Evil Cooks

I've been wanting to go to this place for a while now...whether it was at Smorgasburg or at their neighborhood pop-up, I just seemed to always miss them for whatever reason. I finally got to go but at their brand new brick and mortar location! (as of late 2024)The vibe of the place and menu comes off as equal parts counterculture and creativity. I loved seeing the old shirts they had and the overall heavy metal themes. The ordering is counter service where you come in and order at the counter and find a seat at one of the tables/stools or go to the back area where there is more seating. I got the McSatan Taco, Rock Lobster fried taco, and El Goth taco. The El goth was more like your traditional al pastor and was delicious. Actually all the tacos were pretty great with delicious flavors and textures, as well as beautiful presentation. Even though I enjoyed everything, I probably would get something else besides the McSatan on my next trip. It's good, but it's essentially like eating a low carb burger and I'm here for tacos, haha. Great place with great food and people. I was able to find street parking very easily close by on a Saturday night.

A friend first told me about Evil Cooks back when they had a spot at Smorgasburg in DTLA. So, when we heard they opened a shop nearby, we decided to check it out.The space is small and modest, with just a few counter seats inside. We were seated in the back, which wasn't ideal on this chilly evening since there were no heaters.We started with the Tom Yum Aguachile, which was incredible in every sense--seriously spicy but so delicious that we couldn't stop eating it.Next, we tried the Poseidon taco, their signature dish loaded with perfectly cooked octopus, and the Simmons taco, featuring a generous portion of tender lengua. Both were fantastic. We also ordered the Rock Lobster taco, which was decent but didn't leave much of an impression.For our main dish, we went with the Baklava Wellington: a pork rib wrapped in phyllo and topped with fine cotton candy. It was a strange combination, but somehow it all worked. Major kudos to the chef's creativity.This isn't your typical taco spot--it's more like a Top Chef-style culinary adventure. We'll definitely be back when the weather warms up!

Some masterful, beautiful things are going on here.I had their octopus, pastor and lengua tacos. All three were incredible. The only (slightly) better octopus taco in town is at Holbox. Their black pastor is my new favorite pastor. The lengua here is the BEST lengua taco I've ever had anywhere. On top of being seasoned perfectly, they don't chop up their lengua like most other places. I didn't realize how much a difference there would be in texture having slices of lengua instead finely chopping it.Cannot wait to come back over and over.

DAMN!!!!! If you haven't been you gotta check it his spot out! Taco creations are mind blowing and the vibe is cool as HELL, literally. A must when in ElSereno!

So unique and creative! If you have had every kind of taco and want to try something creative, take a drive toward LA. There's a small taco shop recently opened by Chef Alex and Elvia Garcia. They have a strong customer following from their catering and popup business. I read about them in LA Times top 101 tacos in LA. My curiosity was peaked, and bookmarked this location. They've also been recognized by LA Eatery and Life & Thyme Magazine. I chose 3 tacos from their Hell Menu (Black Asada, Carnitas and Green Chorizo). I watched them hand make the tortillas from the masa, press, to the grill. This, in itself, raises the rating to 5 stars. I will have to work my way down the menu to try a Monsterous Burrito or Killer Torta. I want to support this business, it's not easy to start up a restaurant. They have invested their time and finances with plans on expanding the menu. The future looks bright. Bookmark this taco shop and don't forget to tell'em that Rosemary sent ya!!!

This is a local place that gets a lot of hype. When they posted a lobster taquito on their Insta, it looked so delish that I had to try it despite the fact that it's a hit or miss whether the lobster will make me sick. I couldn't just walk away with one taquito so the owner recommended the McSatan. I'm not gonna lie, the McSatan did not sound appealing but since the masses loved it, I went with it. The irony is that the lobster taquito, while it did not make me sick, was lacking in luster - it simply did not meet the flavor explosion the images had conjured up in my mind. Now the McSatan - WOW! I could not have been more impressed by something that simply did not sound palatable. A hamburger taco? What? But yes, I now understand why this item is so popular. Definitely recommend this - put aside your presumptions and try this with an open mind. You will not be disappointed.Evil Cooks just announced they will be opening up a brick and mortar on Eastern so I look forward to trying more options. They can also be found at Smorasburg on Sundays but I'm not sure if that will still be the case once they open shop. This once pop up establishment has made a name for itself and is here to stay. Go check them out with an open mind and give your mouth a treat with some non-traditional options.

