"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best tacos in the city. They'll be visiting five different locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
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00:00Today we're trying some of the best tacos in Los Angeles.
00:03I think today we're going to try and do it every place I take you.
00:05We're going to do a variety of tacos.
00:07We're going to get different types of proteins.
00:08Definitely want to do beef for steak, chicken, pork, seafood if they got it.
00:12Any other specialties a restaurant might have.
00:14I'm going to do my best to explain to you, a person from London, what tacos are like in Los Angeles.
00:21And I will probably not even scratch the surface.
00:24But, hey, a day of eating tacos and we're not paying for it.
00:27I mean, what more can you ask for?
00:28Not much. Yeah, I'm very excited.
00:30Coming out here, this is maybe the video I was most excited to shoot.
00:33Because like you say, Mexican food in the UK, not the best.
00:36We do have Mexican people living in the UK and making and selling the food.
00:40But it's just not widespread, especially not compared to a place like LA
00:43where you guys seem to have an absolute abundance of Mexican food.
00:46That we do.
00:47Today we're starting at Tacos 1986.
00:49Been here several times.
00:50One of my favorite go-to tacos.
00:51They specialize in Tijuana tacos, which is mesquite grilled meats, corn tortilla, dollop of guac.
00:57Okay. A couple of questions.
00:58Mesquite, that's a type of wood, correct?
01:00Yes.
01:01Nice. So it's kind of like, almost like a smoked meat type of vibe?
01:04I would say so. Mesquite burns really hot and really smoky.
01:07So the meat is expected to be charred and very flavorful.
01:10Sure. I can also like, I can see the trompo, the sort of like al pastor thing going on in there.
01:15Imagine that's also like marinated as well.
01:18So you're getting like smoky flavors, marinade flavors, various flavors.
01:22Yeah. You're a big Pokemon guy?
01:23I'm a big Pokemon guy, yeah.
01:24Today we are collecting all the tacos.
01:26Okay. We're going to catch them all.
01:27Catch them, whatever.
01:29Oh, Jesus.
01:30Tacos and Pokemon, two of my favorite things.
01:33I finally reached you via Pokemon.
01:35You really have, yeah.
01:37Found a way to connect with the youth.
01:39The youth.
01:41Oh my God. All right. I'm starving.
01:43You want to get some tacos?
01:44Yeah. Let's do it.
01:45Let's eat.
01:49What's up?
01:50Very well.
01:51These right here are two adobada tacos.
01:53And we got a variety of two carne asada and two chicken tacos right here.
01:57Thanks so much.
01:58All right. What's jumping out at you? Which one do you want to try first?
02:01I think just from what caught my eye as we walked in, the adobada, the sort of like al pastor one.
02:06Yep. Loaded with delicious meat.
02:08You can see they also put cilantro, onion, and guacamole on there.
02:12This looks incredible. You can see the char on that meat.
02:15Really does. So hungry. Let's go.
02:16Let's go.
02:22Dude, we're eating good today.
02:23Mm-hmm.
02:24Right?
02:25That meat is incredible.
02:26Mm-hmm.
02:27I mean, I'm a big corn tortilla guy.
02:28Mm-hmm.
02:29But the meat, you can taste that smoky flavor in there.
02:32And I'm sure they have a very secret recipe that they're not going to share with us on how they flavor that meat.
02:37But whatever they're doing, it is absolutely fantastic.
02:39That thing is just slow cooking over there.
02:41They scrape it off to order.
02:43Yeah. The seasoning on that is amazing.
02:45When you cook something on a spit like that and the outside bits get like a little bit crispy.
02:48Yeah.
02:49A little caramelized.
02:50Nice, right?
02:51Really good. But super tender as well.
02:52Yeah.
02:53The corn tortillas actually aren't super common in the U.K.
02:55Oh, really?
02:56Yeah.
02:57Oh, no.
02:58I know.
02:59I know. What the heck's going on over there?
03:00A lot of times if you order a tortilla or you see tortillas on the shelf in a supermarket,
03:04they'll just be flour tortillas.
03:05Do you guys even have corn in the U.K.?
03:07We do have corn, yeah.
03:08I don't think we produce it on a mass scale like America does because you guys put corn in everything.
03:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:13But corn tortillas particularly, I know you have to do quite a complicated process to get the corn and make it into this.
03:18I don't think many people are doing that in the U.K.
03:20I know, yeah. I don't make corn tortillas. I just eat them.
03:22Moving on.
03:23Beefy boys here.
03:24I also love the presentation here.
03:25This is almost like a flower.
03:26It's just like, look at this little cone they have here, right?
03:29Loaded with their special guac.
03:32I don't want a bunch of flowers.
03:33I want a bunch of tacos.
03:34Yeah, dude.
03:35I mean, how amazing is this?
03:36So good.
03:37I'm going to pick this all up.
03:38Next thing we're going to the carne asada.
03:39Losing all my bits.
03:40Also cooked on a mesquite grill.
03:41A lot of the best places will just have so many different salsas available.
03:44Yeah.
03:45Their homemade salsas.
03:46You can just mix and match whatever other flavors you want to add on here.
03:50I'm kind of just freestyling it here.
03:52I think the green one's going to hit the spot.
03:53A little bit of green.
03:54I can't be trusted with my own salsa.
03:56Yeah, no kid.
03:57All right, let's get in here.
03:58All right, man.
03:59So this is the beef, the carne asada.
04:06You're tasting that, right?
04:07Yeah.
04:08How flavorful is that meat?
04:09Oh, wow.
04:10That's so good.
04:11The green salsa, tangy.
04:12I think I'm getting more of the smoked flavor from the carne asada.
04:14Yeah?
04:15I didn't see how this one was cooked.
04:16That is directly on the grill.
04:17Straight on the grill.
04:18That's why.
04:19That makes way more sense.
04:20Mainlining that flavor, that mesquite flavor.
04:21Beautiful.
04:22Very well seasoned.
04:23Yeah.
04:24Guac's good.
04:25I got to say, I think people have gotten used to mediocre guac.
04:28Guac hit the mainstream seeming like 10, 15 years ago.
04:31It was like nowhere, and suddenly it was everywhere.
04:32But the store-bought guac, you have it, and you're like, yeah, it's fine.
04:35I think everyone kind of says, it's fine.
04:37Go to Chipotle, they charge extra for it, and it's perfectly fine.
04:40And you come into a place like here, this guac is next level.
04:44You realize what guac can be when you eat it at a place like this.
04:47Something that I know you over in the UK are very familiar with.
04:50Chicken.
04:51Yes.
04:52You got your chicken shops, right?
04:53You guys not familiar with chicken?
04:55Yeah, I guess we got chicken over here too.
04:57We're moving on.
04:58We do have our chicken shops.
