King Taco, the taqueria that launched soft tacos in LA, became a historic spot

The Los Angeles taqueria where soft tacos became popular 50 years ago is about to become a city-designated historic-cultural site.

The original King Taco sparked interest in other variations of Mexican cuisine among generations of Angelenos and ultimately influenced taco culture across the country.

In the 1970s, an era of hard-shelled tacos filled with ground beef, cheddar cheese, and shredded lettuce, founders Raúl and Lupe Martinez helped proselytize soft, tender corn tortillas filled with grilled meat, cilantro, onions, and fresh salsas. They spread this gospel through a small fleet of food trucks and nearly two dozen restaurants, helping to transform the way Angelenos understand Mexican food.

“They told me I was crazy,” Raúl Martinez told The Times in 1987, “but … here I am.”

Its first storefront, a casual walk-up counter established in 1975, is currently being considered as a historic-cultural monument, a testament to its “significant contribution to the broad cultural, economic or social history of the nation, state, city or township,” according to the city's Cultural Heritage Commission.

The commission voted unanimously in favor of the designation this month. The City Council Planning and Land Use Management Committee will next comment on the original King Taco, followed by the City Council. Although no meetings have been scheduled yet, city officials believe they will likely take place in late April.

The commission's report found that the Martinezes “created the first taco truck in the United States,” as LA Times columnist and author Gustavo Arellano noted in his book “Taco USA.”

After Raúl Martinez's death in 2013, the late LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold called King Taco's al pastor “the essential taco of Los Angeles.”

If the restaurant building is granted landmark status, there may be delays in any efforts to demolish or significantly alter the site to preserve the building's original condition and historical significance.

Company representatives for King Taco could not immediately be reached for comment.

In 1969, after leaving Mexico City for LA via Tijuana, the couple were looking for a taste of home and began bringing their own tacos to local soccer games. The tacos were well received and players and other visitors wanted to buy them.

The Martinezes used the flavors of their ancestors — as well as Raúl's experience as a butcher — to launch their own taco truck in 1974 out of a former ice cream truck. On their first night in business, they sold $70 worth of tacos. Soon they were selling more than twice as much every night, and they were banking on a building that once housed a hot dog and ice cream stand.

It opened in 1975 and became the center for Cypress Park and the surrounding Latino and Mexican American communities. It became the central kitchen for a growing fleet of food trucks that helped spread al pastor, cabeza and other fresh meats throughout the region. It's also the birthplace of Lupe Martinez's signature, slightly smoky salsa roja, which can still overpower King Taco's dishes today.

Today, the chain operates nearly two dozen locations, but many fans say the first Cypress Park restaurant holds a special place in their hearts and memories.

“This is the original – it's always been 'the real thing,'” said Jaime Martinez, a customer for about 40 years and no relation to King Taco's founders. “It’s just a cool little little restaurant.”

He grew up in nearby Silver Lake with a mother who regularly took him to the first King Taco. Now that she is in her senior years, he comes to the restaurant to pick up food for her. He's also introduced his own children to the local chain, and although they sometimes visit other locations, Cypress Park's is always the family favorite.

He usually opts for sopes, which are said to be particularly crunchy and add more crunch to the edges of the masa cakes. He said the decades of consistency keep him coming back, and he hopes the historic designation could keep King Taco going for years to come.

“I think they deserve it, to be honest,” he said.

Across the dining room, another King Taco enthusiast tried a burrito, although he, too, usually orders sopes. David Hernandez has been going to King Taco for decades, since high school. Now that he's taken a job near the Cypress Park location, he stops by for lunch two to three times a week.

He also relies on historical design. “I hope it happens because this is the first,” Hernandez said. “I know the story: first it was a stand, then they bought this one [restaurant]then it became huge.”

Today, a plaque hangs on a wall of the cream-colored dining room in Cypress Park. It honors co-founder Raúl Martinez as the man who brought the first al pastor tacos to Los Angeles. Another plaque – this time from the city itself – could soon be placed on the restaurant in recognition of his efforts.

King Taco's original restaurant is at 1118 Cypress Ave., Los Angeles, and is open Sunday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.