Carnitas el Momo

101 Best restaurants of Los Angeles

@latimes

"#65 Anyone who lives in Los Angeles and partakes of pig should know the splendor of El Momo’s carnitas mixta taco at least once. The Acosta family sometimes brand their creation — a combination of maciza (chopped pork shoulder), cuerito (slivers of pork skin) and buche (tender, wishbone-shaped slices of pork stomach) — as the “Aporkalypse.” It tastes far more like a blessing than a catastrophe. The Acostas primarily serve their sublime carnitas from a trailer that has popped up across far-flung stretches of the metro area over the years; lately they most frequently set up close to home in Boyle Heights. Try at least one taco dressed solely with pickled vegetables in the style of Salamanca, Mexico, where founder Romulo “Momo” Acosta mastered his recipe. Then go decadent with a mulita; queso blanco oozes out between griddled tortillas, forming a crisp, golden halo as it cooks. Follow Carnitas El Momo on Instagram to learn its daily whereabouts. No alcohol. Street parking. Credit cards accepted."