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7 Photos of L.A. Street Food Throughout The Years

By Katherine Spiers
October 4, 2013
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October 4 is National Taco Day, which got me thinking about street vendors -- after all, the majority of mobile food vendors in L.A. are serving tacos and other Mexican-style delights. Street food is a tradition in Los Angeles, and luckily there's photographic proof: check out this gallery of Angelenos enjoying curbside dinner as far back as the '30s.

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Two Chinese children, Los Angeles, date unknown | Photo courtesy LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Lunch break at Lockheed, Burbank, c 1941 | Photo courtesy Ansel Adams/LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Los Angeles area, c 1940 | Photo courtesy Ansel Adams/LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Popcorn vendor, Hancock Park, 1930s | Photo courtesy Herman J. Schultheis Collection /LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Olvera Street, Los Angeles, c 1930s | Photo courtesy LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Lunch from a taco truck, Los Angeles, 1974 | Photo courtesy Shades of L.A.: Chinese American Community /LAPL Photo Collection

 

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Venice Beach, 1980 | Photo courtesy Carol Westwood/LAPL Photo Collection

 

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