Rakken Tacos

2444 S Atlantic Blvd

Commerce, CA 90040

Rakken Tacos is a Vietnamese Mexican fusion restaurant that is not too far from Downtown; it was around a 15 minute drive and there wasn't any traffic when I came in during lunch time. Originally, they were a vendor at the 626 Night Market, and after five years, they finally opened their first brick & mortar shop! Everything on the menu looked amazing, and I was really surprised at how cheap everything was. I ended up getting the Rakken six which includes a sampler of all 6 of their tacos, shrimp taquitos, and garlic crab fries all to myself! For drinks, I tried their English Standard tea as this was the only restaurant that offers this brand on the west coast.

The Rakken six came out quickly, and I was impressed at not only the presentation, but also the variety and taste of the tacos!

1. The Rakken Al Pastor, grilled vietnamese lemongrass pork, spicy siracha, mayo, onions- the pork was tender and juicy, and I liked the slight hint of sour and a subtle kick of spicy the taco offered.

2. Yuzu Carne Asada, marinated steak, japanese citrus sauce, onions- A nice twist on your typical carne asada tacos. Love the flavor of the yuzu sauce, and the meat was delicious.

3. Pho, flank steak simmered in pho broth, onions, basil leaves, hoisin-siracha drizzle- I see that some of the reviews complain about the saltiness, but it's kind of assumed when you're eating hoisin sauce. I thought this taco was super unique, and it tasted just like pho but solid form!

4. Butter Shrimp, lemon, pickled purple onions, Rakken house spices- I typically am not a big fan of shrimp, but this was surprisingly my favorite of the combo! The marination of the shrimp was fantastic, and the onions added a nice overall texture. Must order!

5. Mini-bello, portello mushrooms, onions, shiso leaves, spicy mayo- I love mushrooms, so this was an automatic win for me. Love how they incorporate a vegetarian taco on their menu!

6. Chicken curry, Vietnamese yellow chicken curry with coconut milk, pickled cabbage- this reminded me of the authentic vietnamese curry I have eaten at my friend's house. Another extremely unique taco as you typically don't put curry with tortilla! Loved this one as well though.

The garlic crab fries is also another must order for me as the crab was of fantastic quality and the fries were perfectly fried. The owner mentioned that they used Dungeness crab claw meat instead of using snow crab, and you can tell the difference in quality! I wish they had more garlic aioli because I love my garlic, but this was killer! Coming back for these for sure!

At this point, I was super full, so I only had a little of my shrimp taquitos. The shrimp was basically the same as the taco, so of course it was delicious. Taquitos were nice and crispy on the outside.

I also ended up getting the Oreo churros for dessert as it was Oreo-branded, and it was the perfect ending. Wish there was more cream inside and more vietnamese coffee drizzle, but that's just my personal preference.

I was super impressed at the overall concept and execution as Rakken Tacos nailed everything! The Rakken Six is similar to the sample platter that Guisado's offers, but this one definitely is more unique. The items on the menu are extremely well thought out, and the owner Ken is very passionate about his restaurant. I love how they were able to incorporate traditional Vietnamese food into Mexican style tacos, and I do want to come back and try their other dishes such as the mango shrimp ceviche and carne asada fries. I will be back!

#CelineCuisine