Perhaps the Valley’s most famous taco (well, at least the Googie signage is famous), Henry’s Tacos has been operating nearly nonstop since 1961. The were, of course, some dark times in 2013, when a lease dispute forced the longtime tenant from their home, but now things are up and running smoothly once again, serving gringo tacos to anyone who wants — at the same low prices.

The Westside’s quintessential old school taco, Tito’s Tacos on Washington Place has been serving their Americanized hard shell tacos since 1959. Forget fresh, farm to table or even so-called authentic: these are the ground beef, shredded orange cheese monstrosities of your youth. And even the adults still line the sidewalk for them.

As one of the region’s only restaurants to serve the Houston-famous fried puffy taco, Arturo’s in Whittier deserves some respect. The team there has been at it for decades, whipping up overloaded ground beef tacos laced with thin guacamole, shredded lettuce and plenty of orange cheese. Ask nicely and they’ll even roll a hot dog up in a corn tortilla and fry the whole thing for you.

Taquitos exist as a separate but equally fulfilling part of L.A.’s taco lexicon. Olvera Street is lined with vendors selling the rolled, fried tacos, but perhaps none are as famous as Cielito Lindo, located at one end of the boulevard. First opened in 1934 and still in the hands of the original family, Cielito Lindo is one of Los Angeles’ most longstanding taco institutions.

Santa Monica’s decades old taco institution is still going strong, serving their version of ‘healthy Mexican’ cuisine along Pico. In reality, though, most locals aren’t looking to die when they arrive: they come for the breakfast burritos, chorizo tacos and one hell of a salsa bar.

East L.A. legend Los Cinco Puntos has been serving on Cesar Chavez for more than a generation. The popular grocery store operation slings some of the city’s meanest carnitas out of the back, which cazos full of pig parts turning into tasty tacos (on handmade tortillas, no less) in the blink of an eye.

Though recently slapped with a For Lease sign in downtown’s ever-gentrifying Arts District, the building that houses La Reyna has been around for decades. The restuarant-cum-taco-table’s own history dates to 1974, apparently, meaning those ever popular street style tacos (chorizo, al pastor and griddled peppers included) have been around for at least four decades.

The original location of a mini-empire that has spawned throughout Los Angeles county (and led to plenty of imitators), the longstanding El Atacor on Figueroa is a bit of strip mall nirvana. Late night diners might move towards the filling asada nachos or sublime potato tacos, but daytime eaters hit the al pastor tacos and sopes hard.