IS ROY CHOI’S NEW TACO STAND WORTH THE WAIT IN LINE?
Roy Choi took to Instagram to share the news that he was opening a street taco stand on March 6. A week later, Tacos Por Vida fired up its plancha to the public for the first time in Palms serving tacos and burritos on fresh tortillas. On its inaugural night of business, lines stretched down the entire block with some people waiting up to three hours for a taste.
Choi is no stranger to cooking in Los Angeles having operated beloved restaurants like the now-closed Chego in Palms and Culver City’s A-Frame, as well as the seminal Kogi truck that debuted in 2008. The last restaurant Choi opened in LA was Kogi Taqueria in 2016.
Now he’s back with something that feels like a return to the early days of the Kogi truck. Taking inspiration from “taco man” culture, backyard parties, and the Kogi team, Tacos Por Vida took on a life of its own, with Choi developing its recipes quickly thereafter. Here’s the scene at Tacos Por Vida on May 2, 2024, at around 6 p.m.
The wait: Turning onto Overland and seeing a line only 40 or so people long was a welcomed surprise. After social media accounts swirled of three-hour waits on opening night, anything that seemed like it would be shorter than the runtime of a Lord of the Rings movie was a good sign. The wait was a slow crawl to the front, with Choi personally assembling each order. About 15 minutes in, a series of muffled pops and hisses came from the back of the line as a group cracked open tallboys hidden in brown paper bags. Curious commuters slowed to peer out car windows at what seemed like an incredibly long line for street tacos, especially since there were multiple stands without lines further down the block. The intoxicating smell of meat on the grill filled the air as a reminder of what was ahead. The wait took about 45 minutes from getting in line at 6:15 p.m. to having tacos in hand by 7 p.m.
The menu: The menu is handwritten on a folded piece of cardboard propped between a sandbag and a propane tank. Tacos, burritos, rice, beans, and drinks are the only dishes available. Tacos and burritos are filled with a choice of asada, pollo, al pastor, or mushrooms. With a half-dozen staffers assisting Choi, there’s a constant flow of meat hitting the grill to replenish the steam table. Thick corn tortillas are hand-pressed before being tossed on the plancha toward the back of the E-Z UP canopy.
Choi generously piles one’s choice of meat or mushrooms into the freshly griddled tortillas before passing them down the assembly line to be topped with salsa verde, salsa roja, creamy avocado salsa, cilantro, and onions. For the burritos, pinto beans and rice are also added. As Choi deftly builds plates of food, a glimpse of the words “Kogi” and “por vida” can be seen tattooed on the inside of his forearm.
With tacos priced at $2.50 a piece, coupled with an extensive wait, it’s worth getting one of each protein for a full meal. The burrito is large enough for a meal on its own and costs only $10. Each protein makes a case to be ordered: the asada borrows flavors from galbi, the al pastor leans distinctly into the realm of shawarma, the mushrooms are herbaceous, and the pollo arrives wonderfully smoky.
The vibe: The taco stand doesn’t look different than any other operation across the Southland, with brushed metal prep tables and white-hot grills. A canopy adorned with string lights and speakers playing songs like “Mi Santa” by Romeo Santos completes the scene.
The whole setup felt a little bit punk and very LA, like Choi himself. Dressed in a Kogi t-shirt and pink apron with red trim, Choi greeted diners like longtime friends while taking their orders. Falling into a taco-assembling reverie, he periodically swayed to the beat of the music. When I reached the front of the line, Choi told me how happy he was to be cooking on the street again, but the joy was clear without him uttering a word.
Without any proper seating, diners dug in while standing near the cooking area or used the hood of their cars as makeshift tables. Groups passed around plates of tacos, everyone taking a bite between sips of Coca-Cola from glass bottles.
The verdict: Forty-five minutes is a long time to wait for a taco, especially when there are so many options around Los Angeles, but Tacos Por Vida is the only place to get a taco handmade by Choi. The tacos, whose recipes are a confluence of the chef’s cooking experiences and the city of Los Angeles, fit into his oeuvre seamlessly and are unique enough to merit the wait and a return trip. The stand feels like a return to form for Choi, who built his reputation from the window of a roaming Kogi truck. With Tacos Por Vida, he’s back to doing what he’s always loved — feeding LA.
Tacos Por Vida is located at 3434 Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034, and is open from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.