A New Wave - Guerrilla Tacos

Most of us on the LA board know about Chef Wes Avila’s creations made famous via his roaming food truck, Guerilla Tacos. Just wanted to create a post to help populate our new home. :wink:

Chef Wes Avila worked with Walter Manzke and then Gary Menes prior to taking his precise culinary cooking and applying it to taco form. The end result is a new wave of taco, something more elevated, but still earthy and good.

Guerilla Taco’s menu changes daily, driven by whatever Chef Avila finds fresh at the farmer’s markets. Today’s menu:

Baja-style Fried Okra Taco (with Chipotle Crema, Cabbage, Heirloom Tomatoes, Raw Tomatillo Chile Cilantro):

Shattering crunch, crispy, and wonderful! Chef Avila is able to make a vegetarian taco taste this good! :smile: Sweet! You could tell this was legit, as even the bite of the Heirloom Tomatoes were bursting with SWEET flavor (natural sweetness); just like the best tomatoes I get from the Santa Monica and Hollywood farmer’s markets.

Spam and Egg Taco (with Chile de Arbol, Pickled Onion, Chives):

Beautiful runny sunny-side up Egg, with thin slices of Spam and that light heat from the Chile de Arbol and crunch from the Pickled Onions… pretty good, but not one of my favorites I’ve had from Guerilla.

Ahi Tuna Poke with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin (Uni) Tostada (with Chile de Arbol, Chives, Furikake):

While a lot of Hawaiian Poke is cubed or chopped up, Chef Avila just goes nuts and gives you gorgeous full-on thick slices of Sushi-Grade Ahi Tuna! :open_mouth: I’d say that it felt like… 1.5+ orders of a “Ahi Tuna Sashimi” on that Tostada. Sweet deal LOL! :smile:

The soy sauce and uni and chives were just spot-on.

Guerilla Tacos is always an interesting surprising place. Check on their Facebook page for the day’s menu, as well as their location that day. This is the type of innovation I had hoped for when Kogi first burst on the scene.

Guerilla Tacos

Mondays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Wednesdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Cognoscenti Coffee
6114 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Thursdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Fridays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blacktop Coffee
826 E 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Saturday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Beverly
8301 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Sunday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Venice
1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA

FB Page with Daily Menu updates:

Update 2:
Guerilla Tacos (2nd Report)
We went back to Guerilla Tacos again, but that speaks volumes to Chef Wes Avila’s cooking. Every day is literally a new menu, depending on what Chef Avila sources from the farmer’s market and his sources.

Chorizo, Squash and Egg Flautas (with Market Greens, Fresno Chile, Oaxacan Cheese, Chile de Arbol, Chives):

This is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking that makes Guerilla Tacos so endearing. Their “Flautas” is this awesome mixture of Chorizo sausage, lightly, naturally sweet Squash and Eggs. It’s delicious, with savory and spicy.

Wild Boar Pocho Taco (with Pinto Beans, Aged Red Fox Cheddar, Cherry Tomatoes, Cilantro, Burnt Tomato Chile):

The Wild Boar is only slightly gamy, but tender and juicy. The Aged Red Fox Cheddar is gorgeous visually and balances out the flavors. Fantastic! :smile:

Foie Gras Scramble on Toast:

And then things get absurd: Foie Gras Egg Scramble on a freshly toasted Brioche Bun?! :open_mouth: Seriously, Chef Avila shows off his refined cooking roots with this Daily Special.

Imagine perfectly seared Foie Gras (generous portion), sweet, silky buttery, sexy, on top of PERFECTLY COOKED Farmer’s Market Fresh Eggs. The pictures don’t do it justice, but these are the BEST Scrambled Eggs I’ve had in recent memory! They are just cooked through, still silky, moist, fluffy, AWESOME!

And together? They are the best thing I ate this weekend. :heart:

Seriously amazing stuff that Chef Avila is doing at Guerilla Tacos. Can’t wait to see what he has in store this week. :wink:

Guerilla Tacos

Mondays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Wednesdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Cognoscenti Coffee
6114 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Thursdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Fridays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blacktop Coffee
826 E 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Saturday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Beverly
8301 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Sunday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Venice
1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA

FB Page with Daily Menu updates:

Update 3:
Guerilla Tacos (3rd Visit)

And Chef Wes Avila continues to astound at Guerilla Tacos. His daily menu today features some new twists.

