Skip to Content
L.A. Taco Guides

The Best Vegan Tacos In the San Fernando Valley

A small but growing list of veggie taco options is making the San Fernando Valley an unlikely destination for people who follow the plant-based taco life in Los Angeles.

1:11 PM PDT on June 20, 2009

Vegan tacos from el cocinero. Photo via their Instagram.

A small but growing list of veggie taco options is making the San Fernando Valley an unlikely destination for people who follow the plant-based taco life in Los Angeles.

Almost anything in the taco kingdom can be made with a meat alternative. Even fast food has started to offer meatless options, so it was only a matter of time until taquerías started to embrace the diet.  After all, who really wants just a salad?

To make it easier for my Valley veggie folk and visitors, here’s a shortlist of the best tacos I’ve tried from my favorite places.

Sylmar

El Compa Vegano

Jessie Gil, known as “El Compa Vegano” became vegan in August 2015, after being a pescatarian for six years due to health issues. He shared his plant-based recipes with friends and family over Snapchat which led to his admirers asking to try his creations. Now, curbside orders are placed weekly.

His famous CrackNBox tacos are a vegan—and really tasty—replica of Jack in the Box’s iconic 99-cent tacos. The same tacos that are rumored to be vegan but are actually made with 40% beef and 50% soy. His highly addictive CrackNBox tacos are made with pea protein and deep-fried. Then filled with cheese, lettuce, and salsa. Yes, this taco will fill that nostalgic void when you used to find yourself at the Jack in the Box drive-thru growing up.  

After experimenting with a recipe, Gil started selling each taco at $4. He said the price accurately expresses the price of ingredients and preparation he puts into making the tacos. 

His full menu features Baja “Shrimp” Tacos (made out of Konjac), Baja “Fish” tacos (made out of banana blossoms), “carne asada” and “pollo asado tacos (soy-based), crispy chicharrón tacos (soy-based), and pozole. He isn’t stingy with his “meat” or toppings, either. My only recommendation when ordering from Gil would be to bring plenty of napkins because I guarantee you it will get messy, in the most beautiful and delicious way. 

Follow El Compa Vegano on Instagram to see when he is popping up next.

Van Nuys 

El Cocinero

When I met Chef Vargas one Friday afternoon, he led me to a corner table with a sign that read “Mi Oficina” at his Van Nuys restaurant. There were a couple of customers ordering from his well-known menu, which includes: tacos, birria tacos with consomé, burritos, mulitas, and tortas. His menu offers 100% vegan meat options like chicharrón, jackfruit, mushrooms, asada, and chicken.

El Cocinero started as a pop-up shop, formally named Vegatinos, that traveled around Los Angeles serving their delicious vegan Mexican food. Now, Alex Vargas calls El Cocinero in Van Nuys home. 

Like all new vegetarians and vegans, the self-taught chef stumbled on how to fill his diet when he made his decision to eat vegan eight years ago. “I was lost. I didn’t know what to eat,” said Vargas. Soon after that, he started watching videos and researching plant-based meat. He took the challenge and played with recipes then shared them with friends and family. Now, El Cocinero is a go-to for many plant-based eaters and the first choice for many when craving tacos in the Valley.

What should you order? Everything. Take it one trip at a time. Trust me it’s worth it to try it all. 

My favorite is the birria tacos with consomé ( you can also order a birria plate that comes with rice, beans, and tortillas). The tacos are made with their signature jackfruit and consomé that offer the taco in two ways: crunchy or dipped in delicious broth. 

The soy-based chicharrón is a crunchier meat option and one of my first choices from their six meat options. Vargas’ Al Pastor tacos have turned me into a fan of the pineapple-marinated concoction.

El Cocinero is located at 6265 Sepulveda Blvd UNIT 12, Van Nuys, CA 91411

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts