Tacos Los Poblanos #1 Estilo Tijuana

"Between the whacks of meat cleavers and wafts of mesquite smoke blowing in your face, even just standing in line at this South LA taco stand feels fun after a long day. The roadside operation stays open until midnight every night except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Get some well-seasoned asada with tingly salsa roja and the tacos arabes served on plate-sized flour tortillas that are soft and chewy." - brant cox, arden shore, nikko duren, sylvio martins, garrett snyder

"You’ll smell Tacos Los Poblanos before you see it. This nighttime Tijuana-style taco stand (and Tire Shop Taqueria rival) grills its carne asada over mesquite charcoal, which sends a smoky trail wafting down Slauson Ave. Our usual order goes like this: a few asada tacos, plus a cheese-lined vampiro with chorizo, then a step back to watch the taqueros thwack-thwack grilled meat with a cleaver and fling spoonfuls of salsa with acrobatic precision. Each taco is crowned with a dollop of thick guacamole and wrapped in paper like an ice cream cone. Paired with a big gulp of agua de jamaica, it’s essentially a taco ASMR experience." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder, brant cox, nikko duren

"You’ll probably smell Tacos Los Poblanos before you see it. This nighttime Tijuana-style taco stand grills its carne asada over mesquite charcoal, which sends a smoky trail wafting down Slauson Ave. Over the last few years, the Tijuana-style taco has taken LA by storm (see: Tacos 1986, Mexicali Taco), with Tacos Los Poblanos being one of the older spots on the scene. In fact, the stand is a sibling of the renowned Taqueria San Miguel (a.k.a. the Tire Shop Taqueria) stand a mile north in South LA. Their tacos are almost identical, but we think the well-seasoned beef at Los Poblanos might give it a slight edge. Our usual order goes like this: a few asada tacos, plus a cheese-lined vampiro with chorizo if we’re hungry, then a step back to watch the taqueros thwack-thwack grilled meat with a cleaver and fling spoonfuls of salsa with acrobatic precision. Each taco is crowned with a dollop of thick guacamole and wrapped in paper like an ice cream cone. Paired with a big gulp of agua de jamaica, it’s a taco ASMR experience that tickles all your senses. photo credit: Matt Gendal" - Garrett Snyder

"Tacos Los Poblanos #1 Estilo Tijuana is a classic Southeast LA spot, known forever for its Tijuana-inspired tacos served from a truck in a parking lot. Along with Tire Shop, this is one of the spots that has been doing it right since forever." - Farley Elliott