![]() Both their versions “have been there since day one,” says McLaurin. Cliff’s “Texas Style” Burritos, founded by Cliff Williams in 1975, is a similar pioneer. Having opened in the late ‘40s, House of Dimes, with its ground-beef “Indian taco,” was a black-taco relic by the time of the L.A. had already ventured into this genre prior to the Latino diaspora (the quintessential Compton taco back then: a pile of ground turkey or beef in hard a taco shell, with a generous amount of cheese, chopped tomato, lettuce, and no onion). ![]() Donald McLaurin, owner of Mom’s Burger in Compton, says South L.A. That’s not to say the area was a complete taco vacuum. The same Hispanics who filled the newly available affordable housing in Compton brought taco trucks, Mexican grocery stores, and taco stands to backyard parties. By the time of the 2000 Census, Compton was majority Latino. Riots as Black Flight took hold of Compton, and Hispanic immigrants moved out of Boyle Heights en masse. The landscape took a dramatic turn after the 1992 L.A. to portray a predominantly black region, the reality is far more nuanced and complicated. While pop-culture spun never-ending images of N.W.A. The very same could be said for the streets of Compton and other parts of South L.A. From Koreatown to Santa Monica, loncheras popped up in virtually every neighborhood. The fact that Los Angeles is home to the largest Latino population in the country didn’t hurt the taco’s visibility either. In a city that holds the $3 dollar banh mi sandwich in equal regard as its white table-cloth service, the taco became the ultimate bridge for high and low culture. Tacos not only firmly embedded themselves into booze-fueled nightlife, but they also became the city’s most recognizable global commodity. For decades, Mexicans dominated this scene by operating both food trucks and stands all throughout the Southland, luring customers to vacant corners and alleyways with the smell of marinated al pastor sliced off the spit. In terms of fresh tortillas topped with grilled meats, it’s no surprise that Los Angeles has always been a front-runner, thanks in large part to its proximity to Mexico. To say it’s as synonymous with the city as is the iconic Hollywood sign is putting it lightly: We live and breathe the taco lifestyle. No street food is more essential to L.A.’s identity than the taco. As part of our continuing initiative to devote more coverage to Los Angeles, we’ll be running special features all week to explore the city’s ever-evolving food scene-from its most vaunted chefs, to its gritty underbelly.
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