04:59To the chicken category.
05:00There you go.
05:01None of our chicken shops are serving up chicken tacos.
05:04Unbelievable.
05:05I don't know how you people live over there.
05:06I mean, they would make a gazillion dollars.
05:08I do think they would clean up in London.
05:10They open one of these in London.
05:12Yeah.
05:13You can't put this taco on your British pound and place the king at these tacos.
05:17That's how good they are.
05:22It's that smoke again, man.
05:23That's beautiful.
05:24There is a significant flavor to their tacos specifically.
05:27Yeah.
05:28You can see why this is one of the most popular places in LA now.
05:30And they got like five or six locations.
05:32Yeah, man.
05:33Just growing super fast.
05:34Right?
05:35A few things that are impressing me and surprising me.
05:37Yeah.
05:38They're quite simple tacos.
05:39It's kind of just like doing the basics.
05:41You got the corn tortilla, some diced white onion, cilantro, the guac, and the meat for the most part.
05:46You're going to notice that today.
05:47That your tacos is going to be the protein or the meat and like maybe one vegetable and maybe a sauce.
05:54Sure.
05:55Because the taco-bell-ization of Mexican food.
05:58Like, oh, somebody getting sour cream and diced onions and tomatoes and shredded cheese and da-da-da-da-da.
06:02Like, I'd be surprised if we saw that much cheese at all today.
06:06Yeah.
06:07I don't think it needs it.
06:08Like, I'm not missing it.
06:09Right.
06:10You know, like a fast food, like a taco-bell, chipotle.
06:11Yeah.
06:12They need that to kind of like bulk it out and add extra flavor that's not coming from the other ingredients and from the meat.
06:17But despite how like on the face of it quite simple all these tacos are.
06:21Yeah.
06:22All just really delicious, to be honest.
06:23Yeah.
06:24These are excellent, man.
06:25I mean, if this is like the start of our taco journey, we're starting high.
06:27We're starting very high.
06:28You've gone in.
06:29Yeah.
06:30Yeah, I know.
06:31I wanted to lay the gauntlet right at the bat and be like, this ain't your queen's tacos.
06:35No, how about this?
06:37This ain't your barrister's tacos.
06:40What?
06:41Just coming in with your like horsehair wig for some tacos.
06:44Why do they wear those wigs?
06:45I don't know.
06:46It's really silly.
06:47Yeah, it looks like it itches.
06:48Yeah, it really does.
06:49It's made of horsehair.
06:50That can't be good for you.
06:51Was it like, is it supposed to be like a disguise?
06:53Maybe.
06:54Back in the day, yeah.
06:55Because the whole thing in Parliament is like, you're going to be judged by your peers, your elected officials.
06:58But that guy's still going to walk down the streets.
07:00He's like, well, we'll all wear wigs.
07:02The guy you just sent to jail, he's just going to see you.
07:04Yeah, and then you're at the pub having a beer next to his family crying.
07:06You're like, he's like, what happened?
07:09Whoa.
07:12That's what I think.
07:13You've set a bar very high here, Joe.
07:15That's right.
07:16But I need to take you to a bunch of other taco places.
07:18Okay, yeah.
07:19I haven't saved as much room as maybe I should have because these have been very good.
07:22I think you're going to find room.
07:23I think you're going to find room.
07:24I'll bravely soldier on.
07:25All right, man, ready to go?
07:26All right, let's go.
07:27Let's go.
07:30Now, L.A. obviously has maybe thousands upon thousands of taco trucks.
07:34We can't do all of them.
07:35But one truck experience I wanted to make sure you have is here, Morisco's Jalisco.
07:39Dude, the tacos de Camarón are absolutely amazing.
07:42Won all the awards.
07:44Everyone raves about them.
07:45We've had celebrities like Chrissy Teigen hire the truck to come to her crib.
07:48LeBron James had these guys come out and feed firefighters during the Getty fire a couple years ago.
07:53I could talk all day and I could name celebrities all day about how amazing these tacos are.
07:57But I wanted to stop here on this incredibly busy and noisy street to try what some will argue are the best tacos in Los Angeles.
08:03Okay, I feel like the taco truck is kind of an integral part of L.A. cuisine.
08:07Absolutely.
08:08I know we're by, like, another busy highway, but I think that's part of the experience.
08:11So hopefully they can forgive us the background noise while they're watching at home.
08:14This place is standing out from the other places I'm taking you today.
08:17It's all seafood, but this is an absolute must-try.
08:21Wanted to include it.
08:22You're going to love these tacos.
08:23I love seafood.
08:24I'm intrigued to see how this compares to, I guess, the more standard offerings, you know, like your pork, your beef, chicken.
08:29Sure.
08:30I'm sure they're doing delicious things with it, and I can't wait to try.
08:32I've had, like, a couple of fish tacos in the U.K. before.
08:35Oh, my God.
08:36At some of our Mexican spots.
08:37Oh, my God, I've had your fish and I've had your tacos.
08:39Trust me.
08:41Just fish and chips with, like, a corn tortilla.
08:43Sorted.
08:44I think we're about to witness a religious experience in real time.
08:47Okay.
08:48I'm excited.
08:49Yeah.
08:50So let's grab a couple of these tacos.
08:51They're going to blow your mind, dude.
08:52You're going to love this.
08:53Come on.
08:54Here you go.
08:55Cheers, my man.
08:56Cheers, man.
08:57So, jarritos.
08:58Okay.
08:59Ooh, that's good.
09:01Not too familiar with the guava flavors?
09:03No, not really, or jarritos in general.
09:05I've seen a lot of these around in L.A., but not tried one yet.
09:08Popular Mexican soda?
09:09Yeah, very much.
09:10Yeah.
09:11You'll see these in just about every Mexican restaurant or truck in L.A., possibly even
09:14the country.
09:15These are so good.
09:16You know what they do have in there, though?
09:17Mm-hmm.
09:18They have Monster Energy Drink and Red Bull.
09:20With a meal?
09:21Oh.
09:22I don't know.
09:23I mean, you're a Red Bull guy, but would you not do it with a meal?
09:25I don't, unless I'm mixing it with cola and having pizza.
09:27Sure.
09:28Extremely normal.
09:29This was voted the best tacos by L.A. Weekly, and it also has the Bib Gourmand by Michelin.
09:34My guy, Raul, has been doing this for 20 years, and this place is so popular, you probably
09:38saw some trucks lined up down here.
09:40Also, Morisco-related trucks.
09:42Some names a little close to his.
09:44Not gonna say any names, but if you go down there, there's a few times where you're like,
09:47there it is.
09:48Wait, that's actually not it.
09:49So, some people are trying to, you know, ride on my man's coattails.
09:52Yeah, we're driving past, like, Jalisco Moriscos.
09:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:55No, no, no.
09:56Other way around.
09:57Jaliscos, Jaliscos.
09:59He's pretty tight-lipped about the recipes and what's in there, right?
10:01He doesn't, we're gonna get some shots in there, but there's some parts of the process
10:04he won't let anyone see.
10:05I mean, he knows.
10:06He knows this is a goldmine.
10:07Yeah, he's gonna keep that recipe secret.
10:08Yeah.
10:09Locked up in a vault somewhere, like the Krabby Patty formula.
10:12This is us?
10:13All right, that's our food.
10:14Sweet.
10:15Thanks, buddy.
10:16Oh, my God.
10:17Yes.
10:19Let's go.
10:20Yes.
10:21Off the bat, you got anything like this in London?
10:23No, I don't think so.
10:24This is exciting.
10:25Yeah, right?
10:26Have they fried this?
10:27Because it's super crispy.
10:28Yes.
10:29And it's kind of all like intact, like staying together in one piece.
10:31That's right.
10:32And he tops it with his salsa.
10:34You can see bits of seafood in there as well.
10:36And a little bit of avocado.
10:38Yeah, it's like packed full of filling.
10:40Yeah.
10:41Generous.
10:42Do you want to try it?
10:43I really, really want to try this.
10:44Here we go, let's go.
10:48I am about to kill this whole thing.
10:50This is so good.
10:52I love how crispy the taco is on the outside.
10:54Yep.
10:55But the filling, it's really soft and incredibly juicy.
10:58I think I was kind of expecting the filling to just be the shrimp.
11:02Nope.
11:03There's a lot more going on in there.
11:04A lot more going on in there, right?
11:05Big mixture.
11:06Yep.
11:10People have said that you can't get any other taco like this in LA.
11:13I can kind of see it, man.
11:14There aren't many mouthfuls I've had in the past that have lived up to this level of like textural contrast.
11:19Right.
11:20Flavor contrast.
11:21You get like sweetness from the tomatoes and the salsa.
11:23I think it needs the lime.
11:25I love something about like fish and citrus really does it for me.
11:29With other seafood tacos that I've had or like shrimp tacos that I've had,
11:32you kind of know what you're going to get and you get what you expect.
11:35But there's just something about this specific truck and what he's doing here
11:39that I just haven't gotten anywhere else in Los Angeles.
11:42And we're not going to get it anywhere else today, certainly.
11:44Now that isn't a criticism to any other place we're going to today
11:47or any of the tacos I've had here in Los Angeles.
11:49What I do want to emphasize is that this is one of the most unique tacos you're probably getting in Los Angeles,
11:54possibly all of Southern California.
11:56He's been here for 20 years.
11:57And let's be honest, this location itself, very nice residential neighborhood,
12:00but certainly not a place where people are going to eat before he came here.
12:04And these tacos are so good that he's almost created an economy on the street
12:08based around everyone coming here for these tacos.
12:10It's a truck.
12:11He could kind of park it anywhere.
12:12Yeah.
12:13If you build it, they will come.
12:14Yeah.
12:15It's the field of dreams of tacos.
12:16Yeah, and he's built something absolutely incredible here.
12:18He's got, like, an enormous seating area inside,
12:20which I was like, oh, it's a truck, you know, you're going to grab a taco,
12:23you're going to stand on the sidewalk.
12:24If you want to, you can sit down.
12:26And clearly, the fact that they have that, there must be demand for it.
12:29Yeah.
12:30He does have, I think, four trucks now, so he is in other locations.
12:32But, I mean, he's holding it down.
12:33The awards speak for themselves.
12:35Yeah, really do.
12:36And so does the food.
12:37That is such a good mouthful of food.
12:38Nice.
12:39Nice.
12:40Glad you like it.
12:41There's not much more to say.
12:42We've got more tacos to eat.
12:43Man, I want to kill this other one, but I know the crew have their eye on it.
12:45Yeah.
12:46We'll leave that one for you guys.
12:47Okay, here we go.
12:48Fine.
12:49Here you go.
12:50Enjoy.
12:51On to the next spot.
12:52Let's do it.
12:53Let's go.
12:54I didn't have anything I felt was very authentic when I was in London for Mexican food.
12:58Some nice tries.
12:59I'm not going to name any places because I want to be nice.
13:01It's hard to run a business, especially a restaurant.
13:03But everything I felt, I was like, yeah, this seems like people who have never had Mexican food
13:06are guessing what they think it should taste like.
13:09So I was like, ah, you know.
13:11Yeah, there are definitely some that are doing it well.
13:13Like, there are actual Mexican people living in London.
13:15You might be shocked to hear who are making and selling their food.
13:19So there are some places that can do it.
13:20We have a chain of Mexican restaurants called Oaxaca.
13:22I definitely think I know one of those.
13:24We're spelling it differently, though.
13:25We're not spelling it like the province is spelled.
13:27What do you spell?
13:28We spell it W-A-H-A-C-A.
13:32Literally like Oaxaca.
13:34That's so...
13:35But because everyone would have been like, what's Oaxaca?
13:38Yeah, Oaxaca.
13:40I get it.
13:41Oh, my God.
13:42That's so rude.
13:45Now we're at Sonoratown, the location in mid-city.
13:49They also have the mesquite-style grill,
13:51so they're going to be char-grilling all the meats we're having here today.
13:55One thing I think is really special about this place
13:57is the owner, Jen, drives back to Mexico
14:00to get a certain type of Sonoran flour you can't get in the U.S.,
14:04which they bring back and they make the tortillas with.
14:07So you're going to get a tortilla here that you cannot get anywhere else in America.
14:10That's pretty cool.
14:11Also depicted in the mural, by the looks of things.
14:14Yeah, that's right.
14:16Yeah, I mean, that is the level of detail and quality
14:19you're going to be getting today at this place.
14:21I like that.
14:22Today we're going to be doing a beef, a chicken, and a pork,
14:24but mixing up a little bit.
14:25The beef is actually beef head,
14:27and the pork is their chorizo.
14:29Okay, beef head, you say.
14:31Using all parts of the animal, I like it.
14:33Nothing goes to waste.
14:34We had pig's head in London, Sunday roast.
14:36That was excellent.
14:37That was very good.
14:38There's some good meat up there, as it turns out.
14:41Get a little bit of meat upstairs.
14:42All sounds really good.
14:43I'm excited.
14:44Putting a slightly different spin, I guess, on some of the classics,
14:46the meat options, tacos themselves.
14:48Excited to see if we can taste any difference.
14:50And I love that mesquite flavor from the first one,
14:52so I want more of that, please.
14:53Yeah, this place is awesome.
14:55Yeah, here we go.
14:58Thank you so very much.
15:00Delicious Sonoratown tacos.
