The Best Tacos In LA | Best Of The Best

Joe Avella: Oh man, that's so good! Sydney Kramer: We're here in Los Angeles for the

best

tacos

. Joe: Syd, if I had to guess, I'd say there are, I don't know, about a million taco places in Los Angeles. So we scoured the “

best

of” lists on Thrillist, Eater LA, Infatuation, Yelp.com. Sydney: Wow. Joe: And we also reached out to Bill Esparza, the Los Angeles taco expert. Bill Esparza is a James Beard Award-winning writer who literally wrote the book on Los Angeles Mexican food. With his help, we narrowed the list down to four of the best

tacos

in this city.

Bill Esparza: Tacos are important to Los Angeles because Los Angeles is a Mexican city. We are in a Latin city, tacos are one of those foods that stand out. Joe: Syd, we have the best carne asada, we have the best carnitas, we have the best shrimp taco and of course the best fish taco. Sydney: So, isn't comparing all these different proteins and tacos like comparing apples to oranges? Joe: Great point. We wanted to make sure we well represented the variety and cultural depth of tacos that Los Angeles has to offer. Sydney: Sounds delicious. Let us begin.

Joe: Our first stop is Sonoratown in downtown Los Angeles. Sydney: They make amazing flour tortillas, I really want to try them. They drive to Mexico at least twice a month to get special flour to make them. Joe: They also cook the carne asada over a mesquite grill. Which is actually pretty unique for Los Angeles. Jennifer Feltham: We serve Sonoran-style tacos, meaning from northern Mexico rather than central or southern Mexico. It's a little different style. We make flour tortillas, handmade fresh every day with flour we bring from their hometown in Mexico, in San Luis Río Colorado.

And we roast over a fire, over mesquite wood. We use charcoal and that adds that kind of distinctive flavor to all of our food. Bill: Sonoratown is a revolutionary restaurant because they really introduced tacos to the norteño style. Carne asada, the verb "asar", means to roast, and the meat is not roasted on a flat surface. What Sonoratown did, by investing and putting a grill and a hood inside their restaurant, allowed them to cook like people from the north do. Customer: We've been here before, we went, my mom is actually from Sonora, so this is the only place that has tacos like the ones there, and they're amazing.

The tortillas are the best. The tortillas are homemade, you can tell the difference from store-bought flour tortillas. Jennifer: We use ribs, rather than just a cheaper cut, because Sonora represents very tough with their carne asada and we have to do it right. It is a very expensive choice, but it is worth it when you taste the taste. When you cook over fire, you also end up with crunchy fat, rather than rubbery or chewy fat, which is beautiful in a taco. We cut the ribs and put the fillets on the grill. And we're expecting to see a little bit of bubbling in the fat, and we cook it all the way through because it's a real roast beef.

And then we dice it very finely so that each bite has a little bit of fat and then a little bit of meat, a little bit chewy. We dress it with a spicy chile de arbol sauce and avocado and cabbage puree, and then we dress it with roasted green onions on the side and radishes. Twice a month I travel five hours to Sonora to cross the border and bring back as many bags of flour as I can. Sonoran wheat is known to be a little softer and makes a more delicate and airy tortilla. Joe: You can smell that meat cooking on the street.

When I got here I thought: "I think I'm close." Tacos are flying off that grill, the line is still out the door. Sydney: I mean, you can hear it. Joe: Yes. Sidney: Yes. Joe: That's great. They got the loudest chairs possible, which I think was a smart move. We are? Employee: Yes, here we go, two beef tacos. Joe: Just in time. This is the first time, Syd, that I've been served tacos with roasted chives. Sidney: Really? Joe: Yes, really. Sydney: I mean, that's one of my favorite parts about eating tacos, like good tacos, which should come with a side of charred chives.

That's a big part for me. Joe: No onions or tomatoes? Sydney: No onions or tomatoes. Joe: No cilantro? Sydney: I would never put a tomato on my taco, ever, ever, ever. But we need lime, obviously, we need a lot, a lot of lime. We have the radish. Which I also love. Joe: No, thanks. Sidney: Really? Joe: I don't like radishes. Sydney: This guy is so Chicago it's no joke. Joe: These don't have cheese either, I want to point out. Sydney: Who wants cheese on a taco? Joe: See what I'm dealing with here? Sydney: It's the roast beef and the omelet, I don't want anything to get in the way of that.

Joe: Okay. Sydney: Alright, let's take a bite. Joe: Okay, do it. Sydney: Hmm. Joe: That's so good. Sydney: That's very good. Joe: The char on that meat is very tasty. Sydney: Wow. Joe: And you can taste the difference in those tortillas. I don't think I've ever eaten an omelette like that. Sydney: Yes, if you don't like flour tortillas it's because you haven't eaten a good flour tortilla. These are absolutely amazing. They are soft, a little doughy and almost cake-like. And it melts along with the meat, and the sauce adds that much-needed acidity to the richness of the meat and the tortilla.

