What to Know
- Sunday, Oct. 4
- Nueva Venice has a fundraiser, Trejo's will be giving away Golden Tickets (meaning free tacos in October), and Taco Bell is launching a gift platform
- The Pacific Wheel in Santa Monica will feature taco displays on its side after sundown
Big food holidays are common on the cuisine-focused calendar, but they generally stick to a number of tried-and-true traditions, including deals at local restaurants and recipes on cooking sites.
But sometimes?
A national food holiday comes along for a food that's so rightly famous, and so celebrated, that all stops must be pulled out, and then a few stops beyond those.
And the stops? Proceed to pulling 'em out, for National Taco Day is just about here, with a few special happenings in tasty tow.
First up? The day is Sunday, Oct. 4, meaning you'll need to get your weekly Taco Tuesday cravings jumpstarted 48 hours early.
And to kindly remind you to do so?
The Pacific Wheel, located in the Santa Monica Pier's Pacific Park, will pay tribute to the taco with a host of illuminated designs set to shimmer on the side of the giant solar-powered Ferris wheel.
That shimmering starts at sunset, and wraps at 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, so you might want to set an alert to start your taco-focused festivities earlier in the day, before the taco show begins.
There will be a number of places around town to find taco joy.
If you do tacos at Nueva Venice, in Marina del Rey, between 5 and 10 p.m. on Oct. 4, the restaurant will donate all taco-based proceeds to St. Joseph Center, which assists families with food, clothing, and in other essential ways through a host of give-back programs.
Taco Bell will debut a new "gifting platform" on Oct. 4 called Taco Gifter, so taco lovers can gift they're far-off friends with taco goodness. The first 10,000 people to use it will get a free taco. There's more info here, plus 411 on the platform.
Thinking Del Taco for National Taco Day? Make sure you download the app, and follow a few steps, for your free taco with purchase. Something nice? It's available on National Taco Day Eve and National Taco Day, so, yes, Oct. 3 and 4.
San Pedro Fish Market Grille will offer a one-day-only special on Oct. 4, and it is made for shrimp lovers. It's a $5.99 Shrimp Taco Combo, which includes housemade tortilla chips and salsa. You'll want to dine-in at one of the three locations to score the deal.
Some lucky Trejo's Tacos diners will be rewarded with Golden Tickets, which means they'll be able to enjoy free tacos throughout October, which is a longer month, so yay to that. A winner will be picked at each location, so pick the Trejo's you love best. Details? You bet.
And happening at Cha Cha's Latin Kitchen in Brea and Irvine? Look for a fancy taco plate, with three luxe tacos, priced at $18 on Oct. 4. The tacos in the spotlight? Short rib, lobster, and mushroom.
Happy National Taco Day, taco lovers. Just one question remains: Will you still seek out tacos on Tuesday, as usual?
Of course. As if any occasion could ever take Taco Tuesday off the schedule. Not now, not ever, though we do love National Taco Day dearly.
