These are the seven best tacos in Azusa.
Located at the base of San Gabriel Canyon, it’s easy to see where Azusa gets the nickname “The Canyon City” from. Spanning an area of roughly 10 square miles, from the San Gabriel foothills to the San Gabriel River, and Irwindale to the 210 and 10 freeways, Azusa is working-class, and the city's tacos reflect that: no frills, nothing fancy, and they get the job done.
Here you'll mostly find servings of CalMex and traditional taquería eats. With a few notable exceptions involving mole, fried quesadillas, and pierna, the taco options in Azusa are fairly standard, but still good enough to make a worthy stop when driving in the area.
The name is derived from the Tongva place name Asuksa-nga, which translates to "skunk place" or "skunk hill," with asuksa meaning "skunk" and -nga indicating a place. This likely referred to a specific location, possibly a hill or area near the San Gabriel River, associated with skunks or a similar feature in the landscape. The city of Azusa, founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1898, adopted this name from the local Tongva village or geographic feature.
Whether you're off-roading in the closest legal O.H.V. (off-highway vehicle area) area in L.A. or just driving by, here's what we recommend.