Smorgasburg’s Popular Peruvian-Inflected Taco Stand Jumps Into DTLA Brick and Mortar

Though it’s always good to be a Smorgasburg vendor, moving beyond the Downtown open-air market is often the goal of these upstart eateries. Longtime vendor Little Llama Peruvian Tacos hopes to move into a Downtown brick and mortar space this summer.

Partners Angela Wagner and Peruvian-born chef Jean Valcarcel are deep in the restaurant permit phase, but hope to setup their beachy, chilled out joint inside a 2,300 square feet interior with a bonus: a 1,000 square foot wrap-around patio. Little Llama is a short block away from the Downtown Badmaash and Señor Fish.

Little Llama’s four item Smorgasburg menu will expand at the new digs, where diners can build a meal with new tacos, salads, side dishes. The partners use organic, hand-pressed tortillas to hold pomegranate-glazed pork belly with fresh corn polenta and cotija, and beefy lomo saltado. Traditional drinks like marucaya and chicha morada will be available, but the new shop will add sangrias, beer, and wine as soon as the ABC license is approved.

Before showing up every Sunday at Smorgasburg, the partners met while working at the beloved and now closed Mo’ Chica. The pair started throwing a dinner party called Re Creo, then expanded to Smorgasburg in late 2016.

A handful of Smorgasburg vendors have gone permanent in recent months, or are in the process of opening in this year. Sip Artisanal Matcha started serving drinks in Rowland Heights last June, Daddy’s Chicken Shack gained a spot in Pasadena, along with Katsu Sando and Bolo both hoping to open in Chinatown this year.

Little Llama Peruvian Tacos. 222 South Main, Los Angeles, CA

• Smorgasburg’s Popular Katsu Sando Is Opening a Full-Time Location in Chinatown [ELA]
• Smorgasburg Heavyweights Open Matcha Shop in Rowland Heights [ELA]