Skip to Content
Video

This 35-Year-Old Jalisco-Style Taco Truck in Venice Named After A Madonna Song Continues to Thrive Despite Gentrification

Drive down Rose Avenue towards Venice beach, and you’ll find a changed community pillaged by Snapchat employees who have all but erased the once blue-collar Black and Brown neighborhood and its quirky and artsy characters. But on the corner of 4th Street and Rose Avenue, one memento persists as a vestige of this old community: a taco truck operated by the same family since 1987.  

In this latest episode of ‘Hanging with Taqueros,’ we go down to Venice and meet the Gonzalez family, who have been slanging tacos topped with beans and Jalisco-style mariscos for 35 years. We learn why they named the truck after Madonna’s hit song, “La Isla Bonita,” why they’re one of the few remaining taqueros that still put frijoles de la olla on their tacos, and what it feels like to see the neighborhood change around them. Regardless of the changes they’ve lived through, this corner of Venice is home for them.

Photo by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO.
La Isla Bonita truck on Rose. Photo by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO.
Photo by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO.
A taco de chicharrón at La Isla Bonita. Photo by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO.

Meet the father and son duo and get a visual taste of the food you should try on your next visit to Venice Beach. Shout out to White Claw for making this series possible, and check out the rest of the series to learn about the great people and tacos that make up this beautiful city of Angels we all call home. 

La Isla Bonita, 400 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Photos: Over 100,000 Dodger Fans Flock To DTLA To Honor the 2024 World Series Champs

Trees were climbed and vehicles mounted in L.A.'s mass attempt to eke out a glimpse of their champions. The team came home to the hero's welcome they deserve, on a day of even greater significance for every L.A. baseball fan, given it's also the birthday of Fernando Valenzuela.

This Weekend: Tableside Baklava Service in Santa Monica, A NELA Bong Bar, and a Coffee Cafe Inside A Hollywood Strip Club

Plus wild caught Maine lobster rolls, Guatemalan garnachas on a lake, and a favorite for tacos al vapor.

November 1, 2024

Street Vendors Injured By LAPD Projectiles While Caught In Crossfire During Dodger Celebrations

A father and son team team selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs were in a state of shock after being hit in the dome and neck by 'less-lethal' projectiles fired by the police. Instead of rendering aid to his father, the son said police kept “aiming the guns at us again.”

October 31, 2024

Some of the Wildest Scenes From World Series Celebrations in L.A.

There was a sense of both elation and catharsis in the air. As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned in his post-game interview, "I'm sure there's no asterisk on this one."

16 Dodger-Themed Foods and Drinks to Celebrate Them Annihilating the New York Yankees

From baseball-shaped quesadillas in Downtown L.A. to blue esquites, tortillas, and donuts, here’s how to celebrate the team for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

See all posts