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After five years of nomadism, taco high priest Wes Avila is finally settling his Guerrilla Tacos into a brick and mortar shop in the Arts District.
Avila, who hails from a fine dining background (L'Auberge under Walter Manzke, Le Comptoir under Gary Menes, even a time under Alain Ducasse), opened his taco truck in 2012. The truck became a staple outside of Handsome Coffee (R.I.P.), then moved out front of Tyler Wells' follow-up project Blacktop Coffee. Pretty quickly, Jonathan Gold and the rest of the taco-scenti were recognizing Avila as one of the best taqueros not only in Los Angeles, but well beyond.
The idea of a brick and mortar then surfaced in 2014 (I'll spare you the depressing reminiscence of how the world has changed) during an interview with Life & Thyme.
When asked "what's next?", Avila responded, "Hopefully brick and mortar—a flagship."
Then, last summer, ahead of Guerrilla's four-year anniversary celebration, word of a "big announcement" began to be teased. Avila confirmed a brick and mortar at the party, notes Eater. And while the plan was confirmed, and the Arts District was specified, no exact location was announced.
Well, the wait is over.
That's right, Guerrilla Tacos is taking over the former La Reyna space on 7th and Mateo Streets. No official opening date, but Eater adds that Guerrilla will end the truck's run once the shop is operational.
As for Avila's plans once his flagship opens? "I want to be in Chicago, Brazil, Tokyo, Hawaii… I don’t see an end to it," he told Life & Thyme.
Guerrilla Tacos will be located at 2000 East 7th Street in the Arts District.
