There are many great tacos in Los Angeles, but very few hit legendary status right from the first bite. I had no idea Tacos Royale even existed until June 11, when Octavio Olivas of Ceviche Project casually mentioned that his former employee had just opened a taquería while watching Mexico beat South Africa.
The name stuck with me. I’d only been back from Basque Country a few days, still thinking about the incredible txuleta—a contender for the best steak in the world—I’d eaten two days in a row at Extebarri, one of those meals that sharpens your standards for everything that follows.
The following week, after watching Mexico beat South Korea, I knew where I was going to go. Pulling up into the parking lot that is also home to the formerly viral Elio’s Woodfired Pizza, I could tell the tacos were going to be great the moment I heard the cashier’s warm northern Mexican accent, one of my favorite sounds in all of Mexican Spanish.