And the Best SoCal Taco Award Goes to… Tacos Los Cholos

An independent taco shop in Anaheim called Tacos Los Cholos is now the best taco shop in Southern California according to this year’s Taco Madness competition. Hosted by LA Taco, the competition lists 64 shops and asks voters to choose the winner.

The 14th annual Taco Madness took place on May 6 at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes and drew a crowd from all over the Los Angeles area. The competition encourages attendees to try tacos from all over SoCal and to continue supporting local businesses long after the competition ends.

Taco Madness is a celebration of the country’s best tacos

There’s a reason many think LA is the best place for tacos in the country. With a population that’s nearly 50% Latino, the prevalence of Mexican food culture in Los Angeles is no joke. You can find a great taco just about anywhere in LA County.

However, LA Taco’s competition hopes to weed out the best of the bunch while supporting local businesses. All the shops participating in Taco Madness get a publicity boost just for making it to the final 64.

Taco shops that participated in Taco Madness this year include: Tacos y Birria La Unica, Tacos El Vampiro, Villas Tacos, Avenue 26, Taco Nazo, and more. The competition also highlights the diversity in taco offerings around Los Angeles.

No two shops have exactly the same recipe, giving attendees a chance to try a wide variety of flavors and combinations. LA Taco also called out a few of the shops by name on their website, including the Tijuana-style tacos of Tacos Don Cuco and fish-and-shrimp ceviche taco from Gogo’s Tacos.

Tacos Los Cholos celebrates their win on social media

Following the announcement of Tacos Los Cholos as this year’s winner, the shop took to their social media page to celebrate the win and thank their fans (and future customers). In an Instagram post, the owners pop a bottle of champagne with a caption thanking the voters.

Taking a look at their Instagram page, Tacos Los Cholos has a variety of taco options. Additionally, many of them break away from the standard meat, onions, and cilantro recipe. They do, however, seem to have a signature of topping each taco with guacamole and adding a poblano pepper in the middle of the plate.