At 10628 Ventura Boulevard, you can hear the cooking from the patio. Walter Soto's butcher knife hits a large block of Sinaloan alamo wood as he chops rib-eye and carne asada fresh off a mesquite grill. Behind him, Julia Silva stretches flour tortillas by hand and throws them onto the plancha. That scene is how the Los Angeles Times described El Ruso Taquería in August, a few weeks after it opened in the former Roadside Taco space.
For anyone who followed El Ruso before this summer, the big change is simple. You no longer have to chase it.
A taco truck finds a permanent address
El Ruso built its name on the street. The Times reports that Soto, who was born in Tijuana, sold tacos on LA streets for more than 15 years. He and Silva set up in Boyle Heights, Highland Park, Echo Park and other neighborhoods before landing in Studio City. Their tacos showed up in Netflix's "Taco Chronicles," and the Times reviewed the Boyle Heights trailer in 2020.
According to the Times, the pair had been looking for a restaurant space for five years. They nearly signed one in Silver Lake in 2021 but backed out.
Soto told the Los Angeles Times the trailer was temporary.
How the deal happened in a few days
The Studio City space opened up through a phone call. Roadside Taco had been at the address since June 17, 2021, according to Eater LA's opening report. The LA Local reports that its lease ended this summer. The building belongs to restaurateur and bar owner Vincent Laresca. The Times reports he had long been a fan of El Ruso and had already introduced himself to Soto. They talked by phone in July. Laresca was looking for a new chef. Laresca met with his business partner, Ben Goglia, and the two worked out a deal. The restaurant opened days later.
Eater LA reported that the taquería opened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. Soto told Eater a permanent restaurant had been his dream for more than a decade.
The Studio City room seats about 150 people, and the Times reports El Ruso has often sold out of tacos since opening. With a prep kitchen and a bigger cooking area, a few dishes that used to be occasional specials are now on the regular menu.
What's on the grill, and what it costs now
The Times reports that the menu still centers on El Ruso's signatures: chile colorado, carne asada and birria de res, served as tacos or as sobaqueras, the oversized burritos wrapped in thin flour tortillas. The salsas haven't changed, though there's a new molcajete salsa. Eater lists the proteins as asada, chile Colorado, al pastor, rib-eye and shrimp, with margaritas, beer and horchata to drink.
Prices went up with the move. The Times compared them in August:
| Item | Truck-era price | Studio City price, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Most tacos | $5.25 each | Two for $12 |
| Rib-eye taco | Not listed | $13 |
| Sobaquera | $16.50 | $20 |
The Times put the increase in context. Many restaurants are raising prices to keep up with the cost of ingredients, insurance and labor. Specials still rotate. Bone-in costilla tacos and shaved costilla tacos are recent examples, along with marinated shrimp cooked on the grill and battered fish, which are now regular menu items.
Before you go
Hours. The Times published El Ruso's hours on August 12. Thursday, Sunday and Monday ran 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday ran 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. That's the most recent published schedule. The restaurant's own website sends people to Instagram for current hours. The site still lists the address as "with Roadside Taco," even though Roadside Taco has left.
The truck. The El Ruso truck is still on hold. Eater's best new restaurants list, updated October 1, says the truck is paused while Soto focuses on the taquería. For now, Studio City is the only place to get El Ruso's tacos.
The rest of this year's Ventura Boulevard openings
El Ruso is the most dramatic arrival on Studio City's stretch of the boulevard this year, but not the only one. Here are the other 2026 openings, listed from east to west by address:
- Vignette, 12023 Ventura Blvd. This California-inspired bistro opened in April 2026, according to Food Journal Magazine. Its About page says it was started by three friends with hospitality backgrounds, though it doesn't name them. The restaurant's website takes dining room and patio reservations and welcomes walk-ins at the bar.
- PopUp Bagels, 12184 Ventura Blvd. What Now Los Angeles first reported "coming soon" signs in June, with no opening date. Patch later reported a grand opening planned for Friday, August 28. We haven't found a news report confirming the opening happened, so check before you go.
- Omake, 12437 Ventura Blvd. What Now Los Angeles reported the address back in April. The coffee bar opened September 25, according to the California Post. It has a counter for everyday drinks and a separate, reservation-only bar for multi-course coffee tastings. Owner Iskuhi Kalantaryan told the outlet that about 600 people came in on a single day. Counter drinks top out at $11. The five-course guided tasting costs $125, and the Post's October 7 report said it would launch the following week. The signature matchas include butterfly pea flower, peach, seabuckthorn and toasted rosemary.
- Blank Street, 13273 Ventura Blvd. The New York-born coffee and matcha chain opened here on August 21, according to What Now Los Angeles. That publication calls it the brand's 106th location worldwide.
Next to these, El Ruso stands out as the one with a long history somewhere else. Vignette and Omake are new concepts. Blank Street and PopUp Bagels are chains expanding into new locations. El Ruso spent more than 15 years building a following on LA streets before it had a dining room. Its first permanent home is the former Roadside Taco space at 10628 Ventura, and the price went from $5.25 per taco to two for $12.
The El Ruso story also shows how much a block depends on who owns the building and what they decide to do with a space when a lease ends. That's something Brandon Kaufman watches up and down Ventura Boulevard, and he can explain how it plays into home values on the streets nearby. Request a free home valuation or schedule a consultation, and we'll walk you through what's changing on your stretch of Studio City.
