It’s time to taco rumble.
L.A. Taco and our hard-working staff is proud to announce the 9th annual return of the city’s only taco competition: Taco Madness 2018. As we approach a decade of service to the taco community of Los Angeles and our tacoscape continues to evolve, we are faced with the most fiercely competitive bracket yet. It’s not only handmade flour tortillas versus organic corn tortillas and fancy tacos versus street tacos this year, but also mesquite-grilled carne asada versus vegan tripas.
The neverending options of tasty things to be had on top of a tortilla these days directly reflects how quickly our city is changing. At the same time, our old spots are thriving with a new generation of residents following the taco lifestyle discovering why the taco is and forever will be the official dish of El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula.
Your usual ride-or-dies and proven champions are all still there: Sonoratown, Mariscos Jalisco, and Burritos La Palma. But will they stand their ground against the voracious Tijuana newcomers like Teddy’s Red Tacos or the pop-up wrecking crew known as Macheen? In a city as vast and diverse as Los Angeles, this year is welcoming a handful of people’s favorites that are proudly unconventional, including All Flavor, No Grease, and the star power of Trejo’s Tacos.
Plant-based tacos are also coming up.
On any given weeknight, in neighborhoods like Highland Park, it’s not unusual to have to wait over 30 minutes or more just for a plate of Taqueria La Venganza’s tacos de vegan chicharrón. Will all 32K-plus of their “intersectional vegan” taco followers on Instagram heed the call of war and vote their veggie taquero to be the crowned L.A. Taco’s first ever vegan taco champion?
We can’t forget the first vegan taqueros who started it all almost ten years ago: Plant Food For People. It’s OK to be a skeptic, but remember that a good taco speaks for itself.
Any pescatarians in the house? We got you. The mariscos powerhouses Mariscos Jalisco and Coni’Seafood will be duking it out. We are also inviting fish taco newcomer L Fish — straight out of Ensenada — to test their seasoned batter skills against the L.A. GOAT, Ricky’s Fish Tacos.
As always, the king or queen will be crowned over micheladas and tacos on the evening of Saturday, May 5th at our FREE annual food and drink event at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Taco Madness. Everyone is invited and unless you’re not into the idea of miraculously tasting all of the city’s best tacos in one spot while drinking pints upon upon pints of craft beer, we kindly suggest that you mark your calendars now.
The call to action is now. The first rounds of K.O.s are now open and the taco polls are up. Swear that a taquero on this list has the best tacos in L.A.? Tell your friends, family, share on your social media accounts, and help them annihilate their taco rival.
There is only space for one Taco Madness champion, and the race to the final will be no holds barred.
If the Voting does not appear below, click this link.
RELATED: Taco Madness 2017 Winner — Sonoratown!!!
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