Metro Line 207 has a long history of providing commuters with a dedicated route within the city of Los Angeles.
In the early 1900s, Pacific Electric Railway operated a fleet of streetcars that ran along bustling Western Avenue, carrying Angeleños to their places of work or pleasure. By the late 1940s, buses started to replace the streetcars, giving way for the first bus line in the city along Western Avenue.
Currently secreted along this epic bus route, you’ll discover an epic taco crawl that contains a variety of flavors and interpretations of L.A.'s most beloved antojito. A passage to pastrami burritos, beautifully battered fish tacos, Oaxacan meats, and the city's most sought-after pescado zarandeado.
Ride with us as we hit the eight greatest taco spots on Metro’s 207 bus over an incredible adventure zipping us along Western Avenue.
Tlayuda L.A. ~ Hollywood
Start your journey by boarding the 207 bus at Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue. A short ride will take you to Santa Monica Boulevard where you’ll walk east towards the 101 Freeway on a four-minute walk to the unassuming facade of Tlayuda L.A. This Oaxacan family-owned and operated restaurant has been here for 8 years, serving some of the most authentic sabores de Oaxaca, making it a perfect first stop on your taco crawl.
You’ll find a variety of dishes to consider, including breakfast recipes, vegetarian and vegan plates, and the “secret” heart-shaped tlayuda you may spy on Instagram. We recommend going with a three-taco plate highlighting the restaurant’s asada, cecina, and chorizo for a world of savory Oaxacan bliss. They’ll come in puffy handmade tortillas with a nice chew and a tiny hint of exterior crunch, which perfectly complement the high-quality meats.
The asada is cut into tender flavorful morsels, the cecina bearing hints of al-pastor seasoning, and the chorizo has a slight char on the outside and an explosion of sweetness and spice on every bite.
The tacos are stacked methodically, with a smattering of refried black beans at the bottom below your protein, which is under strands of queso Oaxaqueno, and crowning slivers of green-gold aguacate. You’ll receive perfectly adequate red and green salsas on the side to complete these refined tacos that pair beautifully with a housemade agua or cafe Mexicano.
5450 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90029
Tamales Veracruz Y Más ~ Larchmont
Exit from the 207 bus at the Melrose Ave/Western Ave stop and head west on Melrose for a few blocks until you arrive at the bright blue building where Tamales Veracruz Y Mas, previously known as Mi Ranchito Veracruz, stands newly opened following a three month closure due to a driver that crashed a car into the restaurant and damaged their whole front side. Unfortunately, business insurance did not cover all the damages, so the family had to wait out a few months to acquire the rest of the funds to fix their establishment.
Luckily for all of us, they are open. With a nice seating area indoors and a few tables outside where you’ll often find yourself surrounded by working-class locals drinking their cafe de la olla and devouring their chilaquiles with eggs in the mornings.
The staff is super friendly, serving an extensive menu with options for every taste bud. Still, you really cannot visit without trying their signature tamales Veracruz and empanadas. Wrapped in green banana leaves and steamed to perfection, their chicken mole tamal packs centuries of flavors just pining to be explored. This tamal is topped with a sesame seed-sprinkled mole negro, emanating the flavors and aromas of chocolate, herbs, and nuts. Your fork slips in with ease, releasing a fissure of steam and chunks of juicy shredded chicken. Pair it with a tasita of cafe de olla for a heavenly pairing on a sunny, slightly chilly L.A. morning.
The empanada Veracruz is another popular signature, with both a carnivorous and vegetarian option available. The birria empanada features shredded beef, sans red sauce, leaving you with the smokey natural juices of the meat itself. You’ll quickly appreciate its crunchy outer layer colliding with the soft and warm interior, followed by the tangy hit of crema and cotija cheese. Douse your empanadas with complimentary red and green salsas, which are so fresh, they taste like they’ve been made specifically for you.
5200 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038
La Cañada Taqueria ~ Harvard Heights
Get off the 207 next at Pico Blvd/Vermont Ave for a visit to La Cañada Taqueria, walking west on Pico for a six-minute walk that delivers you to the no-frills, old-school yellow-and-red taqueria on your right. Or simply follow the delicious smells emanating from their mesquite-powered grill.
The taqueria, which has been slangin’ tacos adjacent to a car wash since the mid-1980s, is hard to miss. It’s an ideal spot for getting some sunshine or the bright lights of the big city in the small outdoor seating area outside or amid the few stools lined up in front of the aluminum bar top.
La Cañada serves various meats, including buche, lengua, and tripas, along with the classics you probably expect. All tacos are served with a side of chiles en vinagre, a couple of cucumber slices, some limes, and impressively coordinated color schemes, which could make you wonder if these taqueros aren’t secretly design majors gone AWOL from LAIAD.
Reds and oranges are resplendent on the seasoned chicken grilling outside, while yellows and browns shine from the tortillas and meats, and green and white gleam brightly in the salsas, chiles, and radishes placed on your white styrofoam plate.
Que no se diga nada of the flavors you’ll soon experience. The tripas were charred and crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Cabeza was as smooth as butter, melting in our mouths, while the asada was dripping with juice and flavor.
If you’ve ever been timid about diving into lengua, cabeza, or tripas, this is the place to try them, because anything off the mesquite grill tastes better. Topped off with some cilantro and onions, salsa verde de aguacate, and the aforementioned sides, you may never want to leave your state of euphoria.
