour tortilla, loaded with al pastor and streaks of Oaxacan cheese, then livened with a splash of bright red chipotle salsa and ripe avocado slices.

Amidst the short-lived birria trend, Tacos y Birria La Única, located in Boyle Heights and Mid-City, upholds the timeless allure of Tijuana-style barbacoa. Their beef birria intensifies the already rich, complex birria flavor, which complements the melted cheese of quesatacos equally well as it stands alone in tacos, served in both soft corn tortillas and deep-fried hard shells.

Lastly, Tacos Los Güichos’s rotating monument of achiote-marinated pork is a sight to behold. Perched just off the 110 freeway in South LA, the taqueria skillfully concocts one the city’s most unforgettable al pastor dishes, served from dusk till dawn. Looking for more? You can find another outpost in Orange County's Mercado Gonzalez Northgate Market.