I asked my friend and sunset photography aficionado Tom Ciszek for details on Santa Monica taco spots to check out, and his go-to is Tacos Por Favor.

This busy takeout spot has some of the best pastor I’ve ever had, hands down. Well-seasoned, earthy, sweet, perfect. The lengua was decent, too, but not quite the star that the pastor was.

I ended up being early and finished my street tacos before Tom arrived. He managed to talk me into trying their hard shell version with pastor, and the texture and additions of cheese and lettuce and tomato brought it up to another level.