Are these the most luxurious tacos in Los Angeles? All (dollar) signs point to yes.
And though one of our enduring aims at L.A. TACO is to widen the lens on L.A. past the Hollywood backlots and gossip pages, sometimes we simply have to get off our regional Mexican food high-horses and acknowledge the shiny happy tacos of the 1% that exist out there.
Most of these have double-digit prices. Some carry a loose interpretation of what constitutes a tortilla. But all of them identify as tacos, so today we're here to celebrate their lux interiors either way.
Let's go.
Casita
A5 Wagyu Taco
When does a taco cost $42? When it contains a straightforwardly sumptuous combination of seared A5 Kagoshima beef, house-made salsa roja, Maldon sea salt, and micro cilantro, and goes by the name “A5 Wagyu Taco” at the Anderson Paak.-affiliated Casita in Sherman Oaks. These are all good indicators.
14015 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 158 or 240 - “Ventura/Hazeltine.”
Nobu
"Uni Taco"
World-famous for endowing sushi with Peruvian embellishments, and the loaded guests who flock to anything branded with its designer name, Nobu also happens to be a covert powerhouse of mini taco fusion. Pink-centered ribeye and melty A5 Wagyu are served in wee corn tortillas. Teeny toro, truffle-scented salmon, and king crab tacos stuff wonton shells. And when the poles of the universe align just right, bright orange globs of Santa Barbara or Hokkaido uni appear on wafer-thin, rice-flour "tortillas," sold at market price.
903 N. La Cienega Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 105 - “La Cienega/Waring” or Bus Line 4 - "Santa Monica/La Cienega."
22706 Pacific Coast Hwy. Malibu, CA 90265. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 134 - “22729 Pacific Coast Highway (westbound)” or "22726 Pacific Coast Highway (eastbound)."
Hamasaku
"Sashimi Tacos"
You want sushi. And yet you also want tacos. Because you always want tacos. Hamasaku has the key, slipping pristine cuts of albacore, yellowtail, and salmon into wonton skins that get fried into little flour tortilla-like taco dorados. In go sushi rice, avocado, micro cilantro, and "chillizu," a Japanese-style sauce concocted by a sushi chef here named Jesus, who was inspired by the ceviche tostadas he ate growing up.
11043 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 4 - “Santa Monica/Sepulveda.”
Palma at the Santa Monica Proper
"Italian Tacos"
Eataly utilizes 67,000 square feet of L.A. real estate to highlight Italy’s finest ingredients. Palma merely requires the span of a single taco. Chefs Alessandro Serni and chef de cuisine John Acosta pipe a silky, citrus-tinged mascarpone into crispy crescents of Parmesan cheese, draping slices of 600-day-aged Parma prosciutto, bottarga, and big bumps of Beluga caviar over the whole decadent affair. Taking the cake for “richest taco in town,” Palma only plans to continue serving it for the next 2-3 weeks before absconding with your ward and covertly leaving town.
700 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro E Line - "Downtown Santa Monica Station", Bus Line 720 - “Wilshire/6th (eastbound)” or "4th/Arizona (westbound)."
Mírame
Butter-poached lobster taco
Mírame’s lobster taco is not only luxury for your lengua, but like much of this modern Mexican menu, mind-bending in its construction. The lobster is blanched in a beurre blanc sauce made with tomatillo salsa, then topped with in-house charred and ground esquites and fried pickled onions, then slicked with a miso guaca-salsa for a version that makes all other lobster tacos tremble before it.
419 N. Canon Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210-4819. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 4 or 617 - “Santa Monica/Canon.”
Toca Madera
Truffle Mushroom Taco
Where can Hollywood's moneyed vegans, like Jay Z and Dick Van Dyke, go when it comes time to pop some tacos? Toca Madera, the West Hollywood upscale offering this opulent, flesh-free taco, in which seasonal wild mushrooms mingle with salsa verde and white truffle oil before being blanketed in shaved black truffles. At $28, it’s certainly cheaper than a bottle of Bollie. With the added benefit of also being a taco.
8450 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 14, 16, 105, 218 or 617 - “3rd/La Cienega.”
Anajak
Dry-Aged Fish Taco
Taco Tuesdays at this Thai darling mean a shot at Anajak’s dry-aged fish taco, which may star the likes of striped bass, seabream, or another fish that’s been methodically hung and dry-aged for several days by Liwei Liao of The Joint. The filet will be fried at a low temp, then seared for a smoky top note before meeting its tortilla with a slick of Camphor chef Max Boonthanakit’s Boon sauce and, in a nod to Baja, a bed of house mayonnaise and shredded cabbage. As well as its final destiny in your mouth.
14704 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Lines 155 or 240 - “Ventura/Cedros.”
