Move over food trucks. This father-son duo created Phoenix’s taco bus

If you've spotted a brightly lit bus on the freeway, decked out with flashing LCD screens and neon lights, you weren't going "loco" — you likely saw the guys from El Taco Loko.

In 2021, Vladimir Angulo and his son Amir expanded their El Taco Loko brand by purchasing their third food truck of sorts — over 800 miles away in Denver. The journey of getting it back to Phoenix wasn’t easy.

“It didn’t run,” Amir recalls about the 2007 Blue Bird All American Diesel bus. “It took like three days to get it going, but we did. Then we drove it back to Phoenix.”

Once home in the Valley, the transformation began. Vladimir envisioned more than just a typical taco truck. He saw the potential to create a mobile experience that would turn heads and satisfy appetites.

“We had it at the house for a year, and my dad worked on it little by little,” Amir says.

The bus, now completed, spends most of its time stationed at the Fry’s parking lot on West Yuma Road in Goodyear. Vladimir transformed the former transport vehicle into an eccentric taco truck that lives up to the business's name.

With eight large LCD screens mounted along the roofline, neon and LED lights illuminating its fully vinyl-wrapped exterior, and graphics featuring the cartoon El Taco Loko mascot, the bus has quickly become a fan favorite on the west side. And its food offerings stand up to the quirky delivery vessel.

What's on the taco bus menu?

One of the standout dishes is the Ramen Birria, a $13.99 bowl of ramen served with birria meat and consommé.

“The kids love it,” Amir says.

Another favorite is their carne asada, a close second in popularity thanks to the use of real charcoal for that authentic grilled flavor and Vladimir's special seasoning, which has become so popular that it's now sold in other taco spots and retail stores. The $4.99 Queso Taco, packed with more birria and cheese, also brings the heat, especially when double-dipped in the Ramen Birria.

Unlike most food trucks where tables are propped in the parking lot, customers can sit inside the bus to enjoy their meal, surrounded by the same cool graphics as the exterior.

Another hit on the bus menu is the tripas — deep-fried intestines served in tacos for $3.50. Unlike many other places in the Valley, these are extra crispy.

Amir also reveals a new addition to their menu: kekis.

"Right now, we have a breakfast item called kekis over here. It's kind of like a thin pancake or pastry from Sinaloa. You spread Nutella and cream cheese inside, roll it up, and then drizzle it with syrup and Nestle Carnation Clavel condensed milk."

This dish is sold at their brick-and-mortar location on Indian School Road in west Phoenix, but Amir mentions it will soon be available on the bus, once the temperatures outside cool down.

From Tijuana to taco bus

But where did it all begin? The origins of El Taco Loko stretch back to Tijuana, where Vladimir first got his start.

Richard Chang, a longtime friend of Vladimir and a key figure in managing the El Taco Loko business, shares the story.

"Vladimir left his home in Guasave, Sinaloa, to look for opportunities and work in Tijuana. When he was 14, he joined the original El Taco Loco in Tijuana and worked there for three years, from 1997 to 1999."

In 2000, he made the journey to Arizona. Amir adds, "When my dad first came here, they used to sleep at the cemetery. They had no money, and who would bother them there?"

Vladimir’s hard work paid off. He initially worked in construction and later got into buying and selling cars, allowing him to save enough money to start his own business. By 2019, he obtained permission to use the name El Taco Loco in Arizona, simply changing the 'c' to a 'k.'

Today, El Taco Loko boasts three locations: the flagship brick-and-mortar spot in west Phoenix, a trailer serving the Laveen area and the now-iconic bus in Goodyear.

“The whole concept of (our) trucks and trailers was born during COVID. It was such a hard time, and we had to pivot and improvise. That’s where the idea of El Taco Loko food trucks came from," Chang says. "The first was a trailer, and Vladi was inspired to do more when it proved successful. When he saw the bus, he knew that’s what he wanted. At first, I thought, ‘You’re crazy,’ but as he started designing it and piecing it together, you began to see the method in the madness."

While the original El Taco Loco in Tijuana is no longer open, the legacy continues in Arizona with the unique twist of their mobile taco bus. Chang sums it up perfectly.

"For the same reason why you are here is the same reason why we use the bus — because it attracts attention," he explains. "When you first look at it, you see a bus, then you say, 'Are they selling tacos out of that thing?'"

Yes, they are — and they’re selling like crazy.