15:01Now, you'll notice the shape of these in some ways are wrapped in paper.
15:05Some people think that the word taco actually is derived from the Spanish word for plug,
15:09because Mexican silver miners used to use plugs when mining,
15:13which was gunpowder wrapped in paper.
15:15Oh, okay.
15:16Might be a coincidence, but one wonders, right?
15:19Used to be a gunpowder explosion.
15:20Now it's a flavor explosion.
15:22Those who dispute that claim say that the word actually has indigenous origins from the word,
15:25I believe it's pronounced taco, which means in the middle.
15:29Sure.
15:30Either way, as far back as the Aztecs,
15:31they had some sort of tortilla bread, some sort of meat and veg in the middle of it,
15:36and that's how they ate it, and here we are.
15:38Okay.
15:39It's a mouthful of history.
15:40I can't help but noticing, Joe, that against my better judgment,
15:43you seem to have ordered the tripe tacos.
15:45Yeah.
15:46I think you're going to like it.
15:47If you don't want it, that's fine.
15:48So we got chicken, we got chorizo, and we got the beef head.
15:51I've added the salsa, guac, which we've seen before,
15:53but also what looks to be a little bit of shredded cabbage.
15:55Mm-hmm.
15:56Yep.
15:57Yep.
15:58Also the small palm size.
15:59That's one thing I think that a lot of people are surprised when they come out here.
16:01It's like, yeah, the tacos are small, so I'd eat a lot of them.
16:03I like that.
16:04I don't want to eat one big thing.
16:05I'd rather have lots of little delicious things.
16:07Another traditional way they do their tortillas, and they're made with lard.
16:10Ooh, okay.
16:11Yo.
16:12Squeezing extra, like, fat into every nook and cranny.
16:15All fat, everything with these tacos, and I love it.
16:18Fat is flavor.
16:19Where do you want to start?
16:20Why don't we start with the beef head?
16:22Okay.
16:23Oh, yes.
16:24Now this one, I mean, you see there's a little dollop of the salsa down there,
16:28but they've got like the salsa verde going on.
16:30Yeah.
16:31Very verde.
16:32All right, and this beef looks good.
16:33It's like thick pieces, right?
16:34Chunky.
16:35Ready to go?
16:36Born ready.
16:37Let's go.
16:41Mmm.
16:43How soft and tender is that meat?
16:45How delicious is that?
16:47That's like a surprisingly fatty cut of meat, because that just, like, melts in the mouth.
16:51It's so soft.
16:52It's pillowy soft.
16:53Mm-hmm.
16:54Mmm.
16:55Mmm.
16:57Can't say enough about these tortillas, either.
16:59They're so delicious.
17:00Unique flavor you're not getting anywhere else in LA.
17:02No, definitely not.
17:03Gone.
17:04I feel like the flour tortilla, you get a bit more, like, tear to it when you bite into it.
17:10Could do some damage at this place if you weren't filming this video.
17:12I could just literally just post up here and be eating these all day.
17:14I can't get over how juicy that beef head was.
17:17That's fantastic.
17:18Do you want to try a little chorizo next?
17:20Yeah, we'll save the tripe for last, I think, maybe.
17:23Oh, baby.
17:24Looking very good.
17:25Yeah, look how crispy these little pieces of chorizo are.
17:26Get in there, buddy.
17:27Little chorizo.
17:28Take a bite?
17:29Mm-hmm.
17:31The juice is pouring off that, man.
17:33Mm.
17:34Slow down.
17:35Oh, yeah.
17:36So fantastic.
17:37Mm-hmm.
17:38Right?
17:39It locks in the flavor of how they're cooking it over there.
17:40And that's that mesquite grill talking.
17:41Mm-hmm.
17:42Very nice.
17:43Definitely getting the smoke again from that one.
17:44Yeah.
17:45And to some extent from the beef as well.
17:46I think the guac here might actually be, like, slightly too liquidy for my taste.
17:51Okay.
17:52It might just be a personal preference thing.
17:54But that's, like, a very saucy guac.
17:56Yeah, you like it thick and goopy, huh?
17:57Oh, yeah.
17:58I want, like, chunks of avocado in there.
17:59Oh, come on.
18:01Whatever.
18:02Do you disagree?
18:03I'm just going all flavor, and I think that this flavor's fantastic.
18:05I find, personally, a lot of the chunkier guacs, because it has those solid bits of avocado,
18:09it doesn't have as much flavor as when it's more like a sauce.
18:12Interesting.
18:13That's what I think.
18:14To each their own.
18:15All right.
18:16Chicken?
18:17Absolutely.
18:18Let's go.
18:19I'm really loving these tortillas.
18:20Yeah.
18:21The texture that you get from the flour rather than the corn, I personally love.
18:25A little bit more chew to them.
18:26Oh, look at the juice just, like, dripping, man.
18:28Well, you're not getting this flour anywhere else.
18:30I'm not, no.
18:35Oh, it's just so good.
18:36That mesquite really comes through there.
18:38Yeah.
18:39Those pieces of chicken are so nicely charred.
18:41Oh, wow.
18:42Yeah.
18:43I could, like, get one.
18:44Like that, right there.
18:45Right?
18:46That's ridiculous how good that chicken is.
18:47That char.
18:48That flavor, yep.
18:49That char, that smoke, that flavor.
18:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:51So juicy, as well.
18:52This chicken is insane.
18:53I'm telling you, man, it's nothing but hits over here in Sonoran Town.
18:55Nothing but hits.
18:56Nothing but hits.
18:57So, Noah, you want to try the tripe taco with me?
18:59I'm going to try the tripe taco.
19:00Yeah.
19:01See, it's all about new experiences.
19:02I'm going to get this bit just because it's, like, it's got the, like, hole in it.
19:05Like, you can tell that's an intestine.
19:07Just try that.
19:08Yeah.
19:09Just try it.
19:10Focus on the flavor, not where it's from.
19:11Mm, crunchy.
19:12What do you think of that?
19:13That's really good, right?
19:14Yeah, that's really good.
19:15That's really good.
19:16I'll try it.
19:17I'll try a full mouthful.
19:18Yeah, I'm excited.
19:19Oh, it's crispy, though.
19:20Yeah.
19:21When you're thinking tripe, you're thinking, like, the really, like, squishy, chewy.
19:24I was thinking slimy and chewy.
19:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:27No, it's crispy.
19:28And that's neither of those things.
19:32Mm-hmm.
19:33I told you.
19:34Man.
19:35That is so good.
19:36I didn't expect to be brought around on tripe in this episode, but here we are.
19:42Can you just hand me some more nachos?
19:43Yes, I can.
19:44I'll just take the box.
19:47It's almost more of, like, a pork-scratching flavor.
