Tacos Los Güichos, 320 W. Slauson Avenue, Florence, South LA
This spot seems to get some general meh from this board. I’ve been going a lot in the past year and strongly disagree.
During a weekday morning and afternoon, the black trailer that houses this business might go unnoticed parked in the corner of a busy lot where people come to get propane tanks filled and the wheels on their rides a new look. But drive by at night and the flames from the double trompo setup are almost visible from the 110.
Always beautifully sculpted and spinning, a bit less red-stained from achiote than usual, this stretch of Slauson called the “Pollo Loco Corridor” by Bill Esparza because of its many grilled chicken stands, is also home to some of the most consistently good tacos al pastor ($2, below) in the entire city.
The tortillas here are packaged, but the talented D.F.-style taqueros making your tacos put love into every single one. They all crisp up nicely, griddled in oil right at their trompo just before the meat is sliced into them. As always, eating these tacos right away when the plate hits your hand is recommended.
There are no pineapples crowning the trompo here and thus no slices making their way into your tacos, but the tropical fruit makes its presence known from the marinade. If you happen to come here during hours where neither the tacos al pastor or the weekend carnitas are available, go for a torta or alambre rather than tacos of the more standard meats.
And about those carnitas? It has been over a decade that the weekend specialty has not declined in quality at all. If you have ever been to Mexico City and walked around on a weekend morning, you have probably happened across vendors cooking their carnitas in large metal vats, constantly stirring until the cuts of an entire hog are ready to chop up and throw on tortillas.
This is the style here on Slauson at Tacos Los Güichos as well, sticking to their capital traditions. You can of course order these carnitas by the pound, and many do, presumably taking them home and putting them on their own spreads, but you can also order tacos ($2, above) to consume immediately. Say yes to everything and they also get a light pour of their delicious vinegar-based red salsa, which cuts the fat and interacts perfectly, even when you cannot get a ton of juice out of those spring-season limes.
