Taquería Frontera
Al Pastor, Asada, Chorizo and Birria
There’s a reason Taqueria Frontera is ranked #1 for serving one of L.A.'s best tacos. Will they win best in show at our live event? We will have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure: This taquería is not messing around, and they are preparing to wow your taste buds this Saturday. Indulge in their tijuana-style tacos made with yellow tortillas imported from El Grano de Oro tortillería in Tijuana. And choose from their al pastor, which has a robust marinade, a classic asada taco, or chorizo. Also available are their Birriamania award-winning birria tacos.
Mariscos Jalisco
Crispy Shrimp Taco
Mariscos Jalisco will be offering L.A.'s most iconic daut taco: his taco dorado de camarón. It is everything you want in a taco: filling, balanced heat, refreshingly cool, custardy, and buttery, thanks to the thoughtful avocado slices. Speaking from the euphoria-to-bite ratio, no other taco is as purely delicious to inhale as these: crispy, creamy, refreshing, and spicy all at once. This taco is timeless; this taco is perfect.
Fun fact: They won best in show at our TACO MADNESS event in 2019.
A Tí Los Angeles
Crispy Duck Mole Taco and Sweet Potato Taco
Someone who is not afraid to get technical with the classics and carry the texolotl along the nixtamal-paved road started by Southern California’s masa stalwarts, like Wes Avila of Guerrilla Tacos and Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria We say A Tí's Andrew Ponce has a fair shot. On Saturday, he will serve two specialty tacos. One is a crispy duck mole taco that consists of date-based mole, stuffed with perfectly cooked duck and topped with lime crema and pickles for an added crunch and flavor profile. And for our vegetarian attendees, they will have a sweet potato taco that is made with Satumaimo sweet potatoes and topped with their signature lime crema, chile morita, and herbs.
Carnitas Los Gabrieles
Cuerito, Mixto, Costilla and Buche
Guadalupe Baez of Los Gabriles is blessing Taco Madness attendees by bringing her cauldrons filled with her Michoacán-style carnitas. Her tender and juicy pork meats, from cueritos to costillas, have earned her loyal patrons and will likely earn your approval with one bite. To top it off, these might be the only carnitas makers in Los Angeles who, after spending hours preparing and cooking pork, still make extra effort to make handmade tortillas for their customers. Carnitas Los Gabrieles isn’t just one of the best tacos in downtown L.A., it’s also one of the best carnitas in the whole county.
Ditroit
Taco de Carnitas Surtido
Could this critically acclaimed taquería double up and win best in show at Saturday’s live event for the second year? At last year’s event, they took home the trophy for serving what could arguably be one of the best suadero tacos we have tried. And this year, they are coming in strong, offering tacos de carnitas surtidas. You get all that carnitas has to offer, like the belly, shoulder, ear, crunchy chicharron, and more, all bundled up in a tortilla and topped with a salsa verde cruda. The salsa is made with tomatillo, onion, garlic, mint, serrano peppers, cilantro, and pickled shishito peppers. Our mouths are already watering.
Macheen
Beet Taco, Pork Belly Chicharron, and Duck Carnitas
Macheen is giving us a nice break from all the meaty tacos being served at Taco Madness. He will be cooking a beet taco with lemon cream requesón and topped with salsa macha for an added kick. Also on the menu are two other tacos for our meat lovers: a pork belly chicharrón, one topped with Thai chili salsa and avocado mousse, and a duck carnitas taco that includes frijoles puercos topped with salsa tatemada and pickled onions.
Evil Cooks
Crocodile Trompo and Black Cochinita Pibil
No one else does TACO MADNESS quite like Evil Cooks, who, year after year, continues to show up at our live event with the wildest trompos seen to man. From an ice cream trompo in 2023, to L.A.'s first-ever octopus trompo dubbed the Poseidon, and their unforgettable eight-stacked beef tongues trompo, and yes, they bring the darkness, innovation, and flavor.
If those one-of-a-kind trompos don’t pique your interest or make you bat an eye, we assure you that this year's trompo might be the craziest one of them all. You ready? Prepare to try L.A.’s first-ever crocodile trompo! The "crocotrompo," a fully intact crocodile slathered in their black al pastor sauce, will rotate and roast at this year's event. And for those who aren’t feeling adventurous enough to try some juicy croc, they will also be serving their black cochinita pibil.
Tacos Los Cholos
Asada Quesataco, Tripa Asada Taco, and Ribeye Taco
Tacos Los Cholos won our coveted online taco tournament in 2023, knocking out two-time champion Villas Tacos with their grilled meat and high socks. This year, the Anaheim natives have been fighting hard to regain their title and take home the trophy. At our live event, they hope to wow your taste buds with three different meats: the classic carne asada served as a quesataco (with cheese), grilled tripa taco, and famous ribeye taco.
Asadero Chikali
Chikali Taco and Chikali Quesataco
This Mexicali-style food truck and stand, Asadero Chikali, brings its famous guisados to TACO MADNESS. Expect their Mexicali-style tacos filled with your choice of guisado from asada al carbon, al pastor, bistec con papa, chicharrón en salsa verde, carne con chile, and Carne Deshebrada. All their tacos are simple: a perfectly cooked flour tortilla, a smear of their creamy refried beans, and a spoonful of a steamy guisado that packs all the proper levels of punch.
Tacos El Toro
Cabeza, Cachete, Labio, Lengua
To find tacos El Toro at TACO MADNESS, you won’t have to do much; just follow the smell of melt-in-your-mouth steamed beef. That’s right, the Padilla family is bringing their at-home vaporera, the Mexican cooking vessel that keeps the meat hot and tender, to downtown—just for one night. They will be slanging tacos al vapor, offering cachete, steamed lip, cabeza, and our favorite, tacos de lengua en trozo (sliced).
While it offers a version where the lengua is finely chopped, it tastes better by the slice. Expect the taquero to pull a hot and steamy piece of lengua out of la vaporera before slicing it into a thick, meaty piece and placing it on top of the steamed tortillas. One glance and you might think the slab of tongue is too thick, but it’s not; the tongue is cooked so well, it is melt-in-your-mouth tender. No matter the meat choice, you will be guaranteed a good taco.
Mariscos Corona
Surf and Turf Taco & Cali Taco
While the hype mostly surrounds Mariscos Corona's unique take on mariscos, their tacos are also worthy, and they are bringing them to TACO MADNESS. They will offer two different types: a Surf and Turf Taco that includes a perfectly crispy and gooey cheese skirt, carne asada, and grilled shrimp, as well as guacamole. Their Cali Taco is similar to their surf and turf but excludes the grilled shrimp.
Borreguitas
Vegan Street Tacos & "En el Asador" Tacos
Borreguitas are fierce newcomers dominating the competition. They've eliminated heavy hitters in the game with their plant-based tacos. From the start, they have been documenting their journey in the competition on social media, hoping to be your favorite taco, and while they didn’t make it to the finals of our online competition, they are great contenders for our best in show trophy. Expect to try their vegan street tacos with non-meat fillings like asada, al pastor, papa con chorizo, and birria, which debut at TACO MADNESS this year. They will also serve a jackfruit quesabirria and a Mexican classic, tacos de frijoles, which are simple but filling.
