Skip to Content
Signage

El Chato ~ Los Angeles

4:58 PM PDT on October 2, 2007

La Brea near Olympic ~ Los Angeles, night time

El Chato is a can't miss proposition. The location is just about perfect for hundreds of thousands of Angelenos craving late-night sustenance on their way home from wherever, and the tacos are solid and sometimes sublime. I have stopped at this spot more times then I can count, sometimes without even really meaning to. Have you ever been in a situation where you're cruising down the street, not really even thinking about tacos, when all of the sudden a gleaming white taco truck catches your eye, and, as if under the power of a Haitian voodoo priest, you pull over and order some tacos, and scarf them down before the spell is lifted? If you're like me, the answer is yes and such is the power El Chato holds over me.

The pastor is the standout here, it's moist, tangy, spicy, and everything a good pastor should be. Add their grilled onion on top and you've got just about everything you need on a paper plate. Asada is also good if not super-especial like the pastor. Next time you're on your way somewhere on La Brea, look for the white glow in the auto-repair lot and give in to El Chato's late-nite powers.

Our fearless photog Cbro spotted El Chato on their way home after a long night of taco-slangin' and snapped these action shots. These pictures were incredibly dangerous to procure so enjoy them. One note-- El Chato used to be called El Pecas #2 so if you remember that wagon, parked in the same spot, have no fear, this is the same place.

chato3.jpg
Chato1.jpg

Los Angeles ~ CA

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

From Pasadena to Palmdale: Two Contemporary Noir Novels

Set roughly 120 years apart, new novels by author Naomi Hirahara and actor/comedian Kirk Fox expose the corruption and latent menace just beneath the surface of the City of Angels.

August 29, 2026

Where Do the Candidates for L.A. Mayor Really Stand on Street Vending?

Mayor Karen Bass's team realizes that she messed up by trash-talking street vendors, but is Nithya Raman's campaign really pro-vendor?

August 28, 2026

Tijuana’s Prized ‘Tacos Varios’ Enter East L.A.

The border city's consummate working class taco arrives with rich guisados, handmade corn tortillas, beans, and rice.

August 28, 2026

L.A.’s Most Exclusive Poke Comes From a Car Trunk And Sells Out In Minutes

Some of the most euphoric experiences come from plastic baggie transactions. Eating Dover Sole Market's Hawaii-sourced poke is no exception.

August 27, 2026

Our Playbook Against ICE Burnout

The Daily Memo, as we knew it, did its job when it was most needed. Now, we are launching a newsletter called ICE Watch that goes right to your inbox every Wednesday—far away from the shadows the tech billionaires cast with their algorithms and the chaos they promote on your feeds. We hope you subscribe.

August 27, 2026