There is so much good food in the Valley. Thanks to the large population of Mexican immigrants in the 818, the taco scene here is bomb—but you have to know where to look. Luckily, I spend a lot of my free time trying to hunt down the best tacos in the San Fernando Valley. Read on to check our list of taco spots in the Valley worth trying, and bring dollar-dollar bills, because a lot of these places are cash only.
To help you navigate this list, we listed all the best non-vegan spots first (15 total) and then all the vegan spots (five as of this writing). Hope that helps and ¡buen provecho!
The best tacos in the San Fernando Valley
1. Tacos El Venado, North Hollywood and Van Nuys
Tacos El Venado is the real deal—like, they-have-a-trompo real deal. They also have delicious aguas frescas and a slew of toppings for your tacos, like cucumbers, radish, spicy pickled onions, and a handful of salsas.
2. Tacos Reyes, Reseda, Van Nuys, and Winnetka
We don’t have the authority to claim any one truck offers the best tacos in the San Fernando Valley, but we will say: Tacos Reyes is way up there. I usually stop by the truck on Woodley Avenue and Sherman Way, which is packed more often than not.
3. Tacos El Tijuanazo, Van Nuys
Just in case it’s not obvious, at Tacos El Tijuanazo you’ll get tacos and birria Tijuana style. One of our Valley girl friends had Tacos El Tijuanazo cater her wedding and said “They were delicious. Everyone keeps asking where the truck is from.”
4. Angel’s Tijuana Tacos, North Hollywood, Sylmar, and Van Nuys
Out of its six locations, Angel’s Tijuana Tacos has three all over the Valley, making it the most convenient to get your hands on. Side note: It was so hard to pick just one photo because all of the food looks amazing.
5. Birria Del Valle, Reseda
Birria Del Valle is that spot you might’ve seen on Instagram that has birria tacos and birria ramen. Check out their page to see for yourself. (Mmm…birria.)
6. El Abuelo Nacho, Chatsworth
You know the tacos are bound to be bomb when the taquería doesn’t have an Instagram. We had to track this down photo through hashtags… I guess El Abuelo Nacho just doesn’t have time for that. They’re probably too busy making top-notch tacos.
7. Taquería Mi Ranchito, Sylmar
Growing up near Sylmar meant that I learned firsthand that this Valley neighborhood is basically México. Since this taco spot is in Sylmar, it makes sense that the food would be amazing. Make sure to ask for the cebolla.
8. Tacos El Primo, Granada Hills, Reseda, and Sherman Oaks
You might also know Tacos El Primo as Tacos Colima because that’s the style of the taco and what’s on their truck. We love Tacos El Primo because you get a free bean taco (like in the photo) when you order five or more tacos. (And if you’re going with a friend, that shouldn’t be hard to do.)
9. Tacos El Gordo LA, Pacoima
If you, like us, have a lot of family in Vegas, don’t get this confused with the Tacos El Gordo from the 702. Tacos El Gordo LA opened its doors in 2007 and has been serving the Pacoima community ever since.
10. Tacos Chave, North Hollywood
As you know or have come to realize, there’s more than one taco style (e.g. Tijuana, Colima). Tacos Chave does their tacos estilo Puebla and has some spicy salsas to take your taco to the next level. (In case you didn’t know, tacos estilo Puebla basically just feature a thicker tortilla.)
11. Pablito’s Tacos, Burbank, North Hollywood
While you all debate whether or not pineapple goes on pizza, we’ll happily eat our al pastor tacos with some piña—that’s the only way to do it, to be honest. We’re glad Pablito’s Tacos gets it. Hopefully you do, too.
12. Birriería San Marcos, North Hills, North Hollywood, and Van Nuys
Birrería San Marcos has three locations. I’m partial to visiting the one on Parthenia Street in North Hills. Obviously, though, you can go to any of them and get the same fire-ass birria. Also, we always want to keep it real: San Marcos is pricey, but you’ll definitely taste where your money went.
13. Poncho’s Taquería, Panorama City
Whether you get a mulita, a shrimp taco, or a torta, you can’t go wrong ordering from Poncho’s. They also have some delicious-looking asada fries, if that’s your sort of thing. I would actually recommend starting with their tacos, though, since that’s what’s in their name.
14. Leo’s Tacos Truck, North Hills
Leo’s may not have started in the Valley, but they at least recognized that they needed to be part of the taco game here. You can find them on Parthenia Street and get whatever meat you want, from asada to buche and cabeza to tripas. They really do have it all.
15. Tacos Tacuba, Sherman Oaks
We found out about Tacos Tacuba scrolling through San Fernando Valley Eats on Instagram and we just have to say: we’re so glad they put us on to this taco truck.
The best vegan tacos
1. El Cocinero, Van Nuys
The first time I ever tried El Cocinero, I was completely blown away. First, there was a line already forming outside the establishment ten minutes before opening. Then, I saw the amazing decor that reminds me of México. Lastly, I tasted the food. With all of that combined, I can’t recommend this place enough.
2. Másaya, North Hollywood
Confession: I actually haven’t tried Másaya just yet but a good friend of mine who’s vegan swears by this eatery. While we put their location as North Hollywood, that’s only half true. Másaya is a pop-up, and they often are in NoHo for Vegan Exchange. However, that’s not their only location. Regardless of where they’re at, though, you can’t go wrong with this vegan restaurant.
3. El Compa Vegano
For some reason, I feel like El Compa Vegano is the OG of vegan tacos. I might not know what the f*ck I’m talking about, but that statement just rings true. The owner really is your compa, a person you can trust to deliver delicious vegan tacos. Every. Single. time.
4. Guayaba Kitchen, Pacoima
Technically speaking, Guayaba Kitchen is not exclusively a taco shop. In fact, the business offers much more and often curates seasonal menus. When you buy from Guayaba Kitchen, you’re supporting a small business. And who doesn’t love that? Make sure to check their Instagram because, as we said, their menu changes often.
5. Sugar Taco, Sherman Oaks
If El Compa Vegano is the OG in the vegan taco game, then Sugar Taco is that girl. The ambiance in their Ventura Boulevard location is chic AF. The food is delicious. The drinks are phenomenal. Seriously, the girls love this place.
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