La Isla Bonita Taco Truck ~ Venice
Rose Ave. Btw. 3rd & 4th St. ~ Venice, CA.
The Westside is a little light in the taco truck department until you hit Culver City’s stretch on Washington or the taco trifecta at Barrington. Besides Lincoln’s mainstay, La Oaxaquena, and a taco truck in the Fox Swap Meet parking lot, La Isla Bonita seems the only other shoreside game north of the airport.
It sits sleepily on Rose Ave…perchance dreaming of San Pedro? La Isla is generally pretty popular and slings mariscos along with traditional Mexi-fare out of a van with hot hand-painted octopi among other characters. Tacos come hot and fast at $1.25, accompained by a large pepper, grilled onions, and spicy pickled carrots and radish. The pastor seemed to make the smallest impression on me; its Lilliputian cuts of tough, red-stained pork reminding me of Baco Bits, which although roasted nicely, lacked crunch and definitive flavor, plus they were very oily. Done in three bites, it was a spicy number that really failed to impress.
The asada was similarly tough, it seemed as though everything was a little overcooked that day at La Isla. The small bits of steak were also oily, but this time in a good way that brought out the deep flavor of both the asada seasoning and the steak. The diminutive pieces were charred, giving a nice, more extreme companion to the roasted meat and great texture…
The carnitas taco, again, was charred in its flanks, but delicious, with a semi-stewy broth encasing the shredded bacon-like, white meat that absolutely stuffs the taco. It is very meaty and tasty, a different take, like most, on carnitas. I went back for another pastor, trying to make sure I hadn’t missed anything to find, yet again, it had no spark in there for me.
La Isla Bonita is nonetheless a dependable addition to the Westside taco scene with plenty to offer a hungry belly during lunchtime, the truck seems to vanish as 3:00 O’Clock rolls around…then its off to La Oaxaquena.
- La Oaxaquena Taco Truck~Venice
- Cemitas Poblanas Taco Truck ~ Mid-City
- Another Victory in the Taco Truck Wars ~ Unincorporated Los Angeles
- First and Only Japanese Taco Truck? ~ Makuhari, Japan
- Tokyo Taco Truck Spotted
- Taco Truck Shooting ~ Lennox
- Taco Truck UK ~ London
(1 tacos)
alfredo wrote:
damn I do like the look of those grilled onion and jalepeno though.
maybe you should have tried some mariscos?
Posted on 13-Sep-06 at 12:03 pm | Permalink
Alex wrote:
DO NOT sleep on Cemitas Poblanos, my new new neighbor which is posted on the south side of Venice Blvd. just east of Centinela almost every night. They usually are only there after the nearby (not good) taqueria on Venice closes.
Posted on 20-Sep-06 at 3:51 pm | Permalink
viktor wrote:
More taco trucks north of the airport: there are two on Arbor Vitae. One is west of La Cienega and is always on the south side of the street. Lots of parking. The other is closer to LAX and is between Airport and Aviation, usually on the south side but parks on the north side from time to time. Parking sucks. I’m not crazy about either one, but hey, they’re local!
Posted on 06-Oct-06 at 12:10 pm | Permalink
nick Onassis wrote:
Yo taco peeps.. I’m shooting a commercial which requires an authentic taco truck this Friday.. 24th of Feb.. There is pay.. If anyone knows of a great looking taco truck please call me on 213 948 5353.. Thanks Nick.
Posted on 19-Feb-07 at 11:37 am | Permalink
rita wrote:
my dads tacos are bomb!!!!
Posted on 14-Nov-07 at 11:05 am | Permalink
brenda wrote:
ma dads tacos and seafood are the best in venice or in any other place!!!!!!!!! dad we love you so much!!!!!!
Posted on 04-Aug-08 at 6:34 pm | Permalink
anon wrote:
Is La Isla Bonita still in operation? I’ve been by a couple times in the last week and I can’t find it. I need some ceviche!!!
Posted on 04-Mar-09 at 9:15 pm | Permalink
Liz wrote:
I love their shrimp tacos. And ceviche.
Super-friendly neighborhood vibe at this truck. My favorite low-key lunch spot in Venice.
Given that this is a MARISCOS truck, I am gonna nudge the blogger to try their seafood. I understand that for quality control purposes, it is best to focus on one speciality, but you gotta try those darn shrimp tacos con todo!
Posted on 11-Aug-09 at 2:14 am | Permalink
Geoff wrote:
A van, trailer, truck whatever for the sale of special Souvlakis on the streets and 1 for car shows and different events is a dream now we’ll have 2 specialities and add Tacos to that dream.
Posted on 11-Aug-09 at 7:07 am | Permalink