"Despite what our kindergarten teacher told us, not everyone is unique—and that goes for restaurants, too. But Evil Cooks is. The heavy-metal-themed taquería started as a pop-up and Smorgasburg vendor before opening full-time in El Sereno, and the diner-like space grabs your attention even before you clock the McSatan cheeseburger taco on the menu. Slayer and Megadeath tunes fill the room, a ripping hot plancha sizzles behind the counter, and there’s a trickling fountain of fake blood on the back patio (hell yeah). The excellent tacos take the theme further, with options like The Simmons with thick slabs of jiggly lengua and a chunky salsa cruda, the jet-black Poseidon with seared octopus in smoky salsa tatemada, and a $1 fideo taco that’s just tomato-y-sweet noodles stuffed in a griddled, soup-dipped tortilla. Like its tacos, Evil Cooks’ sit-down dinner menu turns the volume all the way up, with more intricate dishes like pork rib beef wellingtons topped with Persian candy floss and tom yum shrimp aguachile that we'll be back to try soon." - Sylvio Martins
