Los Angeles Street Food: A History from Tamaleros to Taco Trucks

by Farley Elliott, Christopher Elliott

Los Angeles is the uncontested street food champion of the United States, and it isn't even a fair fight. Millions of hungry locals and wide-eyed tourists take to the streets to eat tacos, down bacon-wrapped hot dogs and indulge in the latest offerings from a fleet of gourmet food trucks and vendors. Dating back to the late nineteenth century when tamale men first hawked their fare from pushcarts and wagons, street food is now a billion-dollar industry in L.A.--and it isn't going anywhere! So hit the streets and dig in with local food writer Farley Elliott, who tackles the sometimes dicey subject of street food and serves up all there is to know about the greasy, cheesy, spicy and everything in between.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2015

Reviews

[Micki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author’s love of food and the LA scene absolutely soak through every page. However, very little history is found in these pages, and it seems to be written for tourists rather than anyone who actually resides in Los Angeles.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history section highlighted LA's history of cultural appropriation (especially from Mexican immigrants!) even in our informal food sector. The middle section describes the late-night taco truck hot spots (go Leo's Tacos!) The back half of the book is mostly the high-end food trucks around LA and where they might be parked to be found on any given night.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hungry

[Pat Lampe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about non-traditional spots to eat in L.A. I thought it was more of a guide than a history but it was still very thorough. Made me want to stop and have a taco mid book.