Skip to Content
Tacos

Tacos Carmelita ~ Tacos de Guisado in MacArthur Park


Tinga de Pollo

This is a game changing taco stand in Los Angeles.

For the past four years, right under our very noses, a brilliant Mexico City style tacos de guisado shop has been sitting right next door to Langer's, hidden in plain sight. No, it's not some entrepreneur that has family from Mexico, or traveled to Mexico City to research tacos de guisado, but a real cook from Mexico's capitol.

Located at the Westlake Mall in MacArthur Park, Tacos Carmelita is the only food option next to lingerie, clothing,and electronics stalls. The neglected theater sign reminds that the Weslake neighborhood, now home to mostly Mexican and Central-American swap meet malls and stores,check cashing,and fake ID's pushers,was once upscale. This area still has a bit of a rep, but has really mellowed in recent years.

Read the full review by Bill Esparza on StreetGourmetLA

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Sunday Taquitos #1

Introducing the first-ever edition of our Sunday cartoons: Sunday Taquitos! Art by Ivan Ehlers.

November 9, 2025

Pan Dulce Season: Why We Eat More Carbs in Fall and Winter

“Maybe it’s not just nostalgia that makes pan dulce irresistible this time of year. Maybe it’s biology, memory, and culture conspiring in the best possible way."

November 9, 2025

DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Targets Van Nuys and Panorama City, Snatching Street Vendors, Pedestrians, and Day Laborers Again 

Border Patrol continues with their new strategy, effectively raising their numbers by focusing on Latino enclaves instead of spreading around the city. Today, they targeted Van Nuys and Panorama City, Snatching Street Vendors, Pedestrians, and Day Laborers Again. They were all over Van Nuys, Roscoe, Sepulveda, and Parthenia, to name a few bigger boulevards. They also returned to targeting popular grocery chains catering to Latinos.

November 7, 2025

Bartenders and Innocent Bystanders Tear Gassed, Knocked Over By Horses, And Shot With ‘Rubber Bullets’ During World Series Night Celebrations

One man who was walking to Gold Room bar had to get surgery on his finger after being shot with a “rubber bullet.” “He was just running away and they got him in the leg and shot the top of his finger off,” the man’s girlfriend told L.A. TACO.

November 7, 2025

Weekend Eats: Jerk Chicken and Oxtail To Aid Jamaica’s Recovery

Plus Japanese pastries, all-you-can-eat dumplings, and a party to benefit a local rapid response network.

November 7, 2025

DAILY MEMO: 25 People Taken In Hectic Santa Ana Raids and More

We are starting to see a new pattern and strategy from Border Patrol crews here in the Southland: intensifying their operations and targeting specific neighborhoods, rather than having crews roam random parts of the city.

See all posts