19:51That's kind of what I get with the crunch.
19:53That's a great way of putting it, yeah.
19:55Just like a crispy pork-scratching.
19:58It's a savory nugget.
20:00Mm-hmm.
20:01And paired with their spicier stuff.
20:03That was, like, the spiciest one we've had, right?
20:05I think it was.
20:06That and the chorizo definitely had a bit more kick to them.
20:07Got the tripe on a whim.
20:08Yeah.
20:09That's a heavy hitter.
20:10Yeah.
20:11Amongst heavy hitters.
20:12Maybe that and the chicken may actually be my favorite of the four we've tried.
20:15Really?
20:16Yeah.
20:17Really?
20:18I did also like the beef head and the chorizo.
20:19Yeah.
20:20But those two had, like, such a, I don't know, distinct flavor.
20:22I really got the char and the smoke from the chicken.
20:24Yeah.
20:25Loved that a lot.
20:26And that one's just, like, unlike anything that I've had before.
20:28So, for me, that kind of stands out.
20:29In terms of, like, the assembly of the tacos,
20:31it's a slightly different approach depending on which taco you get here.
20:34Whereas I feel like at other places, maybe the toppings are kind of all the same,
20:37regardless of the meat, and that's the only thing that changes.
20:39Yeah.
20:40But, like, obviously we have guac on some of these, not others.
20:42Yeah.
20:43We have a bit more, like, spicy salsa on some of them than others.
20:45It really kind of, like, does bring something different to each dish,
20:48which is quite impressive.
20:49It's interesting as well because, like, the chicken one here, possibly my favorite.
20:52Yeah.
20:53Maybe, I think, the steak one, for example, might be my favorite one at Tacos 1986.
20:57Yeah.
20:58So, different places kind of putting their own unique spin on individual ingredients
21:01can really change, like, quite a lot about the taco,
21:03bring one thing to the forefront, whereas, actually,
21:05at another place, it might be more of a supporting cast.
21:08That's a good way of putting it.
21:09Yeah.
21:10Another thing I should note is that another thing on their menu
21:13that everyone raves about is their burritos.
21:15The burrito here is also constantly featured in everyone's top burrito list.
21:19So, if we do a burritos episode, we're coming back here.
21:21Yeah.
21:22I can absolutely see how that would be the case, especially with these tortillas.
21:24Like, the way that they're making them with the flour,
21:26that special Mexican imported flour,
21:28definitely got, like, a lot more flavor to them than your average flour tortilla
21:31and also hold up really well against all the ingredients that are in there
21:34because there's a lot of moisture in these, but they're not falling apart.
21:37You know, people eat like this every day in Los Angeles.
21:39You realize that?
21:40Yeah.
21:41It's pretty nice.
21:42You're living good.
21:43Yeah.
21:44That's why you put up with the terrible infrastructure.
21:45That's fine.
21:46I don't eat infrastructure.
21:48Sure.
21:51We're here at B-Tac-A-Ria, and I want to direct your attention right there
21:54to what's becoming the mascot of this episode,
21:56a man made of tires known as the Michelin Man.
21:58Of course.
21:59You know why he's here?
22:00I do not know.
22:01Because this is Michelin Bib Gourmand rated, awarded.
22:05Bib Gourmand.
22:06Where does Bib Gourmand sit?
22:07It's kind of, like, beneath a star, right?
22:08It is the award they give for great food at, we'll say, reasonable prices.
22:12Okay.
22:13I like both those things.
22:14Yeah, yeah.
22:15Very nice.
22:16That sounds good.
22:17Other than, of course, the Bib Gourmand, why are we here?
22:18Like, what are they doing really well?
22:19This place, they have elevated tacos.
22:21As you can see, he has all types of unique takes on tacos here,
22:27but don't let that dissuade you.
22:28The food here is ridiculously good.
22:30Okay.
22:31I feel like the ones we've had so far have been, like,
22:32more on the traditional side.
22:33Yes.
22:34Pretty classic.
22:35Yeah.
22:36I'm interested to see, like, where else you can take a taco.
22:37Well, that's why I took you here, because this guy is doing stuff no one else is doing.
22:40So, what are we going to get here?
22:41Obviously, the other places we tried to get, like, a chicken, a beef, and a pork.
22:44Yep.
22:45Similar sort of situation here?
22:46Absolutely, absolutely.
22:47I want to make sure we definitely get the beef, definitely doing a pork.
22:49But instead of chicken, I want to get the tinga that's made with beets.
22:52Oh, okay.
22:53Yeah.
22:54And just for reference, you guys call beetroot beets?
22:55Yeah.
22:56Okay, we call it beetroot.
22:57Don't know why.
22:58Beet, beetroot.
22:59Yes.
23:00Okay.
23:01Yeah, that's weird.
23:02Why do you do that?
23:03I don't know.
23:04We always have to be different.
23:05All right.
23:06So, okay.
23:07I'm intrigued to see how that turns out.
23:08Carne asada, obviously, is something we've been having at pretty much taco place we've
23:11been here today.
23:12Now, people don't know this, but cattle wasn't even in Mexico until Christopher Columbus
23:15brought it to the Caribbean when he first came over here.
23:17Now, despite there even being an embargo, in 1521, a Spanish sailor famously smuggled
23:22six cows and one bull over from the Dominican Republic to start his own farm.
23:26And soon after, conquistadors petitioned King Charles V, that's a V, to lift the restriction
23:32so the Mexican cattle industry could really begin.
23:35Did you know now there's 8.5 million cows in Mexico?
23:38That's one cow for every 15 people.
23:41Whatever those farmers did, it worked because now Mexico is the 10th largest beef producer
23:46in the world.
23:4780% of that beef, right upstairs to the US.
23:50Okay.
23:51Right.
23:52I like the idea of smuggling cows in.
23:53They get to the border.
23:54The guy's like, what's that?
23:56Oh, it's a horse.
23:57Oh, you mentioned that.
23:58I imagined that it was two cows in a giant trench coat just on each other's ... And these ... Wait,
24:03how many was it?
24:05Six cows, one bull, I think you said.
24:06Okay.
24:07So it was three tall cow women and a horse that was a lot like a bull.
24:13In enormous trench coats.
24:14And that's a really wide giraffe.
24:16Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:17I laid on the border controls like, there's all those giraffes that I let in there earlier.
24:21There's like a million cows.
24:22I was like, one giraffe.
24:23Three giraffes.
24:24What's going on there?
24:25I don't know.
24:26I'm doing runs.
24:27Anyway, that's how it started off.
24:29Just a taste of all the factoids you're going to be getting this season.
24:32Educational show.
24:33We love it.
24:35We have two beet tacos right now.
24:37Thank you, sir.
24:39This looks ridiculously good.
