Silver Lake has a new destination for Sonoran carne asada: Tacos Royale, a street-cart project from chef Saúl Pérez García and his cousin, chef and culinary researcher Eloy Aluri, opened on Friday, June 5. The pop-up promises charcoal-grilled steak tacos made with Sonora techniques, house-milled flour tortillas and a full salsa bar—a concise reminder that regional Mexican grilling traditions are still evolving in Los Angeles.
After cooking stints at restaurants and a run with the food truck La Hija del Marondo, Pérez has translated his Hermosillo memories into a compact street stand on West Sunset Boulevard. The cart focuses initially on tacos—steak wrapped in flour tortillas—and will add burritos the following week. The stand operates in a parking lot at 2511 W. Sunset Boulevard, open Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight.
What sets Tacos Royale apart is deliberate attention to Sonoran technique and sourcing. The team cooks over charcoal, follows a careful butchery routine to separate individual muscles from the USDA Prime diezmillo (chuck roll), and trims fat and connective tissue so the taco centers on clean cuts of meat. Some trimmed fat is transformed into crunchy beef cracklings known locally as veneno.
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To recreate an authentic texture and flavor, Pérez has developed a signature flour tortilla brand called Sonorancali. It uses Yosemite Organics flour—the same grain historically used in Sonora—plus beef tallow, water and salt, produced in collaboration with a Sylmar tortilla factory. The cart’s salsa lineup is sourced from recipes from Aluri’s hometown, reinforcing the Hermosillo connection.
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Primary protein | USDA Prime diezmillo (chuck roll), charcoal-grilled and hand-sliced |
| Tortillas | Sonorancali flour tortillas, made with Yosemite Organics flour and beef tallow |
| Salsa bar | Ten classic asadero condiments including guacamole, salsa tatemada and salsa bandera |
| Signature additions | Beef cracklings (veneno) and frijoles de fiesta topped with Monterey Jack–cheddar blend |
Pérez describes a low-flame approach to grilling: modest seasoning, a resting period, then precise slicing so the meat hits the tortilla in small cubes—closer to what locals in Hermosillo call a true “steak taco.” The cart’s menu also includes an OG bean taco recipe that traces back to cook Nereida Vejar of Matape, Sonora, and features beans brightened by fried chile colorado and pickled jalapeños.
For diners used to Los Angeles’ established charcoal asadores—names like Sonoratown, Tacos La Carreta and Tacos Don Cuco—the new stand adds another Sonoran voice. But Pérez and Aluri aim to push further: within a couple of months they plan to bring in a whole Akaushi (American wagyu) steer and perform on-site butchery, then rotate tacos made from rib-eye, beef ribs, sirloin and other primal cuts.
- Short-term: tacos only at opening; burritos to follow the next week.
- Medium-term: in-house butchery of an Akaushi steer for a wider range of cuts.
- Community plans: pop-ups and Sonoran-style cookouts at local ranches with Aluri.
The move is practical as much as cultural. By replicating specific Sonoran techniques—from muscle-by-muscle trimming to a full complement of condiments—Tacos Royale offers Angelenos a more focused example of Hermosillo street grilling without a flight to Sonora. If the butchery experiments succeed, the stand could broaden how the city thinks about carne asada tacos, not just as a quick bite but as a craft anchored in regional practice.
Tacos Royale is located at 2511 W. Sunset Boulevard, Silver Lake. Open Thursday–Sunday, 6 p.m.–12 a.m. Expect tacos at opening and burritos to appear on the menu shortly after.
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