Sweet Potato Taco (with Almond Chile, Feta Cheese, Fried Corn, Scallions):

The Sweet Potatoes are beautiful, sweet and soft, yet crispy because Chef Avila sears the outside, giving it some awesome texture contrast! It sounds “boring” but this Taco is great, sweet, lightly spicy.

Baja-style Shrimp Taco (with Chipotle Crema, Cabbage, Raw Tomatillo Chile, Avocado):

A nice contrast to BS Taqueria’s take on a Shrimp Taco, Chef Avila goes with fried, battered Shrimp. And the Shrimp he uses are massive! These are HUGE Gulf Shrimp, seriously only one step down from large Santa Barbara Spot Prawns.

The Shrimp are tender and cooked just right. It’s a bit on the acidic side, but still solid. I liked BS Taqueria’s Shrimp Taco more in terms of flavor.

Squash Blossom Taco (with Ricotta Cheese, Hazelnut, Bill’s Bees Honey, Heirloom Tomatoes, Chile Morita):

Besides being drop-dead gorgeous visually, the Squash Blossom Tacos are another flavor bomb! PERFECT Flavor Synergy with the Squash Blossoms and light, creamy Ricotta Cheese. The balance of flavors in this taco make it one of the best tacos yet from Chef Avila! It just ROCKS! (and yes, there’s no meat in it and it’s that good!) :heart:

There are some pretty amazing tacos coming out of the city these days from both Chef Garcia and Chef Avila. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Guerilla Tacos

Mondays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Wednesdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Cognoscenti Coffee
6114 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Thursdays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Arts District
582 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Fridays (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blacktop Coffee
826 E 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Saturday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Beverly
8301 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Sunday (10 AM - 2 PM)
Blue Bottle - Venice
1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA

Update 4:

Update 5:

Update 6: Soft Shell Shrimp, Crab Tostada, Delicious Stewed Chicken Taco and more…

Update 7: Wonderful Cauliflower Tacos, Octopus and Chorizo Tacos, Cod Milt Tacos and more…

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I’m so thankful to work within walking distance to their spot on Thursday’s & Friday’s.

Insert :jealous: emoticon.

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Damn you JABs !!!

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@JAB: Lucky! :smile:

Report back with some of their highlights if you go this week. :wink:

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From today in Culver City:

Blood Clams w/Lime & Pomegranate Chile
https://instagram.com/p/81J_oTA-n3/

&

Kurobuta Sausage, Fried Egg, Peanut Chile, Pickled Onion, Chive
https://instagram.com/p/81QL_rA-iu/

6 Likes

@theoffalo: Sweet! Beautiful pix. :smile:

I never seem to catch them when they have blood clams. How were they?

that tuna/uni tostada needs a NSFW tag.

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They’re good. Today’s were a little less bloody, so not as astringent or iron-y, as they usually are, and they seemed a little smaller, but they’re very fresh, and, at $4/each, not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Funny that you say you don’t ever see them do blood clams. For the longest time, Wes was not serving much raw seafood on Wednesdays because I think he gets his fresh seafood after Wednesday, so I never saw uni in Culver City. He’s been doing the raw fish tostadas on and off for a while on Wednesdays, so he’s able to get fish earlier in the week, and maybe the supplier for his blood clams are also only available earlier in the week. I would trade a couple of blood clams for one of his uni dishes any day!

FYI - Guerrilla Tacos will be at Taste of Mexico event this Saturday evening. Wes told me he’s doing a squid taco. Lots of great restaurants including another personal favorite Tacos Punta Cabras, TonyC’s darling El Coraloense, and many others (see full list) if anyone’s interested in checking it out. /plug

Update 2:
Guerilla Tacos (2nd Report)
We went back to Guerilla Tacos again, but that speaks volumes to Chef Wes Avila’s cooking. Every day is literally a new menu, depending on what Chef Avila sources from the farmer’s market and his sources.

Chorizo, Squash and Egg Flautas (with Market Greens, Fresno Chile, Oaxacan Cheese, Chile de Arbol, Chives):

This is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking that makes Guerilla Tacos so endearing. Their “Flautas” is this awesome mixture of Chorizo sausage, lightly, naturally sweet Squash and Eggs. It’s delicious, with savory and spicy.

