Taqueria El Zamorano Brings Vegan Tacos to OC

On the corner of Flower and Warner streets, you can’t walk by without missing the intriguing smell of vegan tacos at Taqueria El Zamorano. The Traditional Mexican restaurant is dedicating Sundays to bring varieties of vegan food to Orange County.

It all began with the creator, David Aguilar, who decided to go vegan when he discovered the harm meat can bring not only for the planet but for human beings as well. Aguilar started vegan pop-up Sundays to give the people of OC more access to vegan food. With everything on his menu being $2 dollars, making it affordable to be healthy.

“Personally I love Mexican food but there’s no Mexican vegan food in OC. I would have to got to L.A. and that’s far. The demand [for vegan food] is huge here in OC but there aren’t enough vendors” said Aguilar.

Vegan by El Zamorano focuses on feeding their customers food that is made from scratch. The tortillas are made by hand and masa (flour). Aguilar uses a seitan, a wheat-ingredient, and fermented soybean paste as a substitution for meat. The chewy texture is what gives the illusion of meat. The menu offers carne asada, al pastor, chorizo, salsa roja cauliflower, and mushrooms a la mexicana tacos. Aguilar offers cauliflower as well for all the vegetable lovers. Salsa roja, salsa verde and guacamole are options to spice up your tacos. As for drinks they offer agua frescas such as horchata and cucumber lime to balance the spice with the ice.

“The tacos have food flavor, the right saltiness, it’s juicy. It’s a creative way to bring fruits and vegetables together” said Santa Ana local, Jonathan Padilla.

Vegan pop-up Sundays is a diverse social gathering that is fresh and new. As a community Aguilar features varieties of vegan food such as, Devi’s Donuts and Sweets, Bianca’s Tamales, Sweet Vegan Delights, and Yiju dumplings incorporates nutrients into our everyday type of lifestyle food.