Trejo’s Tacos gives a new take on Mexican cuisine

Celebrity-branded restaurants  have usually been a hit-or-miss ordeal. In the most recent addition to the list, Latino-American actor Danny Trejo is determined to make his mark on the  dining scene with the creation of his very own taqueria, Trejo’s Tacos. Trejo, known for his roles in the films Spy Kids and Machete, has worked extensively over the past few months to curate a taqueria menu that reaches out to people with different tastes while still remaining authentic to his family’s recipes. Located in trendy mid-Wilshire at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, Trejo’s Tacos has been stirring up a ton of buzz in both the city’s entertainment and culinary industries.

In a partnership with film producers Ash Shah and Jeff Georgino, Danny Trejo has brought in former Cooks County chef Daniel Mattern to elevate the restaurant’s dishes. Boasting a relatively simple menu with elevated components, Trejo’s Tacos aims to cater to all audiences. The restaurant emphasizes quality and in-house production, from offering all-organic corn tortillas and tofu for vegan eaters to creating its own cold brew in L.A.’s Arts District. The menu offers a selection of six different tacos, various appetizers and sides and a range of gourmet drinks such as date-sweetened horchata and kombucha.

At the location, the mainly open-air restaurant contains a small dining room fit for about 10 to 15 people. Restaurant-goers can order Trejo’s merchandise and also bring their dogs to sit in the patio area. A rendering of Trejo’s face is plastered over the logo of the restaurant and hung over a bright sign looking over the street. The staff were friendly, but seemed very preoccupied with serving the long line of customers snaked around the perimeter of the building.

Diners are immediately served appetizers after paying for their orders. According to the cashier on duty, the chips and guacamole are one of the staple items on the menu. Having ordered a mildly-spiced guacamole, it was a little underwhelming when there seemed to be little to no heat in the dip. The tortilla chips were nicely seasoned and lightly salted, however, it took a little bit of Trejo’s Hot Sauce to do the trick. Among other appetizers, the grilled sweet corn (or eloté) was a popular option for many diners.

The next dishes that were sampled were the fried Jidori chicken, asada, slow-roasted pork shoulder and pulled beef brisket tacos. The fried Jidori chicken taco was particularly interesting because it is the only taco that is served on lettuce cups instead of corn tortillas. The highlight of the taco is supposed to be the organic, grass-fed chicken used. However, the chipotle cream offered much more flavor to the substantially bland taco. The asada taco was relatively standard, but was nicely supplemented with a delicious housemade pesto sauce. The slow-roasted pork shoulder was undoubtedly the best taco, tender and elegantly garnished with red onions, fermented red chili hot sauce and cotija cheese. The least impressive dish was the pulled beef brisket taco. It lacked complexity to make all the components work well together and did not taste as authentic as the other dishes sampled. Finally, the
date-sweetened horchata was nice addition to supplement the meal because it was not too sweet, but still fragrant because of the cinnamon garnish.

The restaurant has been reeling in large crowds because of its celebrity owner, but it does not necessarily stand out from other dining establishments and authentic taquerias. It is understandable that for a restaurant intended to be a little bit more upscale and health-conscious, the items are going to be slightly more expensive. However, Trejo’s $4 tacos and $7 to $10 appetizers are not necessarily worth the wait.

Trejo’s Tacos is definitely worth giving a try, since it is causing such a buzz among many restaurant-goers and foodies; but for the execution of its menu items, the restaurant falls short of making it more than just a celebrity-name establishment. Trejo is very serious in sustaining his business, so hopefully he will make further improvements to the menu in the future so that the Trejo’s Tacos can elevate itself from being a trendy place that serves satisfactory food, to actually being a known establishment that serves exquisite Mexican cuisine.