It's really nice. I can see why they won the LA Taco Best Taco in LA award. So twice. Not once, twice. Now let's go to Boyle Heights to check out Mariscos Jalisco. Raúl Ortega: Mariscos, in Spanish it translates as "seafood." And our name is actually Jalisco. My state in Mexico, where I'm from. We don't do anything but seafood. Joe: The most popular is the taco de camarón, a fried shrimp taco. He recently appeared in David Chang's "Ugly Delicious." And Chrissy Teigen made them come to her house. Raúl: What I can let you see is when we simply fry the taco.

Not the process of doing it before that. That's what I can show you guys. Joe: Sure. Raúl: Top secret, sorry. Joe: Start with a pre-filled taco ready for the air fryer. What's in them? Look, I asked her five times, but she didn't say. All I know is that there are shrimp. You can try asking him yourself, but my guy was pretty reserved. Once they come out of the fryer, they are topped with avocado and their homemade sauce. Sydney: Salsa. Joe: Anyway, you know what I mean. Sydney: A garnish of lime and they are ready to eat.

Raúl: I tell everyone: be careful when you try these tacos. They are very addictive. Customer: I've been coming here for 20 years. Joe: I'm ready for some tacos, ah! They're a little heavy, I mean, they packed everything here, they packed it here, so. Sidney: Yes. Should we try it? Joe: Let's take a bite. Sydney: Okay. Joe: Good. Good? Did you expect that? Sydney: No. Joe: Did you expect that when you heard the seafood taco you'd be like, "Yeah, I have an idea what that's like." Sydney: Mm-hmm. Joe: I've never had a seafood taco like this. Sydney: Oh my god, it's so good.

Joe: And put the ingredients. Sydney: I think they fry what's inside the taco and then fry it again. Why do you see the breading? On top? That's my assumption. Is very good. It's almost like you're making a fish and chips taco. Joe: Whatever you do with the seafood, mix it and fry it, the way you present it, it's like no other taco I've ever had. Certainly any other seafood taco I've ever had. Sydney: I think this is perfect to give to someone who says they don't like seafood. Because if you eat this, you will be a seafood lover.

Joe: He was telling us that people come from San Diego, they come from San Francisco, they drive several hours just to come here. And I can say it's worth it. I'm dying for some carnitas and I know the perfect place: Carnitas El Momo. Christopher Posada Rangal: We specialize in any pork meat, whether it's pig's ear, pig's feet, snout, whatever you want, we can cook it however you want. We are trying to become a staple like other carnitas places here have been, but we feel like we are head and shoulders above them. We simply feel that our taste is better, we feel that we have surpassed them and that we have advanced further in our cooking technique.

Which is old school, eight hours, no rush and no heat lamps. Joe: Carnitas are made by simmering pork in oil or lard for several hours until tender and tender. It's usually pork shoulder or loin because those are the fattiest cuts and make the most tender and juicy carnitas. Christopher: We don't put our carnitas under heat lamps, so they never dry out, they always stay juicy. We serve three different types of cuts, which is buche, pork belly; pigskin, which is leather; and then pork shoulder, which is solid. Bill: Rómulo has been making carnitas for more than half a century.

He is a teacher. I can go straight to Boyle Heights and get the same quality carnitas I'll eat in Mexico. And really with their wonderful regional touch from Guanajuato, where they just take the carnitas and put pickled chiles on top. Maybe just a little sauce. And it's just beautiful when the pickle juice mixes with the fat and sweetness of the carnitas, it's perfect. Client: We live quite close. Chris is the man. Joe: I'm looking at these carnitas, I don't think I've ever seen carnitas like this. What do you think? Sydney: This is a lot. I have never seen a taco with so much filling before.

Joe: They have so many different varieties of carnitas here. This is, I think, a mix of everything, you say? Sidney: Yeah. Joe: I think I heard the shoulder... Sydney: The mix. Joe: The mix, they have ears, shoulders, probably some butt, skin, all the good stuff. Sydney: Oh my god, they weigh like the size of a newborn baby. Both: Okay. Joe: Oh man! That's very good! Oh my God! Sydney: Hmm. Joe: Thank you. Sydney: Melts in your mouth. Joe: Thanks for doing this. Wow. The onion and cilantro with this pork, perfect. If there was anything else, I would be taking too much away from it.

Sydney: Mm-hmm, yes. Joe: I just... this is amazing. You can taste this crunch in the texture, the little burnt ends and crispy with the fat in here just coming together, it's like, yum. It's simply delicious. Sydney: The fat melts in your mouth and I added some of their sauce, which is very bright and tangy, which I love on my tacos. And the tortilla stays together, which is very important when you put so much meat inside a tortilla. There is a lot of fat in these tacos, because they dip the tortillas in what I assume is some type of fat.

