This Chef Has Hosted More Than 350 Taco Tuesdays — Here’s Where He Eats Tacos in LA

Anajak Thai’s chef Justin Pichetrungsi shares his go-to spots for tender carnitas, crispy shrimp tacos, and top-notch tortillas.

Credit: Photo by Shelby Moore / Komal

Where can you get the best tacos in Los Angeles? According to 2022 F&W Best New Chef Justin Pichetrungsi, it’s at “any taco stand that has a line.” Especially one a little farther away than you’re willing to drive.

The chef has hosted more than 350 Thai Taco Tuesdays at his family’s Los Angeles restaurant, Anajak Thai, where he’s built a following for his Thai-inspired takes on tacos, including one with striped bass and green nam jim, Thai-style carnitas, and hot shrimp tostadas with punchy yellow curry sauce.

For Pichetrungsi, a great taco comes down to the tortilla. Much like how great sushi depends on the rice as much as the fish, he contends that the tortilla makes all the difference. It should be crisp on the outside, pillowy and airy inside, and pliable enough to fold without breaking. “Texture is the most underrated flavor,” he says.

It’s a principle he and fellow 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro will explore during their Tacos Without Borders cooking demo at the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston on November 13.

When he’s not in line at an out-of-the-way taco stand, Pichetrungsi seeks out LA restaurants that get the details right, from freshly pressed tortillas to flavorful plancha-seared meats. Here are his picks for the best tacos in the city.

Taqueria Frontera 

Credit: Photo by Noah Sauve / Taqueria Frontera

Pichetrungsi doesn’t hesitate when asked to name the best taco restaurant in Los Angeles: It’s Taqueria Frontera. The restaurant specializes in Tijuana-style tacos, including adobada, lengua, and birria tacos that are so flavorful and saucy, you don’t even need to dip them in the savory jus. Pichetrungsi says the tortillas here are “freaking amazing.”

Komal 

Credit: Photo by Frank WonHo Lee / Komal

Komal stands out for its extraordinary variety of corn tortillas. “There’s a trillion different colors of tortillas,” he says. Blue, white, and yellow masa tortillas bubble and blister on the plancha before being filled with Oaxacan cheese and ingredients like squash blossoms. Thin and pliant, they’re dreamy folded around warm, melted cheese, and equally delicious in tacos filled with beef shoulder, chorizo, and potatoes.

Tire Shop Taqueria 

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Part of the appeal of Tire Shop Taqueria is its setting: The Tijuana-style taco stand serves its food in the parking lot of an actual tire shop in South Central. Pichetrungsi particularly loves the cabeza, with supple meat, bright and citrusy green salsa, and perfectly charred tortillas. It’s an experience Pichetrungsi considers quintessentially Los Angeles: “There’s nothing more LA than just sitting in the middle of South Central in the parking lot of a tire shop eating.”

Holbox

Credit: Food & Wine

Known for its seafood, Holbox gets a special shoutout from Pichetrungsi for its octopus taco. The octopus is boiled before finishing on the plancha, a technique that produces the tender texture he loves. He also recommends the fried fish taco, battered and crispy, layered with crema and fiery salsa.

Related: This LA Seafood Counter Sells Out Reservations in Seconds — and It Earned a Michelin Star

Mariscos Jalisco 

Credit: Courtesy of Mariscos Jalisco

For a crispy shrimp taco, Pichetrungsi sends people to Mariscos Jalisco. The tacos de camarón are made by wrapping shrimp in a tortilla, breading and frying it until crisp, then topping it with a generous spoonful of sauce. Served on a Styrofoam plate, it’s an unfussy seafood specialty that’s hard to beat. “There’s really nothing better for a crispy taco, really,” he says.

Carnitas El Momo

Credit: Courtesy of Carnitas El Momo

Pichetrungsi calls the carnitas at El Momo iconic, and says they’re the benchmark he’d want his own restaurant’s version to meet. The pork is cooked in large pots with lard and marinade, producing exceptionally tender, supple meat. For something a little different, order the pork shoulder in a mulita, which is like a double-decker taco loaded with shaved cheese. “If I ever wanted our carnitas to taste like any other carnitas, it would be theirs,” he says.

A Tí 

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A Tí is one of Pichetrungsi’s favorite spots in Silver Lake, particularly for its tuna tostada. Pounded tuna is served on a crispy blue tostada with lemon aioli and salsa negro, a combination Pichetrungsi says is even better than the tostadas at his own restaurant. He says this isn’t the place to share a tostada. Order one for yourself, a duck mole taco on the side, and wash it all down with tequila.

* This article was originally published here