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Javier Cabral

Editor for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-Author of “Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” (2023, Abrams).

The Seven Best Tacos Along Metro’s K Line, From Crenshaw to Inglewood

The K Line is Metro's newest light rail line that cruises through the heart of Black Los Angeles, from Nipsey Square to Leimert Park. The taco scene along this route is all about hustle, featuring some of the cities must under-the-radar community gems like a historic L.A. taquería with a killer red salsa, lightly crunchy "enchilada tacos," and so much more. Next stop: flavor.

September 29, 2023

The Eight Best Punk Bars and Venues in Los Angeles

This may be the last generation of beautifully grimy punk bars and venues in a city that is overdeveloping all of these counterculture community spaces into the post-gentrification abyss. Go and support by buying drinks at all these places to make sure they stick around for the next generation.

September 27, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Womanizer-Killing Demons and Pulque: A Look Into Horror Nights’ Popular Latino-Inspired Maze

What does it take to bring a culturally accurate "haunted house" to L.A.’s best Halloween attraction at Universal Studios? Hint: Diego Luna, Danny Trejo, and a morbid curiosity for the macabre side of Latin America’s pre-colonizer history.

September 18, 2023

Our Birriamania Event Is Back, And You Have One Day Left For a Discount

We are hosting our 2nd annual BirriaMania! On September 30th at Santa Anita Park! This event will be all ages and every ticket goes towards supporting our tiny independent newsroom. Come try L.A.'s best birrieros, both beef and chivo versions will be available, of course.

September 14, 2023

One of L.A.’s Oldest Mexican Restaurants, Olvera Street’s La Golondrina Café, Faces Eviction

The future of Olvera Street as a tourist destination has been in jeopardy since the pandemic, with reduced foot traffic and tens of thousands of back rent owed by concerned tenants there, who have all reported lower sales from both restaurants and merchandise.

September 14, 2023

The 14 Best Carnitas Tacos in Los Angeles

Los Angeles County is a porker's paradise. We scoured every corner to bring you the most melt-in-your-mouth, sticky, slow-cooked carnitas all over. These are some of the best cazuela players in Los Angeles, including a handful that make handmade corn tortillas, too.

September 12, 2023

Border X Asked To Pay Almost $100,000 In Rent In ‘3 Day Or Quit’ Notice From Landlord, Beer Thug Taking Over

Last week, Border X Los Angeles posted an update on Instagram stating that they were closed due to a "legal situation with an illegal tenant." Edgar Preciado, the founder of Beer Thug Brewing Co. and only other tenant in the shared brewery has provided a statement addressing the situation.

September 5, 2023

Legendary L.A. Graffiti Icon TEMPT ONE Dies At 54

TEMPT ONE was an iconic graffiti artist whose hand styles first harmonized the precision of Chinese calligraphic lines with the boldness of classic serif Los Angeles "cholo" letters. L.A. TACO has confirmed that he has passed away at the age of 54 after fighting ALS for 20 years.

September 1, 2023