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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Support L.A. TACO

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<div>Frank Shyong is a freelance journalist who writes the Lunch Box newsletter on Substack, which publishes original reported essays on food, diaspora, and history. He was a reporter and columnist for the <em>L.A. Times</em> for more than 12 years, covering the San Gabriel Valley, AAPI communities, and life in Los Angeles.</div>
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a headshot of a man with short black hair in a dark blue suit and tie

Frank Shyong

Politics

SGV Organizers Step Up to Stop Data Centers By Running Against the Politicians Who Failed Them

<p>Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).</p>


Javier Cabral

a young man viciously sings into a microphone

Music

These Hacienda Heights Latino Punk Phenoms Are Under 20 and Fronted By the Reincarnation of Darby Crash

<p>Sofía Aguilar is a Chicana writer and editor with bylines in the <i>L.A. Times, De Los, </i>and <i>Refinery29 Somos</i>, among other publications. She loves writing about her cultura, community, and what brings them together.</p>


Sofía Aguilar

L.A. Taco Guides

The Eight Best Burritos in the San Gabriel Valley

<p>Melissa Mora Hidalgo was born in Montebello and grew up in the L.A./O.C. borderlands of East Whittier and La Habra. She holds a Ph. D. in Literature from UC San Diego and is the author of Mozlandia: Morrissey Fans in the Borderlands (Headpress UK, 2016).</p>


Melissa Mora Hidalgo

El Monte

Dr. Beer Butch: To Survive the Pandemic, This South El Monte Brewery Started an Experimental ‘Beer Club’

<p>Lover of pizza and hardcore, Jessie Castro is originally from northeast L.A. and is the founder of the SGV punk band, Hungry Ass Youth.</p>


Jessie Castro

Obituary

Old Punks Never Die: Remembering San Gabriel Valley’s Hardcore Scene Legend, James “YAPO” Valenzuela

<p class="p1">An award-winning journalist covering ICE and immigration raids. Host of the Daily Memo. ‘Where Memo Torres Eats’ on Apple Maps. Seen on Netflix, occasionally on KCRW. 3rd-gen landscaper. Proud son of an immigrant. Golden Bear.</p>


Memo Torres

Food

Get Over Pepperoni: Here’s Where to Order Pizza Topped with Juicy Beef Birria or ‘Esquite’ in L.A.

Community

How the Youth Are Shifting the Conservative Values of an L.A. Suburb Known for Nixon with Its First-Ever ‘Whittier Pride’ Festival

<p>One of L.A. TACO&#8217;s co-founders, Hadley Tomicki is a writer and editor on food, travel, and culture whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, UrbanDaddy, High Times, and many other places.</p>


Hadley Tomicki

Featured

Sip on CBD-Spiked Aguas Frescas and Eat Vegan Al ‘Pastor Imposiblé’ at El Monte’s Ixtaco Taqueria

<p>Chris is a halfie radio journalist from La Puente, CA. His work has aired on KPCC, KCRW, Marketplace, and Latino USA.</p>


Chris Greenspon

SGVegan: Five Essential Plant-Based Restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley

<p>Tien Nguyen writes about food and culture. She co-authored the New York Times bestseller &#8220;L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food&#8221; with Roy Choi and Natasha Phan, and her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Lucky Peach.</p>


Tien Nguyen

Highlights From the Rogue 99, 2019 Edition ~ Sichuan Impression

san gabriel valley