Barbacoa Estilo Taxco

Here’s a “brunch if you hate brunch” plan: go get barbacoa. The pit-roasted meat dish, usually made with lamb or goat, is famously labor-intensive (seriously, watch an episode of Taco Chronicles on Netflix) and the best LA vendors often sell it only on weekend mornings. Barbacoa Estilo Taxco—a veteran sit-down operation that sets up from 7am-2pm Saturdays and Sundays under a big tent in South LA—is one of those places, and like cartoons to a six-year-old, is worth getting up early for. The signature here is Guerrero-style roasted lamb (sold by the pound or as tacos) rubbed generously with adobo and served with a side of heady lamb consommé. The barbacoa is velvety soft and tender, exceptional on its own but somehow even better as a taco, wrapped in a fresh-pressed tortilla and dabbed with chunky salsa verde. Plan to arrive early(ish) and bring cash.