Anthony P.
Yelp
It's the original, the OG, it's the place where my future father-in-law finished testing me...
Roughly 14 years ago, when I was dating my now wife, she wanted to introduce me to her dad. Gulp! I guess she wanted to get serious and knew her dad had to approve. Fair enough. We had a night planned that included meeting her dad, obviously, her half sister, then on to "back to disco night" at Luminarias where her uncle was deejaying.
My first test started out with some quick questions about how we met and what I did for a living followed by tequila shots...3 shots, no problem... to start, uh oh... With my wife the DD and she and her sister up front in the BMW, I was in back with her dad and the grilling began. It was the usual questions followed by some of the usual warnings like don't hurt my daughter or break her heart type of stuff and be a good provider...
The night continued with dancing and more shots and finally ended, or at least what I thought was ending, at King Taco (KT). This location off of 3rd Street in East LA by the train tracks has a long history. It was and is the de facto after hours hang out if you're hungry after a night of clubbing or partying. The parking lot is a good size, but the later it gets, the more crowded it gets. You'll see all sorts of rides, from rat rods to low riders to bombs to lifted Jeeps to mini vans. Every car had a story and every customer a memory of KT.
I had never been here at that point and my father-in-law did the ordering, all in Spanish, of course.
If my buzz wasn't getting me, the salsa roja (red hot sauce), kicked me in the ass. My al pastor tacos con todo (with onions and cilantro) and salsa roja were my final test. Yes, I sweated it through and enjoyed what would ultimately be my most favorite type of tacos.
I've been to almost every KT location from Compton to Long Beach to Pasadena to Baldwin Park, Maywood, South El Monte and Pico Rivera to LA on Olympic and of course, this location on 3rd.
Every location is consistently good, but this location means more to me. It's where I got my now father-in-law's approval and my wife's admission that I was THE guy. I mean, she wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of having me meet her dad if I wasn't the one.
And KT, that night, made al pastor THE taco for me... Just now with the green, salsa verde... I mean, I passed the test, so I don't need to prove myself anymore...