Taco Death Match: Long Beach festival-meets-competition pairs taqueros and breweries (with some tequila on the side)

Taco Death Match, the inaugural taco competition heading to Mosaic in Downtown Long Beach on Nov. 3, will have a curated slate of chefs and taqueros create special “ofrenda tacos” that honor dead loved ones. Those tacos will then be paired with a festival-specific beer from a local brewery. Each will be judged by both professionals in the field and the festival patrons.

And yes, there will also be plenty of tequila tastings. Some shopping. Some ultra-special VIP perks. And entertainment. And the chance for a taquero to proclaim victory in the ultimate Taco Death Match.

Who is behind Taco Death Match?

Taco Death Match is special to me because, well, I am directly involved. And that makes it my first foray into the world of food festivals. So I brought on some pretty solid people thanks to an approach from the team at Broken Spirits Distillery.

“For us, though many in our team live in Long Beach, Broken Spirits as a brand extension of Smoke & Fire is relatively new. And we’re in for the long haul,” said Isaias Hernandez, founding partner of Broken Spirits and Smoke and Fire. “We knew we wanted to activate the space beyond our distillery and we knew no one is more connected to the food culture of Long Beach than Brian Addison.” 

When this idea of a taco competition was floated out, I knew we had to create something special. It had to be something more than just a taco festival. Which is precisely why I brought on Sal Flores and the LB Living team. This is the crew behind everything from the Taco & Tequila Festival and Long Beach International Tamales Festival to the Big Gay Takeover and Be Proud Fest. And to watch their evolution has been nothing short of great. Small ideas have now blossomed into some of the most respected events not just in the city but the region.

Even more, on a personal level, I wanted to honor the taco in a way that treated it like the culinary wonder it is. In that sense, I wanted chefs to challenge themselves with a food-as-storytelling approach—and that’s what Taco Death Match really is.

Who’s participating in Taco Death Match so far?

We have truly tried to create something that hasn’t quite been in Long Beach—and that means Long Beach legends paired up with L.A. and O.C. legends. Confirmed taco participants:

• Villas Tacos: The famed Angeleno taquero has been featured on the Los Angeles Times’s 101 Best Restaurants list.
• Evil Cooks: They are called the Gothtrompo pioneers, with Elvia Huerta and Alex Garcia of Evil Cooks building a rightful, cult-like following.
• Craft by Smoke & Fire: This O.C. staple has been defined by its love of barbecue and its witty plays on food, including their famed smoked brisket tacos on blue corn tortillas—and they are the reason we have a new distillery.
• Chinitos Tacos: This Long Beach staple has broken barriers by melding Cambodian and Mexican flavors into one of the most distinct taquerias in the area.
• El Barrio Cantina: Headed by Chef Ulises Pineda-Alfaro, El Barrio has defined itself by chef’s experiences in Mexico proper and L.A., creating staple dishes like birria lasagna.
• Lola’s Mexican Cuisine: The space that introduced birria to Long Beach, this Mexican restaurant has survived for over 15 years and Chef Luis Navarro is ready to take on the Taco Death Match challenge.
• Los Reyes del Tacos Sabroso: This Long Beach gem is an ode to the food of Mexico City, with the Montesino family redefining Long Beach’s perspective of Mexican cuisine.
• The Wild Chive: We couldn’t leave out our vegan friends—and Wild Chive is one of the best vegan restaurants in the region, being named one of the best brunch spots in the nation.

And yes, we are in talks with Sonoratown, Los Cholos, Tacos la Carreta, and Guerilla to hopefully bring them on. We shall see!

And what about the breweries involved?

I wanted the best of Long Beach beer to partner with the chefs and taqueros for a pairing experience unlike any other. Confirmed breweries:

• Altar Society
• Ambitious Ales
• Beachwood
• ISM Brewing
• Long Beach Beer Lab
• Syncopated
• Ten Mile Brewing
• Trademark
• Villains

The VIP experience at Taco Death Match will be like no other.

The festival will offer a VIP experience unlike any other. Not only will Don Julio be on hand with their tequila truck to offer unlimited tequila tastings, VIPs will have multiple spaces that are solely for them. This includes the entirety of the Broken Spirits space should they want some air conditioning and catered food outside of the tacos and a special viewing area of the stage. Additionally, it will be the only ticket allowing you to taste every taco and every beer with your ticket alone.

GA access will provide a handful of tastings and, should patrons want more, are free to purchase additional tacos.

“Considering our past experience with both major taco and tamal festivals, we were all in agreeance that this had to cherish and respect the Mexican culture surrounding Dia de los Muertos as well as create something distinct for Long Beach,” Flores said. “I’ve never felt more confident in a partnership than this one.”

Tickets will go on sale in the coming days.

Taco Death Match goes down at Mosaic in Downtown Long Beach on Nov. 3.