Skip to Content

[dropcap size=big]O[/dropcap]ur friends at First We Feast are celebrating "LA WEEK", which you know is going to include lots of tacos. One article which stands out is L.A. Taco contributor Tony Chen's Rise of the Compton Taco. Chen takes you on a tour of the various taco stands, restaurants, and catering options in Compton that feature what he calls "organic cross-cultural pollination" between the city's Black business owners and the city's majority Latino population.

@yg off the #tacocaine

A photo posted by TacoMell (@tacomell_catering) on

Using his own visits along with photos from social media, Tony shows you

a rising crew of millenial entrepreneurs and savvy Instagram users has ushered in a new wave of “Black tacos,” with places popping up in Compton, Watts, and adjacent areas of South L.A. in the form of make-shift stands or catering companies. Along with asada and pollo, you’ll see additional proteins like deep-fried turkey, smoked chicken, and brisket. Barbecue sauce and remoulade might replace salsa roja. Cheese is a must.

Check out the full post here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Is ‘I Love L.A.’ the Kind of Show L.A. Really Deserves?

For a show named after loving the city, let's hope season two can actually love the city a little more for who and what it is, not for just what it appears to be on cellphones.

December 8, 2025

Eight Photography Labs in L.A. Still Honoring the Art of Film

These L.A. film labs are keeping the craft alive. While photographing the city's precious landmarks, these shops have become ones themselves.

December 8, 2025

Daily Memo: Border Patrol In Disguise Try to Hire Day Laborers to Kidnap Them

Border Patrol raided five Home Depots, chased a man into a bus, and a flower vendor into a gas station, who were among at least 13 people kidnapped around the Southland, with most of the focus in Orange County today.

December 5, 2025

No Sign, No Menu, and Alcohol-Free: Inside Downtown L.A.’s Hidden Tea Speakeasy

This tea bar quietly opened in May this year, quietly carving out a hidden third space for the tea-obsessed and the sober-curious alike.

December 5, 2025

CBP Briefly Detains U.S. Citizen While at His Construction Job in Baldwin Park

"They told me that they dropped me back off, but no, they just dropped me off somewhere random,” the man explains, after being interrogated inside of a vehicle.

December 5, 2025
See all posts