Update 9/20: This is it! Vote in the Finals now!
Update 9/19: Congrats to our Final Four! Voting is now open to see who will be our two finalists!
Update 9/16
On to Round 2! Vote below or click here to vote on Facebook.
Vegan tacos are on the rise in Los Angeles. It's a natural evolution of the city's official dish and changing eating habits of the Angelenos who are fueled by them. Veganism isn't relatively new in the Latino community. Think of all the different frijoles, calabacitas, arroz, tacos de papa, and many other accidentally vegan dishes that many of our abuelos and tatarabuelos subsisted on. Plant-based cuisine has always been the backbone of Mexican food, with many preparations emphasizing their vegetables first and foremost, with meat acting as a flavor and not the centerpiece.
We first noticed the rise of the vegan taquero a few years back, when four vegan spots made the Taco Madness list, and one (Taqueria Venganza) won the whole thing. The passion of the vegan community and the quality of the food was evident, so we endeavored to find a way to celebrate the vegan taco lifestyle in a more formal way.
Which leads us to today. We've partnered with Eat Drink Vegan and Cafe Gratitude to help support and extend their LA's Best Vegan Tacos festival, which will take place on September 21st in the Arts District, and feature many of the vegan taqueros that made our Sweet 16. Get your tickets now before it sells out!
Online voting for L.A.'s favorite vegan taco begins now. Please make sure to go try each of the restaurants and pop-ups on our list.
Our Sweet 16, selected in collaboration with Eat Drink Vegan
Chefs Mike Perez & Felix Alcaide - Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative
Chef Jesse Amaro - Love Amaro
Chef Alex Vargas - Vegatinos
Chefs Mollie & Elias Sosa Engelhart- Sage Plant Based Bistro
Chef Alan Sanz - Gracias Madre
Chef AJ McCloud - Tocaya Organica
Chef Sergio Mendez - Café Gratitude
Chefs Alex Garcia & Elvia Huerta - Evil Cooks
Chef Jocelyn Ramirez - Todo Verde
Chef David Fuerte - Masa Taco
Chef Jason Wood - Gratitude Kitchen & Bar
Chef Jared Simons - Taco Vega
Chef Raul Medina - Taqueria Venganza
Chef Richard Chang- Tacos La Tehuanita
Chef Dhanista Rivera - Om Sabor
Chef Charly Garcia - Charly's Vegan Tacos