Today we were dining at a folding, shade covered, table to the musical sounds of the nearby freeway, punctuated intermittently by air wrenches removing lug nuts across the parking lot and trucks downshifting for the turn onto Slauson Boulevard. Drawn by the promise of outstanding al pastor tacos, we were not disappointed.
Tacos Los Guichos is not a place I would have tried without the glowing recommendation from LA TACO. The location is just off the 110 freeway on Slauson. The restaurant itself is a trailer parked, more or less permanently, in the fenced parking lot of a tire and wheel store. It is actually the yellow roof you see in the map photo below, not the building the pin is dropped on.
But if you are looking for great al pastor this is one of the places in LA to get it.
Today Steve and I were joined by our new lunch partner, Luke. It was my turn to pick and I made a selection from an article titled “THE L.A. TACO GUIDE TO THE 20 BEST AL PASTOR AND ADOBADA TACOS IN LOS ANGELES, MAPPED“. The article gives a brief background on al pastor and adobada, how it is made, and how it is served, and then provides a list of southern California places to find it. The article is worth reading.
Their lyrical description of Tacos Los Guichos, copied below, was enough to make my mouth water.
The massive trompo is scorched by an overactive gas burner that is more high-octane than a Michael Bay movie or an Elon Musk flamethrower. The sound of the roaring flame mirrors the burning hunger in your belly. Once you give your ticket to the trompo swordsmen, they’ll thinly slice sizzling portions of pork from the giant trompo. The charred crispy edges of the pork combined with the al-pastor-tailored salsa and lime make me want to write a Shakespearean sonnet. Shall I compare thee to an al pastor taco? I should note that Los Guichos doesn’t include pineapple with their tacos but their al pastor excels nonetheless.
We swung off the 110 freeway, negotiated the turn onto Slauson, and immediately turned into the parking lot. It seems that the tire store allows Tacos Los Guichos patrons to park in their lot, but since were were no signs, it is hard to tell. We ended up double parked behind another car.
After figuring out that you order at window number 2, and pick up your food at window number 1, we quickly made our purchases and settled in to wait with the other patrons.
Steve and I each ordered two al pastor tacos, while Luke elected to try the al pastor torta. We didn’t have to wait long. Our tacos were delivered on small homemade tortillas. I added a small pile of radishes to my plate and settled down to eat. The food was so good that none of us stopped long enough to take pictures before it was consumed.
So, to sum it all up, the food was great, the people were friendly. The location, for anything other than a quick lunch, was lacking. I will go back, and take others with me.
Three thumbs up from the Friday Out to Eat group.
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Sort of a P.S. – I have one warning, I drank a cup of coffee on the drive there, and a bottle of coke with my meal. There were no restrooms provided for customers. Be forewarned.
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“We are rudderless on a storm tossed sea” – to quote many, and none exactly, as it turns out.
Our country is plagued by monsters, selected by some, and abhorred by others. The orange skinned monster on Pennsylvania avenue deflects and obfuscates his way forward and we will be fortunate to leave him in the dustbin of history in 2020.
This is only possible if we all vote. We can have the country we want by voting. We get the country we deserve if we don’t.
Walkabout Today 