Yuca&#8217;s is a Los Feliz institution, a James Beard award winner, and perhaps the archetypal Los Angeles taco shack. It opened almost exactly 33 years ago by Jaime and Socorro Herrera and has been a beloved part of Los Angeles ever since. Today is just another day for Yuca&#8217;s. They&#8217;ll serve hundreds of hungry people…

Congratulations to Yuca’s! ~  Taco Madness 2009

caption

credit

creditUrl

lightboxSrc

originalHeight

originalWidth

srcset

height

width

core/image

core/paragraph

<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

From "Thoughts &amp; Prayers," an image that shows a back view of Belger's unique self-made camera, made from forged aircraft aluminum, copper, titanium, F-16 aircraft parts, bullets, bullet shells, brass from a 105mm Howitzer shell the was fired from an AC-130 aircraft over Afghanistan during the first minutes of the Afghan war, machine gun sight (0n top), American flag from Glen Spencer’s America First militia compound, and dirt from Columbine High School and the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, North Carolina. The cross on the back of the camera, in the middle of the American flag that is surrounded by the bullets, is made of dirt from the Emanuel AME Church. Photo of the back of the camera was shot during a Thoughts &amp; Prayers photo shoot at the world biggest machine gun shoot in Kingman Arizona. The three men holding the tank ammunition in front of the tank are all civilians and own the fully functional tank.

He Built a Camera From Firearms To Photograph U.S. Gun Owners For ‘Thoughts & Prayers’ At La Luz de Jesus Gallery

How Photographer Alanna Airitam Got In With Black Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs For Her Show ‘Black Diamonds’ at La Luz De Jesus Gallery

<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

Food

13 Dog-Friendly Places in L.A. To Eat, Drink, and Play with Your Loyal Pup

Churros shaped like the LA Dodgers' LA logo at La Cha Cha Cha

Taco Members Only

What To Eat This Weekend in L.A.: Iberico Pork Fajitas, Coca Cola Fries, LA Churros, and Cabeza Strombolis From Sonoratown and Mozza

A French Dip sandwich made with king oyster mushrooms

What to Eat This Weekend In L.A.: Puerto Rican Plantain Sandwiches, King Oyster Mushroom French Dips, Baja Abalone Fritto Misto, and Lamb Mandi In Westwood

What To Eat This Weekend: Villa’s Tacos Opens in DTLA, Kimchi Burritos in Lomita, and A Fruit Beer for Farm Workers in Pico Rivera

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

<div>Ivan Ehlers is an Ecuadorian-American cartoonist and writer. He is a regular contributor to <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>MAD Magazine</i> and the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>.</div>
<div></div>
<div>IG: <a id="m_-8957504711371111195plusReplyChip-0" class="gmail_plusreply"></a>@ivan_ehlers</div>


Ivan Ehlers

Sunday Taquitos #29: U-S-A!

<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

<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

Burrito King In Echo Park, 1968-2026

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?

<p>Former editor of L.A. Taco. I still live in Los Angeles but mainly just hang out at parks and stare off into the distance.</p>


Erich Redson

post

Los Feliz

Chicken-fried steak and eggs at Saugus Cafe. Photo by Jake Hook for L.A. TACO.

Congratulations to Yuca’s! ~ Taco Madness 2009

Read More:

Stay in touch

More Stories