My buddy "D" and I landed in LA around 11 a.m., grabbed our rental, and went straight into the food mission. Here's a quick rundown of the 3-day taco-and-cocktail marathon.

Day 1

We hit Holbox right away. There was a bit of a line, but it moved quickly. We were ordering within 20 minutes.

TACO #1) Holbox To share, we got the Ceviche de Mero (pic #2). For tacos, I had the Tostada de Kanpachi & Uni (pic #1) and the Smoked Kanpachi Taco (pic #3), while D went for the Taco de Pulpo en su Tinta and Taco de Pescado al Carbon (pic #4). We ordered the tostada without realizing how similar it is to ceviche. Honestly, I think we could've just shared the ceviche and ordered more tacos. The tacos were on another level. I was surprised by how the octopus melts in my mouth. All the tacos had such an incredible depth of flavor.

After that, we did the whole tourist thing (Blue Bottle Los Feliz, Griffith Observatory) and met up with my friend "J," who lives in LA. He took us for dinner at Seong Buk Dong. We ordered the galbi-jjim, grilled mackerel, and fermented soybean stew (not pictured). As a Korean with a fantastic cook for a mother and grandmother, I can say this place is legit. It was like eating at my grandmother's place.

J then took us around town:

• Alma's Cider & Beer: The 'Son of Man' cider was unique and delicious.
• Real Charmer: We ordered the Savory Bay and the High Tea (pic #5). High Tea was something else. D suggested nibbling on the biscuit first, then sipping the drink. Doing so elevated the experience from 80% to 150%. The way it changed the flavor profile in my mouth was insane—like an extremely delicious dessert at a fancy hotel high tea.

The night ended with a late-night taco pit stop:

TACO #2) El Flamingo Los Feliz We got the Asada and Al Pastor (pic #6) to go. Maybe it's because we didn't eat them on the spot, but they were just standard good—nothing mind-blowingly good. The sauces were solid, though.

Day 2

We kicked off the day with J and D at Sqirl. We ordered the Crispy Rice Salad, Famed Ricotta Toast, and the Shaq (pic #7). Their Iced Americano (not pictured) was also surprisingly great. We even saw chatted with one of my favorite music artists—LA things, I guess.

We then hit up The Broad, grabbed some great horchatas (the empanadas were just okay), and stopped by The Last Bookstore and Guisados before J took us to Sonoratown.

TACO #3) Sonoratown We ordered six tacos total (four Asada in pic #8). My friend mentioned that Sonoratown drives down to Mexico for fresh ingredients weekly, and I believe it. The tortillas were really good. The asada was phenomenal, and I totally get why J ordered two. The cabbage was a nice touch, and the tacos felt incredibly well put together. We inhaled them.

After tacos, J took us to the Arts District:

• Manuela (pic #9): A super cool, beautiful, hip, and trendy spot. The vibe felt very "SoCal" for this Vancouver-based Canadian. I loved the Florida Man cocktail (pic #10). We shared the Smoked albacore dip (pic #11) and Louisiana shrimp aguachile (pic #12). Excellent food and drinks. I'd come back in a heartbeat.
• Arts District Brewing Company: We got to watch the end of Game 2 (Dodgers vs. Blue Jays) here. The crowd's atmosphere during the seventh inning was electric and unforgettable.
• The Wolves (pic #13): I had this one on my list, and J backed it up. He recommended the 'Tigers Milk' cocktail (pic #14). This is a contender for my personal "Cocktail of the Year" list, rivaling the Caprese cocktail I had at Zest Seoul earlier this year. The smoke, the fatty, but clean richness was a mouth-sensation with every sip.

But wait, there's more…

TACO #4) Tacos 1986 We each got one Adobada and one Carne Asada (pic #15). I liked the Asada better, and it was really good, but I personally preferred Sonoratown's Asada a lot more.

TACO #5) El Taurino We each had one Carne Asada, Al Pastor, Cabeza, and Lengua (pic #16). To me, this is what a classic, essential, OG taco should look like. The Cabeza and Lengua were my favorites here. The sauces were great, though the red one was a little too spicy for me.

Day 3

We started the day with a perfect Iced Mint Mojito coffee (pic #17) from Philz Coffee. Very refreshing and a great kick-start.

TACO #6) Carnitas El Momo We got breakfast here. We tried the Carne (pork shoulder) & Buche (pork belly) mi (pic #18) and the Carne & Cuero (pork skin) mix. They were huge and juicy. The Carne & Buero had a bit of a pork smell to it, so I personally preferred the Carne & Buche. It was perfect with the sauces but almost too big for me.

We then checked out Smorgasburg at The Row. We were stuffed, so we just shared some churros from El Moro (after a 30-minute wait) and a wild Mango Lassi Nectar from Kavahana.

TACO #7) Mariscos Jalisco For our final meal, we shared the Poseidon Tostada (pic #20) and got two Tacos de Camaron (Shrimp Tacos) (pic #19) each. The tostada was complex, spicy, and delicious. The shrimp tacos were a complete surprise—the only crunch taco we had on the trip. I was surprised by the paste-like texture of the inner meat. The sauces on top perfectly complemented the hard shell and hot meat paste inside. So good.

The Taco Rankings

1. Holbox and Sonoratown (TIE)
2. Mariscos Jalisco and El Taurino (TIE)
3. Tacos 1986
4. Carnitas El Momo
5. El Flamin Taco (This one's a bit unfair, as it was the only one I had to go and ate at the hotel.)

Regrets & Missed Opportunities

• Porto's Bakery: I regret not getting to visit since the hotel was in Glendale.
• Father's Office: The one nearby was unfortunately shut down. I love the dry-aged burger.
• Holbox: I should have just shared one ceviche and ordered more tacos instead of the tostada.
• In & Out: A California ritual I missed out on, but oh well.
• Desserts: Too busy eating tacos!