LA's King Taco Named Historic Landmark 50 Years Later

When Raúl and Lupe Martinez opened a simple walk-up counter in LA's Cypress Park neighborhood in the mid-1970s, they served something most Americans had never tasted: soft corn tortillas topped with meat, cilantro, and onions. At a time when hard-shell tacos dominated every menu, their authentic Mexico City-style tacos were a revelation.

This April, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to make the original King Taco location an official historic-cultural monument. The designation celebrates how two immigrants transformed the city's entire food scene.

The Martinez's journey began in 1969 when they boarded a bus in Mexico City with only 12 Mexican pesos between them. They ran out of money in Tijuana, but a kind stranger overheard their struggle and paid their fare to Los Angeles.

Raúl started as a dishwasher, then became a butcher. But his true calling emerged at MacArthur Park, where the couple watched local soccer matches and grilled tacos on the sidelines.

"When the games were done, the players began to line up to ask if they could purchase tacos," according to the company's website. Raúl realized how desperately people craved authentic Mexico City food in LA.

In 1974, the couple bought a 1950s ice cream truck and started serving tacos outside an East LA bar. They created one of America's first taco trucks, a completely new concept at the time.

"This was a completely new concept, of grilling and cooking inside of a truck," says their granddaughter Raquel Martinez. "They sort of spearheaded it in a way."

Their granddaughter Casandra explains the secret to their success: "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."

The family still uses the exact tortilla mold Raúl and Lupe created decades ago. Every taco served today follows their original dimensions and recipe.

The Ripple Effect

King Taco didn't just build a business. It sparked a movement. Taco trucks became community gathering hubs across LA's Latino neighborhoods, serving affordable traditional food and preserving cultural identity.

Today, more than 20 King Taco restaurants serve the greater Los Angeles area. Raúl passed away in 2013 at age 71, but Lupe remains active in the family business at 90 years old.

Jaime Martinez, a customer for four decades, says it best: "It's just a cool little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. This is the original one—it's always been 'the one.'"

From 12 pesos to a historic landmark, the Martinez family proved that authentic food and determination can change a city forever.