24:40Yes, it does.
24:41Okay.
24:42So this is going to be the beet tinga one?
24:43Sure.
24:44Dripping with juices.
24:45Also, maybe the biggest taco we've seen today?
24:47Yeah.
24:48This visually just completely looks different to anything else we've tried already.
24:50Served in a bowl.
24:51Yeah.
24:52You can see why, right?
24:53Different.
24:54Dripping beet juice.
24:55That stuff stains.
24:56Keep that away from your pants.
24:57Okay.
24:58Dad.
24:59Jesus.
25:00Also, the first one that we had with cheese on it, like a kind of queso fresco, almost
25:03kind of got the texture of like a pulled mozzarella or something.
25:07A lot of cress on there.
25:09Cilantro again.
25:10Yeah.
25:11We're seeing stuff here we haven't seen at all today.
25:12Yeah.
25:13You weren't kidding when you said this is kind of like a slightly more elevated fancy
25:16taco.
25:17Yeah.
25:18My man.
25:19He knows what's up.
25:20All right.
25:21Give it a go?
25:22Yeah.
25:23I'm intrigued.
25:24Beety juices.
25:25Oh, wow.
25:26And if I didn't look at it, I could swear there was chicken.
25:29I love that cheese.
25:30It's got a kick to it as well.
25:32There's some spice going on there.
25:34Very unique.
25:35Very interesting.
25:36You still get that like earthy beet taste.
25:38Yeah.
25:39All right.
25:40Everyone else coming out.
25:41There we go.
25:42Thank you, sir.
25:44Thank you, sir.
25:45Wow.
25:47Incredible.
25:48Thank you so very much.
25:49Thanks, buddy.
25:50And normally we eat your beets like beets, but the way this is like so soft and almost
25:51shredded like you would get with shredded chicken.
25:52Yeah.
25:53It's a fantastic, fantastic flavor.
25:54Yeah.
25:55There's like a kind of green salsa on here, which is excellent.
25:57It's got a nice level of heat to it.
25:59Yeah.
26:00I'm not knocking my socks off.
26:01So generous with the cilantro, coriander over here as well on all of the tacos.
26:06Which one should we move to next?
26:07This one's right in front of me.
26:08So I was thinking, why not the pork?
26:09Yeah.
26:10This is the pork.
26:11Again, generous with the cilantro.
26:12Got some sliced red onion and first blue corn tacos we've had.
26:16The first, but not the last.
26:17Not the last.
26:18We're getting ready for the next spot.
26:19You a blue corn fan?
26:20Love it.
26:21This is hefty, man.
26:22Speaking of staying in your clothes.
26:24There you go.
26:25I'm a guy.
26:26That's serious, man.
26:27That pork is so juicy and tender.
26:28It's so tender, yeah.
26:29I just want to note that I can basically just hold like a little piece of this pork in my
26:30hand and just kind of gently squeeze and it just falls apart.
26:31Look at that.
26:32It just falls apart.
26:33That's so good.
26:34The softness and richness of the meat, but with the crunchy onions, red onion and the
26:35cilantro, coriander.
26:36And yeah, these tortillas are just so good.
26:37They're so good.
26:38They're so good.
26:39They're so good.
26:40And the pork is so tender.
26:41I love it.
26:42I love it.
26:43I love it.
26:44I love it.
26:45I love it.
26:46I love it.
26:47I love it.
26:48I love it.
26:49The softness, red onion and the cilantro, coriander and the, yeah, these, these tortillas,
26:54man, oh my God.
26:55Really good.
26:56Also just looks quite cool.
26:57Yeah.
26:58Yeah.
26:59They just get like style points, I think, for doing it a bit differently.
27:00Oh, I'm looking forward to trying this last one here.
27:02Look at that.
27:03Look at how juicy this is.
27:04Every time you bite into something, juice just pours out on you.
27:08Wow.
27:09Oh yeah.
27:10Wow.
27:11I think this might be the best one of the three.
27:13I think I'm inclined to agree.
27:14What is it about lime with like, kind of Mexican food?
27:17It just brightens up the flavors, right?
27:19Yeah, that tang, zestiness, it's so good.
27:23I don't think I've ever tasted anything like this.
27:24This is really fantastic.
27:26I do love this beef, like the thickness of these pieces,
27:29so juicy on the inside, really absorbs
27:32all of that seasoning and the marinade
27:33that they're putting into it.
27:34Now, contrasting that with the pork that we just had,
27:36that's like pillowy and literally falling apart in my hands.
27:39I feel like the pork, they've actually just kind of like
27:41let the meat sing a little bit more on its own.
27:44Sure.
27:45Which is really tasty and super tender.
27:46It's not just like they're kind of a one-trick pony.
27:48They're doing different things with different meats,
27:50which I like.
27:51Doing great things without meat as well,
27:53which is also cool.
27:54Yeah, that beef taco's really good.
27:54That's really tasty as well.
27:55I'm really gonna have some decisions to make, you know?
27:58I don't even know where I'm gonna go on this one.
27:58This is so good, this is so fantastic.
28:01Wow, a lot of places out here, like Beef Taqueria,
28:04for instance, are kind of totally making it their own.
28:06Yeah, I feel like between this place
28:07and a few of the other spots that we've hit,
28:09really getting a kind of overview
28:11of what tacos have been, what tacos can be.
28:14And it's leaving me with like a really tough decision, but.
28:16Well, there's one more spot I wanna take you
28:18that is absolutely incredible.
28:20Okay, I think I can do one more spot.
28:22All right, let's go.
28:23All right.
28:24So what is some fun L.A. stuff you got to do
28:26while you were here?
28:27Did the Warner Bros. Studio Tour yesterday.
28:29How was that?
28:30Which was great, yeah.
28:31It's just cool to walk where Young Sheldon has walked,
28:35you know?
28:37Just to be in the same kind of environment as him.
28:39That's so funny.
28:40A real honor.
28:41So you got to go to the Young Sheldon universe.
28:45We did, yeah.
28:46That's nice.
28:47That's a spinoff of the Big Bang Theory?
28:48Correct, yeah.
28:49Is that still on?
28:50No, that ended.
28:51Then they made Young Sheldon.
28:52I think that's also now coming to an end
28:54because they've somehow got like seven seasons out of it.
28:56So he's a young version of one of the characters
28:58in the Big Bang Theory?
28:59Yes, he is.
29:00Which character?
29:01Sheldon.
29:04Last stop of the day, VS Tacos.
29:06How are you feeling?
29:07I'm feeling good.
29:08I've still got room for one more, I think.
29:09Great.
29:10Or four more.
29:10We're definitely gonna have more than one more.
29:12I wanted to take you here, VS Tacos, out in Highland Park.
29:14Some say these might be the best tacos in LA
29:16and I might agree with them.
