Only in California would you find a surfing taco. Oddly enough, not at the beach. It slides along a wave painted on a taco truck that parks in downtown Los Angeles.
The Surfer Taco pulls up about noon on Witmer Avenue just north of 6th Street and remains there until 10 p.m. every day. Cool and blue, it is refreshing to look at, even if you’re not in the mood for a taco.
In that case, you can have a seafood tostada, a burrito, a Cuban sandwich, a quesadilla, burrito or carne asada plate.
Obviously business is good, because the truck can afford a glossy brochure that pictures the entire menu and advertises that it sets up taquizas (taco parties) for fiestas.
The demographics guarantee success. The truck parks next to a gas station and across from an auto repair shop in a Latino neighborhood.
On the other side of 6th Street is the Good Samaritan Hospital and medical complex. The cafeteria there may be convenient, but The Surfer Taco offers fresh air and a more cheerful setting.
It’s like a photo gallery, lined on each side with pictures of downtown highrises, with the taco surfing toward them. There are chairs, if you want to relax with your meal.
The tacos are small, 
like compact surfers. My carne al pastor (marinated pork) taco came with two small corn tortillas, onions, cilantro, a lime wedge and two radish slices.
Other fillings are carne asada, carnitas, chicken, tongue, beef cheeks, chorizo and chicken with chipotle.
Some taco trucks set out a buffet of salsas and garnishes. The Surfer Taco abbreviates that to bottles of red and green salsa in an ice bucket, the way you might serve them at the beach.
The Surfer Taco, Witmer Avenue just north of 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Open noon to 10 p.m. daily. For phone orders, call (213) 265-5203.
Recent Comments