L.A. TACO

Welcome to Friday’s Weekend Eats Newsletter from L.A. TACO’s Hadley Tomicki, a look at some of the newest and most exciting food-and-drink finds and culinary throw-downs in L.A., made just for members of L.A. TACO. You get this every week in your inbox when you become a member of L.A. TACO. For previous Weekend Eats collections, look here and here. Photo via Carnal Sanchez/Instagram. You know Colonel Sanders.

CoreCivic, the operator behind California City’s ICE Processing Center in Kern County, has been at the center of controversy since the immigration detention center was opened in 2025. It is considered one of California's largest immigration detention centers. In February, California City officials approved CoreCivic for a business license and a Site Plan Review Application.

Phillip Charles Cejudo is food truck royalty. He grew up in Highland Park, sitting on a milk crate inside his father’s legendary blue mariscos truck, El Mar Azul. Growing up, he helped feed the neighborhood on the truck’s shrimp stock-based cocteles and cucumber mayo-spread tostadas. As an adult, he helped clean up and detail the truck, while improving its operations. Phillip’s parents, Felipe and Rosie, closed and sold El Mar Azul last year after 41 years of service.

A breakfast sandwich is humble and familiar. But when chef Anthony Evan hands you one from his pop-up concept, Machette at Here&There Coffee, it is a personal look into the flavors he was raised on. Even the name Machette comes from his memories of playing with his grandfather's machete in the backyard of his home.

On June 24, two back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 struck northern Venezuela just 5 kilometers apart, killing at least 1,719 people and injuring more than 5,000 others. Tens of thousands more remain missing beneath collapsed buildings and debris, making it one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in recent history. In the days following the earthquakes, rescue efforts were hindered by a slow and ineffective government response.

As AI slop seeps across our streets and screens, having dynamic public art made by real human hands, from locals who care about their communities, carries ever more weight. East L.A.-based muralist Mr. B Baby is driven by this mission, creating vibrant, culturally-centered paintings that resonate with the lives of the neighborhood around her.

L.A. exists as a microcosm displaying the best and worst facets of our country. Some of society’s largest blemishes are on full display in our city, alongside our beloved boundary-pushing artistry, harmonious culinary-cultural melding of different communities, and activism working to claim a better future for subsequent generations.

I ate so many fries in one day that I had to take my wedding ring off because my hands had swollen from the salt. A real “woe is me” moment from what was otherwise a nearly perfect day on the job. Los Angeles isn't exactly hurting for good side dishes, but in a world where Sysco is quietly becoming the number one provider to restaurants, the French fry is one of the last places you can tell whether a spot is creating something or just opening a bag.

From “No Era Penal” to “Imaginémonos Cosas Chingonas” and “Sí Se Puede,” the latest three-word phrase has fans believing in the men’s national team again. On June 23, a jury unanimously found the LAPD and City of Los Angeles liable for breaking Pablo Vera’s arm during the Lakers NBA Finals celebrations in October of 2020. The scratches in the counter, the wobble in the stools, the patina of seasoning accumulated on the flat-top. You can't make all that up out of nothing. Legendary artist Jorge R.

Watching two goals within the first 30 minutes of the game between Mexico and Ecuador on Tuesday night had a packed-to-the-brim Estadio Azteca (aka Estadio Banorte, aka "Mexico City Stadium" as FIFA is temporarily calling it for legal reasons) chanting the fanbase’s latest rallying cry: “¿Y si sí?” (And if we do?) The chant is the latest three-word phrase that defines the World Cup as experienced by the fans.