There is magic in a sidewalk taco stand — ephemerality, serendipity, synergy — that can be hard to replicate in a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Going stationary can sometimes seem like going from the early days of a relationship to moving in together: trading thrill for dependability, a late night meet-up after the bar for an early evening dinner after work. Fortunately, the Pérez family of Asadero Chikali have lost none of the spark in moving from an East Los Angeles truck into a permanent place in Inglewood. The stellar Mexicali-style taco operation still serves superlative grilled carne asada and a range of sturdy guisados, built on some of the very best flour tortillas in town.
If you prefer plastic folding chairs and limited hours, or if you live east of Western, the Asadero Chikali stand still sets up in East Los Angeles, but only for breakfast and lunch.
This permanent location is far from Asadero Chikali’s East Los Angeles roots, and distressingly far from me personally, but it is extremely convenient to the glitzy new arenas in Inglewood. It’s an ideal stop before SoFi Stadium for the World Cup, the Intuit Dome for a basketball game, or Cosm, Hollywood Park, the Forum, or wherever else. And if you’re the kind of saint who picks friends up from the airport, a carne asada taco is a better first meal in Los Angeles than a Double-Double.
Dining and Cooking