A few years ago if someone said that they ate some good tacos from a taco truck in West LA you would probably want to punch them in the face. Or at least call them a newb for not knowing what a good taco is. But its 2012 and I’m here to announce that the era of bad tacos on the streets of West LA is over. Well, you’ll still find bad tacos from taco trucks in West LA, just not at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Westwood. At this corner you’ll find good tacos.
carne asada $1.50 each
I’m not sure what’s been going on with El Gallito but I like it. The carne asada they’ve been slinging at this truck and some of their other trucks has been top notch. Back in October I gave a mixed review for the El Gallito truck that parks day and night at the corner of La Brea and Venice (bad during the day , good at night). That truck busts out the charcoal grill at night and has developed a bit of a following despite parking across the street from the legendary Tacos Leo.
at night the counter is stocked with salsas and all the fixins
el gallito carne asada...I think ur freaky and I like you a lot.
For what its worth I’ve also found the carne asada to be slightly better at the Westwood location at night, though they're still pretty good during the day. I’m not sure why this is but I’ve been eating from the El Gallito truck for a few weeks now and it seems to be the case. The al pastor and carnitas are okay but are lesser tacos when compared to the carne asada which is just a ridiculously addictive taco. For optimum flavor drizzle some of their salsa verde over your tacos and have a freshly grilled jalapeno ready to chomp on.
4/5
El Gallito
Westwood Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd
Tacos $1.50
I've eaten at the La Cienega/Sawyer location a couple of times and both times have been unremarkable. It's a shame because I thought their truck in Pasadena was legit. I'll try to hit up the Venice/La Brea one next time.
ReplyDeleteyeah the la cienega/sawyer truck wasn't very good when i tried it (this was awhile ago). In my opinion the two el gallito trucks to eat at in the area are la cienega/venice and SM/westwood. But with SM/Westwood you will pay more per taco
DeleteThese taco trucks from El gallito make port from there East.LA location which is an actual restaurant sometimes which mariachi on the weekends, on the corner of Indiana and Olympic Blvd thats why its so good!
ReplyDelete>>A few years ago if someone said that they ate some good tacos from a taco truck in West LA you would probably want to punch them in the face. Or at least call them a newb for not knowing what a good taco is.<<
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I want to slap the snobbery out of people who think there are no good tacos on the Westside. The further east I go in my own taco hunting, the more I realize some of the most celebrated places (Mexicali, King Taco) are like the Emperor's New Clothes.
there are plenty of good tacos on the westside. But not that come from taco trucks. El Gallito is pretty much the only good one.
DeleteOkay, fair distinction. However, I think the carnitas tacos at Angelica truck in Venice qualify as "good," especially with a little avocado added.
Deletei'll have to try the carnitas at Angelica. Haven't been to that truck in years.
DeletePlenty of great and amazing tacos have been served all over the westside for decades. Guess many just weren't venturing into the old barrios of Santa, Venice, Sotel, CC, and other small pockets that offered tacos rivaled of those in actual Mexico--not just EastLos. Unfortunately not all have survived the wave of gentrification and the eventual disappearance of base of customers. But still there are many gems to find throughout the westside.
DeleteHappy taco hunting everyone.
Anonymous, what are some of your current favorites -- East or West?
DeletePassed the El Gallito truck on my way to Tacos Leo last night. They didn't have the charcoal grill and were completely dead. Saddest sight you can imagine, lol. I would actually have given the carne asada a shot if they had.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is getting me hungry. I want to eat that.
ReplyDeleteBandini, have you tried Rico's Tacos? Squid Ink just did a blog on them. They have a trompo like Leo, and it looks pretty legit:
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/06/ricos_tacos_al_pastor.php
I've hit the El Gallito truck on Westwood a few times now and am a big fan of their carne asada. Well seasoned and very beefy. As you say, it seems to be better at night than during the day, but it's still always tasty. Thanks for the tip, Bandini!
ReplyDelete