Philippe the Original ★ 4.2
Philippe the Original on North Alameda, Los Angeles claims the 1918 invention of the French dip and still serves it on sawdust-floored cafeteria benches.
Try: Original French dip sandwich
Eat well in Los Angeles for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Sarita's Pupuseria ★ 4.7
Sarita's Pupuseria inside Grand Central Market, Los Angeles griddles Salvadoran pupusas to order from the same family-run counter since 2003. Cash and card.
Try: Salvadoran pupusa with curtido
Langer's Delicatessen ★ 4.8
Langer's Delicatessen on Alvarado, Westlake, Los Angeles has hand-sliced pastrami since 1947. The #19 with Russian dressing, coleslaw and Swiss is the order.
Try: Hand-sliced pastrami #19 sandwich
Lucky Boy ★ 4.4
Lucky Boy in Pasadena, Los Angeles serves a foil-wrapped breakfast burrito that locals queue for from 06:00. At 640 S. Arroyo Parkway. Booking recommended.
Try: Breakfast burrito
Banh Mi My Tho ★ 4.6
Banh Mi My Tho in Alhambra, Los Angeles County bakes baguettes daily and presses Vietnamese sandwiches to order. The pate cha lua is the order, cash only.
Try: Vietnamese banh mi
Al & Bea's Mexican Food ★ 4.4
Al & Bea's in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles has wrapped bean and cheese burritos since 1966 from the same walk-up window. Closes by 17:00 daily.
Try: Bean and cheese burrito
Yuko Kitchen ★ 4.1
Yuko Kitchen on Wilshire, Los Angeles is a Japanese counter run by Yuko Sato, serving rice bowls with karaage chicken and onigiri. Lunch only.
Try: Japanese rice bowl
Chichen Itza Restaurant ★ 4.5
Chichen Itza inside Mercado La Paloma, Los Angeles plates Yucatecan dishes including the city's reference cochinita pibil. At 3655 S Grand Ave.
Try: Cochinita pibil panucho
Tortas Ahogadas Ameca ★ 4.0
Tortas Ahogadas Ameca in East LA serves the Guadalajara-style drowned pork torta. A birote bun filled with carnitas and submerged in chile sauce.
Try: Drowned pork torta
Noodle ST ★ 4.3
Noodle ST in Westwood near UCLA, Los Angeles pulls Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles to order and serves them in a long-simmered beef broth from an open.
Try: Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles