Uh Oh: Taco Lita’s Cult Favorite Taco Sauce Has Completely Disappeared

As if 2018 didn’t already offer enough reasons to panic, here comes another one: Taco Lita is out of taco sauce. The longstanding Arcadia hard-shelled taco stand has legions of fans all across America, many of whom swear by the roadside restaurant’s signature sauce. It’s slightly sweet, slightly spicy, very addicting — and totally gone.

Pasadena Star News is all over the mysterious taco sauce disappearance, saying the issue is due to a supplier screw-up. Apparently the unnamed company that produces the packeted taco sauce for Taco Lita made a bad batch of the stuff, and is now struggling to make the order right. That means there’s no official timetable for exactly when the coveted packets will return — though the report indicates it could be simply a “matter of weeks” — and it’s throwing fans into an outright panic. One customer, who currently lives in Nebraska but has fond memories of eating Taco Lita growing up, tells the Star News that he’s got around 100 packets as back-up, and he’s ready to weather the shortage. Others are not so lucky.

While a little bit of missing taco sauce may seem like a silly thing to trifle over, Taco Lita’s version is particularly beloved. Most of the restaurant’s Yelp photos proudly show off the packets, and occasionally they even get resold on Ebay. The recent shortage has even caused a fake Twitter account for the taco sauce to spring up.

It’s also important to consider greater LA’s enduring taco stand history. Places like Taco Lita, founded in 1967, are as much cultural markers as they are local fast food stop. There was an outpouring of support when Taco Lita owner David Muniz-Harryman died back in 2016, while down in Orange County fans are still cheering the return of bygone taco chain Naugles. Hopefully the missing sauce makes a comeback soon.

Taco Lita. 120 E. Duarte Rd., Arcadia, CA.

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