"Over the years, this family-owned operation has gone from food truck to brick-and-mortar restaurant back to food truck, but one thing has remained constant. Tamales Elena’s puts delicious care into everything on its Afro-Mexican menu, from fried-to-order tacos dorados that you dip into salty, chile-stained consommé to the Guerrero-style pozole topped with pork cracklings. And, of course, there’s the namesake tamales made with fluffy, well-seasoned masa. This colorful truck now parks in front of a recycling center in Watts and sets up a sidewalk table so you can eat your antojitos then and there. Most people, however, use this colorful truck for a grab-and-go lunch or pick up the two dozen spicy pork tamales pre-ordered over the phone. Either way, you’ll walk away with an excellent meal at a reasonable price. Cash only. Food Rundown photo credit: Sylvio Martins Tamales These tamales are masa-heavy, and, in this case, that’s a fantastic thing. Tamales Elena’s steamed masa is plush, salted, and subtly sweet, and the main reason why these tamales are some of LA’s finest. You can order yours wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and choose from fillings like cheese with jalapeño, shredded chicken in tart salsa verde, or tender pork in a spicier-than-expected salsa roja. There’s no wrong choice, but we highly suggest asking for the tamal especial #2, which means your tamales arrive bathed in barbacoa consomme loaded with chunks of beef. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Tacos Dorados You’ll hear everyone ordering these freshly fried tacos and for good reason. They arrive hot in your hands, shiny but not oily, and full of rich barbacoa seasoned with all the salt this taco needs. Drizzle in the truck’s zippy salsa verde and dunk your taco into the chile-stained consommé for maximum flavor." - Sylvio Martins
