L.A. TACO

Lynwood is one of those cities that tends to get overlooked as you speed by, whether you're riding the C Line or the 105. But if you have primos here, if you have ever had your abuela drag you through the aisles of El Super on Atlantic Avenue, if you’ve ever ended a long night of chelas by pulling up to a late-night taco stand and grabbing a drink or a chocolate bar from someone who is selling them out of a box or a cooler in the parking lot—then you already know.

Norway jerseys. Mexico jerseys. Flags draped over shoulders. Signs reading "Norguey." There we were at last Saturday’s England vs. Norway World Cup match, and the energy was exactly what you would expect from a quarter-final watch party at Joxer Daly's in Culver City. What we did not expect was the smell. After just breaking my fast for the day, I walked in and something stopped me: It was sweet, warm, faintly spiced in a way I could not immediately place.

This article was supported by Viva La Book Review. “Our personal histories are tightly interwoven with the music we collect. Each record serves as a vessel for memories, emotions, and experiences—preserving stories that might otherwise fade with time,” writes Ruben Molina in his remarkable book, The Dreamy Side: Rhythm & Blues and Chicano Culture in 1950s Los Angeles.

On Friday evening, a small group of autonomous community organizers and protestors held a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Los Angeles, a father who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston during an early morning traffic stop on July 7. A crowd of 50 to 60 people gathered directly across the street from the Metropolitan Detention Center on 535 N. Alameda Street.

There’s a strange sensation floating through many fans of the Mexican national team. It’s a feeling of, dare I say it?, optimism, the type that hasn’t existed among the fan base in what feels like forever. More bizarre is the fact that this optimism comes in spite of the fact that Mexico went out of the World Cup in excruciating fashion on Sunday, falling 3 - 2 against the toughest English team in recent memory. ¿Y si sí, aunque no? And if we do, even though we didn’t?

Federal immigration agents raided Glasshouse Farms on July 10, 2025. On that day, many farmworkers hid in the facilities seeking safety from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents clad in tactical gear, according to KCRA. The operation resulted in the detention of around 360 people, including U.S. citizens, ABC10 reported. It was one of the most violent raids under the current Trump Administration, resulting in the death of farmworker Jaime Alanís Garcia.

Sometimes nostalgia gets a bad rap. Like it's some kind of purely reactionary force that keeps people stuck in their ways, resistant to change. But nostalgia can also be a way of sharing memories and forming community. "What we're going for more than anything, we want nostalgia to hit when you eat here,” says Marlo Tornel, who runs Cactus Taquería with his family.

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.