29:18Of course, you're gonna be getting the pork,
29:19the chicken, and the beef.
29:21They also have a cactus taco here that is amazing.
29:23And one of the things that Food Insider fans might know
29:25that we did a video about VS Tacos,
29:27I think like three or four years ago.
29:30A man started this cooking on York Boulevard.
29:32It's not too far from here.
29:33When we did the video, it was during the pandemic.
29:35So he moved the operation to his grandparents' front yard.
29:37And since then he has opened his first brick and mortar
29:41with a second location in Grand Central Market
29:43in downtown LA.
29:44So.
29:45That's very cool.
29:46It's blowing up.
29:47It's moving fast.
29:48Come a long way from his grandma's lawn.
29:49And there's a reason for that
29:50because the tacos are incredible.
29:51Really good.
29:52And I want you to try them.
29:53So you wanna go eat?
29:54Yeah, I can do one more.
29:55I can do one more spot, I think.
29:56Yeah, all right.
29:57Let's go.
29:58So when I said I had room for like one last spot.
30:00So what do you think?
30:01I didn't know you were gonna order like the entire menu.
30:03I didn't actually.
30:04There's more stuff to get,
30:05but I definitely got a good sampling.
30:07Something that I decided when I was ordering
30:10is the queso tacos,
30:11which means they do have the blue corn tortilla.
30:12They also put a layer of melted cheese on these bad boys.
30:15Okay.
30:16And we also got these drinks,
30:17which I am having the hardest time opening.
30:19I was gonna say I love these
30:21because it feels like I'm in the bear.
30:22They drink out of these in the bear.
30:23That is true.
30:24Cheers, cousin.
30:25All right.
30:26Yes, chef.
30:27First thoughts on this.
30:29The cheese jumps out of me.
30:32You say they've got like a bit of cheese on the outside.
30:33These things are like fully covered
30:35in cheese on the outside.
30:36Sir.
30:37I assume they've done that on the griddle
30:38because these are all like crispy as well.
30:40They're crispy.
30:41Yes, sir.
30:41Lacy, cheesy edges.
30:42Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
30:43And of course the guac.
30:45Yes.
30:45And of course, sprinkle a little more cheese on there.
30:47Also wanna point out,
30:47and this could be your own discretion,
30:49they have a bunch of sauces here
30:50that I think, Paul, are fantastic.
30:52You'd mentioned at the last place,
30:53not seeing a lot of blue corn tortilla.
30:55Yeah.
30:56Like you're seeing them now, baby.
30:57Seeing them now.
30:57You got that blue.
30:58The blue has more antioxidants.
30:59It definitely has more protein.
31:01So in my mind,
31:02while we're adding unhealthiness with the cheese,
31:04we're gaining huge benefits here.
31:06Yeah, this is like,
31:08you gotta do this before you go lift weights.
31:09All right, cheers, man.
31:14We've been eating tacos all day.
31:15Oh, yeah.
31:17And this one is hitting the spot.
31:18Mm-hmm.
31:19It's so good.
31:20I think in terms of the beef options we've had today,
31:22this one has the most rich color to it.
31:25Mm-hmm.
31:26And also the color is like
31:27throughout the entire piece of meat, right?
31:29Mm-hmm.
31:30Sometimes when you marinate meat and then grill it,
31:32you just get some like color on the outside.
31:33Trust me.
31:34Whereas this is just like all the way through,
31:36this thing is a glorious red, flavorful color.
31:39Fantastic, right?
31:40Mm-hmm.
31:41I believe it's cojita cheese on there.
31:42Cool, nice.
31:43Because there wasn't enough cheese on the outside.
31:45Let us not forget about our good friend, the chicken.
31:48I want to like, again, point out the color on the meat.
31:51Yeah.
31:52Because that chicken is like a vibrant orange-yellow.
31:54It's beautiful, right?
31:55A lot of places we've gone today,
31:56the chicken has been cut up into cubes.
31:57This one's more of like a shredded chicken.
32:00I think that with that and marinating the flavor in it,
32:02it just has a better consistency with the cheese.
32:05I feel that flavor-wise, unstoppable.
32:08And with this green salsa, by the way?
32:09Mm-hmm.
32:10You gotta try some of these salsas, man.
32:11Don't let these just go to waste.
32:12I'm trying to like enjoy it as is.
32:14I think I agree with the consistency of the chicken.
32:16Yeah.
32:17Like a lot of the time,
32:18the chicken that we've had has been,
32:19let's say, larger pieces, which is good
32:21because like theoretically that way
32:22it's easy to keep it juicy.
32:23Yeah.
32:24But this is still like super juicy.
32:26Yeah.
32:26And also you get these like little crispy bits
32:28kind of around the edge as well.
32:29Mm-hmm.
32:30Super flavorful.
32:32Chorizo.
32:33This, along with the cactus, is my go-to when I come here.
32:36Yeah.
32:37And of course, I like throwing in the spicy habanero.
32:39Now, I'm not gonna force you to try it,
32:42but I'm telling you, it's fantastic.
32:43We had chorizo at Sonoratown,
32:45so I'm interested to see how this
32:46kind of stacks up against that.
32:48It's vibrant colors here, right?
32:49Yeah, it's crazy.
32:50Gotta throw a little orange on the bad boy, right?
32:53We're eating rainbows today.
32:55Hit me with a little bit of the orange, man.
32:56Oh, nice.
32:57I can handle it.
32:58You okay?
32:59Famous last words.
33:00Oh God, that's a lot.
33:04I think this is the best chorizo
33:04we're gonna have all day.
33:08Oh, the habanero.
33:10I got a big dollop of the habanero sauce.
33:12Got some heat to it.
33:13Yeah, a man knows his sauces,
33:14and he knows his habanero.
33:16I know we've kind of been saying this
33:17throughout the episode,
33:18but like just the concept of a taco,
33:20being able to have the variations of texture,
33:22flavor, spice, sweetness, tang,
33:27all in one just little like bite-sized parcel.
33:30It's such a good concept, man.
33:31I've never eaten cactus before.
33:33We don't really have those in the UK,
33:35at least not in the wild.
33:37What kind of taste can I expect from it?
33:39It's gonna be an earthier green.
33:41Not as hard or harsh as a pepper,
33:44but I really can't say it just tastes like cactus.
33:46All right.
33:47Yeah, once you get...
33:48Try and wrestle one of these.
33:49Yeah, this is gonna like...
33:50So it's the cactus,
33:51this kind of like green stuff.
33:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
33:52It's the diced green.
33:54It's also a black beans.
33:56Mmm.
33:57Earthier pepper, but closer to like an onion maybe.
34:00Yeah, I don't know how to describe
34:01how a plant tastes if someone has ever eaten it before.
