There Is An African-American Taco Movement In South L.A. That Is Shaking Up The Food Scene

For all the cold pressed green juices and photogenic brunch fare that Los Angeles gets its new rep from, one must not ever get it twisted — L.A. is a taco town. Just as sure as the City of Angels will always be a Laker town and not a Clippers town, tacos take the top spot in Angelenos’ collective appetites as the the go-to craving — over avocado toasts, over sushi, and yes, even over the vaunted In-N-Out burger. Around these parts, Taco Tuesdays are practically a recognized holiday.

Though the Latino community has always been the standard-bearer in how and what a proper taco should be, L.A.’s constantly cooking melting pot has influenced the likes of Roy Choi to build a culinary empire off of his fusion of Korean BBQ tacos. Stoking the flames of said melting pot and helping proliferate it’s ever-bubbling mix is an African-American taco movement in South L.A. that’s making enough noise to warrant inclusion in the conversation of taco relevancy.

In the series opener for First We Feast’s new show, Food Grails, noted hip-hop journalist Miss Info heads to ground zero of this exciting culinary movement, where the communities of Compton, Watts, and South L.A. are the backdrop for an interpretation of tacos that’s fueling many entrepreneurial goals for local ambitious cooks.