These days, you can find a food truck serving just about anything in Los Angeles, from poutine to burgers, smoothies, ramen and all manner of culinary mashups. And, of course, there are taco trucks aplenty — but some may not know that the modern taco truck that has become so ubiquitous across California is a relatively new invention. 

And it all started with King Taco.

In 1969, Mexico City-born husband-and-wife team Raúl and Lupe Martinez arrived in Los Angeles by way of Tijuana. After a few years, the couple grew a fledgling street taco operation that centered around MacArthur Park into a true business,  converting an ice cream truck into a fully operational kitchen in 1974. The pair promptly launched the rebuilt rig on the streets of greater LA, setting up curbside to quickly serve smaller, more compact tacos to people at bars or events. While tacos themselves were already a familiar product for many Americans, the common version often differed significantly from the fast, flavorful style that King Taco was able to pump out from its truck. Here, carne asada, cabeza and al pastor ruled, served with simple additions and salsas for a more discerning Mexican customer base around LA.

Article continues below this ad

A historical photo of King Taco’s original Cypress Park location in Los Angeles. 

The truck’s unique setup, with an ordering window, flattop grill inside and tremendous mobility, was more than a novelty of the age — it is today widely regarded as the first taco truck in the county, including by Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano in his book “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.”

For decades before King Taco, Los Angeles had pushcarts and tamale vendors and small, mobile chuck wagon-style catering setups. But King Taco gave California — and by extension, America — the taco truck as we know and love it today.

Don't let Google decide who you trust.

So while the taco truck is as entrenched in LA culture as sunshine and traffic, it’s really only a 52-year-old phenomenon. It’s one that grew quickly, though. Within a decade of King Taco rolling out on wheels, there were more than 500 different taco trucks in the LA area. 

Article continues below this ad

“Food trucks in theory existed before — there were ice cream trucks and carts. A mobile kitchen in that way was uncommon, if seen at all,” said the Martinezes’ granddaughter Casandra Martinez, who serves as the company’s operations manager. “It really did pave the way for other food trucks. It gave you food and a show while you’re at it.”

A historical photo of the original King Taco location in Los Angeles’ Cypress Park neighborhood. 

According to L.A. in a Minute, the truck sold $70 worth of tacos on its first night in 1974, doubling that number on its second evening of service. The Martinezes would later grow King Taco into a fleet of trucks and more than 20 standalone brick-and-mortar locations across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The first restaurant in Cypress Park opened a year later, though it was mostly a commissary kitchen at the outset, a central area for prep that bolstered the growing company.

—The gold rush is back in California's Inland Empire—This LA waterside hangout has been keeping it weird for decades—Leonardo DiCaprio quietly funds a tiny library in the middle of LA—Meet the 'scam' influencer at the heart of LA's recent restaurant drama

For more SFGATE LA stories, subscribe to our new weekly newsletter The Southland here.

Article continues below this ad

“They would park outside a disco club for many months,” Martinez said of King Taco’s early food truck days, “and people would start going to the truck instead of the club.”

The Martinezes’ popularity boom wasn’t just good for business; it was transformational for Los Angeles and America as a whole, serving freshly made soft corn tortillas during a time when a lot of Americans’ taco experiences were of the hard-shell variety.

Al pastor tacos from a King Taco store in Los Angeles on March 16, 2026.

“The hard shell was an Americanized version of what’s done only in a very small part of Mexico. My grandparents were from Mexico City and wanted to serve the type of tacos they ate,” Casandra Martinez said. “For us, the tortilla is the vehicle for the protein. My grandparents created the mold for our tortillas, and it’s still the exact dimensions for the taco today.”

Article continues below this ad

Following the first King Taco location in Cypress Park, the family opened a second storefront at Ford and Third streets in 1978. By 1987, the company was reporting around $10 million in sales, having expanded to three taco trucks and 10 brick-and-mortar locations. According to the restaurant’s website, the 1990s were a period of dramatic expansion for the brand. By 1995, the company was grossing more than $21 million per year. King Taco was even the taco vendor at Dodger Stadium for several years, before the company declined to renew its contract for the 2002 season.

Raúl Martinez died in 2003. His granddaughter noted that about “90%” of her immediate family works at King Taco today, which is still family-owned. 

Customers order at the counter at a King Taco store in Los Angeles.

“My sisters and I are very proud to say we’ve worked in stores and in other departments,” she said. “There’s the type of know-how about being a King Taco employee that you can only get from working in the stores.”

Article continues below this ad

Today, King Taco is an icon of Los Angeles. For some, it is the flavor of home — particularly its fiery salsas, whose recipes remain closely guarded secrets. And while there are endless modern options for amazing tortillas and busy taco trucks, there is only one originator of the format and style that so many have copied across California and the nation.

And now, King Taco seems well on its way to earning true civic recognition for its work. The original Cypress Park restaurant, King Taco #1, is being reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Commission for its “significant contributions to the broad cultural, economic or social history of the nation, state, city, or community.” The restaurant is already a landmark; now, it could be getting the sign and protections to match.

A burrito and a soda from a King Taco store in Los Angeles.

Should the cultural-historic designation be approved for the Cypress Park location, built in the 1940s and used as a hot dog stand and an ice cream store before King Taco took over, Casandra said that it would mean so much for the legacy of the company and for her grandmother Lupe, who is “still very active.”

Article continues below this ad

“We are the result of that American dream of perseverance, a little bit of luck and never, ever taking your foot off the pedal,” she said. “This is the result of years and years of blood, sweat and tears.”

The exterior of a King Taco store in Los Angeles on March 16, 2026.

Casandra added: “At the end of the day, my grandparents started King Taco as a way of, ‘How can I feed my family?’ That grew into feeding thousands of families.”

Article continues below this ad

—‘I have to do this’: The LA restaurant run entirely by one man—OC’s $10M-per-year restaurant is a gorgeous disappointment—LA almost took SF’s Fernet crown last year — from a Los Feliz dive bar—Meet the 'scam' influencer at the heart of LA's recent restaurant drama

For more SFGATE LA stories, subscribe to our new weekly newsletter The Southland here.

© SFGate