The fried chicken taco screams "where have you been all my life?!" It would be wrong to even call this fusion, as there really isn't a base on either side of the border that would recognize what this concoction has become. Dante Gonzales is frying them at his taco pop-up DFC Taco in the parking lot of a barber shop on Santa Monica Blvd. More

One of the biggest names to ride the crashing food truck wave onto the shores of a Pico-Robertson storefront is Komodo. Their hook: Asian fusion with a Mexican bent. It isn't much of a pull in LA these days. Around here, the word "kalbi" gets tossed on menus next to all manner of tacos, burgers, pizzas and lord knows what else. So, with multiple trucks and a brick and mortar now in its second year, what makes Komodo so special? In short: simplicity. More

In Los Angeles, there is no sanctity in food. This town invented the Korean BBQ taco, the sushi burger, and all sorts of wacky pizza concoctions along the way. So it should come as no surprise that Sky's Gourmet Tacos, a Mid-City sit down spot with a soul food bent and one hell of a great lemonade, serves up some of the tastiest and most inauthentic tacos in this part of town. More

Los Cinco Puntos is an absolute Los Angeles treasure. As a gateway into East LA (both figuratively and literally, with their location along Cesar Chavez Blvd.), there is no better messenger to herald the call of the authentic taco. Inside, they'll point you in the right meat direction, take care of your homemade tortilla needs, and deliver you a finished taco that is among the best you'll find not just in Los Angeles, but anywhere. More

When you're hungover, it's easy to get confused. Where did I park my car? Why did I get a replica tattoo of Petunia, the enchanting inktress from Nickelodeon's Adventures of Pete & Pete? Well, I can confidently say that exactly none of these questions will be answered in the following paragraphs. But I will say this: the breakfast bäco at downtown's Bäco Mercat is easily one of the best Hangover Helpers in Los Angeles. More

There's a whole menu at Antojito's Carmen full of taco alternatives. Like the huaraches and perhaps the best single item on the menu, the gorditas. Forget what The Bell has taught you about gorditas; they're the real deal at Antojitos Carmen. Thin round disks of masa are gently fried instead of griddled, pulling off the rare "crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside" feat that so many places miss. More

The line between what a sandwich technically is and what a sandwich technically isn't can blur substantially at a place like Bäco Mercat, especially when you've got the drinks menu in front of you. Spend an afternoon in downtown Los Angeles at chef Josef Centeno's latest easy-bites spot and you may come away scratching your head at what you just ate, but you'll also be rubbing your stomach in fond memory. More

If you never left downtown Los Angeles, you'd be convinced that the whole wide world is awash in Mexicali Taco & Co. love. The former late night taco table long sat in a parking lot north of Staples Center, often siphoning off in-the-know event goers willing to trade in a yard of beer for some of LA's best street eats. After piling up enough gold stars from locals and food-blogging bigwigs alike, they managed to win the vaunted 2011 Taco Madness bracket-style tournament. They quickly earned a whole new wave of hungry customers. Then they earned themselves an eviction notice. More

At Tacos Los Guichos, carnitas is a weekend tradition. Well south of USC and just east of the 110 freeway, this long-standing trailer offers late-night eats to a hardworking mix of folks, all milling around in the gated parking lot of a car repair shop. The long-simmering carnitas make this one of the best tacos in Los Angeles. Just make sure to show up on a day that begins with the letter S. More

Two things are unequivocally true about S & W: the breakfast menu is expansive, and the word is already out. Waves of weekend patrons crash against the pantry walls. First the Sun Risers, then the Active Mothers of Small Children, followed by Cops and Other People Who For Some Reason Are Up As Early As Cops. Luckily, they've all mostly cleared out by brunch o'clock, which means a short wait is all that separates you from plastic tablecloths and the necessary ingredients to cure what ails ya. More

The taco tables are a ubiquitous late-night sight along the avenues and corners of much of Los Angeles. Heading east from Western along Pico Blvd. towards downtown, the weekend streets are awash in tacos (and taco tables). More

If nothing else, the Beto's Tacos truck on Washington Boulevard is a model of consistency. On those cold nights in the doldrums of the work week, when your other Mid-City taco alternatives have turned their backs on you, Beto's is there under the golden glow of Redondo Liquor, parked along the back wall and probably siphoning off some electricity from inside. Nothing fancy, but always reliable; their tacos taste the exact same way. More

Two halves usually do a pretty good job of making a whole, even when you're nursing a hangover and you find that the pieces of last night don't all fit together. At Short Order, the recently-opened boozy brunch and burger spot in the Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax, they've got all sorts of greasy geometry to help sharpen the edges of last night's memory. Chefs Nancy Silverton and the late Amy Pressman have worked hard to create locally-focused American fare with a touch of kitchen flourish. King among their weekend plates is the Benedict Burger ($11), a delightful breakfast / lunch mashup dish that involves (you guessed it) a lot of egg. More

Now in its fourth year, LA Taco's annual Taco Madness bracket is unveiled every March to coincide with some other wimpy bracket going on elsewhere. Thirty-two of Los Angeles' best tacos from across the board (and the map) compete for the right to be called 2012's taco champion. For most spots on this list, there is no greater glory. More

If you're trying to make a name for yourself somewhere along the expansive taco crawl that makes up the eastern half of Pico Boulevard, it helps to stay visible. Sure, Tacos El Compita has the brick-and-mortar restaurant, serving up tortas, burritos and a selection of hearty soups and stews, but once the sun goes down they start to turn heads by pulling all their kitchen equipment outside and cooking up tacos right there on the patio. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the tacos are pretty damn tasty, too. More

It's a tough spot for any casual restaurant, tucked between the trendy Melrose fashion houses to the west and one of the city's most beloved restaurants, Osteria Mozza, to the east. To exist, you need a dash of the flair and style from down the street and a whole heap of culinary acumen. Frida Tacos on Melrose has all of the first, but not much of the second. More

Even on the Sunset Strip, Pinches Tacos stands out. Maybe it's the Barbie pink paint job, or the constant reality TV filming. Maybe it's the name, a not-so-subtle nod to the dirty side of Mexican street slang. Whatever the answer, Pinches Tacos isn't the place your eye is likely to miss, even if the tacos are somewhat unmemorable. More

It's hard to imagine a time when the Los Angeles Mexican food scene needed saving, let alone by a man named Jimmy Shaw. Ten years later, Shaw's flagship Loteria Grill in the bustling Farmers Market on Third and Fairfax has been credited with doing just that, and his Loteria empire keeps growing. More

Technically called "Benito's Taco Shop", the Los Angeles mini-chain offers supremely basic taco possibilities with all the loving décor of an 1980s mall food court, plus the added bonus of an "Open Late" sign. If you're looking for something a little heftier to help soak up the night, the carne asada fries or super nachos are a tasty option but most folks stick to the rolled tacos. More

If El Taurino were a monster movie, Tokyo would be the tacos and the salsa would be Godzilla. The movies aren't about Tokyo struggling to save itself against disaster. The movies are about that fiery, show-stopping Godzilla, overpowering everything in his path in true cinematic monster fashion. And everyone loves him for it. More

Barely visible behind Pico Car Wash, just west of the Pico / Western intersection in that nebulous neighborhood (Mid-City East? Koreatown South? Harvard Heights?), sits La Cañada Taqueria. Little more than a cinder block building with a sunny paint job, this hidden taco spot serves up some of the best late-night eats around, no matter what the turf is called. More

When it comes to pure taco nostalgia in Los Angeles, King Taco definitely wears the crown. The regional taco outpost that began in the Glassell Park neighborhood northeast of downtown now sports nearly two dozen locations, a few lunch trucks and a loyal following, mostly among native Angelenos with a fondness for the tacos of their past, even if what King Taco dishes out now hasn't kept up with the times. More

During the cold California winter, where frigid temperatures routinely drop below 65 degrees, one might find it hard to muster up the strength to put together an old-fashioned charcoal fired cookout. Not so at Burbank's Casitas Taco Al Carbon, the L.A. mini-chain specializing in the age-old "al carbon" charcoal grilling methods of Mexico. It's just a shame that the tacos at Casitas aren't all that inspired. More

Since first parking their truck east of downtown over a decade ago, Mariscos Jalisco has made it a point to keep their lunch-only crowd satisfied, even on Christmas Day. Hailing from Jalisco, the western seaside state south of the border, Raul Ortega and his crew have made seafood their business since day one. Taco lovers should pay special attention to the fried shrimp and avocado tacos de camaron. More

If the old adage read: "good food served in the center of Hollywood comes to those who wait," it might be attributed to Brock Kleweno, owner of taco hotspot Komida. Located in the bar / patio section of former nightclub H'Wood, Komida is just down the hill from its humble origins at the Yamashiro Farmers Market. His signature taco is the duck confit. More