There are over 3,000 registered food trucks and carts in Los Angeles. Their offerings run the gamut from sushi to steaming buns. But twisted get it don’t. The staple of late-night Los Angeles grubbery has always been the taco truck.
Here’s why:
Taco trucks are open when nothing else is open. Yes, they’re often situated in sketchy neighborhoods with less than adequate lighting, but consider the trip to the taco truck an adventuresome way to extend your late night out with the crew.
Taco trucks attract diverse crowds. Don’t be surprised when the Filipino-American businessman in front of you decides on the lengua tacos with salsa roja. Count it as normal when the Armenian-American college students behind you order a half-dozen, off-menu Quesadillas. This is Los Angeles.
Taco trucks are the business. They provide a relatively low-cost opportunity to start a family business. The husband-and-wife taco truck tag team is commonplace, with the best of them able to switch roles between cook and cashier at the drop of a hairnet.
Taco trucks are reasonably priced. If you’re paying more than $2 per taco, you’re getting got. Remember to bring cash. It’s likely a mom and pop operation, so there’s no reason to get Uncle Sam involved, nahmean?
Taco trucks give you an opportunity to practice your Spanish. Ordering in Spanish will likely result in larger portions even if your Spanish is wick wick wack. Don’t try this tactic at a Chinese restaurant, their Spanish is likely to be just as bad.
Taco trucks have hard-to-find Mexican Coke. The Coke from Mexico is all they say it is. Put the glass to your lips and it hits your system like lightning. It numbs your face. It gets you wired. And when you’re done, you can burp and declare your trip to the taco truck a success.
This article originally appeared in the now defunct Univision content platform for English speaking Latinos called…well, shit…who remembers? It was 2014.