Ditroit Taqueria

The tortillas are the point at Ditroit: thin, warm, house-made nixtamal rounds built from heirloom Mexican corn sourced through Masienda. They give the tacos their texture and flavour, and they turn a short menu into something much more focused.

You find it at a back-alley taquería window at 2117 Violet Street in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, tucked behind Damian rather than facing the street. The setting is open-air and filled with greenery, which suits its role as Damian’s casual daytime counterpart, connected to the Casamata team and Mexico City chef Enrique Olvera. Chef de cuisine Jesús “Chuy” Cervantes oversees kitchen operations across both Damian and Ditroit.

Order the extra-long fried fish flauta if it is on: daily catch, crema, queso and avocado salsa verde wrapped into a crisp, elongated hit of a dish. The tacos de suadero and carnitas are simpler, but the tortillas do the heavy lifting.