Next week, the original, and still the most exciting, online taco tournament and live taco competition event in the country is back for its 16th year.
This year's furious battle to crown L.A.'s favorite taco will conclude with our annual TACO MADNESS festival on May 3rd at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
Tickets are now available for pre-sale. Every ticket sold supports our inclusive, independent, street-level journalism and keeps the stories you all love coming strong.
This year, we are returning to our 64-seed tournament to feature twice as many taquerías as last year. We're also opening up the taco battles to include taqueros from the Inland Empire.
Many L.A. legends you expect are present as always, but this year, we are offering a bunch of newcomers their first shot at taco glory.
If you are curious about our selection process, our annual 69 Best Tacos list has been our tortilla compass. Not to say there hasn't been some shouting and near fistfights between Memo "El Tragon" Torres and Javier "The Glutster" Cabral inside our offices, both of who hold criteria like consistency and spreading love throughout L.A.'s taco oasis at the top of their minds.
This year's poster illustration comes again from artist Hawk Krall, who has been gracing our tournament with colorful taco-related art since 2011. This year's poster is a tribute to Yuca's, the first winner of the annual competition, while the truck also nods to repeat winner Mariscos Jalisco.
The voting in TACO MADNESS 2025 officially opens next Wednesday, March 26th! Get those taco-triggers ready to cast your votes.
Here are this year's contenders:
