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LA’s Best Underground Chorizo Maker Goes Brick and Mortar in Sleepy San Pedro

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Humberto Raygoza, also known as The Chori-Man, is officially legit

The Chori-Man, San Pedro
Farley Elliott
Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Head down to San Pedro this week and find Humberto Raygoza, better known as the Chori-Man, working out of a new neighborhood storefront off Alma Street, which opened July 14. The smallish shop is the first brick and mortar location for Raygoza, who is considered by many to be the best chorizo-maker in all of Los Angeles, with big-name restaurant customers like Salazar and Sonoratown obsessed with his stuff.

The move to San Pedro is a smart one for Raygoza, despite the long commute (he lives in Culver City). The Chori-Man has been working events at Crafted at the Port of L.A. and Brouwerij West for the better part of two years now, and has a loyal local following to back him up. Add in name recognition from some fantastic restaurants around the city and a killer breakfast burrito found weekends at the Downtown Flower District farmers market, and the move to a physical location becomes a no-brainer.

Chorizo breakfast burrito from The Chori-Man.
Chorizo breakfast burrito
Farley Elliott

The spare storefront doesn’t currently have any tables inside, but there are plans to add some stand-up eating options and activate the double-wide sidewalk out front. Mostly the long, narrow kitchen space is meant to be a production facility that can expand Raygoza’s wholesale side. That means more restaurants, more packaging, more Chori-Man everywhere.

That doesn’t stop customers from dropping in for a couple of chorizo tacos (Tolucan green or red) or said breakfast burrito, plus some rotating menu additions like a stewed beef burrito and agua frescas. Hours for the new Chori-Man shop run 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., though that could change as things move along.

The Chori-Man
2309 S. Alma St.
San Pedro, CA