34:03Yeah, it tastes like cactus.
34:04I don't know.
34:05I'm trying to think like,
34:06is there anything close to it?
34:07And like nothing's really springing to mind.
34:09Yeah.
34:09I think like you say,
34:10kind of like somewhere between a chili pepper
34:12and an onion of some kind.
34:13Yeah, yeah.
34:14But it's good.
34:15I like it.
34:16Earthy flavor.
34:17Vegetal.
34:17Not bad.
34:18I still don't know if I would opt for that.
34:20That's a word.
34:20I don't know.
34:21I don't know.
34:22I don't know.
34:23I don't know.
34:24I don't know if I would opt for that.
34:25What?
34:25That's a word.
34:26All right.
34:27I still don't know if I'd opt for that
34:28over some of the meat options that we've had,
34:30but hey, not bad.
34:31First time I've eaten a cactus in my life.
34:34Glad they removed the spines
34:35because that would be a less fun experience.
34:37That'd be a lot worse, yeah.
34:38Yeah.
34:39I feel like the flavors and the style that he has here
34:40is like uniquely his own and like uniquely LA.
34:43Yeah.
34:44You know, I love coming here.
34:45It always hits.
34:46Yeah.
34:46I've really enjoyed this one.
34:47I think, like you say,
34:49putting his own twist on things,
34:50like the cheese skirts on the tacos,
34:52very nice touch.
34:53It adds a lot to the dish.
34:54I think the marinade of the meats,
34:56I think for me particularly with the carne asada
34:59and also the chicken,
35:00you can tell like how long that's been sitting
35:02in the marinade for.
35:03The amount of flavor that it's infused
35:05and the flavor itself is fantastic.
35:07So yeah, I have to say,
35:08really like this spot.
35:09This place has appeared in a Netflix documentary
35:12about tacos in America.
35:14I mean, it's just like,
35:15they're killing it.
35:16I mean, they really are killing it over here
35:17and you can see why.
35:19This stuff,
35:20these tacos are incredible.
35:21Not to speak on your behalf,
35:22but is it kind of like a true American success story?
35:25You know?
35:26Yeah, I'd say so.
35:27The guy can just like start doing something he loves
35:28like from his grandparents' house.
35:30Next thing you know,
35:31he's got storefronts serving to the masses.
35:34Merch that you purchased.
35:35Merch, yeah.
35:36Yeah, that's a cool hoodie.
35:37The hoodie's cool.
35:37Yeah, yeah, it's a cool merch, yeah.
35:38Keep an eye out for that in a future Food Wars video.
35:41All right, so as a legend and a first time in LA
35:44trying LA tacos,
35:45how did we do today?
35:46You did great.
35:47I think you've curated me a really good list.
35:49I've not had a bad taco today.
35:51They've all been fantastic.
35:52And I think we've also covered like a bit of a range
35:54of what tacos can be.
35:55Yeah, fantastic.
35:56I mean, as I said before,
35:57there was no way that we could have gone
35:58to every great spot
35:59and there's no way I could have given you
36:01an overall experience of everything
36:04that LA has to offer as far as tacos.
36:05So I did my best to pick five spots
36:07I think are really fantastic.
36:09I think you did it.
36:10Yeah, I'm glad to hear that.
36:11Tacos 1986.
36:12Yes.
36:13One thing that like really jumped out at you.
36:14Carne asada there for me was excellent.
36:15Yeah.
36:16Really enjoyed that one.
36:17Yes.
36:18I liked some of the salsas as well.
36:19Yeah.
36:20The chicken was super good.
36:21All right, all right.
36:22Big personalities.
36:23Yeah, love those guys.
36:24Morisco-salisco.
36:25Obviously the kind of the only seafood focused spot
36:27that we hit today.
36:28Yeah.
36:29But yeah, that prawn taco was kind of unlike any bite
36:31of taco I've had before.
36:32Sure.
36:33And we haven't really had anything else today
36:34that's been exactly that style.
36:36So that for me was pretty unique.
36:37Yeah.
36:38And again, hard to compare against other tacos
36:39that we've had today.
36:40Just a delicious mouthful.
36:42Sonoritan.
36:43Sonoritan was great.
36:43I really liked what they were doing
36:45with the flour, with the tortillas.
36:47Yeah.
36:48Changing it up a little bit, changing the recipe.
36:49We've had pretty much exclusively corn elsewhere,
36:51but I think the texture that you get from that flour
36:54is great.
36:55The kind of tear, a little bit more chew to it,
36:57really satisfying.
36:58Toppings themselves were great.
36:59And you could just tell how much care and thought
37:01had gone into preparing this.
37:02Absolutely.
37:02Well, a B taqueria.
37:04B taqueria was great.
37:05Enjoyed that one a lot.
37:06I think the steak stood out for me there.
37:07Again, those thick, juicy, well-marinated pieces of steak
37:12were sensational.
37:13And I like again that they were maybe trying
37:15to be a little bit more out there
37:16with what they were going for with their tacos.
37:18Viest tacos.
37:19Probably like, it's more similar ballpark to B's
37:21in terms of doing their own thing,
37:23like taking a classic dish, putting a slightly new spin on it.
37:25Cheese crust is amazing, really tasty.
37:27The marinade on the beef, again,
37:29and the chicken, sensational.
37:31With that, I have to ask,
37:33if you had to pick one to be your favorite,
37:36which one would you pick?
37:37I actually think I'm gonna slightly cop out
37:42and not pick a favorite.
37:44And why is that?
37:44I think all the tacos we've had today have been fantastic,
37:47all for different reasons.
37:48I know we've had some themes throughout,
37:50so that we've had some pork dishes,
37:51we've had some beef, we had some chicken,
37:53but almost all of them have been done
37:55in a very unique and different way.
37:58I think it would be doing a disservice
38:00to pick one that I really like.
38:01Honestly, I think if anyone watched this video,
38:03wanted to come to LA, have a good taco,
38:05any of these spots, you're not gonna leave disappointed.
38:08To give one of them my overall favorite spot,
38:10I think is impossible.
38:12I share your sentiments that every place here
38:14we went to today was fantastic.
38:15It is a hard choice,
38:17but I've been eating here for years,
38:19and for me, VS Tacos all the way.
38:21I absolutely love the food here.
38:22I mean, the other places were absolutely fantastic,
38:24but this is my number one.
38:25Yeah, overall, I'm just a big fan of tacos,
38:28taquerias, LA taco culture.
38:30If you wanna bring some over to the UK anytime soon,
38:33then please. I'm telling you, man,
38:34any one of these establishments we've gone to today,
38:36if they just did remotely what they're doing here in London,
38:41the game is theirs.
38:43Yeah, Oaxaca is quaking in its boots right now.