Skip to Content
Art

My Favorite Taco ~ Rafael Cardenas

Rafael Cardenas quit his day job over a year ago and became a fulltime photographer specializing in capturing the people and places of the city of Los Angeles. In 2010 he started the PhotogRAFA: 365 project, where he took at least one photo a day for an entire year. Now he opens his second gallery show, "Boldly Boyle Heights" which opens this Saturday at 5pm at Primera Taza: 1850 E. First Street in Boyle Heights. The video above by our friend Jessica 2Cents is a great introduction to Rafael's work, and we've also included some of his 2010 photos below. You can find many more photos, plus Rafael's writing on www.eastsiderwriter.com. So, Rafael, what's your favorite taco?

My favorite Taco spot has been, for a long time, La Que Si Llena, on Cesar Chavez. It's a downhill walk from my home and i've been eating there for about 15 years. They use two full size torillas STUFFED with meat. and wrapped in paper to keep them from popping open. $1 each! Two is enough. If i eat three i can't breeef...every time i bring someone new there, they order four tacos, ignoring my advice. they never finish. I always order uno de lengua y uno de cabeza.

BUT - my NEW favorite place  Antojitos Carmen has to be mentioned - when i eat here, i have Tres tacos de papa for $2.50 and una quesadilla de flor de calabasa for $3, y un cafe de holla. i love this place. it's my new favorite place to meet for lunch.



Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

How Everyone Can Use This ‘Red Card’ to Assert Allyship With Immigrants

While the cards have notably been available to neighbors in immigrant communities and for the use of undocumented individuals in the U.S., the Immigrant Legal Resource Center suggests that everyone should carry one, regardless of their immigration status.

June 10, 2026

SoFi Stadium Hospitality Workers Win New Contract Ahead Of World Cup Opening Match

UNITE HERE Local 11 and Legends Global settle on an agreement that provides stadium workers with higher pay, subcontracting protection, and the right to strike if threatened by ICE officials.

Gay in a Macho Latino World: Why I Defend Pride

Growing up in an old, beaten-up apartment complex near Disneyland, I came of age in an environment that demonized queerness. Not only through verbal reprimands, machismo, and shaming, but also through violent means.

IE Taco Is Now a Reality, Thanks To Funding From The CIELO Fund At The Inland Empire Community Foundation

What started with an April Fool’s Day joke has now become a reality. Every month, L.A. TACO will feature a story about the Inland Empire as part of our new and official IE TACO section.

Daily Memo: Another Death In Detention As GEO Group Punishes Hunger Striking Detainees

Welcome to year two of the ICE Siege of L.A. Yes, it’s still happening, and we’re still on it.  Let’s get into the raids, an update on the Hunger strikes, and unfortunately, another death in ICE detention. 

This THC Matcha Latte Vendor in Long Beach Supports Immigrants with Her Proceeds

“I went to Amsterdam, and I saw the combination of the coffee shops and the smoke shops, and I was like, ‘We need something like that here in Cali,’” Nardo tells L.A. TACO.

See all posts