Joe: Yes. Sydney: It's excellent. Immerse everything in fat, always. For our last stop, we will try the authentic taste of Ensenada at Ricky's Fish Tacos. Customer: I've been here more times than I can count. I'm from London, I come here every time I'm in Los Angeles. This won the award for best fish taco. Ricky Piña: It all started with the need for an Ensenada fish taco with an authentic recipe and I thought I could do it. So I asked for grandma and mom's recipe and made it. I brought the recipe from authentic Ensenada, I started making it with Mexican oregano, the flour, all the ingredients imported from Mexico.

It's very simple, it's just a five-ingredient recipe for the dough and water. We use a lot of American mustard, oregano, salt, baking powder and wheat flour. We got the 22 pound box of swai fillet, it is a type of catfish that is very lean. We just have to add a bunch of garlic powder and salt and leave it in brine overnight. Strain it, package it and have it ready to add to the dough and fry in lard. Joe: Now, technically we've already had a fish taco for this. Sidney: Yeah. Joe: But these are completely different. Sydney: Well, Mariscos Jalisco was shrimp.

Joe: Yeah, that's a fish too. Good? Sydney: No. Of course not, it's seafood. Joe: Shrimp are fish. Sydney: Can we check it? Is shrimp fish? The omelet doesn't seem like it's going to be my favorite. I'm not a big fan of corn and it feels a little dry. Joe: Okay, that's fair. But we were there when we saw him make this dough. and he fried his fish. Sydney: Uh-huh. Joe: And it looks just amazing. When the fish came out and he threw it in, I thought, "I want it so bad," so... Sydney: It feels like there are a lot of fish in here.

Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah. He didn't skimp on fish, which I like. Most fish tacos are light on fish. Sydney: Yeah, and then I bought all the ingredients, there's no lime here, which is pretty funny. Joe: Okay. Sydney: And it smells spicy. Joe: Let's bite. Sydney: Let's do it. Joe: Wow. This is amazing, man. Sydney: Hmm. It's like, can you see how much fish is in this taco? That's a lot. Joe: Yeah. Sydney: You know when you order fish and chips, like battered fish? Joe: Yeah. Sydney: That's right. You get a big piece of fish. Joe: Every now and then I would take them out of the fryer to stab them, to heat them up faster.

Sidney: Okay. Joe: Yes, because the pieces are very big. Sydney: Yeah, it's super tender, nice and flaky, almost like a tempura. Joe: Mm-hmm. Sydney: Really, really delicious. And honestly, I used the mild sauce and it's still a little spicy. How are you? Joe: The mind is a little spicy. Incredibly tasty. Your mix of vegetables and the sauces you make together make this amazing. Sydney: It's incredibly tasty, that's true. Joe: Yeah. Sydney: So we're here in Salazar, we'll have a couple cocktails and talk about tacos. Joe: Now,Sydney, we went to four of the best taco places in Los Angeles and now we have to decide together which was the best taco.

I had never made such a difficult decision in my entire life. Sydney: Between your wedding, Joe: Easy. Sydney: Moving to Los Angeles, Joe: No question. Sydney: This is the hardest one? Joe: The hardest one. But we have to do it for you, and I want to see which one was your favorite, so let's do it right now. Sidney: Okay. Sydney: Okay. Joe: Okay, done. Counting to three, we will reveal to each other and the world our favorites. One two three. Actually? Sidney: Really? I'm actually surprised by that. Joe: Why? Sydney: I just... I don't know. That wasn't even...

I mean, it was delicious, but it wasn't on my list. Joe: Oh, no way. This one totally blew me away. So obviously we have a disagreement, so it's time to talk tacos. With these guys, those carnitas were something I had never had before in my entire life. And after doing these four taco tastings, this is the one I thought about, and when I think about tacos, I think about this one. And I already plan to return to get more. Sydney: I mean, it's very good, it's greasy, it's greasy, it's rich, it's delicious, it's filling, but I think as far as what I want to eat, regularly, what I want. go get it and feel good eating and maybe have one or two and not feel heavy or sleepy.

Joe: That's funny, because we're thinking about two different things. I'm thinking about which one is the best I've ever tried. You are thinking about the one you would like to have frequently. Sidney: Yes. I think the time and effort invested in Sonoratown, in general, is very different and unique compared to anything you can get in Los Angeles. I have eaten many good carnitas. But as far as a full taco, the tortilla, the meats, the way they cut it, the way she goes to Mexico to get flour, Joe: Yeah. Sydney: I think overall this is my favorite and the best in Los Angeles.

Joe: Good. Change of mind. Sydney: Really? Joe: Sonoratown is the best. Sydney: Sonoratown is the best. Joe: Can we just get graphics to show Sonoratown there? Well, that was fun. Sydney: Alright, that was easy. Sonoratown, winner. This guy, are you kidding me? They don't know who it is.