Boyle Heights is arguably the city’s most important local taco galaxy in the larger universe that is Los Angeles. Its proximity to downtown Los Angeles offers the long-established neighborhood a perk that many other ‘hoods do not have: a shot to introduce extremely legit regional taco variations to visitors and, more importantly, not have to dumb down their flavors because they have a community of nearly 93,000 residents who support them every night. You also have a few outlier tacos that can only be classified as “only in L.A.” style, which have their roots in Mexico but evolved to be their iconic selves in Boyle Heights.
L.A.’s other B.H. is also home to Olympic Taco Row, which may be the quickest and most convenient way to cover the most ground via taco styles within a very walkable three-block radius. Boyle Heights also stands out because it is a powerhouse in daytime and nighttime tacos; you can have your pork belly burrito for breakfast, your crispy shrimp taco for lunch, and then your handmade picadita with grilled tasajo for dinner.
Remember, this is Boyle Heights! It's not East L.A. and it is most definitely not “the Eastside.”