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L.A. Taco Guides

The Six Best Tacos Around USC, Ranked by Students

Whether you’re a Trojan or visiting the immediate South Central area, this guide will help you navigate the bustling taco scene around you. Here's how to have the best taco crawl near USC.

10:26 AM PDT on March 12, 2025

City Taco's birria. Photo by Sara Alvarez and Emily Cao for L.A. TACO.

City Taco’s birria. Photo by Sara Alvarez and Emily Cao for L.A. TACO.

Life as a student can be draining. We can attest to this, as two busy current students. 

There’s no better way to refuel after a long day of classes than eating a really good taco. Fortunately, finding good tacos around USC isn’t too hard, with street vendors lined up along Jefferson Street and the historic Mercado La Paloma just a short walk away. 

We spent our Saturday afternoon visiting six taco spots all within the campus Shryft zone and reviewed the most popular taco order from each respective vendor. In order of closest to farthest from the campus center, here are our thoughts on the taco spots we visited, with our rankings at the end.