Skip to Content
Tacos

Meet the East L.A. Taqueros Serving Some of L.A.’s Best Mesquite-Grilled Tijuana-Style Meats At Saturday’s TACO MADNESS

Three tacos topped with fresh, bright green guacamole. Photo from the L.A. TACO archives.

TACOS DON CUCO: Spend $20, get $5 off

TACO MADNESS, Presented by Bud Light Chelada, is L.A.'s first and biggest taco festival. All of L.A.'s heaviest hitting taquerías will be in one place for one day only! The 21 + event is happening from 5 to 11:59 PM on Saturday, May 6, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles. Ticket sales proceeds will support L.A. TACO's award-winning street-level journalism.

Tacos Don Cuco—the Tijuana taqueros best known for being the first to bring birria de lengua to Los Angeles, along with their smoky adobada—will be hurling spoonfuls of salsa through the air onto sizzling, mesquite-grilled meats this Saturday at our annual live TACO MADNESS event at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

This year, the East L.A.-based taqueros are keeping things traditional for TACO MADNESS. Their menu will consist of asada, pollo, and chorizo (plus a secret surprise) cooked over mesquite. All served T.J. style on handmade corn tortillas and topped with fresh, chunky guacamole. To quench your thirst, they'll also have aguas frescas.

Photo via Don Cuco.

Don Cuco is one of nine other taqueros competing for this year's "Judges Choice" trophy on Saturday. Get your ticket and you'll in for a treat. Expect succulent, roasted whole pig tacos with mustard salsa. Crunchy rock cod and shrimp hard-shell tacos. Elegant oyster, fried chicken, and beef cheek tacos. Mesquite-grilled tacos de aguja straight from Mexico. Plus birria, more asada, chorizo, pollo, and all the other proteins you'd expect to find at your favorite taquería.

Don Cuco, a 2021 TACO MADNESS semi-finalist, entered this year's TACO MADNESS as a favorite thanks to their showmanship, handmade tortillas, exquisite carne asada, and rare-for-Los Angeles mesquite-cooked adobada. But ultimately, they lost in the second round by a mere three votes to fish taco legends Taco Nazo (a finalist this year).

Join us tomorrow, May 6, at 5:00 PM in Downtown L.A. to try one of East L.A.'s best taqueros, and many more of L.A.'s heaviest hitting taquerías, all in one place. Along with electrifying live performances by DannyLux and Pachyman, live mural making, tattoos, shopping, and much more. Tickets are still available here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

At Least 13 States Burn In Mexico as Cartel Retaliates Against U.S.-Assisted Federal Killing of ‘El Mencho’

El Mencho was the last of the old guard—the final mass-trafficking titan standing alongside El Chapo and El Mayo—now fallen, marking the end of an era in Mexican organized crime. The era, typified by fame and big names splashed across books, TV shows, and international arrest warrants, began around 1990, the time in which El Chapo rose to prominence.  

February 22, 2026

Sunday Taquitos #16: Child’s Play

Sunday Taquitos! Art by Ivan Ehlers.

February 22, 2026

How Jim Henson’s Forgotten ’90s Puppet Entered Foo Culture and Is Feeding Our Endless Nostalgia Craving

Could the Sesame Street creator have ever imagined Baby Sinclair rocking a pair of Nike Cortez’?

February 21, 2026

Daily Memo: ICE Pepper-Sprays and Throws an 80-year-old Attorney, Arrests a Community Watcher, and Takes Seven From Lompoc

Video shows a couple of agents piled on top of Randamaa, shoving his head to the ground as other community members watched in anger and horror. An 80-year-old attorney trying to advocate for the agents to get off Randamaa was pepper-sprayed in the face by one of the agents pinning down Randamaa with the signature Yoga Cobra Pose. As he was pepper-sprayed, you can see the lawyer throws his hands out while blinded, being eventually thrown to the ground by the Yoga agent. 

February 20, 2026

Weekend Eats: Ramadan Feasts at Maydan, Aguja Tortas In Hollywood, and Goat Machito In East L.A.

new dek: "Plus, a new Hokkaido-style fried chicken sandwich from a ghost kitchen in Pico-Union and a new filet mignon taco in Studio City. "

February 20, 2026

Daily Memo: ICE Used 14 Vehicles to Take 6 People from Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse

So essentially what we’re seeing is that Border Patrol is still active down in San Diego, along with ICE. Here, ICE is operating out of their local offices in Santa Ana and San Bernardino. We also know that people are being taken in Los Angeles who show up for their check-ins. These incidents are hard to catch, observe, or document, but we've confirmed that they're happening.

February 19, 2026
See all posts