LA’s Food Truck Scene Is More Delicious Than Ever
Food trucks, especially taco trucks, have long been a part of the Los Angeles food scene. Starting in around 2008, a proliferation of modern food trucks began to showcase the diversity of LA culture, from Korean-inspired tacos to plant-based noods. Food trucks offer a more affordable way for younger and newer chefs to get started in the business, and these 7 food trucks actually offer some of the best eats in the city. Bon appetit!
Simón
One of the best food trucks that opened recently in LA is Simón, where you can find seafood dishes you might expect at fine-dining restaurants. And that’s no surprise, since Chef Francisco Aguilar worked at a fine-dining restaurant in Oaxaca before eventually making his way to Los Angeles. Some of the popular items here are the fish al pastor taco and the pescadilla: a folded and fried taco filled with shrimp and tilapia. Don’t skip topping the tacos with some salsa from their salsa cabinet; we suggest spicy piña or carrot habanero.
Location: Silver Lake
Mariscos Jalisco
This Mexican seafood truck is an LA institution. Raul Ortega opened the first Mariscos Jalisco truck in 2002, and their crispy taco de camaron, a folded and fried shrimp taco topped with avocado and tomato salsa, has become such an iconic dish that copycat trucks have tried to replicate. Marisco Jalisco currently has four trucks, and the Boyle Heights one parks in front of a simple, indoor dining space where you can bring in tacos and the uber-spicy Poseidon tostada from the truck to enjoy.
Locations: Boyle Heights, Downtown, Pomona, La Cienega Heights
Yeastie Boys Bagels
Evan Fox started the first Yeastie Boys food truck in 2014 because he was missing the bagels he used to enjoy in New York. Yeastie Boys not only has bagels with cream cheese and the classic lox, but Fox also puts his spin on things with bagel sandwiches like The Game Over, a fully loaded breakfast with a cheddar bagel, scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato and jalapeno cream cheese. The bagels are so popular that they have grown their operations to running six trucks around the city.
Locations: Rotates daily around town from Venice to Studio City. Check Instagram for their current schedule!
10/6
Kogi BBQ
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The truck that kicked off the modern food truck phenomenon across the country, Kogi BBQ started roaming the streets of Los Angeles in 2008, serving up chef Roy Choi’s Korean-Mexican mashup like Korean barbecue tacos and the kimchi quesadilla. Using social media to announce their locations, Kogi BBQ quickly gained a large following. Kogi currently runs three trucks from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County, and there’s a fourth truck standing by for special events. Each truck moves around between three different locations throughout the day, so it’s best to check their daily schedule on the website.
Locations: Alternating among Pasadena, Westwood, Hollywood, North Hollywood, Rowland Heights, Sawtelle and others.
Tacos y Birria La Unica
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The birria taco is one of the biggest food trends in Los Angeles recently, and one of the best places to get them is Tacos y Birria La Unica, a taco truck that started in Boyle Heights and has been slinging birria tacos since 2017. This bright-red truck offers both beef and goat birria on handmade corn tortillas that can either be soft or fried (taco dorado). Try them as a quesataco topped with plenty of melted cheese, and order a side of consommé to dip the tacos in.
Locations: Boyle Heights, Mid-City
DulanVille
DulanVille combines one of LA’s best soul food restaurants, Dulan’s Soul Kitchen, with Hotville Chicken (founded by a descendant of the originator of Nashville hot chicken) all in one food truck. The truck serves hot chicken alongside collard greens, baked beans and peach cobbler. The Black-owned truck primarily serves the area around Inglewood and South LA with appearances at the Natural History Museum and local breweries like Three Weavers. Since there’s no regular schedule, check their social media to see where they’ll pop up next.
Locations: Inglewood, South LA
Smorgasburg LA
While not exactly a food truck, LA’s favorite Sunday food event is one of the best places to head to for some food truck-style grub. For those unfamiliar, Smorgasburg is a large, open-air food market that originally started in NYC. The LA version pops up at Row DTLA every Sunday, bringing dozens of food vendors together. The vendor list may rotate, but among the current trucks are Sus Arepas, DogR, which serves Venezuelan-style hot dogs, and the plant-based Asian comfort food MANEATINGPLANT (technically a food bus, but we think it counts).
Location: Downtown
