Skip to Content
Food

Poncho’s Tlayudas Makes Its Public Food-Scene Debut Sunday at Smorgasburg

[dropcap size=big]C[/dropcap]hef Alfonso "Poncho" Martinez of Poncho's Tlayudas is the featured newcomer at the Smorgasburg LA food-fest this Sunday in downtown Los Angeles. The appearance marks a food-scene debut for Poncho's Tlayudas and its team.

If you haven't had a chance to make it on an inspired Friday night to Poncho's in South-Central, this is your chance to taste the pop-up's Oaxacan tlayudas and Martinez's revelatory recipe for indigenous Oaxacan moronga or morcilla blood sausage.

"I'm here getting ready now," Martinez tells L.A. Taco. "The usual ... tlayudas, moronga, chorizo, tasajo."

Poncho's was founded by Martinez and his partner Odilia Romero, and takes place only on Friday nights in the backyard of a binational indigenous rights organization for Oaxaqueños in Los Angeles known as FIOB. An excerpt from our feature earlier this year:

Food binds everything that happens at the FIOB on South Main. Odilia and Poncho explain that with the constant activity, Oaxaqueños began bringing their best dishes to share at gatherings. Food sovereignty, after all, is a central pillar of the work. “You know how it is, everyone brings food, and wants to be the best,” Poncho tells me.

And with practice in the speedy kitchens of Los Angeles, Poncho, a musician at heart, realized he held that enviable knack that Oaxacans tend to have for magically making good food. One day Odilia’s parents decided they’d teach Poncho how to make moronga the way they made it back in Zoogocho.

Poncho's is a relative newcomer and an L.A. Taco favorite, you'll see!

Blood sausage with a tlayuda mixta at Poncho's Tlayudas. Photo by Daniel Hernandez for L.A. TACO.

The event runs from 10 am to 4 pm. Read more in our weekly events column GTFO LA!, and read Ode to Oaxacan L.A.

RELATED: Ode to Oaxacan L.A. ~ Friday Nights at Poncho's Tlayudas

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

L.A.’s 30 Best Black-Owned Restaurants: Vegan, Brunch, Coffee and More for Juneteenth and Beyond

Use this guide to eat your way through all of Los Angeles in real solidarity and keep coming back to support these businesses and chefs.

June 22, 2026

Smoke From The Lineage Logistics Fire Continues To Pollute L.A.

Smoke from the fire in Boyle Heights floated throughout the county, into Dodger Stadium, and as far east as Pomona, into Montclair and San Bernardino County.

This El Sereno Art Show Pits Luchadores Against ICE

For one day only, The Eastside Cafe will host 200% Mexa, a lucha libre-focused art exhibit featuring artists from Mexico and the USA.

June 19, 2026

The Best Tacos Around SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome

There’s no shortage of taco shops, trucks, and stands in and around the Inglewood area. You can drive down Hawthorne Blvd between Century Blvd and the 105 freeway to find a dozen taco trucks competing for your attention.

June 18, 2026

Free Flautas and Fresh Beer: L.A. TACO’s Watch Party at Homage Brewing Today at 5 PM!

Indie journalism, some of the best cold beers in L.A., free crispy taquitos for members, and Mexico (or South Korea!) kicking the ball around for 90 minutes. Winner gets first place. Come cheer your team on.

June 18, 2026

I Went Inside Tanlines, L.A.’s New Bikini Coffeeshop

Tanlines presents itself as something transgressive—a bikini coffee shop in an industrial corner of Los Angeles. But after a few hours inside, the novelty wears off and something much stranger emerges: It's just a neighborhood café.

June 18, 2026
See all posts