3131 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
Mariscos El Rincón De Nayarit ~ Vermont Square
Jump back on the bus, head to the intersection of Vernon Ave/Normandie Ave, and walk west on Vernon for four minutes. A small blue building with a red awning and smiling cartoon lobster will greet you, like the Saint Peter of Mexican seafood, into the Mariscos heaven known as Mariscos El Rincón De Nayarit. A quick word of warning, the menu here is vast, making it worthy of a group visit with your camaradas or compadres to tackle it.
Do you like camarones? Then you’re at the right spot. You can get them in a coctel, a la plancha, on a tostada, in a caldo, or even as a burger. A whole fish mojarra frita, pulpo (octopus), camarones a la diabla, and even a classic Mexican breakfast are all also on the menu, making Mariscos El Rincón De Nayarit a dependable favorite of locals and workers who file in to grab a fix of their favorite mariscos dish.
The choice is yours. But if you want to experience the best fried fish taco of your life, you’ll find this one freshly made to order, battered lightly, and full of flavor, with cabbage, cilantro, pico de gallo, and sour cream on top wrapped in a handmade, yellow corn tortilla that's fluffy, soft, and structurally sound all at once.
The fish taco, doused in salsa and lime, is a highlight of the 207 crawl and a highly recommended treasure more than worth making the stop for. Even if you’re running late.
1501 W. Vernon Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90062
Primo Burgers ~ Chesterfield Square
For a slight departure from your regularly scheduled tacos, you’ll visit Primo Burgers after stopping at Western Ave/W Gage Ave to arrive at this mid-century burger shack, with its classic sign in front announcing an assortment of burgers, tacos, burritos, and steak, among other sizably portioned and reasonably priced options.
The inside is large enough to host groups, with adequate seating for all. You can either order outside, inside, or drive-through.
So why are you really here? There’s a pastrami burrito on the menu stuffed with green peppers, melted cheese, and piping hot pastrami in a flour tortilla. Not only is it packed with flavor and meaty juices, it’s so huge, you’ll likely want to have it cut in half to bring some home. And to save your shirt from imminent, splatterous calamity.
6325 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047
Lupita’s Bakery ~ Manchester Square
Reboard Metro Line 207 and get off at Florence Ave/Western Ave, walking west on Florence as you disembark. In roughly six-minutes, you’ll come face-to-face with Lupita's Bakery on your left.
As a bakery and taqueria still in business for nearly 40 years, and owned by the same family, Lupita’s has been serving multiple generations in this community, proudly baking cakes and pan dulce for family get-togethers and celebrations. The institution also doubles as a taqueria that keeps local workers fed with a mixture of taco combos, Mexican-style breakfasts, tortas, and weekend menudo over breakfast or lunch.
Lupita’s offers both soft and hard shell tacos, with a legion of different fillings, including asada, cabeza, carnitas, lengua, pollo, and al pastor. The usual trimmings accompany each taco and add to the authentic Mexican flavors we grew up loving. Cabeza tacos are saturated with flavor, cradled in a nice warm white corn tortilla that is perfect over two or three bites. The hard shell taco is very crunchy and satisfying, revealed in tender bites of shredded chicken breast.
1848 W. Florence Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047
Bill’s Taco House #3 ~ Gramercy Park
Get off on Manchester Blvd/Western Ave and walk east onto Manchester. Bill’s Taco House will shortly appear on your right.
An extension of Original Bill's Taco House, this small-but-inviting location has been serving protein-filled tacos for 20 years, with a friendly, attentive staff and a host of familiar regulars from the neighborhood. If it’s your first time, you’ll automatically become a regular and will be waved goodbye-to with a friendly, “See you tomorrow!”
Bill’s menu consists of its famous tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, and tamales. They also have burritos, burgers, and combination plates should you want to indulge in different dishes or combos.
The tacos are the star of the show, however, wrapped in a puffy, crisp tortilla that is always made fresh to order. They come filled generously with meat (choose between chicken or beef), lettuce, tomato, cheese, and unique, house-made chile sauce and red sauce. And they are probably experienced best when taking advantage of the daily special, which sells three tacos for $8.99.
1855 Manchester Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90047
Coni’Seafood ~ Inglewood
At our final stop on this epic taco crawl along Metro’s 207 Line lies a legendary restaurant we’ve pointed visitors and Angelenos alike to countless times: Inglewood’s icon of Nayarit-style mariscos, Coni’Seafood.
Ride the bus until you reach the intersection of Imperial Hwy/Western Ave. Then walk west on Imperial Highway for four minutes to encounter the restaurant on your left side.
Coni’Seafood might be hard to miss, if not for the constant flow of diners you’ll see going in and out of its small concrete building, which is adorned with prominent press clippings and plaques commending its great cooking.
Making Nayarit-style recipes with fresh fish imported from Sinaloa since 1987, the restaurant looks small but has plentiful indoor seating in a festive dining room, as well as a relaxing outdoor patio full of shade and greenery that, paired with a cold bottle of lager, almost feels like dining seaside in Mexico.
Coni’Seafood offers a boatload of sensational seafood dishes, but few visits are complete without the delicious marlin tacos, a classic of stretchy cheese and smoked, shredded marlin in a flavorful red sauce surging with al pastor-ian notes, sans sweet-or-smokiness.
The tacos are encased in lovely, lightly charred corn tortillas that compliment the smoky fish and sharp cheese that glues it all together. Of course, if your table’s appetite is big enough, you’ll also preorder the butterflied snook zarandeado, the Nayarit staple that’s become one of L.A.’s favorite dishes as prepared here, and served with stacks of tortillas for crafting your own fish tacos until you’ve tasted ultimate satisfaction.
3544 W. Imperial Hwy. Inglewood, CA 90303