First time visiting Evil Cooks at their brick and mortar restaurant. From the front it looks small but once inside you'll find bar seating and in the back outdoor seating. The chefs here cook with love, all the food is packed with flavor. Come on a Tuesday and they have $1 taco and $5 burrito specials. Can't beat that.

Easy to miss at night, but great to find their parking. The space was comfortable- like they had been there for years. We couldn't decide to eat in or in the car. They have seating outside which may work during the day but I'm always cold so not going to work at night. We went with To Go! Service was exceptionally Evil and we are both so grateful another delicious eatery has opened near us. We ordered The Poseidon, EL Asesino, a Mulita with Black Asada and a Torta. Dude, I'm in heaven with all the thick pulpo. The purist in me loved the Poseidon but El Asesino also had black pastor so it was next level. Looking forward to coming again soon with my kid.

The dinner menu is both delicious and inventive! My husband and I had the chorizo verde pot stickers, croquettes, tom yum aquachile, and baklava Wellington. Every dish is super flavorful and came out quickly. We came on a Thursday night to avoid potential crowds and sat in the back patio (seats maybe 20) where the staff checked in regularly on how everything tasted.My favorite was the baklava Wellington-- the pork rib was tender and the sweet cotton candy topper nicely soaked up the lengua au jus. I think of it as imaginative spin on a traditional pork lentil stew. The tom yum aquachile really tasted like tom yum with a strong lemongrass flavor and fresh scallop and shrimp, but be warned that the dish is as spicy as the three chili icons on the menu suggest.The croquettes are like arancini and fried to be crispy and not greasy.My husband liked the steamed potstickers best for the fun Mexican-Chinese twist (a rare combination to find, even in LA) and sweet vinegary dipping sauce-- the chorizo also wasn't greasy.If you're looking for a fancier date night in El Sereno, give Evil Cooks' dinner menu a try and support a local family business!

As the most, hands down, edgiest and most raw looking vendor at Smorgasburg, I KNEW we had to get some food here.Like seriously?? Scorched skeletal remains next to their menu board and hardcore metal theming? Count me in!It is a bit of a wait, cuz just like me, there are a lot of people who wanna eat there food. Just know that you're in for a yummy, gut busting, filling meal soon because they do NOT skimp out on their portion sizes.We got the:1) Poseidon:-A MUST get and something that's super unique, at least in terms of the tacos that I've had before.-It has octopus al pastor, pineapple, cilantro, pickled onions, guacamole, salsa, and quemada (roasted tomato salsa).-Absolutely delicious. I haven't had octopus in a taco before, but this went divinely with all of the ingredients inside.-Slight tender chewiness of the octopus that is seeped in the flavor of the salsas and with the slight sweet tanginess of the pineapple, bite of the pickled onions and creaminess of the guacamole. One of my top tacos easily.2) El Asesino:-Essentially a mix of pastor meat and octopus. All of the deliciousness mentioned above but with a different meat added to the mix.3) Super Torta:-This was INSANELY HUGE. Like bigger than what both of my hands can hold and I have massive yaoi hands for a chick.-It was so much food that we barely put a dent in it and had to take it home for leftovers (and this was after sharing it amongst 3 people).-It truly is a SUPER torta.-It comes with chorizo, pastor, weenies, cheese, tomato, cilantro, salsa, and guacamole. Everything is so evenly distributed throughout the sandwich, so each bite is bursting with not only flavor but all of the toppings and ingredients to the point where it's bursting out of the sandwich.-It's SO MUCH meat and it is the pinnacle of greasy indulgence but with that being said, it's SO good. I really liked the weenies as an addition to the torta meats too haha.I'll definitely hit up Evil Cooks the next time that I can!