TREJO’S TACOS
‘MACHETE’ STAR IS WEILDING TACOS FOR ALL

Los Angeles is a celebrity-driven city unlike any other. We just love our stars; from actors to athletes to musicians and chefs. So when a celeb ventures out from one field to another, it’s usually a pretty big deal. Recently, actor Danny Trejo, Machete himself, opened up the first of many Trejo’s Tacos—a taco shop offering something for every taste.

"We have different tacos," Trejo said. "It’s just stuff that everybody likes. Here, we wanted to include everybody, so we have a great vegan menu and gluten-free menu. There’s a street corn. It’s my agent Gloria’s recipe. But you have to understand — you can throw a dart at our menu and get a great taco."

The something for everyone approach is a good and bad thing at Trejo’s Tacos. While the tacos are good, surprisingly the vegan Black Pepper Tofu taco is pretty damn special. Who knew? But unfortunately the Date Sweetened Housemade Horchata, made with almond milk (instead of rice milk) and dates (and I love dates) is without a doubt the worst horchata I’ve ever had. The thought behind the almond milk based horchata is that people who can’t eat rice can enjoy the agua fresca too. But people who don’t eat rice don’t drink horchata. Leave it at that and move on. Or don’t call your beverage horchata because as horchata it isn’t just bad, it’s awful.

Another issue I have with Trejo’s Tacos is the lack of bang for your buck. The $4 tacos are one per order and are served ala carte, so this isn’t cheap taco eatin’. While the Grilled Mexican White Shrimp Tostada is absolutely delicious, it’s not worth the $9 price tag for a single tostada no matter how good it is.

All the tacos are solid—let me make that clear. There’s pulled beef brisket; slow roasted pork shoulder; fried Jidori chicken, and the black pepper tofu taco. Funny enough, the tofu taco was one of my favorites as it was just so tasty. With plans to open in Hollywood, Pasadena and the valley, I’m curious how the not so cheap prices will work in other locations as this is a fast casual eatery.

But people have been coming out in droves to check out Trejo’s Tacos. Come on, who doesn’t want to see what kind of tacos Machete will make? The merchandise table is the first thing you’ll see as you walk in, even before you get in line to order. But that’s just smart business, I get that. And props to Danny Trejo and company for their policy of donating all leftovers to local homeless shelters.

"Nothing is kept overnight," Trejo said. 

The organic street corn is good and there are options for rice and beans as there are pinquito (red beans) or black beans, as well as Spanish rice and Danny’s Supper Rice—a combination of brown rice and organic quinoa. The Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies are excellent and I’m dying to try the ice cream sandwich.

I like the idea of eating at Danny Trejo’s restaurant because I’ve been a fan of his for so long. And his eats are good too. This isn’t the case of a celebrity creating a brand they shouldn’t be proud of. Danny Trejo serving Mexican food is a good concept followed by good execution. I just wish it was more people price friendly as there are other equally good if not better taco options in the area in terms of taste and bargain. But it’s worth checking out as long as you know ahead of time what you’re getting yourself into. Like Machete the movie, eating at Trejo’s Tacos is fun and worth telling your friends about but hardly filling nor enriching.

Trejo’s Tacos is located at 1048 S. La Brea Ave. Open daily from 11am to 4pm. Call 323-938-8226.

Story by Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: Trejo’s Taco