I.E. Taco is funded by the CIELO Fund of the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF).
Muscoy is the definition of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town. At just three square miles in size, it’s one of the smallest unincorporated towns in the Inland Empire.
It often goes unnoticed by commuters riding on the Interstate 210 and 215 freeways that trap the town between them, with the natural boundaries created by Cable Creek, Cajon Wash, and Lytle Creek Wash on the town’s western edge. Residents and locals, however, know that their hidden gem of a town is packed with hidden gems.
Smash burgers, birria, mariscos, tacos de canasta, gourmet bolis, roasted chicken, pupusas, tejuino . . . there’s a large and very delicious variety of food vendors to be found in Muscoy. Many are out in the open with their trucks, carts, tents, and/or tables posted along State Street.
Other vendors are spread out across other areas of town. The intersection that hosts the Muscoy Baker Family Learning Center, aka the town’s local library, features a couple of food spots, plus a plant vendor, and some older guy who runs a perpetual yard sale out of their vehicle. The Center sits on land donated by Neil T. Baker, founder of I.E. burgers-and-burritos chain Baker’s Drive-Thru, which provides the town with a historical and culinary connection with the rest of the Inland Empire.
Food vending isn’t limited to street corners or liquor store parking lots either. Anyone who is within six degrees of a Muscoy resident knows of impromptu parties where locals will get together to sell food for a church fundraiser, for example, in someone’s personal lot.