Eat & Drink · Food crawl
The Sherman Way
taco trail
Five stops, three neighborhoods, zero regrets. This is how to eat your way down one of LA's great taco corridors.
Sherman Way runs like a spine through the heart of the West Valley, and along it — from Canoga Park through Winnetka into Reseda — is one of the densest, most delicious taco corridors in Los Angeles. Trompos spinning with al pastor, deep-red vats of birria, gorditas split and stuffed to order. Come hungry; leave a regular.
Start with al pastor
No taco crawl in this part of the Valley is complete without al pastor shaved straight off the vertical trompo. El Big Burrito on Canoga Avenue is a multigenerational West Valley institution known exactly for that — pineapple-kissed pork, hot off the spit. A few blocks over, Tacos Reyes keeps it classic with al pastor and gorditas stuffed with crackling chicharrón.
Ride the birria wave
The Valley rode the birria-taco boom as hard as anywhere in the city. Look for the tell-tale red-stained tortillas and a cup of consommé for dipping — spots like Birrieria San Marcos, which grew from a Valley food truck into a small local empire, helped put the neighborhood on the map for quesabirria.
Chase the trucks
Some of the best bites aren't in buildings at all. Taco trucks park along Sherman Way after dark — Mr. Tacos around Canoga Park is a longtime favorite for al pastor tortas and birria combos — while old-school counters like Taqueria El Tapatío, tucked into a converted mid-century burger stand near Jordan Avenue, serve the corridor's regulars.
Don't skip the pupusas
The corridor isn't only tacos. Salvadoran pupuserías dot Canoga Park and Winnetka — thick, griddled masa stuffed with cheese, beans and chicharrón, served with curtido and salsa roja. A couple of pupusas make the perfect mid-crawl breather before you go back in for more al pastor.
Wash it down
Look for the coolers of aguas frescas — horchata, jamaica, tamarindo — at nearly every stand, and Mexican Coke (the real-sugar kind) at the counters. On a hot Valley afternoon, an ice-cold jamaica between taquerias is non-negotiable.
Where to go next
Full and happy? Keep it going: browse Canoga Park's Antique Row and Sherman Way shops, catch a show at the Madrid Theatre, or walk it off with a sunset hike at Stoney Point. And when you're ready to plan the whole day, our Taste Tour itinerary maps it out hour by hour.
How to walk the trail
- Go hungry, order small. One or two tacos per stop keeps you in the game for five.
- Cash helps. Trucks and counters move faster with it, though most now take cards.
- Salsa is a personality test. Ask which is hottest, then respect the answer.
- Weekend nights are peak. The trucks come out and the corridor comes alive.
Truck locations and hours shift, so it pays to check before you go — but the beauty of Sherman Way is that if one spot's closed, the next great taco is a block away. Want the sit-down versions? They're in our dining directory.