El Ruso

At El Ruso, a Sonoran-style taco truck that parks in Echo Park, everything boils down to the tortilla. Made with flour that the truck's owner sources from his hometown of Tijuana, these are the kind of chewy, translucent tortillas that make each bite a euphoric experience. As far as El Ruso’s excellent mesquite-grilled meats go, the muñeco combo is definitely our top choice. Smoky chopped carne asada and spicy chicharron en salsa roja are piled into one of those golden tortillas, plus you have the option of going all out by adding stewed pintos, cabbage, and diced onion to create a hearty beast of a taco.  And if they happen to have them on the menu that day, don't leave without a burrito wrapped one of their sobaqueras, a giant, stretchy hubcap-sized Sonoran flour tortilla that's the only one of its kind in town.

photo credit: Jakob Layman