The buzzy Arts District restaurant Guerrilla Tacos has announced it will be shutting down for good at the end of the month. Brittney Valles, the managing partner at Guerrilla Tacos, confirmed the upcoming closure on January 31. Guerrilla Tacos, known for serving up Mexican cuisine with a modern twist, will serve its last taco on a corner that has seen significant growth in the neighborhood, citing a series of challenges spanning from the pandemic to a major robbery. Inaugurated in 2018 as a restaurant, it originally commenced as a standalone griddle in 2012, earning a reputation for food truck innovation before making a home in the heart of the Arts District.
According to Eater Los Angeles, the restaurant's closing follows a string of disruptions that have plagued the L.A. dining scene, including a pause in operations due to the pandemic, fluctuating public health orders, and a theft that removed $20,000 in cash from their reserves. Guerrilla Tacos was not only a culinary standout but also achieved a moment of fame when its facade was featured in the 2022 Oscar-winning film "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Sister establishment Guerrilla Cafecito, situated next door and known for its breakfast offerings, will also cease operations, as detailed by Eater Los Angeles. Valles has mentioned numerous reasons for the closure in a comprehensive statement, indicating that the impacts of the pandemic led to evolving strategies for staying afloat, including retailing grocery items and taco kits during the 2020 lockdown. Another blow to Valles' restaurant group was the July 2024 closure of Gogo’s Tacos located in Koreatown.
In an emotional Instagram post, Valles expressed a mix of pride, sadness, and excitement for the future as the end of this chapter approached. Speaking to her fellow entrepreneurs and the community, she shared, "Now that it’s our time to say goodbye, all I feel is pride in what we did for the last seven years. I feel sadness that I’m not going to see my favorite people everyday at work and mostly, I am excited for what the future has to hold." Furthermore, Valles emphasized her aim to close "in a way that is healthy, and we can support our staff through the transition," as an unforeseen event could have jeopardized a smooth ending. The sentiment was captured in a statement shared by Guerrilla Tacos' Instagram post.
