L.A. TACO is embarking on its biggest mission yet: to create a taco and food guide for every single neighborhood in Los Angeles! Along the way, we will also be releasing brief histories of each neighborhood to understand L.A.’s past and present a little more, all the while celebrating how each and every square inch helps make our fine city the best in the world. Today we’re taking a look at Downey with L.A. In a Minute's Evan Lovett!
Downey
Downey: 7 Facts You Need To Know
Downey is home to the first Taco Bell, L.A.'s oldest McDonald's, and the largest Cuban population west of the Mississippi. It also helped put people on the moon.

Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from L.A. TACO
Sunday Taquitos #9: There Will Be Blood
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Sunday Taquitos! Art by Ivan Ehlers.
DAILY MEMO: ICE Returns to Santa Maria for Fourth Day in a Row; At Least 40 Taken
ICE agents were active in Santa Maria in the early morning, plus multiple sightings in Hemet, Thermal and Mecca.
L.A. TACO’s Most-Read Lists and Guides of 2025
This year, L.A. TACO compiled unique lists and guides for our readers to deepen their appreciation for L.A. and the people in it. We shared our top picks for local independent businesses, ways to get involved within your community, and strategies for resisting ICE in Los Angeles.
L.A. TACO’s Most-Read Daily Memos of 2025
Most federal agents and officials would prefer for their actions to go unnoticed, but Memo Torres has dedicated nearly every single day of the past six months to documenting and exposing the often heinous and violent abductions taking place across Southern California.
L.A. TACO’s Most-Read Culture Stories of 2025
These were L.A. TACO's most-read culture stories of the year.
The 25 Best L.A.-Centric Books Of 2025
While a book cannot stop evil forces, it can educate us, warn us, and prepare us for what’s coming. The books listed here not only meditate on current events like the Los Angeles wildfires, late stage capitalism, and rising xenophobia, they also reflect our vibrant local literary culture.






