There’s got to be some kind of magic at work on the Guerrilla Tacos truck.  Somehow a fine dining kitchen has been squeezed into a run-of-the-mill food truck, creating gourmet street tacos fit for a five star restaurant.

Chef Wes Avila, the wizard of the operation, trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked with highly acclaimed chefs before striking out on his own with a food cart. After being shut down twice for illegal street vending, he leased a food truck and obtained the proper permits to operate.

Guerrilla Tacos currently sticks to a schedule with regular stops from Downtown LA to Venice. On Saturdays, the truck parks outside the Blue Bottle Coffee on Beverly Blvd. If you don’t see the truck out front during their 10am to 2pm stop, don’t panic like I did, kicking myself for arriving so close to 2pm. Turns out they were merely parked down a side street, next to Blue Bottle.

The menu changes weekly – there may be even be a special addition or two. Ingredients may change depending on the whims of the chef and what’s available.

The ahi tuna tostada was almost too pretty to eat. Thick slabs of tuna were draped over the tostada, with tart gooseberries, tomatillo chile, furikake, uni and the intriguingly named bulls blood (which turned out to be the delicate micro greens strewn on top). It was a dish that belonged in an upscale restaurant, not something you’d expect to get handed out the window of a food truck.

The fried cod was still crisp, even after a 15 minute drive back home, topped with chile morita, chipotle cream, cilantro and cabbage slaw. By the way, Kernal of Truth tortillas, made of organic corn, are used for the tacos, highly unusual for truck but shows the attention paid to food ingredients.

Guerrilla Tacos usually has at least a couple of vegetarian options, relying on what’s in season, including the roasted sweet potato taco. Even a die-hard carnivore like myself, was won over by the complexity of flavors, with a spicy almond chile, feta cheese, scallions and, my favorite part of the dish, the deep fried corn nuts.

Another standout was the pork shoulder quesadilla. Avila sources top quality pork for Guerrilla Tacos, and the result was fantastic. I would have happily spent twice the price in an upscale Italian restaurant for the same meat. A healthy portion of pork, not the least bit fatty, sat on top of a quesadilla, accompanied by queso fresco, avocado, toasted pumpkin seeds and greens, topped by a fried egg (yummmm). The quesadilla was almost superfluous (not that I’m complaining). It was huge, and I ate every single bit (save for a couple of bites of the quesadilla that my husband took).

If you’re thinking about hitting up the food truck, your time is slowly running out. Guerrilla Tacos is opening a brick-and-mortar location in the Downtown Arts District, at which point the beloved truck will roam no more. The date hasn’t been announced yet, which means you’ll still have time to sit on a curb and enjoy some of the finest cooking in Los Angeles.

Location –  Changes daily. See website for more details.
Website – http://www.guerrillatacos.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian Friendly – Yes
Vegan Friendly – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes