On National Taco Day: $2 vs. $12, what goes into two very different LA tacos?

On National Taco Day, we looked at how a taco in Los Angeles can set you back just a couple of bucks or cost more than five times as much.

At Tacos LA 26, tacos go for $2.25, with diners able to choose from eight different meat options. Marketing specialist Jennifer Huynh said keeping prices low is part of the restaurant’s commitment to the community. 

“Our goal is for the community to be able to afford something sustainable, something they can come to like three times a week, four times a week,” Huynh said. “Something that doesn’t hurt their pocket.”

The restaurant’s carne asada is delivered fresh each morning and made to order. Huynh said a great taco comes down to meat that is “juicy, tender” and gives customers a good bang for their buck. 

Villa’s Tacos, with three locations across LA, takes a more extravagant approach with a $12 creation featuring Japanese A5 Wagyu and Chilean sea bass on a fresh blue corn tortilla. It’s finished with carrot purée, microgreens and bone marrow butter. 

The team said the premium ingredients are part of an effort to “elevate the taco experience.” 

“What makes this a $12 taco is the intention behind it,” Villa’s kitchen manager Daniel Peñate said. “Everything is made with a reason.”

Peñate said the restaurant believes fine dining doesn’t have to be confined to “four white walls with white linen tables.”

“It could be anywhere,” he said. “It could be out here in the street.”

Despite the roughly 5.3-times difference in price, the two restaurants agree on the fundamentals.

For Peñate, a great taco begins with a fresh corn tortilla, mesquite-grilled meat and a well-balanced salsa, with all the ingredients working in “harmony.” 

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