Recap: Taco Madness Presented by Groupon

A fine day was had by all at Grand Park on April 5th for Taco Madness Presented by Groupon, the culmination of our month-long bracket style tournament to determine the LA's favorite taco of 2014. The sun was hot, the lines were long, and the micheladas were flowing. As many as 5,000 people filled the park all day long and enjoyed tacos, music, and art. The winner of the online vote was El Coraloense, an inventive seafood spot featuring ceviches, tacos and more in two locations in Downey and Bell Gardens. Above, brother and sister team Leo and Natalie Curie pick up their award on stage as artist Mear One paints in the background. Photos by Erwin Recinos & Desilu Munoz..

We also had a judge's panel that included some of LA's biggest eaters and Mexican food experts, who were faced with the daunting task of trying all 11 delicious tacos and coming up with a winner. In the end, it was a virtual landslide for Carnitas El Momo, another family-owned business which features a brother and sister. El Momo has two locations, one near LACC and one in South Los Angeles and (for now) is only open on weekends.

Some of our favorite artists turned out to paint live in the park, including Boyle Heights legend Defer, above.

The artist CALDER created an incredible tableaux out of cardboard, and invited the public to don masks he made onsite.

Our friends from Hit+Run did live screenprinting and were busy from open until sunset.