Amigo by Nai

An elevated taqueria serving up authentic Guanajuato-style carnitas from LA's famed Carnitas El Momo.

A unique collaboration between Chef Ruben Rodriguez of Nai Tapas at 85 Second Ave. and Juan “Billy” Acosta, whose family runs the much-ballyhooed - mobile taco operation in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Known for dishing up some of the city's best tacos - expect a similar menu of their authentic, Mexican pork tacos - alongside a rotating tapas selections from Nai. The restaurant, includes both a taqueria and an upscale cocktail bar - has both indoor and outdoor seating options. 

 

Ideal For

Taco fiends, pigging out

Signature Dishes

A shawarma-roasted cauliflower taco with avocado lime chimichurri; the birria taco using 36-hour roasted oxtail with a red mojo sauce, shishito peppers, and a side of consommé and the carnitas tacos in three varieties: Maciza, or bone-in pork butt; buche, or pork stomach; cueritos, or pork skin. There’s also a signature collaboration taco on the menu dubbed Amigo ($7) that pulls from both chefs’ backgrounds. It features pork belly that has been marinated for up to 36 hours in garlic, parsley, and other traditional Spanish ingredients, then roasted in white wine. The meat is then slicked with Rodriguez’s sweet citrus gastrique that he uses in the kitchen at Nai, and finally sprinkled with flecks of a spicy sauce from Acosta that packs a punch. “It’s kind of like, ‘Who the hell does that?’” Rodriguez says. “It’s such a weird way to eat a taco. I really do believe that [the flavor profile] is going to shock a lot of people.”

Signature Drinks

The Puss In Boots, a mezcal and tequila cocktail paired with elderflower, bee pollen, and jalapeño, and What Happened to 8th Street, a wasabi-infused scotch cocktail with seaweed, sesame oil, and lemon, among other ingredients.


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