I was bummed to cut my taco tour short last time I was in LA, so I was very excited to find several taco stalls at ComplexCon last weekend. My coworker, Rebecca, said she’d heard great things about Tacos 1986 so we beelined there.
I decided to get two: the adobado and mushroom. The adobado, basically pork roasting on a spit, is their most popular taco. I think it’s the most representative of the Tijuana style taco, which is cooked over an open fire. Get that good char on there. Oh myyyyy. When they asked if I wanted everything on them, I said “load em up,” and I’m glad I did. The toppings all worked well together and they were generous with the guac. Thank you for that. The mushroom was a rogue choice, but it’s one I’m happy I made. They tasted deep with flavor, almost smoky, like they’ve been soaking up the spices all day…yet, they weren’t soaked with juice. It meant I could enjoy the flavor without a ton of mess. When everyone was getting the adobado and maybe branching out to steak when they wanted to mix it up, I got some stares for ordering the mushroom. After all, with an adobado in one hand, I was clearly not a vegetarian. But I’m telling you, don’t sleep on that mushroom taco. It embodies umami.
The tortillas tasted fresh with that just rolled out texture, and I loved that there were extra toppings you could DIY. I added a couple salsas and really wanted to put some radishes on there, but there was no spoon and I didn’t want to be judged by a bunch of Californians for reaching in with my bare hands.
Peaches to Apples 