Wild Boar Pocho Taco (with Pinto Beans, Aged Red Fox Cheddar, Cherry Tomatoes, Cilantro, Burnt Tomato Chile):

The Wild Boar is only slightly gamy, but tender and juicy. The Aged Red Fox Cheddar is gorgeous visually and balances out the flavors. Fantastic! :smile:

Foie Gras Scramble on Toast:

And then things get absurd: Foie Gras Egg Scramble on a freshly toasted Brioche Bun?! :open_mouth: Seriously, Chef Avila shows off his refined cooking roots with this Daily Special.

Imagine perfectly seared Foie Gras (generous portion), sweet, silky buttery, sexy, on top of PERFECTLY COOKED Farmer’s Market Fresh Eggs. The pictures don’t do it justice, but these are the BEST Scrambled Eggs I’ve had in recent memory! They are just cooked through, still silky, moist, fluffy, AWESOME!

And together? They are the best thing I ate this weekend. :heart:

Seriously amazing stuff that Chef Avila is doing at Guerilla Tacos. Can’t wait to see what he has in store this week. :wink:

Guerilla Tacos
Wednesday 10am - 2pm at:
Cognoscenti Coffee
6114 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA

Thursday & Friday 10am - 2pm at:
Blacktop Coffee
826 E 3rd St. (Arts District DTLA)
Los Angeles, CA

Thursday 5 - 9pm at:
Silverlake Wine
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Saturday & Sunday 10am - 2pm at:
Blue Bottle Coffee
582 Mateo St. (Arts District DTLA)
Los Angeles, CA

http://www.guerrillatacos.com/

FB Page with Daily Menu updates:

2 Likes

When did he serve that fucking foie?

Today. SO GOOD. :smile:

Damn that foie toast looks amazing.

All I can say is ," I’m so fucking jealous of this " . You do have all the good shit . For tacos .

Wes is the Best

These guys are beyond awesome. Completely changed my perspective on upscale tacos. Veggie tacos are off the charts, and they do things with pork that are simply magical.

Guerilla Tacos (3rd Visit)

And Chef Wes Avila continues to astound at Guerilla Tacos. His daily menu today features some new twists.

Sweet Potato Taco (with Almond Chile, Feta Cheese, Fried Corn, Scallions):

The Sweet Potatoes are beautiful, sweet and soft, yet crispy because Chef Avila sears the outside, giving it some awesome texture contrast! It sounds “boring” but this Taco is great, sweet, lightly spicy.

Baja-style Shrimp Taco (with Chipotle Crema, Cabbage, Raw Tomatillo Chile, Avocado):

A nice contrast to BS Taqueria’s take on a Shrimp Taco, Chef Avila goes with fried, battered Shrimp. And the Shrimp he uses are massive! These are HUGE Gulf Shrimp, seriously only one step down from large Santa Barbara Spot Prawns.

The Shrimp are tender and cooked just right. It’s a bit on the acidic side, but still solid. I liked BS Taqueria’s Shrimp Taco more in terms of flavor.

Squash Blossom Taco (with Ricotta Cheese, Hazelnut, Bill’s Bees Honey, Heirloom Tomatoes, Chile Morita):

Besides being drop-dead gorgeous visually, the Squash Blossom Tacos are another flavor bomb! PERFECT Flavor Synergy with the Squash Blossoms and light, creamy Ricotta Cheese. The balance of flavors in this taco make it one of the best tacos yet from Chef Avila! It just ROCKS! (and yes, there’s no meat in it and it’s that good!) :heart:

There are some pretty amazing tacos coming out of the city these days from both Chef Garcia and Chef Avila. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Guerilla Tacos
Wednesday 10am - 2pm at:
Cognoscenti Coffee
6114 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA

Thursday & Friday 10am - 2pm at:
Blacktop Coffee
826 E 3rd St. (Arts District DTLA)
Los Angeles, CA

Thursday 5 - 9pm at:
Silverlake Wine
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Saturday & Sunday 10am - 2pm at:
Blue Bottle Coffee
582 Mateo St. (Arts District DTLA)
Los Angeles, CA

http://www.guerrillatacos.com/

2 Likes

Chowseeker, can you give me a general idea of the pricing on his tacos? Say, the veggie ones?

I know his price to quality ratio is awesome, I just need to know what to expect.

Hoping to check him out at Silverlake Wine, one of these Thursdays!

Hi @Happybaker,

Sure no problem. :smile: The last few visits his Tacos were $4 and up. The Squash Blossom was $4. Hope you enjoy your visit!

Thank you so much Chowseeker! I can now make happy, happy plans :yum: