Boyle Heights is LA’s epicenter for some of LA’s best Mexican cuisine. Establishments exist as brick-and-mortar restaurants on Cesar Chavez or Whittier Blvd and as food trucks lined up on Olympic Blvd. just east of the Olympic Blvd Bridge into East Los Angeles. One such food truck is El Ruso, a family-run operation located in Boyle Heights’ industrial district.
Unless you are an Instagrammer, you may not know about El Ruso. They run their daily operations out of a mobile trailer parked on an unobscure side street off of east Olympic Blvd. In fact, it is tucked almost a block away next to a metal plating company. Fortunately, they have a sidewalk flag because their trailer is stark white and lacks branding.
Tacos and Sobaqueras are the sole items featured. Sobaqueras are similar to Sonoran-style burritos. Because I wanted to try as many items as possible, I ordered tacos instead of the larger sobaqueras; one each of carne asada, chile colorado, birria, mole, and chorizo. And to wash it down, I also ordered a couple of horchatas.
Owner Walter Soto took my order, and his wife, Julia Silva was in the back of the trailer making their famous tortillas by hand. A young man worked the grill and three others worked in this narrow mobile trailer. Soto’s young daughter was well behaved and sat on the step of the trailer playing with a handheld device.
Due to the pandemic, customers were socially distanced. Fortunately, they have a small space next to their truck where customers can wait for their meals to be prepared. This area also serves as storage as I observed restaurant-sized cans of Crisco shortening and cases of bottled hot sauce.
It begins with the grill chef dropping a handful of shredded jack cheese on the hot grill and the tortillas are placed on top of the cheese. It is then flipped over on the grill so that the other side of the tortilla can cook and the desired meat and frijoles are added. They are then folded over and served.
While the meat is expertly prepared, their housemade flour tortilla is the big draw. It is made with flour that Soto gets monthly from his hometown of Tijuana, these are the kind of chewy, thin, pliable flour tortillas that provide an elevated experience. They are also sturdy enough to hold up with the fillings and not fall apart in your hands.
They provide plastic bags filled with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, cilantro, and onions. In addition, small containers of aguamole (blended guacamole) and salsa are included. Each taco is served with an ample amount of meat and is only $3.38 with an extra 26 cents if you want the additional cheese experience.
I recommend trying the Chile Colorado and the Mole Tacos since you can enjoy the amazing tortilla experience with meat offerings that other taquerias don’t offer Of course, if you don’t care for those, you can’t go wrong with their other offerings.
El Ruso, 1401 Mirasol St, Los Angeles, CA 90023; 323.246.6819; elrusola.weebly.com