Our Valley readers, especially those gearing up for lunch hour, will want to visit The Great Taco Hunt today for a writeup of Tacos El Zorro in Van Nuys. Bandini proclaims: Very often a great salsa can hide the weakness of a taco. But these tacos had no weakness. The homemade corn tortillas and the…

Best Tacos in the Valley?

core/image

core/paragraph

core/quote

<div>
<div dir="auto">
<p dir="ltr">Jake Hook is a local food historian in Los Angeles. They run the Diner Preservation Society, dedicated to highlighting the city&#8217;s traditional food culture. Follow him on Instagram at @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/dinertheory/">DinerTheory</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"></div>
</div>
<div></div>


Jake Hook

Food

Burrito King In Echo Park, 1968-2026

<p>Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).</p>


Javier Cabral

Chicharrón de Res OG Taco at Tacos Royale.

Tacos

I Found the New Best Carne Asada Taco in L.A, And It’s in a Parking Lot In Silver Lake

<p><span class="OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">Janette Villafana is an award-winning bilingual multimedia journalist. Her heart lies in community-based reporting, and her work is highly centered on showcasing and uplifting community voices, with a significant focus on the Latino community. She developed her beat at L.A. TACO, covering street vending communities in Los Angeles. Past work has been featured on NBC, LAist, Latino Rebels, and more. She is currently featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington in an exhibit titled “¡De última hora! Latinas Report Breaking News.”</span></p>


Janette Villafana

Her Parents Are Still Missing After Venezuela’s Earthquakes. Now Her DTLA Restaurant Is a Donation Center for Victims

<p>One of L.A. TACO&#8217;s co-founders, Hadley Tomicki is a writer and editor on food, travel, and culture whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, UrbanDaddy, High Times, and many other places.</p>


Hadley Tomicki

Son Dogo's taco campechano with asada and chorizo

Taco Members Only

A New Spot Doing All-Day Sonoran Hot Dogs With a Mob of Tacos

<p>Izzy Ramirez is a Los Angeles-based staff reporter with L.A. TACO, documenting immigration enforcement and state power as it unfolds on the ground. Their work centers real-time alerts and long-term public archiving throughout the Southern California region.</p>


Izzy Ramirez

Shops

This New Lynwood Studio Is a Sober Living Sanctuary with Coffee, Tattoos, and Streetwear

<div id=":n4" class="ii gt">
<div id=":n3" class="a3s aiL ">
<div id="avWBGd-21">
<div dir="ltr">Shylah Featherstone is a journalism student at Cerritos College and an intern at L.A. TACO, where she covers food, culture, and community stories across Los Angeles. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, she hopes to build a career in multimedia journalism that connects people through thoughtful storytelling.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id=":nf" class="hq gt "></div>


Shylah Featherstone

a woman in a white tee shirt smiles in front of a restaurant sign

This South Central Native Reveals Black L.A.’s Best Hidden Gems through Food Tours

Explore

Footer - NEW

Legal Footer

Main - NEW

Mobile

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

This is member's only content.

Members get unlimited access to all of our stories, along with incredible perks like free tacos, invites to our events, access to our mobile app, and much more!

Become a Member of L.A. TACO

Free registration

Please register for L.A. TACO to Vote 

Register to continue

Please Register (For Free) To Read this Story

Register (Free) To Read This Guide

L.A. TACO

<p>A.k.a. Afroxander; Editor-At-Large (formerly Weekend Editor) at L.A. Taco and a lecturer at San Diego State University. He has covered arts, culture, history, politics, and sports with an emphasis on Latin America and its U.S. diaspora for over two decades.</p>


Ivan Fernandez

Sports

Why Are Mexicans Chanting ‘¿Y Si Sí?’ Right Now?

<p>Lexis-Olivier Ray is an award-winning staff investigative reporter for L.A. TACO known for holding powerful people in Los Angeles accountable and his reporting on Los Angeles culture. As well as an artist and filmmaker. In 2022, the Society of Professional Journalists&#8217; Los Angeles chapter named Ray one of their &#8220;distinguished journalists.&#8221; In 2023, Ray won a second place Anthem Award in their Health Innovation category for a texting service geared towards the unhoused community and service providers that he launched in 2021 with L.A. TACO and Subtext. Ray was a 2020 USC Center For Health Journalism (CHJ) Data Fellow. As well as a 2022 CHJ Impact Fellow. As a freelancer, Ray has contributed to the L.A. Times, Men&#8217;s Health Magazine, KCET and SFGATE.</p>


Lexis-Olivier Ray

<p><span class="il">Lizbeth</span> Solorzano is a graduate student pursuing a Master&#8217;s in Specialized Journalism. As a native to Los Angeles, she loves writing stories about arts, culture, and local news. Growing up bilingual, she loved learning about different cultures and stories around L.A.</p>


a girl smiles into the camera in front of a blue background

Lizbeth Solorzano

an LAPD officer on a horse raises his baton

Investigative Report

Lakers Fan Injured By LAPD During NBA Finals Celebrations Receives Historic Multimillion Dollar Payout

a painting showing three skulls with a colorful background featuring Spanish text, smaller skulls, and th heading Pobre Sonador and "Before I Die" on the bottom

World Cup Heartbreak Hurts. This Artist Turned That Pain Into New Paintings

<p>Juan Izguerra is L.A. TACO&#8217;s community coordinator and was born and raised in Pomona, California. As an L.A. resident, Juan enjoys exploring the small, hidden places of the SGV, Inland Empire, and wherever his stomach takes him.</p>


Juan Izguerra

Inland Empire

On Pomona’s Identity Crisis, Is it Los Angeles County or the Inland Empire?

L.A. TACO STAFF

post

<p>Karina Soriano is a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers the crossroads of music, food, art, and social issues. She spotlights the everyday people who really keep LA moving. Usually, while stuck in traffic, looking for a good place to eat.</p>


Karina Soriano

a plate of grits with vegetables, fried catfish, and a biscuit on the side