How El Trompo started
Chuy Hernández sold tacos from a cart outside a tyre shop on Whittier Boulevard for six years before he rented the building next to it in 2011. The trompo came from a cousin in Puebla; the recipe for the adobo came from Chuy’s mother and has not changed.
The room is twelve stools and a steel counter. There is a plancha, a trompo, a copper cazo for carnitas and a comal for tortillas, and that is the whole kitchen. On a Saturday night the line goes past the tyre shop.
What we insist on
- Pork marinated two days and shaved off the spit, never sliced ahead and kept warm
- Corn tortillas pressed and cooked on the comal through the day, not reheated from a bag
- Asada over mesquite charcoal, chopped on the block when you order
- Two salsas made at nine every morning, both gone by closing
Who cooks
Chuy on the trompo, his brother Beto on the plancha, and four cooks who have each done at least two summers in the line out the door. Chuy’s mother still makes the Sunday birria.
Good to know
Do you take allergies into account?
Every product lists its allergens. The corn tortillas have no wheat and the kitchen is small, so cross-contact with everything is possible; add a note and we read it before we start.
How many tacos is enough?
Three is lunch, five is dinner, and the birria comes with consomé so two of those go further. Tacos are priced each; add as many as you want.
Can I eat there?
Twelve stools at the counter and four tables on the sidewalk. Order at the window or online and we call your name.
How do I pay?
Online at checkout, or by card or cash at the window.