LOQUI y Amigos: Wok-Fired Carne Asada Tacos, Arts District

Missed Friday's SideWok party in Filipinotown? The taco that came out of it sticks around after the DJ packs up. From Saturday, October 3 through Tuesday, October 6, LOQUI's Wok-Fired Carne Asada Taco goes on the menu at the LOQUI Arts District location. It's a four-day encore for a dish that debuted at Woon the night before. For anyone sorting through LA events this weekend, this one asks almost nothing of you. No wristband, no RSVP, no line of vendor tents. You walk in, order at the counter, and eat a taco that nobody else in town is making.

Where this taco came from

LOQUI turned ten in Los Angeles this year, and it marked the occasion with LOQUI y Amigos, its first collaboration series. The plan was a month of limited-time dishes cooked alongside friends and chefs it admires. The series opened September 15 with the Adobo Verde Chicken Taco, which is now a permanent item at every location. 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 Woon chapter is the one worth crossing town for. Woon cooks out of Filipinotown, and the two kitchens designed a single taco together for the October 2 party there.

What's in it

LOQUI's carne asada gets marinated in Woon's Stir Fry Sauce and Wok Legend's Seasoning Salt. Then it goes into a wok instead of onto a grill. Asian slaw and Woon Mama's Way Hot Sauce go on top, and LOQUI finishes it with its charred chile crema, which cools the heat back down. You get soy and wok char in the shape of a street taco.

Woon's own post about the party says the Arts District store is the only place to find the taco after Friday. Four days, then it's off the menu.

When to go

LOQUI's site lists Arts District hours as 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. So Monday and Tuesday open half an hour earlier, and Tuesday night is your last chance. Saturday lunch is the easy window if you'd rather skip the dinner rush.

Nobody has published a price for the collaboration taco, so check the menu board or the LOQUI app when you order. It's a regular menu item for those four days rather than a ticketed event, so there's nothing to reserve. LOQUI takes online orders through its site too, so look for the taco there if you'd rather pick it up.

Getting there

LOQUI Arts District sits at 803 Traction Ave #150, in the warehouse blocks east of downtown. Street parking around there gets tight on weekend nights, so leave a few extra minutes or take a rideshare. The Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro station is within walking distance if you're coming by train.

Weekends in the fall fill up with LA food festivals that want a ticket and a whole afternoon. This is the opposite, a single dish you can fit between other plans. The series wraps October 16 at LOQUI Playa Vista, where Pizza Ananda brings a Pork Adobada Pie and Nyletta makes a churro cruller donut.

Browse more food and drink events, or see the rest of the Things Happening In Los Angeles this week.