Sat. Nov 16th, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

Guerrilla Tacos has always taken a boundary-pushing, L.A.-specific approach to tacos. Its name is a reference to the innovative strategies used in guerrilla warfare and the tenacity of street food vendors that persist in spite of threats from code enforcement. Founded by chef Wes Avila as a food cart in 2012, it grew into a truck the following year and the mural-bright Arts District restaurant followed in 2018, now helmed by owner Brittney Valles alongside chef Crystal Espinoza.

Several of the OG tacos that earned Guerrilla Tacos a Bib Gourmand nod from the Michelin Guide in 2019 are still on the menu. The hard-shelled Pocho with ground chuck is a tribute to the “gringo”-style tacos that Avila ate as a kid, but the best option on the permanent taco menu is the sweet potato that veers into Peruvian and Mediterranean flavors with rounds of buttery, skin-on sweet potato, crispy corn, slightly sour feta cheese, chopped scallions and a thick, nutty almond-cashew chile sauce. It’s a symphony of textures composed with a Gustavo Dudamel-level of culinary prowess.

If I’m being honest, I love the lomo saltado taco just as much as the sweet potato. It bulks with juicy strips of marinated steak, roasted potatoes, sauteed red onions and tomatoes, aji verde and finely chopped cilantro on a fatty, char-spotted flour tortilla. It’s available only seasonally, so don’t skip one if you see it on the menu.

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