Choosing the best taco in Los Angeles is like trying to find the most exquisite grain of sand at the beach. There are too many possibilities, countless excellent options. Selecting one single winner would inevitably feel subjective and controversial. It’s best to enjoy tacos in Los Angeles like how Scrooge McDuck enjoys his money: Just bask in the glory of the amazing taco abundance surrounding you.

Even so, if you’re visiting Los Angeles for the first time and want to eat exemplary tacos, it’s hard to know where to begin. Locals can recite a litany of different taco styles worthy of your attention, from al pastor at Leo’s Tacos Truck to braised meats at Guisados to crunchy shrimp tacos at Mariscos Jalisco. The wide variety of regional taco styles on display across the city makes choosing that much harder.

But everyone needs to start somewhere, and for the uninitiated I would recommend heading to Tire Shop Taqueria right away.

Words by Josh Cohen at Food52

[Photo @senordelao via @luckypeach]