Evil Cooks

"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

"Chefs Alex and Elvia García opened Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto in El Sereno on November 13 after spending five years preparing octopus al pastor and bacon cheeseburger tacos from their home and at Smorgasburg. Find creative modern Mexican food prepared with death metal flair at the new restaurant which has five counter seats and an outdoor patio for 25 diners. The menu includes tacos, tortas, mulitas, burritos, and carne en su jugo noodles — a mashup of the Guadalajara dish and Japanese ramen." - Mona Holmes

"Chefs Alex and Elvia García are opening Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto in El Sereno today, November 13, where they will serve some of the most creative modern Mexican food in Los Angeles. After slinging dishes like black-tinted octopus al pastor and bacon cheeseburger tacos out of their home and at Smorgasburg for the past five years, the chefs finally have a permanent space. The new restaurant on North Eastern Avenue has just five counter seats facing a small kitchen and an outdoor patio that seats 25 diners. In 2020, Evil Cooks was named one of Los Angeles’s 101 best restaurants by the Los Angeles Times, with critic Bill Addison including the pop-up among his list of the city’s 13 best tacos. Along with the acclaim came offers from investors to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but the Garcías chose to operate without partners. (Evil Cooks’ defiant streak was recently highlighted in Life & Thyme’s Rebel Kitchens series.) The new El Sereno restaurant is located a few blocks from their home. “I think the stars aligned for us because we wanted to wait for our daughter to begin school before even considering a restaurant,” says Elvia. “And the fact that it’s in our neighborhood, where lots of people have supported us, was perfect,” says Alex. Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto is a love letter to all who have supported the duo over the years. At Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto, the chefs have a compact space with a black thrash metal interior and a black-painted, succulent-accented patio. A garden fountain features angels crying what seems like blood but is agua de jamaica. The interior walls are adorned with metal album covers, heavy metal skulls, Evil Cooks T-shirts, and classic horror movie posters. The menu includes the pop-up’s beloved tacos, tortas, mulitas, and burritos, like the Poseidon (octopus al pastor taco), Asesino (pork al pastor and octopus taco), chorizo verde burrito, and “chilakiller” (chilaquiles) torta. “The lunch menu will be mostly tacos and burritos, but for dinner, we’ll have a sit-down menu,” says Alex. The dinner menu brings crispy fideo croquettes topped with truffles, chorizo verde pot stickers, along with playful shared plates such as a spicy tom yum aguachile, and carne en su jugo noodles — a mashup of the Guadalajara dish and Japanese ramen. Evil Cooks’ take on beef Wellington gets an unconventional spin: Pork ribs are wrapped in phyllo dough and topped with pashmak (Persian candy floss). The Devil’s Rib consists of a tomahawk steak served with corn tortillas, grilled onions, chiles, and a pair of salsas, one with Maggi and sesame seeds, the other a pipián chimichurri. The Poseidon, one of Evil Cooks’ signature recipes, will be available in a larger format with the grilled octopus placed over a bed of recaudo negro risotto. Flan tacos and churro cheesecake tacos are available for dessert, along with elotes tiernos (ears of corn) in a sweet atole de piloncillo (brown sugar). “I imagine things in my mind and I’m like, there has to be a way to do that. That’s the way my mind works,” says Alex. In the months to come, the chefs will relaunch their Kamikaze tasting menus with dishes influenced by Los Angeles’s diverse cultures. Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto is a monument to the chefs’ mentors, family, and followers. “This is my thank you to everyone, especially Elvia, my mom for bringing me to the United States, and even the people who were hard on me,” says Alex. “I’m doing what I love because of them.”" - Bill Esparza

"What does Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta’s taco pop-up, and thrash metal have in common? Take a listen to Slayer’s Repentless and it all makes sense. Alex Garcia is a former restaurant chef turned counterculture taquero whose only compromise in life is that he will keep popular menu items around for his loyal fans, even if he doesn’t like it. Alongside partner Elvia Huerta, Garcia’s Evil Cooks pop-ups promise unconventional tacos like octopus al pastor in a smoky recaudo negro (charred chiles marinade) that’s sliced from a forebodingly dark trompo. The flan dessert taco on a flour tortilla, called La Bruja (witch), is a tribute to Huerta, while the family’s homemade herbed green chorizo tacos take their customers on a tasty journey between heaven and hell." - Bill Esparza

"Evil Cooks, located in East LA, is recognized for delivering high-quality tacos. Even with the increase in pork prices, they have kept beef prices stable, ensuring their offerings remain a favorite among taco lovers." - Mona Holmes