Tacos La Carreta, among the best carne asada spots in LA, is launching the brand new Lengthy Seashore Meals Truck

By William H. Isaac Last updated Dec 11, 2020

At taqueros Jose Morales Jr. and Sr. opened their taco cart (la carreta) in a Compton tire store five years ago. It was a weekend gig for the two of them, especially José Sr, a Mazatlán trained taquero veteran. The goal was to make extra cash and share the goodness of Mazatlán-style tacos with Carne Asada-loving Angelenos.

At the time, they only operated on Sundays, enjoyed great acclaim on social media, and became known for their carne asada tacos. But José Morales Jr. always saw being a full-time taquero a risky career move as the health department kept harassing him and dealing with other challenges (Morales Sr. has since retired). Morales Jr. preferred to work in a linen factory between nine and five while on the side selling imported Sinaloa foods such as callo de hacha, chilli chiltepín, and shrimp. Then, in April, Morales Jr. was fired from his linen mill job because of the pandemic.

Fearing that he would not be reinstated, Morales Jr. decided five weeks ago to get a food truck from Friday to Sunday to get the Chorreadas, Vampiros, Tacos de Carne Asada, and Papas Locas (baked potatoes stuffed with taco ingredients) serving his family in an industrial part of northern Moncton. By opening Tacos La Carreta As a normal food truck, Morales Jr. immersed itself in the life of a full-time taquero. The Tacos La Carreta Truck is on the northernmost edge of Moncton, one block from Paramount, a town where food trucks and street vendors are banned. “I live in Paramount and if I need more products we can run to the house plus them [City of Paramount] I can’t bother myself here, “says Morales Jr.

Tacos La Carreta Matthew Kang

Mazatlán-style carne asada is known across Sinaloa for chorreadas, which are usually thick sope-style tacos topped with a syrupy, caramel-colored lard called asiento, then topped with melted cheese, grilled steak, and spices. La Carreta’s carrreadas are made with a pair of corn tortillas rather than the traditional sope-style tortillas, but they’re still a fat mix of lard and melted cheese topped with steak and topped off with sour pico de gallo and other salsas be balanced.

Morales Jr. also serves quesadillas with folded flour tortillas, grilled sirloin, and melted cheese, while vampiros found in Sinaloa are popular for crispy tortillas that are toasted on the comal. They are coated with melted cheese, steak and Mazatlán’s standard dressing made from creamy salsa de aguacate, mild salsa roja, pico de gallo and finely grated cabbage. The meat, upgraded to a heavier sirloin steak, has a lot of smoky flavor from a mesquite grill. In fact, Carne Asada is the only protein option that applies to the types of old-school stalls, taquerias, and carts his father worked on in Mazatlán.

Even after only five business weeks, guests arrive at La Carreta. A customer says, “I’m from Colima and I’ve never had this type of carne asada before, but I’ll be back, I mean, we’re practically from the same region.” He leaves with additional tacos. To complete the experience, La Carreta even sells the sweet vanilla and sinaloan soda Tonicol and makes its agua de cebada (barley water) from La India Verdeña, a barley water blend made in El Verde, Sinaloa.

Although Morales Jr. lost his job due to the pandemic, one silver lining is that Angelenos will get the chance to try one of LA’s best taco traditions. With the current hours from Friday to Sunday, starting in the afternoon, Morales Jr. is even thinking of extending to other days if all goes well. Follow La Carreta’s Instagram for more updates.

Tacos La Carreta. 3401 E. 69th St., Moncton, (562) 377-2819