Calle Tacos – Redefining the Food Truck
When I first heard about Calle Tacos, I was immediately intrigued. I had to see this new twist on the food-truck phenomenon. Calle Tacos, with a little help from Muse Lifestyle Group in collaboration with the Villaseñor family, took a traditional food truck and permanently parked it, in brick and mortar, on Hollywood Boulevard.
If you had asked me five years ago to eat at a food truck, I would have gladly eaten my own shoe before putting the toxins I associated with roach coaches in my mouth. However, since the rebirth of the food truck, with gourmet chefs and eateries now providing tantalizing treats, I find myself continually seeking out new and exciting edibles from these roaming restaurants throughout the city.
Upon entering Calle Tacos, you are greeted by an array of vibrantly colored graffiti caricatures of famous people adorning the walls, from Lucy and Ricky to Michael Jackson and Rocky. As I walked up to the window of the truck and saw the kitchen behind the façade, I pondered whether I was eating at a food truck, or a restaurant, or better yet…a truckaurant? (Yes, I made that word up.)
There is a variety of traditional Mexican fare here, including burritos, nachos, tortas, quesadillas, and of course, tacos. Once you decide what you want, you can choose from a selection of meats, including chicken, carne asada, al pastor, and carnitas. There are a variety of toppings and sauces one can choose from as well, making the experience unique every time.
I decided to try a little bit of everything. I ordered tacos with every meat type – I wanted to taste the flavors of each. I also ordered the carne asada quesadilla, the chicken flautas, the fish tacos, and the nachos al pastor (luckily I was not eating alone). After placing my order, I was surprised to discover that woman who took my order was none other than Dorian Villaseñor, owner of what I am now calling the “truckaurant.”
The food was inexpensive, but that doesn’t mean it was cheap. The flavors of the meat were delicious. The carnitas was tender and flavorful, the carne asada was grilled perfectly, the chicken delish, but one dish I ate stood out above the rest. The nachos al pastor was hands-down the most delectable plate we had. I am not a nacho girl – usually there’s never enough cheese and toppings, let alone enough guacamole, on the chips, I always feel cheated when I order them. However, you will NOT be disappointed with the nachos at Calle Tacos. The al pastor was mouthwatering, the cheesy goodness engulfed the plate, the pico de gallo was fresh, the portion ginormous, and my mouth and tummy were both so happy.
Overall, Calle Tacos is a fun atmosphere; they serve cervezas here (for those of you that don’t know what that means, it’s beer) and are open until 4 am on the weekends. I know next time I am having a hankering for nachos, Calle Tacos is where I will be.
Calle Tacos is located at 6508 Hollywood Boulevard, and is open seven days a week. Thursday-Saturday and Monday, 11am-4am; Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday11am-2am. You can follow them on Twitter.
