The 5 Best Al Pastor Tacos in Los Angeles, Ranked

No. 1 is a South L.A. tire-shop truck whose trompos don't spin until 5 p.m., and it serves its tacos without pineapple.

At a South L.A. tire shop just off the 110, the trompos don't come out until 5 p.m., and the tacos come without pineapple.

That truck, Tacos Los Güichos, is No. 1 here because two critics who've chased al pastor all over town both stopped there. Time Out's taco guide, updated in June, calls it "the absolute best taco al pastor" in Los Angeles, and The Infatuation gave it an 8.4. The real argument on this list isn't who's best, though. It's whether the pineapple belongs.

Every place below was picked by critics at Time Out, The Infatuation or L.A. Taco, and the order is argued from their reviews. Prices and hours come from each stand's own site when it has one and from Time Out's June guide when it doesn't. No Globe staffer ate at any of them for this list.

1. Tacos Los Güichos, South L.A.

The Infatuation's 2022 review describes two or three trompos going most nights, with taqueros working them with long knives, and the pork coming off "charred on the edges, embarrassingly juicy, and a touch sweet." The missing pineapple and avocado salsa are a choice. The review says the owner thinks they're distractions and will happily say so. Time Out goes further, arguing that other stands use those toppings to cover for weaker meat.

Get the al pastor after 5 with the salsa roja, which The Infatuation gave an A-plus. Time Out lists the taco at $3.75, and The Infatuation says to bring cash. It's at 320 W. Slauson Ave., and Time Out lists it as open until 11:20 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

2. Leo's Tacos Truck, Mid-City and beyond

This is the other side of the pineapple fight: a small tortilla, thin-shaved pork and a little piece of pineapple on top. The Infatuation says "you aren't going to find a better al pastor taco than right here." I rank it second anyway, because Time Out loves Leo's too but calls it the dependable option and saves its top al pastor praise for Los Güichos.

Leo's wins on reach. Its own site lists 16 trucks, two of them in the Bay Area. The La Brea Avenue and Venice Boulevard truck, which L.A. Taco named as the original, runs until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Time Out calls the fleet cash-preferred, so bring bills.

3. Tijuanazo, East L.A.

Tijuanazo calls its pork adobada, the Tijuana name, and it got five stars from a Time Out critic who wrote that it "definitely wins out over citywide favorites like Angel's and Avenue 26." There's no salsa bar. The Infatuation's 2024 review says every meat gets its own house-picked toppings, and on the adobada that's cilantro crema plus a sliver of pineapple.

Say yes when they ask "con todo." Time Out lists the taco at $3.95. The restaurant is in a saucer-shaped building with its own lot at 355 S. Atlantic Blvd., and Time Out lists it as open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

4. Angel's Tijuana Tacos, all over town

Angel's is fourth for the reason in that quote: a critic who knows both put Tijuanazo ahead. Time Out lists its tacos at $2.75, the lowest taco price quoted on this list. The guide also describes corn tortillas pressed by hand down the line and a trompo that's half the show.

Stands include North Hollywood, Glassell Park and Echo Park. Time Out doesn't list one set of hours for all of them, so check the closest stand before driving over. The guide warns there's usually a wait unless you're early.

5. Los Originales Tacos Arabes de Puebla, Boyle Heights

Fifth place is the wild card and the family history. L.A. Taco's al pastor guide traces the trompo method back to shawarma. This truck serves the taco arabe, a Puebla dish that Time Out credits to Lebanese immigrants who arrived in the 19th century: shawarma-style pork in a thick flour tortilla, made from a recipe the Villegas family keeps secret.

It costs $6, or $7 as the especial with Oaxacan cheese and avocado, and Time Out says two is probably enough. The truck is at 3600 E. Olympic Blvd., and Time Out lists it as open from 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

So it comes back to the pineapple. If your crew are purists, go to Slauson after 5 and skip it. Everybody else can find a Leo's open until 2.

Source: timeout.com, retrieved November 12, 2026. Other sources: theinfatuation.com, leostacostruck.com, lataco.com, theinfatuation.com (2).