If you are looking for the best tacos in Los Angeles, head to Sonoratown in DTLA, famous for their northern Mexican style of flour tortillas and meat grilled over mesquite wood. You may already have seen them featured on the Netflix show Taco Chronicles (or Las Crónicas Del Taco as it was called in Spanish), hand-picked for inclusion by Jonathan Gold’s restaurant scout, Javier Cabral. Located on 208 E 8th St, in the middle of L.A.’s Fashion District, this is a perfect spot for both lunch and dinner. Read our restaurant review to know what makes Sonoratown the best tacos in L.A. and what to order from their menu.
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SONORATOWN Address & Contact Information 208 E 8th St, Los Angeles, California, United States Website Instagram Facebook
What Makes Sonoratown the Best Tacos in L.A.?
A line stretches out the door, festive mariachi music plays over the speakers, a cloud of wood-fired mesquite smoke hovers in the air. Can you smell it? You’ve arrived at the best taco joint in Los Angeles. Sonoratown’s flour tortillas are the stuff of legends – after all, they were the champions of the “Great Tortilla Tournament,” a contest ranking all of the tortillas in Los Angeles.
They’re made with melted lard, which gives them a buttery, slightly porky flavor, and they’re so thin that they’re almost translucent in color. This is thanks to the Sonoran flour they’re made with – an heirloom wheat from northern Mexico that is extremely soft and pliable, which allows the tortilla to be rolled very thin. This flour is so essential to their recipe that they used to drive to Tijuana just to bring large bags of it into California. After a couple of issues with border patrol, however, that was no longer an option. So now, the owner’s mom brings small amounts of flour over the border and they pick it up from her every month.
If you’re wondering if the flour is worth all that trouble, it is – these are the best tortillas we’ve ever had. But obtaining the perfect ingredients is just the beginning – it’s Sonoratown’s resident tortilla expert, Julia Guerrero, who brings the tortillas to life. She’s in the back of the restaurant all day churning out fresh tortillas by hand.
What to Order at Sonoratown
So, how to consume those tortillas? You’re going to want to order a chivichanga (otherwise known as a chimichanga) – we tried one filled with beef, roasted chile peppers, and blistered tomatoes. You’re also going to want to try the caramelo, which comes stuffed with chorizo, pinto beans, cheese, avocado, and red salsa. If you just want a taco, the carne asada one we had was fantastic, thanks to the wood-fired grill flavor. Like the meat, the tortillas are also lightly grilled over the mesquite fire, rounding out your taco with that ultimate smoky bite. Sonoratown was the unanimous favorite on our taco crawl. It’s our new favorite taco joint in all of Los Angeles, and, dare I say, the world?
Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in Los Angeles? Check out our city map of L.A.! We also did a crawl of the six best tacos in L.A.
What’s your favorite taco in L.A.? Leave a comment below.