LOQUI y Amigos: SideWok Taco Party at Woon

LOQUI hit ten years in Los Angeles this year. Instead of a single anniversary blowout, it's spending a month cooking with friends under the banner LOQUI y Amigos. The stop to circle is Friday, October 2, when the taco shop rolls into Woon's Filipinotown restaurant for a SideWok Taco Party from 5 to 9 p.m. This isn't one of the big LA food festivals with wristbands and a vendor map. It's two kitchens trading sauces for one night, and that's exactly why it's fun.

The taco they built for it

Everything hangs on one new dish, the Wok-Fired Carne Asada Taco. LOQUI's carne asada gets marinated in Woon's Stir Fry Sauce and Wok Legend's Seasoning Salt, then hits the wok instead of a grill. On top: Asian slaw and Woon Mama's Way Hot Sauce. LOQUI's charred chile crema goes on last to cool things down.

It's a taco that borrowed a stir-fry's pantry, and it debuts at this party before anywhere else.

What else is on the table

LOQUI's chips and guacamole get a hit of Woon's Chili Crisp. The bar side of the night is a slushie Shochu Margarita. There's also a complimentary fruit cart. Mariachi plays from 7 to 8 p.m., and a DJ handles the rest of the evening, so the room should get loudest in that middle hour.

If Friday doesn't work

You get a second shot at the taco, minus the party. From Saturday, October 3 through Tuesday, October 6, the Wok-Fired Carne Asada Taco moves to LOQUI Arts District at 803 Traction Ave #150, and Woon's post says that's the only place you'll find it after Friday.

The rest of the series is worth knowing about too. LOQUI y Amigos started September 15 with a new permanent menu item at every location, the Adobo Verde Chicken Taco. Fly By Jing took over LOQUI La Brea from September 25 to 29 with a Chili Crisp Chicken Bowl and a Chili Crisp Guava Quesadilla. The closer lands October 16 at LOQUI Playa Vista, where Pizza Ananda brings a Pork Adobada Pie and Nyletta makes a churro cruller donut.

Getting there and what to know

The flyer lists the spot as Woon Filipinotown. Historic Filipinotown sits just west of downtown, between Echo Park and Koreatown, and Friday-night street parking there can take a few laps, so a rideshare is the easy call. Neither restaurant has posted a ticket link or an admission price. Check Woon's Instagram post before you go in case anything changes. Showing up near 5 p.m. is the safer bet if you want a taco in hand before the mariachi set at 7.

For anyone lining up things to do in Los Angeles on a Friday night, this one slots in well before a later plan, since it wraps at 9.

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